Why Some Advertising Works... and Some Doesn't!

Advertising really is a very simple business. I've been making my living online for more than five years and in that time, I have learned a couple of things that really make a lot of sense.

When it comes to advertising, you will do better if you sell people something they want instead of something they need.

Don't believe me?

People that smoke really need to quit... but they buy more cigarettes.People that are overweight (myself included) need to purchase healthier foods, eat less fat, exercise more.... but I just finished off a chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch.

Here's another great thing I have learned about advertising.People will buy something if it helps them avoid pain or embarassment.We want to look better.We want to feel better.We want people to think of us as being successful.We don't want to face our own mortality.Men want a full head of hair.Women want to be thinner.

We all want more money.Are you seeing a pattern? I'm not suggesting that you sell junk in order to be successful. In fact, there are people that make agreat deal of money selling things that people really do need.

People that sell products to help you stop smoking don't sell the"stop smoking" part. They sell the part about making your breath better, improving your health, living longer, getting better looking dates, having whiter teeth.See how that works?

What I am suggesting is that you learn how to present your offer in such a way that it will satisfy someone's "want" and or help them to avoid some level of pain or embarassment.Think about that for a minute and you just might realize that I have given you a very coveted secret of successful advertisers every where.

There was a very successful company that focused their entire ad campaign on replacing the brake shoes on your car. But their ad didn't show readers how to get their brake shoes replaced. It showed readers how to protect their loved ones.Remember the tire commercial that was really nothing more than atire running around on its side with a baby in it?

They weren't selling round rubber. They were selling safety."Because so much is riding on your tires" was a great way to advertise. We weren't impressed by the tread patterns or the depth of the rubber. We wanted to keep our babies safe.

If you want me to buy your product... don't tell me about your product.Tell me about what your product will do for me.What will I get?Or even better... what will I avoid?Can I avoid those embarassing whispers at parties?I could go on and on about this but if you think about it you will begin to see what I mean. Advertising is all about showing your target market how your offer can help them. It is NOT about showing them how much better your stuff is or how smart you are.

I saw a web site just the other day that had some big scientific looking words scrawled across the top of it. I had no idea what the words meant and I felt like an idiot.
So... I left the site.Successful advertising keeps it very simple and focuses on the solving or avoidance of a problem. I improved the close ratio on one of my lead generation web sites by simply adding the following statement:"Are you losing sales? Then you are losing money".

What I am suggesting is that you learn how to present your offer in such a way that it will satisfy someone's "want" and or help them to avoid some level of pain or embarassment.Think about that for a minute and you just might realize that I have given you a very coveted secret of successful advertiserseverywhere.

It is NOT about showing them how much better your stuff is or how smart you are.I saw a web site just the other day that had some big scientificlooking words scrawled across the top of it. I had no idea whatthe words meant and I felt like an idiot. So... I left the site.Successful advertising keeps it very simple and focuses on thesolving or avoidance of a problem. I improved the close ratio onone of my lead generation web sites by simply adding thefollowing statement:"Are you losing sales? Then you are losing money".

In fact, I justmight do that this weekend.... just to see how it works out.The first line identified and brought up a problem... losing sales and money. The next line on my web site gave them theanswer.

Take a look at what you are offering at your web site. Think of the various ways your product, service, or opportunity can help solve a problem.Now... make that the first thing your readers see on your ad and your web site.I am willing to bet you see your sales inquiries increase.

Check out this link for more information;

HOW TO WRITE A SALES LETTER THAT ROCKS!

If you ever think of writing a sales letter,any advertisement,brochure direct sales letter or direct mail letter then think of using these tricks in your copy and you will yield 100% of the profits to your business.

It is understanding the "Psychology of Selling".Here we use the psychology motivators that are already inherent with all humans.

It is understanding how the human minds work when you learn how to move people with your written words!.It is the kind of power few people have!Imagine having that kind of persuasive power over people.

Be the "Authority" and they will buy from you!.Most are followers,They are not leaders.They would rather be led than being followed.Add great customer service to the mix and you will learn loyal lifetime customers.

Establish your self as the authority on your subject and they will buy from you.Use "Testmonials" from well-known and trusted names,offering a full money back guarantee etc.Any thing that will build trust and credibility while minimising the risk.

Beginning Of your sales letter:Have you noticed that others would have to yell,snap their fingers or wave their hands vigorously in order to get your "Attention".You have to realise that they are lost in thought.People have a million thoughts going through their minds at any given moment.Their minds are else where.And to get them to notice.

You would have to grab their attention!
You must interupt their current mental state.
You have to shift their focus.

This is how power headlines do.For example."HEY YOU! STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND PAY ATTENTION TO THIS"If it does not shift their focus from whatever they were thinking to what you want them to think about,You will loose them.You have to be bold! You have to be dramatic,and you have to be specific!

Once you have got their attention,you have to hold it.Capture their imigination and hold their interest."You have to pull them into your world"just as exciting movie pulls you in.

You have to create mental movies in their minds using Specific,Active and Descriptive Language.Your sales letter has to be focused on one thing from start to finish.This is done to capture and hold their attention.Pull them into your world during those few minutes.Share the excitment you have for your product.Share the Uniqueness of your product,your business and may be even your self.

Be memorable;Make an impression on their minds.Give them a glimpse of the future! Show them what their future will be like if they were to have your product in their lives. People do not buy products;They buy experiences;The buy "results."People buy products at the moment because the seller was able to convice them of the benefits he was able to show them how much better their lives would be -in the future-by having that book.

An effective sales letter offers other important things such as credibility,a powerful gurantee and a strong call for action.Key to successful sales letter is to capture their attention and lead their imagination.Pull them into your world and give them a state of the brighter future that your product can help them enjoy.

Enjoy life by looking at the link below:
Sure fire skills to boost your online profits

How To Use Webmasters Tools To Build A Professional Websites.

This brings you an ever-expanding range of tools to make building professional Websites easy-no technical skills needed.

Everything you get with the "New starter kit", Brand name is spelled out in such easy-to-follow steps that you will never think "I must be stupid.Why can't I get this thing to work?"
What the hell is going on here?
Look! This new information is aimed at the tens of thousands of people who want to make make money online,but who have little or no experience in doing this.

It is new information written by a professional Webmaster who has been doing business online
for a decade that is full 10 years.
He has build hundreds of websites to different companies and for different individuals.
He has helped hundreds of website owners to improve their websites.Most of these individuals
have doubled their profits within a short period of time To earning 6 figure income online.
On top of this,He has built a thriving Internet Marketing business with thousands and hundred
thousand of subscribers.He has been selling information and software tools to other webmasters.
He has helped non techies build professional,cutting-edge websites which actually do what their owners want them to do.

His name is non rather than "IAN TRAYNOR" and he has now improved the best book called
"Webmaster Cheat kit" for starters and those interested in improving their businesses online .

This is a sure fire income generating tool that has the following benefits:

It is a very practical "kit",which doesn't just tell you how to do things, but also gives you the tools to carry out the job.So you can learn,not just by reading and listening,but also by actually carrying out the work.

You also get 40 products with resale rights (including a top-end product),nearly all of which have ready-to-go web pages.Again, you can quickly start-earning money from any of these websites.

You get a ready-made content website,based on high-value key words,with Adsense code already in place.This means that you can very quickly start earning money online.

This Newbies Starter Kit is accessed through a small bit of software,which can sit on your Desktop or anywhere on your PC.The technology used means that it is updated with new material whenever you open it,there is no extra steps to take to upgrade it.

The Newbies Starter Kit is not a static product;It is continually having new products,tools and learning resources added,So as your skills and knowledge grow,So does your Newbies Starter Kit.

Get more information about Webmaster Cheat Kit with all the bonuses and a full website to start your online business now at:

Advertising Objectives

What your advertising objectives should be, in order:

1. To attract immediate, measureable response (affordably).
2. To sell or directly, measureably lead to the sale of products and services (profitably).
3. To clearly and memorably communicate a marketing message engineered only to facillitate #1 and/or #2.
4. Possibly to "set up" additional, future response from follow-up advertising or marketing (as a secondary dividend).
5. Possibly to add to name/brand identity (as a third dividend).

Your objectives should NOT include:
1. Being entertaining
2. Adding to popular culture
3. Creating casual water cooler conversation
Get the maxmum traffic on your website now

Human Interests

Human interest is extremely important. The meteoric rise in the popularity of NASCAR was not fueled by faster cars or more exciting races or more explosive wrecks. It was fueled by human interest. By making fans more familiar with the drivers and their storeis and their families and their lives. Regis Philbin is one of the moset enduring daytime TV hosts of all time, maybe THE most enduring. He has always begun his show, every day, talking about his life, his troubles, what drives him crazy, his wife, who he had dinner with, who he exercised with, his wife and his family. We know he lives and dies with Notre Dame football. His viewers are interested in him. Reality TV, now controlling 30%+ of prime time, is all about human interest. Whether you sell industrial valves or cosmetic dentistry or financial advice or whatever, you MUST "get" that your success will not be fueled by "product interest" or "service interest" --- it is all about human interest.

3 quick questions from Nitro

Have you ever had any problems taking the first step and "Getting Started" in Internet Marketing?
Do you get distracted and go from idea to idea; Is "Focus" A Problem?
Would you be more successful if you actually"Followed-Through" on every project you started?
If you answered yes to one or all of these questionsthen "The Nitro Marketing Mindset" may be theanswer.
Check it out for yourself and see if you could learn anything from Kevin Wilke and Matt Gillof Nitro Marketing.

The Triggers of Success: How to Trigger a Successful Sale through the Power of Psychological Triggers

By Joseph Sugarman
A desire to buy something often involves a subconscious
decision. In fact, I claim that 95% of buying decisions are
indeed subconscious.
Knowing the subconscious reasons why people buy, and using this
information in a fair and constructive way, will trigger
greater sales response -- often far beyond what you could
imagine.

I recall a time when I applied one of these subconscious devices
by changing just one word of an ad, and response doubled. I
refer to these subconscious devices as psychologal "triggers." A
psychological trigger is the strongest motivational factor any
salesperson or copywriter can use to evoke a sale.

There are 30 triggers in all, some of which I will reveal to you
in a moment. Each trigger, when deployed, has the power to
increase sales and response beyond what you would normally
expect.

There are triggers, for example, that will cause your prospect
to feel guilty if they don't purchase your product. Let me give
you an example. Whenever you receive in the mail a sales
solicitation with free personalized address stickers, you often
feel guilty if you use the stickers and don't send something
back -- often far in excess of the value of the stickers.
Fundraising companies use this method a great deal. You receive
50 cents worth of stickers and send back a $20 bill.

Another example are those surveys that are sent out asking for
you to spend about 20 minutes of your time filling them out.
Enclosed in the mailing you, might find a dollar bill included
to encourage you to feel guilty, and entice you to fill out the
survey. And you often spend a lot more than one dollar of your
time to do that.

Guilt is a strong motivator. I have to admit that I've used
guilt in many selling situations, in mail order ads and on TV --
with great success, I might add.

I call one of the most powerful triggers a "satisfaction
conviction," which is a guarantee of satisfaction. But don't
confuse this with the typical trial period you find in mail
order, i.e., "If your not happy within 30 days, you can return
your purchase for a full refund." A satisfaction conviction is
different. Basically it takes the trial period and adds
something that makes it go well beyond the trial period.

For example, if I were offering a subscription, instead of
saying, "If at anytime you're not happy with your subscription,
we'll refund your unused portion," and instead said, "If at any
time you're not happy with your subscription, let us know and
we'll refund your entire subscription price -- even if you
decide to cancel just before the last issue."

Basically you're saying to your prospect that you are so sure
that they'll like the subscription, that you are willing to go
beyond what is traditionally offered with other subscriptions.
This in fact gives the reader the sense that the company really
knows it has a winning product and solidly stands behind the
product and your satisfaction.

Is this technique effective? You bet. In many tests, I've
doubled response -- sometimes by adding just one sentence that
conveys a good satisfaction conviction.

I received an e-mail from a company, a subsidiary of eBay,
requesting my advice. They had an e-mail solicitation that
wasn't drawing the response that they had expected. What was
wrong?
Looking over what they had created, I saw several mistakes, many
of which would have been avoided if they knew the psychological
triggers that cause people to buy. Let me give you just one
example.

In the subject line of most e-mails that have solicited me, I
have been able to tell, at a glance, that the solicitation was
for a specific service or an offer of something that I was
clearly able to determine. Examples such as "Reduce your CD and
DVD costs 50%," Or "Lose weight quickly," pretty much told me
what they were selling. Was this good or bad?

The problem with those subject lines is that the reader was able
to quickly determine: 1) that it was an advertisement; and 2)
that it was for some specific product or service.
Most people don't like advertising. And most people won't make
the effort to open their e-mail solicitation if they think they
are getting an advertising message -- unless they are sincerely
interested in buying something that the advertisement offers.

The subject line of an e-mail is similar to the headline of a
mail order ad, or the copy on an envelope, or the first few
minutes of an infomercial. You've got to grab somebody's
attention and then get them to take the next step. In the case
of the envelope, you want them to open it. In the case of an
infomercial, you want them to keep watching, and in the case of
an e-mail, you want them open up the e-mail and read your
message.

The key, therefore, is to get a person to want to open your
message by putting something into the subject area of your
e-mail that does not appear to be an advertising message --
one that would compel them to take the next step. And the
best trigger to use for this is the trigger of curiosity.

There are a number of ways you can use curiosity to literally
force a person to take the next step. You can then use this
valuable tool to put a reader in the correct frame of mind to
buy what you have to offer.

Once again, all the principles apply to every form of
communication -- whether it be advertising, marketing or
personal selling. And to know these triggers is the key to more
effective communication and most importantly, the avoidance of
costly errors that waste time and money.

Joe Sugarman, the best-selling author and top copywriter who has
achieved legendary fame in direct marketing, is best known for
his highly successful mail-order catalog company, JS&A, and his
hit product, BluBlocker Sunglasses. Joe's new breakthrough
book, "Triggers," cracks the human psychological code by
identifying 30 triggers that influence people to buy.
Click here for more information

"10 Ways to Use the Internet to Support Your Book"

A great deal of your book's success depends on your ability to
promote it yourself. Publishers are likely to be too busy to be
able to devote sufficient resources to your book's promotion.
But help is at hand. If you've written a book, you can easily and
inexpensively use e-mail and your web site to promote it. Here
are 10 proven ways you can successfully promote your book on
the Internet.

1. Create a separate web site for your book
Books tend to get "lost" when grafted onto existing web sites.
For best results, create a web site specifically intended to
promote and support your book. This permits you to focus all of
the site's resources on promoting your book and leveraging off
of its success.

Choose a web site address based on your book's title, rather
than your name. If you have done a good job of choosing your
title, your title will be easier to remember than your name. You
can easily cross-link your existing web site to your book's
highly-focused web site.

2. Distribute sample chapters
One of the best ways you can promote your book is by allowing
readers to download a table of contents plus one, or more,
sample chapters from your web site. Sample chapters "tease"
readers into wanting more. To the extent that your sample
chapter communicates competence and easy reading style, readers
will be motivated to buy your book.

Remember that uncertainty is the biggest obstacle you must
overcome when making a sale to a stranger. In a bookstore,
prospective buyers can thumb through your book. Online, readers
can't thumb-through your book, so they must depend on sample
chapters. Use a desktop publishing software program to format
your sample chapters for easy reading. Use Adobe Acrobat to
create PDF files that will be sent to readers as e-mail
attachments.

3. Build your web site address into your book
When writing your book, include as many reasons as possible for
visitors to visit your web site. Success requires more than
simply listing your web site address in your biography or on the
last page of the book.

Give readers valid reasons to visit your web site. Offer
downloadable versions of reader engagement tools like checklists
and worksheets. Promise updated content and new information,
such as ideas and topics that occurred to you after you
completed your book. If your book is in black and white, but
includes photographs or charts, post color versions of the
visuals on your web site.

Don't view your web site as a strictly promotional tool.
Instead, view it as a "service" or resource intended to help
readers make the most of your book.

4. Encourage reader comments and questions
Use your web site to create an interactive relationship with
your readers. Solicit their comments and questions. Offer a
prize for the best question of the month and answer the question
on your web site's home page. Respond to reader e-mail as
quickly as possible. If their comments are critical, create a
dialog and try to understand the criticism from your reader's
point of view. You'll likely gain new information and ideas that
you would otherwise never encounter.

5. Include testimonials and reader reviews
Whenever a reader writes a particularly favorable comment,
immediately ask them for permission to quote the comment and
either their name, or their initials and their city. Many
readers will welcome the opportunity to share their enthusiasm
for your book with others. Most people like seeing their words
and their names in print.

6. Offer media resources
Create a "press room" where members of the media can download
files containing scanned images of you as well as the front
cover of your book. Scanned images which can be immediately
downloaded make your book more attractive to reviewers and other
writers.

Include a "backgrounder" describing you and your firm's
background as well as your personal side. Include information
that emphasizes the timeliness of your book and its importance
to your readers. Provide answers to frequently asked questions.

7. Offer products and services based on your book
E-mail and your web site permit you to offer readers personalized
assistance that offers opportunities for on-going relationships.
These relationships represent win-win situations for both of
you. Readers get access to your knowledge and expertise, while
you get to develop additional sources of profit. Opportunities
include telecoaching -- where you offer one-to-one assistance
based on weekly one-on-one telephone calls.

You could also develop four, eight of 12-week training
programs based on your book delivered via e-mail and weekly
telephone calls. Ech week, participants call a single number,
called a "bridge," and discuss the reading and assignments which
you sent out as e-mail attachments. A list serve permits
participants in a telecourse to send e-mail to all other
participants, exchanging ideas and promoting a sense of
community.

You can also use the web to serve your readers by developing
e-books, short electronic books, that you sell directly from
your web site. These can consist of in-depth treatment of
specialized topics that are appropriate for book-length
treatment.

8. Use Premium Content to obtain reader e-mail addresses
Premium Content is limited-distribution, high-octane information
that you send readers in exchange for providing their e-mail
address and permission to contact them again in the future.

Examples of Premium Content include articles that focus on
particular problems that have been brought to your attention
since your book appeared or in-depth treatment of topics too
specialized to be included in your book. Premium Content can
also consist of your "reflections" on your book in the light of
current economic and social trends.

9. Publish an e-mail newsletter
You can do your readers a favor, as well as maintain your
awareness and pre-sell your next book, by publishing an e-mail
newsletter. Make your e-mail newsletter as genuinely helpful as
possible. Instead of a long, infrequently-published newsletter,
offer a short nuggets of information that appear at a regular
basis. Readers are busy and will respond favorably to concise,
easily-digested information.
When soliciting reader e-mail addresses, always include your
privacy statement, which should state that you will never rent,
sell or share your readers' e-mail addresses. And make sure
you live up to your promise!

10. Promote your book's URL in your e-mail signature
Give your e-mail recipients a reason to visit your book's web
site. Don't just list its address, but provide an incentive for
them to visit. Arouse their curiosity or offer them a valuable
information premium they can download when they visit. This is
especially true when you participate in online discussion groups
or contribute a comment to an article that invites reader
response.

Roger C. Parker is the author of more than 30 books that have
generated more than $32,000,000 in sales -- and have been
translated into 37 languages. We recommend his new book, "How
to Profit from the Author Inside You."
Click here for immediate access:
Unlock the Hiden Secrets Here

"Nothing is Secret Anymore!" -- The Confessions of a Millionaire Information Broker

By Matthew Lesko
Information is the currency of today's world. Those who
control information are the most powerful people on the planet --
and the ones with the most bulging bank accounts.

The timely delivery of vital information is one of the most
lucrative businesses you can have in this new millennium. I
should know. I started one of the most successful information
brokerage businesses in the country. I'm also perhaps the
world's most well known information broker, and I've made
millions of dollars from doing it, and I'm going to show you how
to easily do the same.

Let me backtrack a little bit.

All my life I wanted to start my own business. I didn't care
what it was -- I just wanted to learn how to feed myself and not
work for someone else. I even considered selling hot dogs on
the mall near the Washington Monument. I just wanted to be my
own boss. Sound familiar?

I had a string of failed businesses before I hit the big time.
It was while working as a computer administrator of a travel
company that I learned something that changed my whole life.

The hot shots that ran the company fascinated me. They were
powerful individuals who discussed, negotiated and executed big
deals all the time. In order to get in on some of that wheeling
and dealing, I'd hang around late at night when they had their
meetings, and volunteer to get coffee and doughnuts, do the
Xeroxing -- do anything to try to learn how to be like them.

One day, they came into my office and asked me -- not to get
coffee -- but to get information on how good or bad the rental
car business was. It seems they were considering making a bid
to acquire Avis Rent-A-Car, and needed some good market
information to go along with the financial statements they were
poring over. I, of course, said "Yes, yes, yes!" I was their
"yes man," even though I knew nothing about the rental car
business and had no idea where I was going to get this
information.

Well, I wanted to do this so badly I could almost taste it.
This was one giant step up from coffee and Xeroxing that lucky
people are offered once in a lifetime, and I didn't want to blow
it. I saw myself as a young turk on the way up the ladder of
success. But I didn't have a clue where to go for the
information.

I sat in my little office wondering if I could make the grade.
I sat there staring at my desk hoping something would pop into
my head and give me the magic answer. I stared at the telephone
and then picked it up thinking:
"Here I am in Washington D.C. needing to know about the rental
car business. Who can I call? Why not the government? I pass
all those big buildings everyday on the way to work. Maybe
someone there can help me."

Well, it worked! By starting with the government information
operator, I was able to work my way through a dozen more calls
and referrals until I finally found an expert in the rental car
business. It turned out to be a man who used to be the
president of Hertz and was now in Washington -- and bored out of
his mind with his government job. He actually invited me to
lunch so he could tell me everything he knew.

I was shocked!
I couldn't believe that in 45 minutes on the telephone, I could
locate a real expert who was willing to tell me everything I
needed to know about the rental car business. And, he even
wanted to take me to lunch!

Afterwards, I was so excited about the information I had just
received that I burst into a meeting my boss was having with his
hotshot merger and acquisition buddies. He was eager to hear
everything I learned from my lunch right then and there.

They were blown away. They couldn't believe that a young turk
like me, who didn't know anyone, could get such information that
we had all assumed was privileged and confidential.
I got more excited about the information I dug up on the rental
car business than with any program I ever wrote for the company.
I knew then that information was power. I also knew then that
there was immense value in delivering timely information on
demand.

I was hooked. I started a new business obtaining information
for people on anything they needed. I became a consultant to
people in the merger and acquisition business, and I got all the
information they needed to make their business a success --
information they were unable to find themselves.

This time, success finally happened. The business grew from
just me, a telephone, and a desk in my one-bedroom apartment to
over 30 employees and a million and a half dollars in sales in a
little more than 3 years. Even after a string of failing
businesses, I finally realized my first success, and I'll show
how you can do it, too.

How to Create Money Out of Thin Air
What I learned early on is that you can literally take
information that is free to obtain, but oftentimes hard for the
average person to find -- turn around and sell it for big bucks.
All it requires is a little resourcefulness, and the knowledge
of where to find the information that is sellable.

There's nothing to it. These are the only things you need:
1) Believe the notion that we live in an information society,
and if you're willing to make a few necessary calls (or
e-mails), you can gather information on almost anything -- and
make that information sellable.

2) You need to know where to look for the information.
Although there are countless sources of information, if you do
nothing else but tap into the world's largest source of free
information, you can find virtually everything that you need.
That source is the U.S. Government. [I've spent 25 years of my
life as an information broker, and I have yet to find a source
of information more comprehensive than the U.S. Government.]

Do you want to get an idea of just how vast the government's
information reserve is?
If you took all the major commercial publishers in the United
States, they collectively produce 50,000 new titles in all the
libraries and bookstores around the country in a single year.
In contrast, one single publisher in the government (the
National Technical Information Service) publishes over 100,000
titles a year. Multiply that by the number of government
agencies that produce information, and the amount of information
becomes absolutely staggering!

The range of subjects on which you can find information is also
mind-boggling: The government not only counts people, the
number of jelly beans manufactured in the country, toilets
installed, and how many potatoes grown; but also gives
investment trends and opportunities likely to show up in the
Wall Street Journal in weeks; it also answers any legal question
better than the highest paid lawyer. There are 700,000
government experts in any field you can imagine, who will give
you free information simply because you asked.

How to Use the Information You Gather:
1) Find customers who need, and are willing to pay for,
specialized information. Position yourself as someone who knows
how to find information on practically everything, but do narrow
down the types of information you can get for your customers'
specific needs. That way, you zero in with the precision of a
sharpshooter, instead of just firing a shotgun that goes in all
directions.

As an information broker, always remember what Willy Sutton said
when asked why he robbed banks. He said, "Because that's where
the money is." You need to live by the same slogan if you want
to stay in business. Choose the path of least resistance.
Choose a customer base that consists of rich people or big
companies that have money to spend on finding out how they can
get richer -- and are willing and able to spend it.

2) Gather specialized information that would be of great
interest to a specific business sector (example: Internet
marketers). Position yourself as an expert on a particular
subject, then write in-depth special reports that feature the
specialized information you found, package them in an e-book,
and make them available to Internet marketers for a fee. As an
alternative, you may also create a newsletter that regularly
updates the specialized information -- and make money on the paid
subscriptions.

More and more businesses are realizing the value of having good
information for good decision-making. Whether big or small, a
business can't succeed today unless it keeps up on the latest
information.

What kind of information do businesses need? They need
information on their markets, their competition, technology,
money sources and regulations, for starters. Develop a
sensitivity to the needs of your prospects by asking them
directly what they need. From that, you can determine the kind
of information that would best satisfy their needs.

Here's a useful tip: You'd do well to develop a "hook." A
"hook" is a marketing term that makes it easier for people to
purchase your services. It's taking the situation I mentioned
earlier about "knowing how to find information about practically
anything" and refining it down to a specialty. If you
specialize is some interesting aspect of the information
brokerage industry, it's easier to attract your prospects'
attention.

Define your niche by identifying the customer group that you
specialize in helping: small businesses, or non-profit
organizations. Or, you can define it by the area of information
you want to deal with, such as health information, company
information, or international information. Another way you can
describe your business is by the medium of the information you
want to provide, such as: only database searches, only document
retrieval, or only interviewing industry experts.

I was fortunate enough to have started in Washington D.C., where
I developed the hook of government information. It gave me an
instant edge over my competitors, even though I had no more
experience gathering information then they did. To make a long
story short, the government information I've amassed over the
years have earned me a coveted position of being a New York
Times syndicated columnist, and I've even authored two New York
Times best-sellers featuring information that I've obtained for
free. I have also been privileged to be regularly featured as
the nation's top expert on government information on TV programs
such as Larry King, Oprah, David Letterman, Jay Leno, the Today
Show and Good Morning America.

The key to becoming a successful information broker is be the
first to find the information, and deliver it on a timely basis
to those who want it. Then sit back and watch the money appear
out of thin air!

Matthew Lesko is a New York times syndicated columnist, and
author of 2 New York Times best-sellers. He is regularly
featured as the nation's top expert on government information on
TV programs such as Larry King, Oprah, David Letterman, Jay
Leno, the Today Show and Good Morning America. His latest book,
"Free Money for Entrepreneurs on the Internet" identifies
hundreds of little-known sources of free government money for
"net-repreneurs" and reveals the secret formula for easily
obtaining the money for your business.