ADLAND'S   DIGEST
                  A Free subscribed Discussion List
                            of 2200 subscribers
                   on web marketing and promotion
                       Bogdan Fiedur,  Publisher
                    mailto: Bogdan@softfornet.com
                    Vol. 1, #49, November 22, 1998



      POST AND UNSUBSCRIBE INFO AT BOTTOM

_____________________________________________________________

Topics in this issue:

        Sponsor Message
        Word from publisher
        ================

        R e q u e s t    f o r  R e v i e w
        =======================
           1. Rhetta C Gillespie <starmac@maxstar.net>
                http://www.maxstar.net

            2. Michael Bryant <stormkeep@yahoo.com
                http://max-host.com

        R e v i e w  R e s p o n s e s
        ======================
           1. Site Reviews
               Barbara Webbak   webmark@catskill.net

        N e w   P o s t s
        ================
            1. A question to members of Adland
            2.  Freehits
            3.  Get millions of visitors!     From editor  ;-)


        G u e s t   A r t i c l e
        =======================
            DEALING WITH YOUR PROSPECTS part 2 of 3
                          by Russ Swan

       A d l a n d   T i p
       ===============



================Sponsor Message  (1) ========================

A  d  l  a  n  d     P  e  r   s  o  n  a  l   s

Looking for someone special?  Our Adland personals section is dedicated
to helping you find your perfect match!  Membership is FREE and our
easy-to-use system features over 360,000 personal ads, sophisticated
search functions, private email system, RealAudio Voice Greetings,
personal pages, and fun, interactive games. We even have additional
international personals boards if you are looking for someone across the
globe!
Get results right away using Adland personals.
http://softfornet.com/adland/personals


============ Word from publisher (2)=============

I'm excited now about  this new idea of site review.
We have now following volunteers who expressed
interested in reviewing sites of those who request it
here and then post feedback to the entire list.

Chris Gibbs chris.gibbs@connect-2.co.uk
Keely Nowalk FamleeAffr@aol.com
Ronnie Clark  rclark79@hotmail.com
Debra Stefani  dstefani@i-star.com
Michael Bryant  webmaster@max-host.com
Linda smb355@webtv.net


If you want your site to be reviewed, criticiezed,
get directions  or  feedback, or if you think that your
site is unique  and can be of value for others please
replay to this message.
To submit your site for review  follow guidelines
below.


Request should contain following info.

1. URL of the site
2. Purpose of the site  (one sentence)
3. Name and email address of requestor
4. What kind of feedback is expected
    or what is unique about your site.


=================Request for Review  (1) =============

From: Rhetta C Gillespie <starmac@maxstar.net>



I really like your idea about submitting sites for feedback rather than
having classified ads in Adland Digest. I would love to have other
readers visit my sites and give me feedback on what they like and what
they don't like, and what kind of things would make them come back again
as customers!
Rhetta Gillespie
Max and Star Enterprizes, Inc
http://www.maxstar.net


=================Request for Review  (2) =============

From: Michael Bryant <stormkeep@yahoo.com

Hello Bogdan Fiedur,

I'd like to offer my services(as rough as they are) as a reviewer
and to ask the same of you. You see I own MaxHost Productions
(max-host.com) and I'm trying to come up with the best presentation
for my customers.
Oh, Stormkeep@yahoo.com is the account I use for my ezines so if
you would respond to webmaster@max-host.com (business email) or
MikeB@max-host.com (my private email)

Thanks for your time.
Michael Bryant




=============Review  Responses (1) ==============

Subject: Site Reviews
From: Barbara Webbak    webmark@catskill.net

Hello to all digest readers.....

I have been reading your posts for reviews of your sites for awhile
now.....Seems each time I have the time to post the next issue is
delivered. I have spent some time reviewing each of the sites that
has requested a review and finally decided to take the time to
respond to your inquiries.  While each of you has been looking for
specific information about your individual sites, I have decided to
post to the entire audience because I consistently see the same
mistakes being made.

I realize that many of you are new to Internet Marketing and
running your own businesses; and I can certainly relate to starting
out on a shoe string budget.  Thus, the need to design and market
your own websites.  However, let me give you one piece of very
sound advice and then I will move on to some specific elements of
a website and marketing that you should know.

WSIWIG (and if you don't know what that means you shouldn't be
designing your own website) page design programs should be used
to design personal web pages, not web pages for doing business.
There are some that will disagree with me, and everyone is entitled
to their own opinion.  However, conducting business on the Internet
is fast becoming more and more competitive.  Visitors to your
website are comparing what you have to offer with what your
competitors offer.  They want to know that you are serious about
your business, that you will deliver the goods, that your pricing is
fair, and that you are reputable.  If your website is not well
designed, benefit rich, easy to navigate, and appealing; you've
wasted a lot of valuable time and you've lost money.  Have it done
by a professional.

If you need to have your business up and running on the web right
away, and can't come up with the money to hire a web design
service; then take some time to read through the information below
to get you headed in the right direction.

There are a number of key elements to designing a website.

1. It has to be visually appealing (Design)
2. It has to be easy to navigate
3. It has to have a way to contact you
4. It has to be benefit rich (Content)
5. It has to be found by your prospects (Marketing)

Before you do anything else you should "Research".  I know it's
time consuming.  But it is essential to anyone selling on the
Internet.  The first thing you want to research is your competition.
Before I began my Internet Marketing Service I spent a good 2
months researching the competition.  Each and every day since, I
research.  I check out my competitors services, prices, the sites
they have produced, their marketing techniques, everything.  I also
spend a good deal of time researching Internet Marketing by
reading everything I can.  If you are serious about selling on the
Internet you should be doing the same thing.

The second thing you need to research is websites in
general.....Go take a look at other businesses websites.  Make
notes of what you like or don't like about the design of their sites.
Read through their sites and see if they keep you interested.  Do
they entice you to buy?  Make notes of how they do that.

By the time you get done with these two steps you should have a
pretty good idea of what you want your site to look like and what
type of content it should contain.

If you already have a site....take a look at it very objectively.....Be
very critical of yourself.  Look at your site and ask yourself if you
would buy what you have to offer.  Look at your site and ask
yourself what this site says about you and your business.  Does it
look professional?  Is it appealing?  If not, do some research....It's
never too late to research.  You should be doing it all the time,
since the Internet changes everyday.  What's good today, may not
be tomorrow.

Now you have a good idea of what you want your site to look like.
Now comes the most important part of designing your
website....The content.

Back to research.  Before you can begin to compose the content
for your website you need to know who your competition is (what
they offer, how you can do it better), and you need to know who
your targeted audience is.  These two go hand in hand.  In order to
be able to sell what you have to offer you need to know who you
are selling to and how it will benefit them.  We would all like to
believe that the entire online population is our targeted
market....but it just isn't so.  That's not to say you can't get sales
from outside your targeted audience, it just means that to
effectively sell your products and get qualified visitors to you site
you need to know who the target is.

You can not sell a benefit if you don't know what your visitor wants.
I'll give you an example:  My web design/marketing service has a
targeted audience.  Each of you is my targeted audience.  You
want to sell something on the Internet.  That's not to say that if
John Doe stopped by my site and wanted a personal page I
wouldn't design one for him.  My target, however, is people like
yourselves. Ok.  Now that I know that all of you are my target....I
can sell you a benefit.....What do you want more than anything?
You want to make money. Right?  And how do you make money?
By selling your product and service.  How do you sell your product
or service?  Through a website on the Internet.  We all know there
are thousands of web designers out there who would love to get
your business.  So what benefit can I sell you?  The fact that I can
produce a website that sells!  You can find out how I do that by
visiting http://www.webbak.com

You get the idea.  It's a whole thought process...You have to be
able to think like your prospects and know what they want in order
to give it to them.

The concept of selling a benefit is often misunderstood.  There is a
big difference between selling features and selling a benefit.  More
times than not, people list features.  Here's a hint on how to tell the
difference......

I can type 60 words per minute, do desktop publishing, make
copies and get them to you on time......(FEATURES)

Fast, reliable service gets your custom designed reports in front of
the board every week. (BENEFITS)

The first one leaves prospects say "So what, so can so many
others"

The second one leaves prospects thinking "I'll look great in front of
the board each week".

So every time you write what you think is a benefit, ask yourself
this "Does it leave me saying 'So What' ?"

If it does, it's a sure sign it's a feature not a benefit.

I hope this helps many of you to get headed in the right direction
with your websites.  If you would like to discuss your own website
needs or content please feel free to email me at
webmark@catskill.net.


Barbara
Webbak IMS
http://www.webbak.com


=================New Post  (1) =============

Subject: A question to members of Adland
From: Dan Adams <buynbart@sdf.bellsouth.net>


I have debated since purchasing an FFA Blaster as to
the value of its capacity to deluge FFA's with the
submitter being a nonreading advertiser.  On the one
hand it short changes the owner of the FFA of having
their ads read.  But on the other hand it still allows
them to use an auto responder to send out their own
advertising message to me.

My primary goal would be to bring traffic to my free
income information site at
http://buynbart.hypermart.net/profits.htm   Kind of a
laid back website that candidly
explains in short version the various (ever growing
list of available) reseller opportunities.

My prime concern is whether to open my Adland site and
various other FFA and Classified sites up to these
automatic submitters.  I am really interested in the
pros and cons and would like to hear responses from
those who have and haven't made this decision.  Each
time I use my FFA Blaster and other submission tools I
have about 400 or more auto responder messages returned
to my email, so I am particularly interested in how to
get the autoresponder messages read by those who are
receiving hundreds of autoresponder messages as a
result of their FFA Blaster submissions.  What
techniques and secrets are being used by the FFA site
owners to get attention in the one or two lead words
that usually show up in the subject section of the auto
responder emails ?

Please email me at buynbart@bellsouth.net (please put
Adland Response in the subject area.)  As I said, I get
400 or more emails per FFA Blast.  Which means I go
through a 1000 or more emails each day.  They have to
stand out in some way to get read instead of trashed.
Please send your thoughts.  All views will be
appreciated.  Thanks..Dan Adams

=================New Post  (2) =============

Subject: Freehits
From: "Ronnie Clark" <rclark79@hotmail.com>

Greetings
Short and sweet,
this little treat.
100,000 hits for free,
Stop by and see!

have a great Day!
Ron Clark

http://members.theglobe.com/joe326/freehits.html

Subscribe to freehits
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/freehits
Shania Twain Links and Fotos
http://members.theglobe.com/joe326/shania.html


=================New Post  (3) =============

Subject: Get millions of visitors!
From: "Chris Gibbs" <chris.gibbs@connect-2.co.uk>


Hello Adland Members,

Form a Free Links Page of your own!
This is an amazing system in which you add your
website to a list of 20 or so other websites.
When a new person joins from your site, your link moves up a place,
and so on..
By being a member, you agree to visit each of the other 20 sites just
once in the next month - this feature could drive potentially millions
of visitors to your site!!
Click on the link below:
http://www.megabanners.com/freelinks/cg16622.html

Thanks

Chris Gibbs
Webslave(There are no webmasters!)
chris.gibbs@connect-2.co.uk
The best traffic-driving tips, chat, online store, free software at:
http://chrisgibbs.connect-2.co.uk/default.htm



==================Guest Article  ===================

Subject: DEALING WITH YOUR PROSPECTS (Part 2 of 3)
From: Russ Swan <rswan@topend.com.au>


The most important thing you have with your prospects
is your correspondence.  Just the words on the computer
screen.  They are all you have to convince people why
they should join your business or program.  Don't rely
on your webpage to do all the selling for you.  You
can't establish a rapport with anyone on a webpage.
It is simply a marketing tool.  Concentrate on using
your Email.

Now I don't claim to be some kind of correspondence
wizard, or that I know it all and have all the answers.
All I know is that what I am doing seems to be working
well.  And it's because I TRY to observe the principles
outlined below as best I can. And it should be the
BEST that you can do too :)

THOROUGHNESS
Try to be enlightening and thorough.  When a prospect
asks you a question, take your time and answer the
question fully. Completely.  Leave no stone unturned.
DO NOT give a short little snippet of an answer.  Use
this as a guide.. 'If five people read the same piece of
information, then five different versions will be read'.
In other words, everybody interprets what they read
differently.  So be careful with quick answers.  At the
other end of the scale, don't waffle on. People don't
want to be sitting in front of their computer all night
while you get to the point.

MANNER OF WRITING
Do not be curt with your prospects.  If you are, you
will lose them.  Write nice, clean answers that get to
the point of the prospects question.   Take your time
and write a thoughtful response to their questions.  Be
courteous with them.  Be funny with them if you can.
But above all, you must come off as knowledgeable and
personal to them.

DO NOT become impatient!  Everyone picks up this
business at a different pace and from different view
points.  It is your job to make sure that everyone
understands the business.

If you have no FAQ for a particular question, then
answer the question as best you can yourself.  Take your
time and write in clear English, fix your spelling
errors, fix your grammar, come off professional. Use the
spellchecker in your WP system.  You are writing to a
person that WANTS to be convinced to join, thereby
building your downline, and making you money.  Answer
their every concern and you will have magnified your
chances of signing them up.

HONESTY
Play it straight-down-the-line with every single
prospect.  Be honest, completely honest about the
program.  Don't hype it up too much either, your program
will speak for itself.  As a general rule, don't
speculate that something WOULD be true ... you just
might be left with egg on your face.   If you are not
sure about something, either say you aren't sure but
will find out, or don't mention it until you know for
sure.

I don't emphasise those big numbers like $20,000 or
$100,000 a month.  It not only sounds ridiculous but
most people will not believe it anyway.  And they'll
think you're a liar or a bull-artist for making the
claim.  People just want some good, extra money, working
part-time, that has the possibility of becoming
incredible money later.  Be real. Don't exaggerate to
get people in.  Tell them like it is.

YOUR WRITING OBJECTIVE
Successful replies will show a prospect that you care,
that you are knowledgeable. It shows them that you'll be
there to help them out if they join you. Maybe more
importantly, it builds 'rapport' with these people. It
builds a mini-relationship and builds trust.  The
prospect should see you as more than someone trying to
make a quick buck.  They should see you as passionate
about your business and who believes in it, and is
willing to take the time and explain every nuance of it
to them.

SIMPLICITY
One major theme that you should keep in the back of your
mind during your entire correspondence with your
prospects, is simplicity.  KEEP THINGS AS SIMPLE AS
POSSIBLE.

It helps if before you start to answer a question, you
should know the answer fully yourself, so that you can
simplify your explanations.  Whatever they are asking
you, just answer them in plain, simple terms.

READ OVER YOUR WRITING.  If possible have someone else
check it for you and see how they interpreted it.  You
may well think that something you have written is clear,
common sense. But you could be surprised how often it's
just ambiguous and confusing.

Also In This "Dealing With Prospects" Series:
Part 1: When Prospects Respond to Sales Letters.
Part 3: Grammer, Be Convincing, Keep In Touch
        & Dealing With Skeptics.
-------------------------------------------------------

        ---------------------------------------------------
                       CYGNET HOME INDUSTRY
                   Presents home-based businesses.
     Thoroughly checked.  Easy to run.  Available internationally.
           Ongoing support and assistance:

                      Email:   rswan@topend.com.au
               Website:   http://www.topend.com.au/~cygnet
        ----------------------------------------------------



======================ADLAND TIP ====================

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                    link and reciprocate to us. We will track all the
                    activities coming from this link and for each visit
                    through it, your ad will be displayed on the top of
                    Adland pages   according to these rules.

                    1. Once for each new visitor from your link
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                    5. Fifty times when new link will be created to Adland
                        as a result of clicking on your link.
                    You can get custom link after submission of your ad and
                    choosing one of the options.
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======================================================

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