There’s a great myth out there lurking that prevents the masses from using the video method to generate sales.  When in fact creating an effective sales video is easy.

Turn on the TV late night and you’ll discover a whole new world of marketing…Infomercials.  The proliferation of infomercials can only mean one thing….THEY WORK!

They can be 15 second spots to full 30 minute productions and if you study enough of them you will begin to notice a formula.  Actually a couple of formulas.

Since most people out there are afraid of making videos…adopt this video strategy TODAY and gain a competitive advantage.

Formula # 1

A-I-D-A – which is an acronym for ATTENTION – INTEREST – DESIRE – ACTION

Check out any fitness based infomercial like P90X for example.  P90X grabs your attention and interest in several ways:

• Want to get ripped in 90days? – who wouldn’t
• Before and after shots of ordinary people….key that…ordinary people just like you and me.
• Video interview testimonials of the very same people – making it very real and attainable.

All of the above done correctly stimulates action…it gets the viewer emotionally involved…subconsciously the viewer is placing themselves in those ripped bodies…this subconscious emotional tie is what gets people to buy.

The other hidden formula is the sales formula that many successful people use.

Generate rapport…couple of ways P90X does this:

features Tony Horton a leading expert in the fitness field.

features ordinary people..helping the viewer find common ground i.e. yeah…my body looks like that…after 90-days my body can look like that?

Uncovering needs – finding commonality with the viewer…struggling to get to the gym, plateauing, not seeing any results from existing fitness regimen etc

Meeting the needs – features people sceptical about p90x and gave it a try

Getting the sale – minimize risk of buying…i.e. if you’re not satisfied with P90X return it for a full refund in 30 days.

Now that you know the formulas.  What do you need to get started?

A Computer…of course,

Presentation software…like PowerPoint or a free one using Open Office,

A converter program that can convert your slides to jpeg format,

Windows Movie Maker which is Free on most newer Windows based computers,

A microphone to record audio.

That’s it you now have the formulas and ingredients to create amazing videos that

will sell.

If you want to check out an example…click on the following link to see a video on perpetual income streams.

Are you stuck in a rut?  Are you wondering why some people are super successful on eBay while you struggle?  The problem could be due to your limiting beliefs of eBay and what it’s good for.

Oftentimes, one’s success or lack thereof can be due largely in part to limiting beliefs.

Here are some common perceptions about eBay that can have a negative impact on your success.  Do you have any of these?

1. One item up for auction gets me one buyer.
2. The more auctions I have listed on eBay the more profit I’ll have.
3. If I sell an item on eBay for less than my cost I’ve just lost money.
4. My success on eBay depends on my ability to find tons of unique products that I can sell at maximum mark-up for as large of a profit as possible.
5. An eBay auction is where I sell one item.
6. If someone clicks on my eBay auction for Product X all they want is Product X.
7. After I sell the “junk in my closets” I really don’t have much I can sell on eBay
   without making a large investment in this business.
8. I’m too busy to have an “eBay business.”

I find that many of the above beliefs are singular in nature…to many it’s the simple way of looking at things.  To become successful at anything one must look beneath the surface.  Like the tip of the iceberg…the mass is below the surface…that’s where all the answers are.

Dig a little deeper into auction sites you’ll find they can be a perfect catalyst to building a great business.  Below are 8 thoughts about eBay auctions that may transform your mediocre business into a raging success.

1. One auction can bring me potentially hundreds of new buyers before, during and after the auction is over.
2. I only need a handful of auctions to make as much or more money than people listing several times more of the same items than I’m selling.
3. If I just lost a little money on an auction that’s OK, I got several new paying
   customers anyway or I grew my customer base for future sales.
4. My success on eBay depends on my ability to attract *hits to my auctions and supply those shoppers with multiple buying opportunities and also turn those shoppers into lifetime customers.
5. An eBay auction is my chance to turn hundreds of browsing eBay customers
   into lifetime customers who buy products from me on and off eBay.
6. A shopper looking for Product X on eBay is very likely to also be interested in
   free or fee based information on Product X, a book about Product X, a newsletter on Product X, and products similar to Product X. We also know that they are likely new to eBay and may want help getting to know eBay.
7. Finding an endless supply of profitable items to sell on eBay is SIMPLE and ANYONE
   can do it with minimal effort.
8. You can start with as little as a few minutes per week and grow your business at
   any rate you choose.

If you need more help pick up a copy of what’s been regarded as one of the best eBooks ever published on eBay at www.jimssilentsalesmachine.com.  Now in it’s 6th edition it has become more than just an eBay book.  It has evolved into a book of business ideas and opportunity.  Written by Jim Cockrum, the book details the step-by-step process of using the power of eBay to build an online empire.

This sometimes forgotten rarely known technique routinely used in financial markets can produce consistent auction returns for you. With a little bit of research you too can profit like Wall Street wizards.

Buy low sell high is a mantra that is often associated with investing in financial instruments such as stocks, bonds and currency.

In the global economy another opportunity that often presents itself in the financial markets is arbitrage.

Arbitrage is defined as:

- a transaction in which an investor buys commodities, funds, mortgages, futures contracts, mortgage-backed securities or other securities in one market and simultaneously sells them in a different market in order to profit from differences in price between the two markets.

-or-

- A method of taking advantage of the fact that there may be different prices in different markets for identical goods such as gold, foreign exchange or commodities. Simultaneously, one buys in the lower price market and sells in the higher one.

Interestingly enough, with enough research you can and will find arbitrage opportunities that exist on auction sites such as eBay.

Did you know that the internet pharmacy craze sweeping the globe was born out of an arbitrage opportunity?

In fact, a small town pharmacist turned virtually an overnight millionaire after stumbling upon an arbitrage opportunity found with Nicorette Chewing Gum. Nicorette Chewing Gum is a stop smoking aid that supposedly helps people kick

the habit by chewing nicotine laced gum. It all started with a test. He found that a pack of Nicorette Chewing Gum was selling for approximately $5-$7 less in Canada than in the United States. At the time, the Canadian/US exchange rate was also extremely favourable to Americans. Buying $1 worth of Canadian goods only cost Americans 65 cents. In the case of Nicorette Gum this amounted to a double- whammy of a deal for Americans. Combine this with a huge demand in the United States…this small town Canadian tested his way into a huge money making business.

What started out to be a low risk test…buy a pack of Nicorette Gum…post it on eBay…see if it sells. Ended up being a 150-200 packs a day seller. The profits were roughly $3-$5 per pack…doing the quick math this was a $200,000 a year business!

This is just one example of how you can benefit from arbitrage.

How do you spot these opportunities…RESEARCH! Look for high demand items and price them out in different countries. Find out if you can source them cheaper in your home country to sell in another country. In some cases the exchange rate differential is so great that you could pay retail in your home country and still make a profit by selling into another country.

In the current US/Canadian exchange rate climate I know that cars are a big opportunity. For example, in Canada a 2010 Corvette Coupe sells for $67,050 that exact same car in the United States sells for $48,930. Almost a 20 GRAND difference! Now this opportunity maybe a bit cumbersome for most…but the point is there are many more out there!

I have always believed that the key to effective selling was through top notch listening skills coupled with great open ended questions.  That’s why we have two ears and one mouth.  You see the customer does not care about you or what you have to offer.  W-I-I-F-M is what the customer is thinking.  “What’s In It For Me”.  If you can explain your business and/or product in the terms of your customer…you will set yourself apart from the competition and win more often. 

I have ALWAYS followed the same model. 

• Develop rapport and trust.
• Ask the right questions to uncover motives for buying and develop the relationship.
• Help buyer uncover their reasons or WHY .

To uncover the key motive for buying you need to ask questions about experience, wisdom, past experience.  What things keep them awake at night?  What makes them uncomfortable?  What are some of their positive experiences…why?

| FEAR and GREED is what makes the world go around |

For the most part, I have relied on 2 motives: FEAR and GREED and have been successful closing deals simply by focussing on questions that helped me understand these two emotions.  There are at least 6 other reasons for why people buy.  The more you uncover the easier it will be to close.  Want to know more?  Keep reading.

Passion – sales are made with emotion and justified later by logic.  If you can uncover their passion you are on your way to a close.

Fear – probably the strongest motivator of all.  People fear loss greater than gain.  Want proof?  Take a look at any of the stock market crashes in any decade.

Greed – how much do they stand to gain by having what you have to offer can become a strong motivator.  If you can get them to mentally frame it i.e. get more profit or achieve “x” faster – it’s a homerun.

Need – determining this will determine their urgency to buy.  If you can attach how they will benefit as a result of using you or your product – move your probability of a close up a couple notches.

Want – create this or uncover this and you win.  The more they want it will equate to fewer roadblocks.  Classic example, the pet rock.  A more recent example, Nintendo Wii – I doubled my money a few years back when the Wii was released.

Win – people are competitive by nature.  Find out how intense the customer’s desire is to win.  If you can help them win you win!

Vanity – if it makes them look better…they’ll have to have it.  Can you make them look GREAT?

Pain – find out what’s causing them pain…the more uncomfortable the better.  Because if you can solve their pain…and fast…KA-CHING!

Inclusion – for the most part people want to be like one another.  They want to have what others have…it’s the “grass is always greener on the other side” mentality.  Find out who they want to be like, what they don’t have that others do have…if you can help them get it…YOUR IT!

Hopes and Dreams – find out what your buyer’s hopes and dreams are.  What does their ideal world look like?  Get them to imagine this…can you be the conduit to their hopes and dreams?  If the answer is yes…  YES = SOLD.

Now that I have given you the reasons.  Your homework is to develop your master list of open-ended, fact finding, relationship building questions that will help you close the deal.

Want to watch master sales people close deals?  Watch any kid who desires to have something.  Their key word that usually begins every question is…WHY?

Your QuikTipz of the day is start with Why?

If you are a retail based business, offer products/services business to business, professional service provider, commissioned sales rep etc   You will want to read this article.  Over the past few years the way to the customer’s wallet has changed. 

| YellowPages are dead…Google is the new directory |

No longer can you expect to place a yellow page ad, newspaper ad, send out flyers, advertise on radio, runs ads on TV blasting “I’m here, I’m here” and expect to get results.  Customer behaviour has changed and if you do not change with it you are doomed.  How you adjust, adapt and prepare for the new customer will determine your long term success.

So what’s changed?  In the last little while, online has taken over.  Comparison shopping occurs in just a few clicks versus hours of phone calls or in-store visits.  Speaking of in-stores visits…those occur in the comfort of the customer’s own home or desk via Google, Yahoo, Bing etc.  

| We’re open Monday – Friday 9-5 no longer works for people. |

Days and weeks of research done the old fashioned way are now compressed in to hours, minutes and seconds.  It’s no longer Monday to Friday 9-5…it’s 24/7 365.  Yes, the internet has been around for the last 25 years but it has firmly taken hold as a shopping option and has become a trillion dollar shopping option for customers and consumers around the globe.

Trillion dollar pie?  Do you want some of that?  Here are some examples of businesses doing things different.  Investment firms, car dealers, banks, insurance companies, real estate agents, dentists, restaurants to name a few have adjusted their business model…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The customer today versus before? Night and day…they’ve changed too…want to know what they look like and behave?  Keep reading.

• Their purchase decisions are slower…they compare everything.
• They get upset easier and want to let you know about it sooner and faster or they’re gone.
• They want faster resolution to what ever they are upset about or they’re gone…CAN YOU SAY “what have you done for me lately?”.
• They will not be doing business the way they used to.
• They will not be advertising the same way either.
• They will choose banks differently.
• They will buy cars differently.
• They will buy homes differently.
• They will invest differently.
• They’re online…checking your website and your competitor’s website.
• Their word of mouth travels at cyber speed via social networking
• The new tell one person if they’re happy and tell 10 people if they’re unhappy is now 100 and 1000 and spreads like a California wild fire.
• They’re using: Facebook, MySpace, Tweets, LinkedIn, Blogs, You-Tube, texting to tell the world about their experiences.
• They’re Googling…what are Yellow-pages?
• They don’t know what newspapers are.
• They listen to IPods and Podcasts not radio.
• They watch TV when it’s convenient for them and skip through commercials using their PVR.
• They buy at all hours…and it’s in the ga-zillions.
• They want to buy from you if you make it easy to buy from you.
• They are value driven…but price has moved up a couple of notches in the purchase decision.
• They want a relationship.
• They want, need and expect AMAZING SERVICE after the sale.
• When they WANT they WANT IT NOW.
• They HATE voice-mail or IVR hell.
• They need help and expert advice immediately.
• They know more about your product than you do…Oh and they also know everything about your competitor’s too.
• If they need a recommendation…see line referenced earlier about Social Networking…you better have testimonials.
• They want rapport and trust and expect to be heard and understood.

This is just the short list are you going to do something about it or stick your head in the sand?  I sure hope it’s the former and not the latter.  Failure to address the new way is surely the fast way of going broke.