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II SERVE asked:
Smart Internet marketers know that buying master resale rights is a shortcut to getting products on the market. But did you know that Bill Gates and the Microsoft empire were built from purchasing master resale rights?
That’s right - the richest man in the world bought the rights to DOS, the operating system that began the Microsoft empire.
There are Three important lessons Bill Gates could teach you about master resale rights.
1. Find a hungry market with a burning need and fill it.
Bill Gates read about the Altair 8800 computer in Popular Science in 1975. Realizing Altair needed a simple programming language to make the computer popular, Gates sold a version of BASIC to Altair before it was even written. Then Gates worked night and day with Paul Allen and Monte Davidoff to develop it. Microsoft was born.
In 1980, IBM created the desktop PC - but they didn’t have an operating system. Gates saw a burning need waiting to be filled, and learned a new lesson:
2. You don’t have to create a product to fill a need if you can buy the master resale rights instead.
IBM approached Bill Gates to create an operating system for the PC. Gates initially recommended they contact Digital Research to purchase their CP/M operating system. But those negotiations failed, for more details logon to www.sales-letters-creator.com and IBM came back to Bill Gates.
Gates learned that Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products had developed a clone of CP/M called QDOS. Microsoft bought the rights for just $56,000.
Of course you don’t have to invest $56,000 to get rights worth selling. Often you can buy master resale rights for $100, $50, even $10 or $20. You can even join resale rights membership sites and get thousands of dollars worth of products for a small monthly fee. Sometimes you can even find master resale rights products for free!
Why so cheap? Sometimes the products aren’t very good, for more details logon to www.killer-sales-letters.com but often they’re great products that weren’t marketed well. Not seeing the opportunity, people sell their work for almost nothing.
Smart marketers know that sometimes you can just rename a product or change the marketing and have a hit. This is where Bill Gates could teach us the third lesson:
3. Repackage or rebred, change the marketing approach, and build your own brand.
QDOS stood for “Quick and Dirty Operating System.” IBM might have bought it even with a name like that, but being a savvy marketer, Gates decided to rebreed it. He dubbed it “PC-DOS,” for “PC Disk Operating System.” He targeted it squarely at IBM - and they bought it, big time.
When PC clones hit the market, Gates saw another hungry market with a burning need. Microsoft quickly reframed DOS, dubbing it “MS-DOS” for “Microsoft Disk Operating System,” thus building the Microsoft brand at the same time. The rest is history.
Smart Internet marketers know that buying master resale rights is a shortcut to getting products on the market. But did you know that Bill Gates and the Microsoft empire were built from purchasing master resale rights?
That’s right - the richest man in the world bought the rights to DOS, the operating system that began the Microsoft empire.
There are Three important lessons Bill Gates could teach you about master resale rights.
1. Find a hungry market with a burning need and fill it.
Bill Gates read about the Altair 8800 computer in Popular Science in 1975. Realizing Altair needed a simple programming language to make the computer popular, Gates sold a version of BASIC to Altair before it was even written. Then Gates worked night and day with Paul Allen and Monte Davidoff to develop it. Microsoft was born.
In 1980, IBM created the desktop PC - but they didn’t have an operating system. Gates saw a burning need waiting to be filled, and learned a new lesson:
2. You don’t have to create a product to fill a need if you can buy the master resale rights instead.
IBM approached Bill Gates to create an operating system for the PC. Gates initially recommended they contact Digital Research to purchase their CP/M operating system. But those negotiations failed, for more details logon to www.sales-letters-creator.com and IBM came back to Bill Gates.
Gates learned that Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products had developed a clone of CP/M called QDOS. Microsoft bought the rights for just $56,000.
Of course you don’t have to invest $56,000 to get rights worth selling. Often you can buy master resale rights for $100, $50, even $10 or $20. You can even join resale rights membership sites and get thousands of dollars worth of products for a small monthly fee. Sometimes you can even find master resale rights products for free!
Why so cheap? Sometimes the products aren’t very good, for more details logon to www.killer-sales-letters.com but often they’re great products that weren’t marketed well. Not seeing the opportunity, people sell their work for almost nothing.
Smart marketers know that sometimes you can just rename a product or change the marketing and have a hit. This is where Bill Gates could teach us the third lesson:
3. Repackage or rebred, change the marketing approach, and build your own brand.
QDOS stood for “Quick and Dirty Operating System.” IBM might have bought it even with a name like that, but being a savvy marketer, Gates decided to rebreed it. He dubbed it “PC-DOS,” for “PC Disk Operating System.” He targeted it squarely at IBM - and they bought it, big time.
When PC clones hit the market, Gates saw another hungry market with a burning need. Microsoft quickly reframed DOS, dubbing it “MS-DOS” for “Microsoft Disk Operating System,” thus building the Microsoft brand at the same time. The rest is history.
Barbara Roemer asked:
eports contain plenty of bad news about the economy that can make an entrepreneur fear that it is not possible to be successful during a severe recession. Utilizing the right tools and mindset, it is very possible to be successful. Here are some things other profitable companies have done to grow profits during economic downturns.
eports contain plenty of bad news about the economy that can make an entrepreneur fear that it is not possible to be successful during a severe recession. Utilizing the right tools and mindset, it is very possible to be successful. Here are some things other profitable companies have done to grow profits during economic downturns.
Turn off the news and think about this: Customers will still spend money in a recession; they just become more selective on where to spend their dollars. They look for what appears to be a better deal, whether it is better pricing, better customer service, a special add-on, easier sales process, and more.
Even during the Great Depression (that began in 1929), consumers were still spending. Companies that survived, and even thrived, got creative and took action. Here are just a few examples from that time period:
* Kellogg and Post were once pretty close competitors until the Great Depression. Kellogg came out swinging, with heavy marketing; Post took the no-growth strategy - thinking they needed to save money and not spend it. Kellogg overtook Post, and Post has never caught up.
A similar situation occurred with Chevrolet and Ford. Chevrolet increased their marketing and had a large market lead over Ford for many years.
* Proctor and Gamble began a huge branding campaign by being the first company to sponsor radio soap operas, which was a significant form of entertainment and relaxation for listeners. Their name became a household word and remains so today.
* Bixler Jewelers, credited as the oldest jeweler in America, saw a drop in customer traffic and decided to open a free lending library in the store. This creative service addition brought more people into their store, and also kept their current customers coming back. In time, sales began to increase. Bixler Jewelers survived the Depression and are in existence today.
* A.E. Schmidt was a billiard table manufacturer when the Depression hit. They diversified and sold janitorial supplies to restaurants. They also sought new markets for their billiard tables, approaching the US government about the need to provide inexpensive and positive activities for those in government work camps during the long, boring evenings when they weren’t working ? and billiards became one of the top activities at those camps.
* Cornell Iron Works was a specialty ironworks provider. In the Depression, they broadened their market so that they not only made specialty railings, grates and stairways; they also made plain metal siding for delivery trucks and security doors.
Some entrepreneurs saw opportunities that others didn?t see during the Depression, and took them.
* Warren Buffet?s father, Howard, noticed that many brokerages had closed or were not taking new customers, yet there were still some people who wanted to invest in stocks, so he opened a brokerage.
* Walt Disney knew people still wanted entertainment, and provided it at a low cost through animated cartoons.
* Ever hear of Monopoly? The rise of this game occurred as another form of cheap entertainment. A small investment for the Monopoly game became a way to see hope in the future, and as players developed their money making skills, they could pretend they were real estate barons.
There have been severe recessions since the Great Depression ended, and during each one, new and existing businesses were built to great levels of success.
Two companies that began business in a recession are Domino’s Pizza and Toys R Us. They thrived by using new marketing models. Domino’s Pizza created a marketing campaign that no other pizza company had: if they didn’t deliver the pizza within 30 minutes, the customer did not have to pay for it. Toys R Us transferred the warehouse store concept to selling toys - a first for that niche.
A very short list of some other companies that started business during economic downturns include: Wrigley Gum, UPS, NewEgg, Super 8 Motel, Microsoft, Symantec, Nantucket Juice, Zippo Lighters and Hewlett Packard. These companies are giants, and are well-known by multitudes!
What are the main keys to success in these examples?
1. GET CREATIVE with marketing, business models, product diversification and positioning, and,
2. SEEK the opportunities that others do not see, and,
3. TAKE ACTION, because of, and in spite of, the economic news.
Don’t get caught up in the fear that is being propagated on the news channels. Instead, focus on what you can do to create you success, regardless of the current economy.
Steven Schneidman asked:
Every company searches to lure customers to their product. Unless you have a monopoly or unique product your marketing goal is to fulfill your customers needs with your products. Today finding that monopoly or unique program is virtually impossible, and even if you do find it chances are someone will copy it very quickly.
Wouldn’t it be great if your marketing budget was unlimited and you could try everything ( web, print material, television, newspapers, radio..), and you would be sure to get results. Unless your Microsoft, Google or Ebay chances are you can’t afford to do that. The first thing you must do is define who your market is. Do you sell locally, nationally or internationally. Even if you could sell nationally or internationally is it worth it? In order to sell nationally you must have adequate resources both financially and in support staff. The market is greater than settling just for locally but your competition is usually greater as well. More and more we are looking at targetted marketting. Define your market, produce less selling material but direct it to those who you really have a chance to sell your product too. Develop a list of potential clients ( Dunn and Brad Street lists, Yellow Page Lists, Industry Lists, Industry Show lists,…). Once you have a list start compiling a database of potential clients who’d you’d like to market to. Consider Variable Data Marketing pieces or direct Email campaigns. Always try to address your customers needs rather than focusing on your product.
You only have one chance to make a good impression. Firstly try to offer your potential client a discount or special offer for them to try you. They must have some incentive to differentiate you from your compettion. Your good name and reputation while great once they become existing loyal customers means nothing to a sceptical prospect. Avoid going the cheap route. Use a quality printer, create an exciting campaign, consider promotional products, or a professional web presence. You must stand out to make an impression.
Once you get a bite from your campaign, you must service, service, service. As easily as it might have been to get some one interested , it usually is just as easily to lose their interest. A dissatisfied customer usually does more harm to your company’s reputation and image than all the good will you get from your happy customers.
I have over 20 years of marketing experience having owned 2 printing and promotional product companies, worked for a large Bank and taught marketing at a Canadian University. I have succesfully co-ordinated and implemented many marketing projects, for Fortune 500 companies and mid size comapnies like Canon, Motorola, Solectron, Mcgill University, SR Telecom, Future Electronics,L’Oreal,Hema Quebec, Bosch, Sub Zero, Thermador, Wolfe, Viking, Tommy Hilfiger, Liz Claiborne, Mexx, Aldo, Browns, as well as a host of others. http://www.solutionsink4u.com
If you need any help on your next campaign or would like any suggestions you may drop me an email, steve@solutionsink4u.com or visit my site
Every company searches to lure customers to their product. Unless you have a monopoly or unique product your marketing goal is to fulfill your customers needs with your products. Today finding that monopoly or unique program is virtually impossible, and even if you do find it chances are someone will copy it very quickly.
Wouldn’t it be great if your marketing budget was unlimited and you could try everything ( web, print material, television, newspapers, radio..), and you would be sure to get results. Unless your Microsoft, Google or Ebay chances are you can’t afford to do that. The first thing you must do is define who your market is. Do you sell locally, nationally or internationally. Even if you could sell nationally or internationally is it worth it? In order to sell nationally you must have adequate resources both financially and in support staff. The market is greater than settling just for locally but your competition is usually greater as well. More and more we are looking at targetted marketting. Define your market, produce less selling material but direct it to those who you really have a chance to sell your product too. Develop a list of potential clients ( Dunn and Brad Street lists, Yellow Page Lists, Industry Lists, Industry Show lists,…). Once you have a list start compiling a database of potential clients who’d you’d like to market to. Consider Variable Data Marketing pieces or direct Email campaigns. Always try to address your customers needs rather than focusing on your product.
You only have one chance to make a good impression. Firstly try to offer your potential client a discount or special offer for them to try you. They must have some incentive to differentiate you from your compettion. Your good name and reputation while great once they become existing loyal customers means nothing to a sceptical prospect. Avoid going the cheap route. Use a quality printer, create an exciting campaign, consider promotional products, or a professional web presence. You must stand out to make an impression.
Once you get a bite from your campaign, you must service, service, service. As easily as it might have been to get some one interested , it usually is just as easily to lose their interest. A dissatisfied customer usually does more harm to your company’s reputation and image than all the good will you get from your happy customers.
I have over 20 years of marketing experience having owned 2 printing and promotional product companies, worked for a large Bank and taught marketing at a Canadian University. I have succesfully co-ordinated and implemented many marketing projects, for Fortune 500 companies and mid size comapnies like Canon, Motorola, Solectron, Mcgill University, SR Telecom, Future Electronics,L’Oreal,Hema Quebec, Bosch, Sub Zero, Thermador, Wolfe, Viking, Tommy Hilfiger, Liz Claiborne, Mexx, Aldo, Browns, as well as a host of others. http://www.solutionsink4u.com
If you need any help on your next campaign or would like any suggestions you may drop me an email, steve@solutionsink4u.com or visit my site
Steven Schneidman asked:
Branding your comapny should be the first thing a company does. You have to convince potential customers to buy from you. Very few people have a monopoly like Microsoft or Ebay, Everyone else need to steer business to their company or product. When people think about your company, what is their impression. For my company, Solutions Ink, I wanted to portray a fresh, professional, ease of use type of company whoose product meets their quality needs while helping their business. I wanted to portray Solutions Ink as always on the fore front of the printing and promotional product industry’s.
To achieve this I needed to tell potential customers of new and innovative products for the printing industry. Variable data, large format digital printing, digital printing with pantone colors, label and form combinations, magnet and form combinations and e-commerce ordering systems. How best to show customers then actually devise a campaign where the product you are trying to educate your customers about is sent out to them to give them ideas how to use this product to help their businesses. One campaign I organised was to compile a list of fashion retailers whoose logo’s were specific pantone colors that are not reproduced well in 4 color process printing. Today with 6,8 and 10 color presses you can print in 4 color process and 2 pantone colors quite easily. This keeps the integrity of the company’s logo intact in their big marketing or flyer campaigns. This is OK for large run printing jobs. The problem is that even for large chains, you tend to have regional sales in a small amount of stores. In store displays usually are done in small numbers and are printed digitally. Today there are certain digital presses that can insert pantone colors on top of the 4 color process printing. After devising a mock up campaign and targetting by variable data the buyers of these retail fashion chains, I was able to secure 2 large accounts for present and future business.
This technique can be applied to any industry. The key is to really now your product and the strengths of your company. The next step is to educate your customers on your company’s merits. Then you must reinforce your image constantly to stay in your existing customers mind, as well as peak the curiousity of potential new customers.
Once you have achieved this, giving out promotional products is a useful way of staying on their minds. The trick is to find a great promotional product, that fits you budget, is useful to the end user and doesn’t shout your name too boldly. Humour is a great way to have your customers keep your stuff. The items seen most times for an office person are calendars and coffee mugs. To be different in the Montreal Promotional Product market, Solutions Ink sent out to all existing customers a 14 ounze special mug which was imprinted with thermochromic ink. The ink is heat sensitive and evaporates on heat and returns on cold. With this you can print something underneath the thermochromic ink which is revealed when cold. On the outside we simply put the word STRESS in red over a black background. Most people who work know about stress. The humour side was that when you poured your hot coffee the message turned into stress free at Solutions Ink. A simple inexpensive idea that our customers really enjoyed and every time I stop at one of their offices I readily spot our mugs. On top of this I received 4 orders from these customers for these mugs with a different message for their customers.
Another great way for your company to be branded positively is to become associated with a worth while charity. Today we must give back to those less fortunate. Sponsering an event gives your company great exposure but the real treat is in knowing that you’ve helped others. Money is not the end all, all the time. A funny thing, helping others usually rewards yourself if not immediately some time in the future.
The trick is to plan out your actions. Research the market, research your company’s attributes and brand your company’s image positively and constantly. Following these steps should help your company stand out from the competition and make yourself more successful Best of luck. If you need help you can contact me at 514-337-2238 or visit us on the webb at www.solutionsink4u.com
Steven Schneidma
Branding your comapny should be the first thing a company does. You have to convince potential customers to buy from you. Very few people have a monopoly like Microsoft or Ebay, Everyone else need to steer business to their company or product. When people think about your company, what is their impression. For my company, Solutions Ink, I wanted to portray a fresh, professional, ease of use type of company whoose product meets their quality needs while helping their business. I wanted to portray Solutions Ink as always on the fore front of the printing and promotional product industry’s.
To achieve this I needed to tell potential customers of new and innovative products for the printing industry. Variable data, large format digital printing, digital printing with pantone colors, label and form combinations, magnet and form combinations and e-commerce ordering systems. How best to show customers then actually devise a campaign where the product you are trying to educate your customers about is sent out to them to give them ideas how to use this product to help their businesses. One campaign I organised was to compile a list of fashion retailers whoose logo’s were specific pantone colors that are not reproduced well in 4 color process printing. Today with 6,8 and 10 color presses you can print in 4 color process and 2 pantone colors quite easily. This keeps the integrity of the company’s logo intact in their big marketing or flyer campaigns. This is OK for large run printing jobs. The problem is that even for large chains, you tend to have regional sales in a small amount of stores. In store displays usually are done in small numbers and are printed digitally. Today there are certain digital presses that can insert pantone colors on top of the 4 color process printing. After devising a mock up campaign and targetting by variable data the buyers of these retail fashion chains, I was able to secure 2 large accounts for present and future business.
This technique can be applied to any industry. The key is to really now your product and the strengths of your company. The next step is to educate your customers on your company’s merits. Then you must reinforce your image constantly to stay in your existing customers mind, as well as peak the curiousity of potential new customers.
Once you have achieved this, giving out promotional products is a useful way of staying on their minds. The trick is to find a great promotional product, that fits you budget, is useful to the end user and doesn’t shout your name too boldly. Humour is a great way to have your customers keep your stuff. The items seen most times for an office person are calendars and coffee mugs. To be different in the Montreal Promotional Product market, Solutions Ink sent out to all existing customers a 14 ounze special mug which was imprinted with thermochromic ink. The ink is heat sensitive and evaporates on heat and returns on cold. With this you can print something underneath the thermochromic ink which is revealed when cold. On the outside we simply put the word STRESS in red over a black background. Most people who work know about stress. The humour side was that when you poured your hot coffee the message turned into stress free at Solutions Ink. A simple inexpensive idea that our customers really enjoyed and every time I stop at one of their offices I readily spot our mugs. On top of this I received 4 orders from these customers for these mugs with a different message for their customers.
Another great way for your company to be branded positively is to become associated with a worth while charity. Today we must give back to those less fortunate. Sponsering an event gives your company great exposure but the real treat is in knowing that you’ve helped others. Money is not the end all, all the time. A funny thing, helping others usually rewards yourself if not immediately some time in the future.
The trick is to plan out your actions. Research the market, research your company’s attributes and brand your company’s image positively and constantly. Following these steps should help your company stand out from the competition and make yourself more successful Best of luck. If you need help you can contact me at 514-337-2238 or visit us on the webb at www.solutionsink4u.com
Steven Schneidma
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