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Originally published in SiteProNews, February 07, 2008

Over the past 11 1/2 years, I've created dozens of information products, and sold hundreds of affiliate products. I've discovered what does and what doesn't work in quickly creating and marketing information products.

I've also shared with dozens of clients, and thousands of subscribers, my very successful methods for earning a living online. When I say shared, I'm referring to those who were willing to listen and apply what I taught them. Those who listened, but didn't do, aren't counted in that number because to me "sharing" is a two-way communication.

Today, I'd like to share with you exactly what I've instructed dozens of people to do when they've came to me with cash-flow emergencies. These were people who usually came to me looking for a loan or a hand-out. Instead, I usually had them do what I'm about to share with you.

I've learned over the year that giving handouts too quickly only conditions the person to come back a few weeks later for another handout. I believe that it's important to teach them a proven method for extricating themselves from such situations.

Here's the exact plan that I've directed many people to follow:

1. Look around you, and identify two large, related problems that you could create two information product as solutions to. These need to be painful enough problems that people are acutely aware of, that they desperately want to solve, and that they'll pay for good solutions to.
   
   You generally want related problems because the plan calls for selling both solutions to the SAME people. You're going to sell the first solution through affiliates, giving them the majority of the money, and then you're going to keep at least half of the money on the second (backend) product.
   
   You're going to set up you sales process so that you "lead" with one product and then offer the second product as an upsell, or special offer after the first purchase is made.
   
   The reason that you're going to pay your affiliates so much is that you need them NOW. Without their enthusiastic promotion of your products, this plan often CAN'T work very quickly.
   
   The most CRITICAL part of this whole plan is step 1, and the most CRITICL part of step 1 is making sure that you identify a real problem that people actually want to solve. Otherwise, you end up creating products that no one will buy.
   
   When I look at why products fail, the number one reason (in my opinion) is that demand wasn't verified beforehand).
   
   Teaching you how to do the research is beyond the scope of this short article, but it only needs to take an hour or two. It is too important to skip. An excellent guide to conducting painless research is Steve Wagenheim's "Niche Research Revolution."
   
   If you need help with the research, it's at: http://TheRealSecrets.com/SteveWagenheim/
   
   
2. Create the solution (product), or better yet, modify and improve on an existing solution.

   If you are good at researching, or already an expert on a topic, then by all means write an ebook on it, or create a piece of software that solves a big problem. At the same time, in many niches you are surrounded by thousands of experts who have already done the majority of the work for you. They've already created the product and will often sell (or even GIVE) you the rights to it. Then all you need to do is refine and improve on these product that you have "Private Label Rights" to.

   Just go to any search engine, and do a search on your keywords plus the term "private label right" or "PLR," and you'll locate dozens of sources. Alternatively, just visit my blog, and you'll often discover dozens of people giving away private label rights for various reasons. That blog is at: http://WillieCrawford.com/blog/

   Simply sit down and refine those PLR products (where someone has already done 90% of the work) into something truly valuable.

3. Get a few people to critique your product, offering you feedback that both allows you to improve your solution and that perhaps you can use as testimonials. After your product is created, simply post on a discussion forum (after confirming that it's permissible) that you are looking for product reviewers. You'll get dozens of volunteers.

   If you don't get dozens of volunteers, I would take that as an indication that you haven't really found a painful enough problem... at least not one that that particular community cares about.

   Do one product all the way through until it's ready to launch and then do the other one. For many people, doing them simultaneously is too confusing.

4. Set these products up for sale with their own affiliate program. Use a system such as Rapid Action Profits that allows you to pay instant commissions. The instant commissions are "key" because instant cashflow is as important to many of your potential affiliates as it is to you. You'll recruit lot of affiliates who are promoting your products almost on impulse.

   That's great!

   You want people who will promote your product today rather than a week or two from now.

   I recommend Rapid Action Profits as the affiliate program platform because it's inexpensive, easy to set up, and you can use it on as many different websites (with as many different products as you want) after purchasing the software just once. I use it on over a dozen websites. You can get RAP here: http://TheRealSecrets.com/RapidActionProfits/

   Rapid Action Profits is designed to work with Paypal, meaning that you don't need a merchant account, and that anyone with a Paypal account can become one of your affiliates.

5. Recruit affiliates by posting to forums that have a "joint ventures" section. Post to communities set up to facilitate your recruiting affiliates such as JV Alert and The International Association of Joint Venture Brokers.

   Announce to your email list that you are looking for affiliates.

   Private Message (PM) or email ideal affiliates that you've noticed promoting similar products, and ask them directly to promote yours. Be very clear in these communications or you're likely to get declined or to not get firm commitments to promote your products.

6. Turn customers into affiliates. Email customers who have purchased your previous products thanking them, and pointing out your new product(s). Explain why it's a match for them and rather than focusing on making a sale, make your focus recruiting them as an affiliate (if appropriate).

   Set up your autoresponder system so that any time anyone purchases your product they are automatically invited to become an affiliate. Consider adding a blurb right on your download page that invites them to join your affiliate program.

   Your best potential affiliate ARE those who know and like your product, so it makes perfect sense to recruit customers as affiliates.

7. Use article marketing to generate interest and find customers. Write a 500 - 1000 word article that:
   1. Describes the problem that your product solves.
   2. Explains why this really IS a problem that they DO want to resolve.
   3. Proves why your product is the perfect solution.

   Submit these articles to every appropriate article directory that you can locate as well as post them on your blogs, your sites, and on discussion forums that have article sections. If you can afford it, use an article submission service such as ISnare.com or ThePhantomWriters.com. This will save you considerable time and quickly get your articles in 100 times as many places.

8. Leave "the land of excuses" and just do it! Make the decision that you're going to implement this plan, and then instead of looking for reasons why you can't implement it, look at the very real reasons why you MUST implement this plan.

   Acknowledge that the key to the success of your plan is taking massive, immediate action, and refusing to EVER give up.

9. Update, test and track your sales process. As your articles, affiliates, and emails drive traffic through your site, evaluate how well your sales letters are converting. The ability to split-test, and determine the exact conversion rates for your sales letters is built right into Rapid Action Profits. Test four or five different versions of the sales letter changing only minor things on each one, such as the main headline or the number of testimonials.

   When you discover one sales letter that works better than others, keep the one that is working, but then create a slightly different version of the winner to test against your new "control."

10. Rinse and repeat. Once the sales start coming in, and you see that this formula does indeed work, use the same system to roll out other products. You are now building an army of active, happy affiliates. Offer them other, equally-lucrative products to promote.

    Don't allow the momentum to stop once you get it going - that's incredibly wasteful.

11. IMPORTANT: Slow down enough to act rationally rather than in desperation. I put this step at the bottom because I want it at the top of your mind as you get started.

    As you implement this simple, proven plan, make sure that you take a deep breath and don't act out of desperation. People who feel like that "HAVE" to get results today, often make very bad decisions. Slow down enough to make sure that you're actually doing each of the preceding 10 steps, and in particular make sure that you really confirmed that what you're offering the market is something that they want.

    I've watched dozens of people use this exact method when they suddenly found themselves needing to make a house payment, pay a medical bill, or catch up with mortgage payments... and their bank balance was "less than zero."

This system does work. If you really examine it, there's nothing magical or mysterious about it. It's just common sense, and taking massive action. Now it's time for you to apply both.

Willie Crawford is an internationally-acclaimed speaker, author, seminar and radio show host, and leading Internet marketing expert. When not out fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, Willie can be found sharing his 11 1/2 years of online marketing experience with members of The Internet Marketing Inner Circle. Join them at: http://TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com

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