1. Product or Service That Sells Well

You want to find a product / service that sells, and sells well. You need something that people want, not something that people need. People buy wants a lot more than they buy needs.

Is your product or service targeted towards a niche market? Is there a big demand for it? Are the customers in that market rabid for products like yours? Are they easy to reach?

2. Endorsement

One of the most important factors in the success or failure of your Joint Venture.

You have to send an endorsement (recommendation) to the list. NOT a blatant sales letter type ”endorsement”.

The endorsement has to convey the fact that the list owner is trying to help his client base, not sell them something. The endorser is doing a favor to his clients. He went out of his way for them to bring them this special offer.

That’s why you should always offer a special privileged rebate on the product or service.

Write the endorsement as if you were personally talking to someone and someone only.

3. Price Of The Product Or Service

The price has to be along the lines of the cost of what has already been sold to the list. Trying to sell a several hundred dollar product to a mailing list that’s used to buying cheap products is not a good idea.

4. How Targeted Is The List Vs. Your Product? Or Vice Versa?

The more targeted, the better. Don’t expect to make megabucks if you match a book on doll collecting with a financial newsletter or e-zine. If the offer is not very targeted, the deal will flop.

There can be exceptions to this rule however. Special occasions like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter etc. can be used as a reason to buy. So you can match 2 completely unrelated businesses and the deal will probably work.

5. Relationship

Another very important factor. Always, always partner with list-owners that have a great relationship with their subscribers because the stronger the relationship, the stronger the endorsement, and the stronger the endorsement, the more sales you’ll make.

And if you have a mailing list, you should always work on building a better relationship with your subscribers. Some marketers have such great reputations and relationships with their client base that they can sell almost anything to them.

Some have been known to sell products that were priced several times higher than their competitors, and they made a killing at it. Achieving this level of trust with your subscribers should be one of your main goals, one that will benefit you for years and years to come.

6. Size Of The List

As a rule of thumb, the bigger the better. But that’s not always the case. If the subscriber base does not trust, or has little or no relationship with the list owner, doing a Joint Venture with that mailing list will be futile. If you can find a huge targeted list that has a great relationship with the list owner, you may very well be sitting on a gold mine.

7. Sales Letter (Or Copy)

The sales letter is another very important factor. The higher the conversion rate (or visitor value), the more profits you will be making.

8. Recency

Have the prospects recently bought products similar to the one you’re trying to sell? If so, it’s a very good sign. The best prospects are the ones who bought within the last 4-6 weeks. These folks will be the most responsive. But don’t mail sooner than 3 weeks apart.

9. Frequency

Do the prospects regularly buy products and services similar to yours? Another very good sign. If they have often bought stuff like yours, they’ll probably want to buy more.

10. The “High-Passion Index” Of Your Target Market

You’ll have a lot more luck selling to folks who are really passionate about whatever you are selling. Golfers, for example, have been known to spend small fortunes just to take a stroke or two off of their game.

11. Has The Sales Letter, Price Of The Product Or Service, Etc. Been Tested?

A tested sales letter, etc. will be a lot more lucrative than one that hasn’t been tested at all.

If the price hasn’t been tested, you are most likely going to be losing a lot in sales. You should test to determine the price that sells the most.

12. Is The Endorsee A Well-Known And Trusted Expert ?

The more the product or service owner is trusted and considered to be an expert in his or her field, the more the Joint Venture will have the potential to be profitable.

13. Are The Prospects Rich? Or At Least Well-Off?

This pretty much ties in with the frequency. Most rich people spend a LOT of money to learn as much as they possibly can. They never hesitate to invest in their education.

Copyright 2005 Gabriel Howes

About The Author

Gabriel Howes is a Joint Venture expert.

If you want to learn how to set up very profitable JVs, please visit my website: http://www.ultimatejv.com/adtrackz/go.php?c=sya1

I remember a childless couple who slept with their dogs. They were clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Yet every night their dogs crawled into bed with them.

During the day the two black labs ran through the house, climbed on the furniture, and regularly ate human food from the hands of their masters. Did you know some parents treat their kids like this couple treated their dogs? Let’s find out how.

Recently, my own Yellow Lab, Chum, had knee surgery. While sitting in the waiting room, I noticed this sign on the doctor’s wall.

Dog Rules:

The dog is Not allowed in the house.

Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but Only in certain rooms.

Alright, the dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to Stay Off the furniture.

Well, okay, the dog can get on the old furniture Only.

Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is Not Allowed to sleep on the bed.

Okay, the dog is allowed on the bed, but Only by invitation.

The dog can sleep on the bed anytime, but Not Under the covers.

Okay, the dog can sleep under the covers every night.

Humans Must Ask permission to sleep under the covers with the dogs.

So what’s the problem? Could it be that the Dog Rules, really meant that The Dogs Ruled? How does this apply to parents?

The inconsistent or permissive parent treats their kids a lot like these dogs. When parents state what they expect and then give in to the demands of their kids, parents trample their own authority and let their kids rule.

If this is happening in your house, you need to change and you can change! Why do you need to change?

Because being consistent gives your child:

A sense of being loved

A feeling of security

Respect for you

Self-discipline

A likable personality

How can you change? First, you must decide to change. Second, follow the 5 rules listed below.

5 Consistent Rules:

1. Think wisely before you speak.

2. If you say “No,” mean it.

3. Use a firm voice.

4. Use few words.

5. No arguing.

The Wrap-Up:

The couple with the black labs changed their own behavior.

The dogs went to the dog house.

The couple enjoyed sleeping in their bed alone.

Being consistent is one of the best ways to show love.

If you’re inconsistent, you can change.

By following the 5 Consistent Rules listed above, you’ll be kind and firm, show love, and be a character builder too. Here’s to your consistent success!

Jean Tracy, MSS, Edmonds, WA, USA
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A reader wrote:

My wife and I have been building our house for just over three years now. We moved in on Nov.30, a year ago, and at that time there wasn’t a single sheet of drywall up; all of it was in piles on the floor. The breakfast area in the kitchen didn’t have the sloped glass installed, so we ate under a blue plastic tarp that leaked when it rained…

This reminded me of a rather large farming family who built a house on the prairie, near the North Dakota border (yeah, pretty desolate). I guess it was 1970 or so, about 180 miles south-east of Regina on a flat part of the flat part… not a living stick of wood for miles around… They dug a hole in the ground, and then every able-bodied family member, friend and neighbour pitched in to help lay the concrete blocks.

They dug the well, built the floor and basement stairs, roughed in the plumbing, heating and electrical - and then ran out good weather and almost out of money (bad crop year). Well, says old Tom (the father), we always wanted a finished basement! So, for not too much more, they built a basement rec-room, bathroom and kitchenette. That’s where they lived for two years!

Basement apartment!

Well, when the snow drifted and the prairie looked more like sub-arctic than temperate, was that house ever hard to find! The school bus driver said he had to check his mileage, stop along the road, and wait for the kids to pop out of the snow bank!

Copyright Gil Strachan - All rights reserved.

Gil Strachan is a professional home inspector, representing Electrospec Home Inspection Services in east-central Ontario, Canada since 1994. Visit http://www.allaroundthehouse.com to learn more about home inspections.

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