Fish, Poles, Boxes, and Buttons… WTC?
September 6, 2007 3:28 AMWTC = What’s the connection?I am going to tell you a SAD but TRUE lesson.
A lesson, that if you follow, will allow you to increase your income in ways you never would have believed possible.
Please note, I am NOT selling you anything. There is no link to go buy anything. Not now, or later. And this is not a set up to buy anything in the future.
I am simply sharing what I have learned and what has allowed me to make millions of dollars online. (If you have no idea of that, that is OK, you may have been invited to this article. You can go to theHistoryOfMikeFilsaime.com to see how I built my business or you can do a Google search on “Mike Filsaime”.)
O.K. So let me explain to you my Million Dollar Secret.
Real quick… First what I want to make make clear, is that I am talking to anyone in the service related business.
And what I mean by that is, you are selling (or promoting as an affiliate) a product or service that will help solve someone’s problem, cure their pain, answer their question, or give them the pleasure that they are seeking.
(I am not relating to people that are doing some type of arbitrage by getting traffic and making money by clicks made off their sites while sending the customer somewhere else.)
So why the title: “Fish,  Poles,  Boxes,  and  Buttons… WTC?”What is the connection between Fish, Poles, Boxes, and Buttons?
Well, I am sure you have heard the biblical story that teaches the lesson of:
“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day… If you teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”
Now, while that is noble, and true. The fact (the very very SAD fact) is that MOST people do not want to learn how to fish. Most people do not want to LEARN how to do anything.
So what does that mean? Does that mean that people really just want the fish?
YES!
But they do not just want the fish, but they want it cooked, served right out of the oven, with a great white wine, butter and lemon on to baste it, and some nice rice and vegetables on the side.
And… They want it in a nice environment, and they want pay someone to do it right for them!
That… my dear friend, is the million dollar secret. But I can not just leave it there. Please allow me to explain more of what I mean.
Progression…
Fish: Teach “How to” Catch Fish - 10% of market, high refund rate.
Pole: Sell The Pole - 20% of market, medium refund rate
Box: Give Him The Fish - 30% of market, Low Refund Rate
Button: Prepare the Fish Dinner - 50% of market, Pays a Premium, keeps coming back, and virtually no refund rate.
So we spoke about Fish and Pole…What do I mean by “BOX”?
Well, a “Box” is almost there. And a good place to sell products and services. It is better than teaching how to fish, or selling tools to help you fish. The Box means “Business in a box” or “Solution in a Box” - But it still requires the person to do a little bit of work.
So does that mean the best business to be in is selling “Buttons”?
YES!! You want to be in the business of selling buttons. People want to push buttons and get results. You want PUSH BUTTON NICHE results.
Look at the BUTTONS that sell every day on TV!
- The Diet Patch - Place a patch on your arm, lose weight
- The Diet Pill - Eat what you want, and still lose weight
- The Roomba, cleans your house while you sleep
- The Rotisserie Gold - Set It and Forget it -
- Magic Cream to Remove Wrinkles
- Re grow hair while you sleep
- Whiten Your Teeth in 2 minutes per day
You know, I was talking with John Reese recently, and he made a statement that was just incredible. I will refer to it as “THE FIRST CLASS OPTION” -
What that means is, if there is a service, there are ALWAYS people willing to pay more, to get better, faster, premium service. Look at airlines for example. People pay 10x the price to get in line faster and get off the plane first (to meet everyone at baggage claim at the same time) as well as a nice seat and better dining.
If you go to amusement parks like Disney, you will now notice they sell Premium PASS tickets, that means you pay an extra $20, and you can go on the express line and not have to wait on 45 minute lines to get on a ride while they just walk you right to the front.
We live in a FED-EX world. People want it NOW and they are willing to pay a premium to get it faster. (Just look at a Amazon check out.) - We can have it mailed for FREE with their super saver, or we can pay $24.95 to have it tomorrow. Many people pay more for shipping than they do for a book, just so they can have it NOW, and not have to wait.
SIDE NOTE: Not only are you losing money if you do not offer a premium price and better service. (That is correct, there are people that WANT to pay more to be a VIP or Platinum member. Just look at the VIP up-selll you see for dinners when we buy a seminar ticket.)Â
If you go to a Tony Robbins Event, he has Platinum Members in the front row. Then they have Premium tickets in the first 5 rows. These people pay $800 more than the average price. (Just like we see at sporting events. Better seats, premium price. And people are willing to pay. People pay up to $1 Million per year for luxury suites at ball parks and stadiums.)
WORSE: If you do not offer a premium service, people may not even use your product. They may only deal with people that will take more of their money to treat them better. I have many friends that will not fly Southwest Airlines because they have no “First Class” seating!
Fact: There is an expression in the sales business. “Low Gross, High Grief…. and High Gross, Low Grief.” What that means is more often than not, the people that pay your more money are better clients. Those that penny pinch (more often than not) will be high grief. (You are better dealing with 10 people paying $1000 than 100 people paying $100.)
In fact, there is a little known secret in the insurance industry. If you ever wondered why they run your credit history (in the USA) when you go to pay for car insurance, you may be surprised what the reason is. They do not need to know your credit because they are not lending money. You pay first, then get a policy. If you do not pay, they just cancel you on the spot… SO WHY THE CREDIT CHECK?
The insurance companies have found that people with low credit scores generally have low cash flow. People with better credit unusually have better cash flow. The bottom line is, people with better cash flow are LESS likely to make a claim for an small fender-bender than people with poor cash flow (usually poor credit.) - The end result is, people with good credit usually avoid making a claim and pay for the $2000 repair themselves because they know that making a claim can raise their rates on all 3 cars, or they maybe even be dropped from auto and home all together. Poor cash flow people tend to place every little claim with the insurance company and therefore are not the ideal clients for a profit seeking private insurance company. So THAT is why an insurance company will not carry someone with a low credit score.
Bottom line is, you want to deal with PREMIUM customers.
Heck, if you give me the option, I will pay more, just because I want to be better than average. I will admit, I love to walk on a plane before everyone else and go faster through security while people give me that look like “I have been here for 45 minutes!”
So I hope you are starting to see a picture here.
You want to offer premium services for people. You want to SELL BUTTONS. And buttons sell at a PREMIUM.
Lets look at Adsense as a niche. What can you do.
Teach “How To” FISH - You can write an ebook to teach people how to make money with Adsense. This may establish you as an expert. Sales will be not bad, and refunds will be higher than the following.
Pole (Make Fishing Easier) - You can create a software that makes it easy for people to make a site and place Adsense on it. Typically, I have found that software can outsell “HOW TO” almost 3 to one at double the price.
“BOX” (Give the FISH) - You can make site templates, that is like a business in a box, All they have to do is load them up, do a little work, and they can start making money, - Very low refund rate. (They rarely say, this is too hard. They know what they are getting.)
Button (Prepare the FISH) - You can build the sites yourself, then get them making money. And then you can sell this PUSH BUTTON “Turn Key” business for a premium and it will fly off the shelves and they will love you, pay you top dollar, beg you for more, and almost never refund.
And guess what, you can teach them to fish when they buy the BUTTON. You make that part of the FREE BONUS?
Are you starting to see the picture?
If you look at the example above, you can follow Joel Comm’s Adsnese business model trough the first three. After Joel Comm learned himself how to make money with Adsense, he wrote an ebook and starting a coaching program (TEACHING). He then followed with software. (POLE)
They both made him a pretty penny. But when he went to the “BOX” method, he sold 10 x more in a total of 7 days, then he did with both previous models in 2 years! And guess what… people lined up to pay him AGAIN, and the yet AGAIN when he came out with new “BOX” templates the 2nd and 3rd time!
Recently, I worked on a project in the same market. It took me and Ray (my partner on the project) almost 1 year to make the “Button”, and we sold-out the project in 7 hours!
We sold over 1000 sites, and made over $100,000 in just 7 hours and had to put SOLD OUT on the page. If I hade 10,000 sites, I could have sold them all and made $1 Million dollars. -
And the refund rate is near ZERO, and even though I stated: “once they are gone, they are gone”, I still have people coming to my help desk begging me, YES BEGGING ME, to build more sites for them and they will pay DOUBLE the asking price. - The price, $749 and they FLEW OFF THE SHELVES! -
1 EMAIL - 7 Hours - NO JV PARTNERS - No Pre-launch - ZERO BUZZ
CONTRAST: A much superior product I sold 2 months ago, was called me “The7FigureCode.com” - This product sold for $497 (almost half of the pre-made sites) and quite frankly, is one of the best products you can buy today on building a business online. (Google Reviews to see)
Now, we did very well with these. Yet we needed a huge pre launch campaign and paid huge commissions to affiliates and had to rock the world for 7 days to do so.
But I am sad to report, the refund rate on this product was higher than I wanted. I was hoping for 3% (Because it is so good.) It was more than double that. It was 8.2% - That’s right, over 200 people shipped the course back to us. While I was heart broken, it was a simple reason…
REASON: The Course Was Teaching People “How To” Fish.
We would get calls stating. “I want to return it.” We asked why? “I did not even open the box, I just do not have time to learn.”
or… “I opened the box, and felt overwhelmed.”
or… “I skimmed thru the pages, I already know it all.” (Yet, I have not made any money online, and this is a DVD course, and the ‘pages’ were only transcripts of the quality DVD’s to use as a way to take better notes.)
or… “Now What?” We said, watch DVD1, then 2, then 3, and go thru the course. - The person said: “I do not want to go thru the course, I already saw everyone speak. I just want to know what to do to make money.”
Now do not get me wrong, I am very proud of my teachings and I made a lot of money from the course but better yet, many many hundreds of people will go onto great success from what they learned.
“Don’t show me the recipe, just give me the pie.”
But what I realized, is the main reason these people asked for refunds is simple, they just do not want to take the time to learn, or they do not see learning as fun. They do not want to learn how to fish, they just want the fish!
And not just the fish, they want it cooked and served with fine wine.
The bottom line is, when you can offer someone the total solution, they will line up to pay a premium. Of course, we always want to provide top quality value and exceed expectations.
And a quick side note as well. If you provide a service, that has an easy way to track a high ROI (Return On Investment), you now have the Golden Goose.
i.e. If you have a service that provides traffic to a website or something like that, people will line up to pay you as much money as they can muster, for as much traffic as you can deliver, just so long as what they spend with you can give them more in returns than they are spending. (Look at Google Adwords.)
So what can you do with this information I outlined here?
You can go through your business and decide if you are teaching how to fish or are you selling poles, boxes, or buttons.
If you are not selling buttons, rethink what you can do in your business to sell BUTTONS and and watch your profits soar as people line up to throw premium prices as you and beg you for more and more. They will be the best customers you ever had.
Better yet, see if you can create a Golden Goose service for your customers. If you ask your customers the right questions, they will tell you what they want.
It all starts by asking yourself the right questions.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Please leave a comment to share your thoughts with the other reads and to reflect on what this will do for your business. If you dig it, then digg it!
Thanks,
Mike Filsaime
PS - See what you can do while sitting on a plane!
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on September 6th, 2007 at 3:36 am
Hi Mike,
Please do some more work on a plane, because you sure aren’t there for the food. ;->
Fantastic article that I have already got some killer ideas from on some of the projects I am working on.
Thanks for sharing this, however I really think you could have added this to a new course or book.
Take care,
Rod
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:19 am
What were you smoking when you thought of this!
Whatever it is I would sure like sum! LOL
Great article… was puzzled but saw the light!
Nathan
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:28 am
Good points Mike,
We’ve dealt with a lot of the same issues you mentioned as well in our businesses over time. We have some products with pretty much a 0 refund rate because it’s all done for them. We have others where they actually have to do something and refund rates are higher.
One thing to also keep in mind though is that the ones who become very successful in business are usually the type who are not afraid of a little hard work. Hopefully the people who bought those sites can keep increasing the cash flow on them to grow their businesses.
Very interesting project you did and thanks for the good article.
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:31 am
Hi Mike,
As a seasoned marketer, I’ve always known that providing turnkey products will reap you more profits than just simply teaching people how to fish.
I’ve witnessed over and over again this phenomenon. Your latest case study just validates this tactic.
Just today I promoted a product which allows people to create their own professional graphics. It didn’t sell as well as it should despite being the best product in the niche. I’ve come to realize once again that people are more willing to pay for the service than to do it themselves even though it would mean a lot of money would be saved in doing it themselves.
I will write a post-it note and place it on my desk to remind me of what type of product to create and how to write my copy the next time I launch a product.
Thanks for the reminder and congrats on your success with your recent product.
Regards,
Gary Huynh
http://www.sixfigurecourse.com
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:37 am
Great article
and SO true!
Most people are looking for the easy, instant way to making money
kathryn
http://www.homereporter.co.uk
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:37 am
Hi Mike,
I see where you are coming from, I am in the self-help area and it is a little harder to do it for them, but I have been making DVD’s showing step by step instructions, only one up on site so far but have had zero returns and only good reviews.
So I guess I am giving them the button in a way.
Keep up the good work
Love and Light
Colleen The Crystal Dragon
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:38 am
Thanks
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:43 am
Hi Mike
Yeah, this pearl of wisdom has come at just the right time for me (spooky how often you do that!)…
And your stats for refunds on the levels from Fish through to Box stack up with my own experience… so once again I’m led to listen intently…
My recently site has been offering the box (not unsuccessfully), and I’ve been trying hard to understand how to morph, or repackage, it into the magic button… without quite knowing what I was doing… You have chrystalised my focus at just the right time (once again…!)
Thanks Mike (look forward to seeing you in SF)
Tim
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:48 am
Nice post, Mike. I learned this from Allen Says some years back, and have benefited a lot from it - though I now have reservations about using it, the reasons for which I’ll be sharing in a short document that comes out soon called the Dr.Mani-FESTO ;)
All success
Dr.Mani
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:53 am
Thanks Mike, some great info there. I also think that some newbies are actually afraid of succeeding, so they don’t put in as much effort. If they were handed everything they needed to be successful, maybe they could make a go of it. They would then be clamouring for more ‘buttons’.
Ta
Kristy
Editor
PrivateLabelHeaven.com
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:55 am
Awesome post Mike!
I’ve read the concept a ton of times.. but somehow today I “got it”. I’ve always had this mindset to “appeal to the masses”. That’s why I never put out premium priced products.
But now I realize I can make one high-value/high-prices one and those who want it will get it. And if I don’t offer them - somebody else will!
I’m gonna print out your post and read it again. Some great gems in there..
Thanks for taking the time to share it!
Shariq.
on September 6th, 2007 at 5:03 am
Hey Mike, what a great article. It has taken myway of thinking about products to a new level. I will share this valuable lesson with as many others as I can.
Well done for sharing this golden nugget and the best wishes for your future.
Steve
on September 6th, 2007 at 5:04 am
Hi Mike,
Thanks for a great article!
It’s a sad fact you are pointing at. If you want your product out to the masses the button model is the right one. Why not! Lots of money is made that way and we are here to make money.
If we on the other hand, do this for our satisfaction, I agree with Jeremy Gislason that the ones who will follow in your foot steps and become very successful are the ones that learned fishing. In almost every sales letter I read. â€I am doing this for the satisfaction of helping other to be really successful.†Maybe we should leave that sentence out when selling buttons.
Take care,
Olov
on September 6th, 2007 at 5:11 am
Amazing Post.
Your Intent shines through the Content.
The content has given me numerous new ideas
for business opportunities.
The intent gives you a massive edge over all
competition.
Thanks Mike for being an inspiration to us all.
Success Belongs To You As You Give & It’ll Be Given Unto You
Ken Little
on September 6th, 2007 at 5:19 am
Thanks Mike!
Leif-Harald
on September 6th, 2007 at 5:25 am
Hi Mike
Yes, I’ve certainly found that anything free or at the cheaper end of the market attracts people who are less committed, want everything for free, and demand never-ending support for the most simple problems (which to me generally suggests laziness).
Whereas products with higher price tags attract more committed individuals, who are serious about their business, more respectful of your business and your time, and have a much lower support burden.
And yes, you’ve certainly got me thinking in terms of offering a premium option.
Thanks!
Steve
on September 6th, 2007 at 5:34 am
Perfectly said Mike!
It’s funny…I make a few bucks here and there, tell a few friends or family so they can see the possibilities. Of course they say, “I wanna do that”.
Then I say, ok. I’ll point you in the right direction, but realize it will take work. Most of the time when they realize the money isnt instant and wont come overnight, they make a reason on why its not for them, or call it a scam, and forget the idea.
To me, the math doesn’t make sense. I’ll trade 30 years behind a desk for 1-3 years of studying marketing any day. I dont understand why people think it’s too much work. Obviously the alternative entails much more work in the long run.
Anyway….great info that I’ll keep in mind when I have a product on the market.
Domo Mike!
PS: I think the “teach a man to fish” was a Chinese proverb, and didn’t come from the Bible. I could be wrong though, but the lessons are invaluable regardless.
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:10 am
Hi Mike
Great to read some more pearls of wisdom from you,
as ever you have been generous with your Free Information.
Thanks, John
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:13 am
Hi Mike
Great to read some more pearls of wisdom from you.
As ever you have been generous with your free information.
Thanks alot.
Regards John Bowyer
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:13 am
Mike that is one of the best articles I have read in a long time.
I just love how you are so honest about everything… like your refund rate.
It’s really refreshing and really good to see.
Keep up the great work.
Sincerely,
Paul Kleinmeulman
Australia
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:15 am
Thanks for this inspiring post, Mike!
Yes, I guess the higher price tag weeds out the ‘browsers’ from the serious folks …
It’s a shame too that people can’t seem to appreciate the value of the ‘fishing pole’ and want everything done with a click of a ‘button’ ..
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:15 am
Mike, this is the best article I have read in a long time.
I really appreciate how you are so honest and reveal so much.
Keep up the great work.
Sincerely,
Paul Kleinmeulman
Australia
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:24 am
Great stuff as usual Mike.
My recently launched product is presented as a course rather than an
ebook and the refund rate has been less than 1%. I believe this is because my buyers know that there will be some work involved and are prepared to complete the course, rather than read an ebook right through in one sitting and then put it aside and do nothing.
Your article has really made me think about the best way to take the next step.
Thanks Mike,
regards
Roy
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:24 am
You are so right in what you say… I was one who bought a 10 pack yesterday, even though I know how to build sites and get traffic.
Reason I bought is that I no longer have time to build my own sites.
You see, I learned to trade currencies 2 years ago, and now I have clients give me their funds to trade… because they don’t have time to learn to trade.
This whole game is like a food chain… you sell your websites because you don’t have time to promote them… I buy 10 of them because I don’t have time to make my own… because I’m trading Forex for investors who don’t have time to learn to trade… because they are doing who knows what… maybe sitting in Macca’s in Baltimore or on the beach in Cancun…
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:40 am
Excellent points and thanks for the specifics Mike.
There are catch 22’s in everything though. If you invent a button and it always produces more than you invest, it begs the question why you want to sell it instead of just pushing the button.
Also, buttons are much harder to produce than how-to information. In your own post you mentioned a year of pre-sale work to create the button.
That’s certainly NOT to say that you aren’t better off when you DO produce a button.
Who doesn’t want a button that produces cash every time you push it.
The truth is, “It’s not magic, it’s work.”
The incredible opportunity is when we realize that learning and working can be an amazing adventure.
All the best,
Ken
Ken McArthur
jvAlertLive.com
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:06 am
Mike,
You are not wrong, I went to your site sale yesterday and would have parted with the asking price for 10 sites…with no hesitation. Damn my luck they were all sold!
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Hi Mike,
As I was reading your post I got to thinking about my uncle who owned an auto repair shop here. I worked construction as a welder and in between jobs I would work for him.
Many times, we would stay till 10 or 11 at night catching up and talking. Mostly just talking. There was one point he would talk about that kind of stuck with me.
If you don’t charge enough, people will think you have done sloppy job. It’s not enough to do good work, you have to charge enough to make people think you are doing good work.
People aren’t happy unless they think you’ve done quality work and the way to do that was to hand them a quality bill.
Anyway, that was my uncle’s thinking and from what I have experienced, I have to agree with him.
I know this was a little off the subject. Just a thought.
Brad Hughes
P.S. I like reading your posts. Makes a person think.
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:22 am
Awesome post Mike. Great content. I bought the 7 figure code and loved it. I don’t want buttons. I want people to make me think (like the 7 figure code did). But sadly most people want the button as you say. Good luck. And please keep creating products that help people think — even if it’s not as profitable! Cheers, Daniel from Australia.
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Mike,
Thanks for this post. I have a folder on my computer called Profound Ideas and Important Information. This post was just added to it.
While like many profound ideas it would be easy for people to say, “that was obvious”. Those are the same people that won’t do anything with the information. The method you used to present this idea was a great way to help us remember the breakdown of how this works.
Unfortunately as a fish & pole salesman I need to figure out how to make the button!
When Mike speaks I listen! You should too.
Thanks,
Rex Turner
http://www.megamarketingreviews.com
http://www.mymainstore.com
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Great Post and nice not to be asked to buy something for a change, but just to have something to think about. This was great information for a newbie to the game.
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:36 am
Yes, people do want “Buttons”. And it’s not bad at all. As Mike says himself, he loves to walk on a plane before everyone else and go faster through security while people give him that look like “I have been here for 45 minutes!†It’s human nature to want it the easy way and marketers have been using it and will use it to their own advantage.
Of course learning “to fish” is also great but have you counted how many “fishing technics” people need to master nowadays throughout their lives?! And most of those “technics” don’t do them any good… Again, learning how to start an Internet business is SOME learning curve. I’ve been learning for over a year now and have mastered the basics but it is SOOO time consuming.
By the way, I really wanted to buy the Gold package. And you know what? My country is not eligible for PayDotCom and this is the only way Mike accepts payments. My country is a black sheep on the Internet; ClickBank, PayPal, a lot of merchant accounts don’t want it.
I wrote an urgent ticket to Mike’s support in the early morning of yesterday asking to reserve a package for me and let me pay some other way. The ticket is still not resolved but the sites are gone… I mistakenly attributed the ticket to “The7FigureCode†but there was no support for the site packages anyway.
But of course it’s my own problem and I will solve it, I just wanted to say that in most cases buying the “Button” can really be helpful.
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:41 am
Hi Mike,
Insightful read. Now I’m left with this in my mind…
Why did I not see that sooner? I already knew it, because even when we try to deny it, that doesn’t change the truth of it.
Very interesting indeed.
Whatever the case, I think I can see the deeper level of what you mean by this–at the very least my perception of it.
Thanks for the article, it may just change 2008 for me.
Continued Success,
Jason Hodgins
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Mike as always hit it right on the button! Thanks Mike! Its like Alex Mandossian says if you will have to do it again make a template and outsource the work. Eating is very much the same…if someone out there can prep and serve the fish to you, you’d take it. This leaves you to ‘FISH’ and prep what you like and serve it up for the best ROI.
See you soon
Tim Judge
on September 6th, 2007 at 8:16 am
Honestly, I delete 90% of the email I receive and this was one I was glad I did not delete. Over the past almost 2 years of owning a membership site this is such a great summary of exactly how the customers are. I was recently talking to a friend about the example of home improvements and how they are like running a business. there are some that want to do it all, some that want to do a little, some that want to do none of it. Obviously the ones who do not want to do any of it are going to pay a premium so why on earth would you not want to focus atleast part of your energy on them.
on September 6th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Thanks Mike,
This is truly a great article and a reminder for all users as well as sellers.
the saying is still true so it is still far better to learn how to fish…
regards,
Bobby Leong
on September 6th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Mike - I immediately wrote about Quality Content Sites when your email arrived yesterday. Little did I know my mention would become outdated in 7 HOURS!
As I wrote yesterday, this was a stroke of marketing genius. Period.
I don’t think anyone else could have put this type of offer together and received the response you and Ray did. Amazing.
What it points out is what all of us have known all along - to be successful, you have to think outside of the “Box”.
Running PPC of other people’s how-to books may net you an occasional $25 sale, but building something of real value makes the big money.
Thank you for the encouragement and the reminder.
on September 6th, 2007 at 9:01 am
WOW! What a way to wake up Mike! You are so right…the concept of “teaching a man to fish” gets way too much focus in our business when what people really want is the “remote control” option. The focus in my business has been primarily the “box” concept but you have given me a swift kick in the pants with this post Mike….Thanks!
on September 6th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Who’s got time to learn how to fish?…
Mike Filsaime has a thought provoking post today titled “Fish, Poles, Boxes, and Buttons…” where he argues that people do not want to learn how to fish, rather they want to push a button and get instant results. While I think this is …
on September 6th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Sweet… :)
I enjoyed your article… not the first time I heard the concept, but a very good reminder with good examples.
Ken is right on this comments as well… still in basic I agree, that’s the way it is. Buttons will always be more popular.
Building a button and using it yourself until you outgrow the income in can generate, then start selling it is probably the way for those that don’t yet have the monthly turnaround like a “Mike Filsaime”. ;)
Looking forward to meet you, Tom Paulie & Donna in a week.
Best regards,
Frank Bauer
on September 6th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Nicely put Mike. This has made me rethink this aspect of my business.
Ambrose Duperon
on September 6th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Great article, Mike! I discovered this on my own awhile ago. In fact, a friend of mine asked me once why I sell certain products and I told him it’s because people want ready-made solutions; they don’t want to do the work involved to get the whole project done.
Denise
on September 6th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Great article Mike.
Makes perfect sense now that I “see the light”
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:10 am
You’re dead on with this Mike–in fact, this is exactly what we’re debating at my company right now.
A lot of people apparently think it’s fine to pitch a partial product or service to a client in the business arena, but we all want the “easy button.” Once people realize “we have to do all of this FOR them,” we’ll be in great shape.
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Great blog Mike. I know exactly what your saying when you talk about premium clients. When my friends and I go to the club we would bribe the bouncer with a few extra bucks to let us in the vip line as to avoid the looooong line up. It worked and it seems we started a new trend because all the bouncers are in on it and many other club goers are following us and paying to avoid the line up.
With that said I am in desperate need of advice so please visit my site and tell me what I can do to inprove it. it’s still new and not fully finished yet so this not some ploy to get traffic, I really need some constuctive critisism. http://jobfree77.com
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:18 am
Mike terrfic blog article. One of our staff put our order in for 10 sites about 8:30 CST but we didn’t get a confirmation or anykind of response. Don’t know what happened, but you are right we wanted the sites and just push the button. But more than that we wanted to study every minute feature so as to reproduce all of them on future sites of our own. Keep on doing what you are doing…we are trying to squeeze every last benefit out of the i5Gold program. Thanks again. Ed.
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Hi Mike,
Great post! Thank you for your sincere sharing.
And also want to say ” Thank you” to your team!
I just received my ‘7 Figure Code’ DVD. It’s great, but execellent for your team support.
At first, my ordered for ‘7 Figure Code’ DVD was sent wrongly to the other’s address! I feel frustrated after keep waiting for more than one month.
With your team support, your company send me another set of DVDs within a short period of time. From that moment, I learned a 7 figure business lesson from Mike Filsaime.
Thanks again!
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Hi Mike,
Thanks for sharing this information.
I enjoyed your insights.
I think it is important to have products to cater to each type of person.
I like to use products that teach people to fish for list building. Once you get them on your list then you can offer them poles, boxes and buttons.
I hope you enjoy your time in Boise.
Say hi to Russell for me.
Later,
Jacob Stein
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:40 am
PHENOMENAL!!!!!!
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:42 am
How very true! Another great article and it has inspired me too. What more could I ask for? Thanks Mike ;o)
on September 6th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Hi Mike,
What an excellent AND timely post! They say things always ‘magically’ appear at the right time.
I think this concept is basically what people truly want, deep down inside, is to have everything handed to them on a silver platter.
Now that we know what they want, we need to give it to them.
So..as I’m sitting here reading this post at the Phoenix airport, I’ll “See what I can do while sitting on a plane!” on my flight to Boise.
Warmly,
Michelle Greene
on September 6th, 2007 at 11:16 am
WOW! Thanks Mike! Great post!!! This is why I only continue to subscribe to your mailing list, and have dumped all the others. Everyone else pushes affiliate after affiliate product and thats it. You on the other hand, offer GREAT information and inspiration like this post (along with a few aff products which I dont mind ;) ). KEEP IT UP!
on September 6th, 2007 at 11:20 am
Boy, Mike, did the light bulb go off! Thanks.
I have some work to do!
on September 6th, 2007 at 11:49 am
While this post is very true, it won’t work in every market. The IM market is definitely a market where this will work. However, look at all of the adsense templates that are sold by other marketers. They sell 200 of the exact same template. Wouldn’t you feel kind of guilty doing that? If they were unique sites it would be different.
on September 6th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Thanks for the great post Mike!
My mind is moving 90MPH right now with ideas!
on September 6th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Great post Mike - You turned several new light bulbs on for me as well with these words of wisdom! Thanks
on September 6th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Hi Mike,
Great article, thanks for providing us with so good information.
On the other hand, I’m a little upset, I bought “The 7 Figure Code” and you CAN’T imagine how many troubles I had in order to buy it, and how much I had to pay in order to receive it (via FEDEX) in my country (Ecuador-South America) and now that I have watched all the DVDs (2 times each) I’m very thankful, is THE BEST product I had ever acquired, it gives a complete different vision of what a REAL internet business is. So it’s kind of disappointing that so much people didn’t see it’s value. I think they missed one of their GREATEST opportunities and maybe they lost it forever.
Back to the post. I think what you said it’s completely true, sad, but true. For us who can give “Buttons” instead of “fish, poles, etc.” it’s good news ’cause that means more money… but the big picture looks bad to me and that is because these people ONLY want the “Buttons” in most cases, so they’ll never learn “How to” do it by themselves, and in a variable market (business, competition… and so on) that’s a SUICIDE, because once their “Button” doesn’t open the door they want to open any more, or don’t bring the people they want to their website (or store) they’ll lose everything, and the ugly thing is that they won’t have the fish, neither the poles, not even the box… they just won’t be able to have their business back and the good life style they were enjoying will be gone. Period.
So if someone likes “Buttons” (and who doesn’t) my suggestion is that he/she must learn “How to” too.
In the 7FC DVDs Tom Beal talked about that expert or something that billed $10,000 just for “Pushing a BUTTON” (for this example) and when the company asked him to justify that, he said “well, $3 for pushing that button and the other $9,997 are for knowing what button to push” (Tom, excuse me for “stealing” your example) but I make a simple question, what’s better $ 3.00 or $ 9,997.00 ?… So, having a button to push will never be the same as knowing what buttons should be pushed and how do them do their “magic”.
So that’s my ’short’ comment ;-)
Carlos Juez
Guayaquil - Ecuador
PS: Sorry about my english. I’m a little rusted and out of practice (now I’m starting to remember the classes with all this huge information in english) but I think I explained my point.
on September 6th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Mike, that was one of the best articles I’ve read. It makes sense, it’s just
like supply and demand, whereas it’s demand and supply. I like the way
you used the fish, pole, box, and button as examples, this is the formula
to business, thanks for sharing it…
on September 6th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Mike,
Great article. I found the plane trip to my client to be quite productive too. I wrote an entire chapter for by up coming book!
I can’t wait for the trip back home tomorrow!
on September 6th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
There’s a lot to think about here, particularly because I’m a teacher! The principle of Rod to Button can be seen everywhere once you “get it”
Thanks a lot
alex
on September 6th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Great Post Mike… I always get a lot of out your wisdom.
BTW your 7 Figure Code course Rocks man :-)
Keep up the great work!
Mike Hill
PS… Hope your bringing the foosball table to San Francisco. ;-)
on September 6th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Hi Mike,
Very well put. Dealing with a “Premium” class of customers is much easier. (and more fulfilling)
I have had more complaints, support issues, and refunds from a $9.97 info product than from a $997 product
A “Turn Key” product wins everytime. People are looking for Fast, Easy, Plug and Play, so it only makes sense to give them what they want.
All The Best!
Steve Renner
affiliatecommunity.com
on September 6th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Great post. This is something briefly touched on in the book “Disciplines of Market Leaders.” There are people who want cheap, those who buy for the high quality, and those that want the full service.
Now I’m trying to think of ways to make what I offer into a “button.” Any suggestions on that? I think this would help us in the brainstorming process.
- Carlos Xuma
on September 6th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Mike,
I didn’t pass the math test the first time around LOL…
I must say this article was fantastic.
Because of you I have started a blog on blogger called Push Button Solutions… All this time I had been creating content for the do it yourself (er) all the time ignoring those that don’t want to be bothered.
Now I just have to figure out what to put on it!
Kudo’s
Pamela Jacob
“Creating the Image You Need to Attract the Cutomers You Want”
http://www.promotionaldesigner.blogspot.com
on September 6th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
HI Mike,
I am so glad that I took the time to read your generous article. It has raised some interesting questions for me. I have just launched an interactive online training program for the Australian real estate industry . As the moment I would say it is part POLE and part BOX. I see now that it would be impossible to totally make it a BUTTON as there will always be the need for personal learning and action, but I have a sense that, despite this, there may be things which I can do to make it even more towards the BUTTON as I introduce templates and systems which will mean that the agents will only have to press a button to set themselves up for this.
I sense an exciting shift in my thinking because of your article Mike. Any suggestions from either yourself or anyon else who perhaps promotes and sells training or coaching programs would be welcome!
Thanks so much from Australia ( sunny Qld!)
Terri Cooper
http://www.ozcoach.com
on September 6th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Hi Mike, thought provoking indeed.
What would happen if you made a “button” of this article?
Lou
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
WOW! Great post Mike! That knocked it right out of the ballpark! Thanks so much for all your help and insight… I look forward to seeing many ‘Great’ buttons as well as creating my own wonderful and beneficial “buttons” in many online and offline businesses in the near future! Thanks for the inspiration.
Tim
on September 6th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Mike,
Great article!
What about pushing the button for them?
They might pay extra for it. Who knows?
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
That gave me a lot to think about Mike, especially with my upcoming infoproduct launch. I may have to tweak a few things! Although I think this time out — I’ll teach ‘em how to fish. If I don’t - I’ll never get moving:) Thanks again for another thought provoking post.
Lisa
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Hey Mike,
Great content. One of those rare moments when the light came on in my brain. No, make that the floodlight. You really hit on a huge concept. Guess it all goes back to basic human psychology, but it took your insight to put it into a marketing context.
Think you need to spend a little more time in your Bible, though, Mike. That quote about “Give a man a fish…” is not in the Bible. However, you’ll find a great ‘final exit strategy’ in its pages. Remember, no matter how successful you are in your business, this life is only temporary.
Don’t lose sight of eternity while you’re busy increasing your lot here. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” And yes, that IS in the Bible (Mark 8:36).
Best regards,
Brian
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Wow-
What a great post. I know this on some level but never applied it to my understanding of my business. Now I will!
I am one of the people who DID buy the 7 figure code - and I am also someone who rarely buys these things, but I knew it was what I wanted. But, now I know to remember that I am not most people! The 7FC is fantastic, but it takes time and discipline to get through it.
This post came at a great time for me in making decisions for my business!
Thanks!
AURA
http://www.astrologychick.com/weekly-horoscope
Get your FREE report “Secrets to your Horoscope Nobody ever Told You - and why it could be costing you time money and peace of mind.”
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
As I read this, I first think, well, me all I need is the fish, then I realize, no, I would do better with a pole, then I realize, I’M THE EXACT person who says This is Too Overwhelming, make it easier for me and I want it all and I want it now and I don’t want to take the time to learn all the pieces. I am not proud of that. But it’s unfortunately and embarrassingly true.
Then I think of my clients and my business. I create photo montage videos and I transfer tapes to DVD. How many times have I spoken to someone who doesn’t really want to pay to transfer their tapes and I say, buy the unit at the store, call me and I’ll talk you through how to do it yourself (this is to strangers from whom I am asking NO MONEY and GIVING MY TIME.) I have offered this to hundreds of people. Not one ever took me up on it. Most people say, “you know what, I don’t want to be bothered, I’ll just give them to you and pay you to do it”. I never even intend that to happen, I sincerely make this offer assuming every time that I may lose this job and spend time working with someone that won’t pay me, but maybe one day they’ll need to make a photo montage video and use that service, and almost every time they just pay me more than the equipment would cost them. Total proof of your theory.
Now I need to follow your advice and create some premuim packages.
Thank you!
on September 6th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Sad Story About The Million Dollar Secret…
John FurstIf you are in the Internet business you might have heard about the legendary Mike Filsaime (Butterfly Marketing System and more recently The 7-Figure Code). Yesterday Mike wrote a longer blog post telling us his thoughts about people, consump…
on September 6th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Thank you for the great information, Mike.
I should have realized this since I have been one of those people looking for buttons. My son already realized this and set up getlandingpages.com for affiliate marketers.
I am going to start applying this idea to more of my products.
Thanks,
Bonnie
InternetRealmLLC.com
on September 6th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Hi Mike!
Great article. Indeed, people want to take it easy. Chet Holmes, karate master, sales legend, CEO trainer, book author writes that only 10% of the population have the mindset of enjoying learning. The rest probably only wants fun from consuming and money for free. Well, the smarter ones know, it won;t be for free, but they can do as little as pay for the button. You pointed it out Mike. Enjoyed your post. Adios. John.
on September 6th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Mike,
When one thinks about this post it makes sense.
People want instant response.
Thanks.
Jim MIlner
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
As always, you’ve managed to enlighten, entertain and engage those of us who read your “airline musings”, Mike. While I follow what you’re saying, and agree that there are always going to be people who are willing to line up and throw money at the person who can set them up with a “button”… I also find it sad that so many people are willing to forgo the important aspect of learning.
After all, it is in UNDERSTANDING how and why something works that allows us to become the creators of “buttons”, so in essense, it’s quite necessary to learn how to fish if we intend to provide the pricey sole almondine to those who are looking to be catered to without lifting a finger themselves. I suppose in that way, I agree with Ken McArthur’s post — SOMEBODY has to be educated and motivated enough to do the work. Your point that there is an ever-growing clientele who merely want the end result — instant gratification — is something that we see as a societal shift. Globally, it is being emphasized and glorified through the media, and unfortunately, as an Elementary school teacher, it’s even paralyzing our youth. That’s a scary outlook for us as we get older… think about it!
The days of “selling shovels” may be coming to an end… but, just as there are more and more people looking for ready-made, proven “buttons”, there will always be those who are enterprising enough to go through the work needed to learn how, why and when to create them. And, to those victors go the spoils…
Thanks again for a great insight into the state of human nature — as grim as it may be, it certainly can be profitable for those of us who teach fishing, sell poles, provide the “box” solutions, and even know how to cook and serve it up with style and flair!
Respectfully,
CS_Mark
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Hi Mike,
I have been with you since before Don’t-Touch-My-Adds and have purchased a lot of your products; ones that I could afford anyway.
Some that I wanted to but just could not because of the price.
Your post has helped me understand why I have not finished a lot of my projects I have had planed for so long.
It has not only been that the computer dialogue has me stumped in many ways but the fact that some people where charging so much when others so much cheaper for practically the same thing.
Some of the posts above are really spot on and others I feel are only half way there.
If you want to be a success you have to allow for every level of the fishing because there are those who are definitely lazy and those who like myself want the proudest moment of the first cheque to come from our own efforts.
To have tools to help yes!
To have someone do it all for you then what are you doing?
You are doing an affiliates job under your own name or a sort of Plagiarism,
even though you have paid for it; in my mind it is still cheating in a round about way.
How can one be proud of their site and products if it comes from someone else’s hard work, money and time?
I cannot see that it is ethical or logic.
If you do not create and understand the total workings of what you are selling and telling the public that it is Ace then to my mind it is a lie.
You sure have opened a can of worms with me and I am glad you did as I have sites with my affiliates and have not used one of them and now I know why.
Sure they could have made me some money if I had really pushed them but I would not have received the benefit of knowing it was my work and my business wholly and solely.
I thank you again for helping me to clarify why I had no interest in these site and why I was only interested in products that would enhance my own sites.
Now I can use these affiliate connections without feeling guilty by putting them on my sites as a extra tool to help pay for the items I need to perfect my sites.
I am going fishing and will eat my own caught, cooked and dressed fish with gusto and use this also to explain a few thing I was intending to put on my web.
I have been suffering from overload as well so now you might realise how much your article has helped me.
The saying “To thine own self be true”, has never been so true as it is here for me.
Thanks Mike.
on September 6th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Oh… and I almost forgot… I think the saying was “give a man a fish and he’ll eat — TEACH a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime”. So, in keeping with my point above — who’s the button pusher in that scenario, and how far will that really take him? (A teacher’s point of view, to be sure!)
Then, there’s always the other version — “teach a man to fish and he’ll sit in a boat drinking beer for days…” but we don’t even want to go THERE…
;-)
Thanks again for your thought-provoking, business-impacting musings.
Respectfully,
CS_Mark
P.S. What DID they serve for lunch on that flight — fish, perhaps?
on September 7th, 2007 at 12:06 am
Hi Mike…
I enjoyed your Article!
Unfortunately… many will start by just fishing. However, as we grow(enjoy fishing) we will realize that there are other things that needs to get done and can’t go fishing as much.
So we outsource or buy a ready made business.
But learning how to fish can be sooo much fun, as well.
But being served the fish with the garnishes are so much the better…!
Thanks Mike!
-Scott
http://www.MLMSponsoringPro.com
on September 7th, 2007 at 2:06 am
Hi Mike,
Your article is great because it managed to make me read from top to bottom twice without skipping a sentence.
I am a newbie on the Internet (8 months) and I agree with you that most people really love to get the BUTTON if they can afford it. Personally, I will go for the POLE because if I can turn the POLE into money, then I will have my own BUTTON to make more money.
Thank you for the great article.
Rubby
on September 7th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Hi Mike,
Great article and I can validate your point on the intense desire that many people have for an “Easy Button”. As I’m getting ready to launch Screencast Profits (a how to fish guide), the ONE thing that keeps popping up is…”I love what you’re doing but…can you just do it for me?”
I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed with requests to basically DO for people what I’m showing them HOW to do…it’s certainly shown me the importance of including this strategy in my future backend!
Lon Naylor
on September 7th, 2007 at 7:39 am
Thank you Mike, I think this is going to help me a lot with my sales!
It’s awesome, I think it’s oe of your best blog posts!
on September 7th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Hey Mike,
the ‘Button’ is just what I created with my Systematize For Profits. (see the link)
People don’t want to spend time on boring tasks, some don’t even want to spend time in their business at all. My Systematize For Profits newsletter caters to those by giving process maps and guidebooks they can give directly to their freelancers. No more teaching freelancers what and how to do it…
In addition, those that don’t know what ie. article marketing is all about - they get a complete roadmap of what they all can do with an article, how they can do it and where they can do it.
It’s, now I’m thinking about it, exactly a ‘Button’-type service.
Thanks for this enlightening blogpost Mike!
-Dave
on September 7th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Hey Mike,
Superb article which I’ll share with my blog readers. And big pat on the back to me :) Unknowingly I have created and released what you call a “Box” product. Refunds almost non-existent and feedback is ecstatic for the most part.
I think you nailed this one!
Thanks
- Alex
on September 7th, 2007 at 8:56 am
Mike,
Excellent post! Your article definitely got my attention and gave me food for thought on how I can begin to re-position my web design and marketing business.
Several posts above state the “lack of time” is a big reason people prefer to push the button, and I would have to agree. So my business needs to do the fishing for the people that just don’t have the time, but are willing to pay a premium price for the fish.
Great stuff!
Bruce
http://www.WhateverCash.com
on September 7th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Mike,
What a great insight to marketing online. We all want life as easy as possible but even the easiest products out there require some work and effort. I can’t wait for a product that creates the “box” with no effort on my part and sells itself ;-)
Thanks for the great post!
Ed
http://www.cashway.com
on September 7th, 2007 at 9:01 am
If You Can Only Read One Post Today – This Should Be It…
I’m not the one to shoot for the hype but I’m active member of multiple Internet Marketing communities. If you even been involved in IM you must have heard about Mike Filsaime – a car salesman turned IM pro who is now one of the most recognized n…
on September 7th, 2007 at 9:02 am
Thank you for the insight, I will have to revise how I do business…
on September 7th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Thanks for a Great Post Mike.
You just gave me a hell of an idea for a bunch of Private Label Rights products I have collecting dust on my hard drive.
~Shane
on September 7th, 2007 at 10:46 am
top, top, top post - the best I have seen for ages - keep it up Mike.
on September 7th, 2007 at 11:19 am
This is one of the best articles I havr read EVER about how to sell different varieties or versions of the same product to different target customers.
This post wold have been a whole paid report for many people.
Thanks Mike for the wisdom you share with us
All the best
Jurovi
on September 7th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Great Stuff!!!!!!!
I LOVE IT!
on September 7th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Well my friend,
John Reese calls it a “solution”.
Russell Brunson calls it “shovel selling”.
Mike, you call it “serving”.
I call it “cold hard cash”!
It’s a simple process, first you tell them how, then you offer to do it for them.
Next, you simply watch the cash roll on in!
Awesome info buddy.
Knowledge Can Never Die!
Ross Goldberg
on September 7th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Mike:
Wow. What timing! I have a launch scheduled for tomorrow and now I want to change it all. That’s OK, though; with your bit of wisdom I can come up with a killer upsell. Actually,k the way we have things structured, it will work out quite well. (I’ll just be up all night.)
(Are you curious about what Dr. Mani was refering to? Me too.)
Thanks much.
Russell Portwood
http://www.insidersguidetointernetriches.com
on September 7th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Best Part of Net.
You have done your part nicely.
Serving is the best part of net. Other info are unlimited if we use this term.
Conggrat…!
on September 8th, 2007 at 12:03 am
Good post Mike.
I assume a pole is your word for a fishing rod?
It explains why people will pay $197 for website software and $6900 for a complete website.
There is still something to be said for selling a lot of poles versus only a few dinners. Poles are easier to sell.
I will be preparing more dinners from now on!
Regards
James Schramko
on September 8th, 2007 at 2:04 am
Great post Mike and I love that you have once again turned my thinking upside down.
I think the problem we have is that we have trouble thinking out of the box. We get systemized by school etc into thinking a certain way and it is hard to break out of that format.
Its like a little kid was yelling just now sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.
As I was reading the post I thought that is not true. The sticks and stones may hurt for a little while but words can absolutely devastate your life. In fact most of us carry around lots of words that were spoken over us when young.
So one again great post and very much appreciated.
Quentin
Quentin
on September 8th, 2007 at 5:05 am
hey mike,
that’s a nice post. good work.!
Thanks.
Jengshiun
on September 8th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Hi Mike,
Thank you so much for the great post.
Regards,
Amy
on September 8th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Mike,
It’s a wonder that you make any money at all.
You provide soo much quality information, for nothing!
Anyway, Thanks Mike, For Another Great Post
on September 9th, 2007 at 1:26 am
Thanks alot Mike. It all make sense now. I’m gonna build me a big box from now on.
Aloha! :)
on September 9th, 2007 at 2:01 am
Mike,
This is fabulous information! I am looking forward to hearing more from you in San Francisco next week at the World Marketing Main Event. Everything you said makes great sense, and really makes me think about what to do for my first product launch!
on September 9th, 2007 at 4:14 am
As usual your ahead of the game. Great article!
I was just putting together a site package and trying to think of what it was missing.
You just turned the light bulb on, I appreciate your insight and wisdom.
Gotta go create my button.
on September 9th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Bakchos…
I do think you right on the spot with this post, i could use a lot a struff for my new study thank you very much.
Greets …
on September 10th, 2007 at 4:18 am
This is a great post. Thats Mike. It sounds like your getting smarter as you get richer ;-).
on September 10th, 2007 at 4:30 am
Very true. Good to see some quality content coming from a marketer that’s influenced me from the start.
Enjoy San Francisco :)
- Aurelius Tjin
on September 10th, 2007 at 8:17 am
really inspiring mike..yeah i agree serving client is responsibility, and the more we endure in this path, the money will be the second choice..i’ve learned that the real happiness is when our client says thank you and will remember us for what we had sell them…to the point when they say, i got the value from it and it is worth the price..that’s the personal glory i think that will determine whether we will still on track or just vanished from internet marketing
yeah i know it is short but the feeling that we get from our niche/product that can help others to that extent
yeah and some people doesn’t like to be fed or to be teach the hard way, they want instant noodle in 2 minutes time…and we all know that’s so impossible these days..
on September 10th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Affiliate Marketing Tips…
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…
on September 12th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Hi Mike,
I can’t believe there is so much gold in just this post alone!
You’ve summarized the essence of marketing within the content of the post here, and I must say, I’ve had many a light bulb come on while reading it.
Now it’s become clear to me that I am “guilty” of just “teaching to fish” all along and thus trying to find some major breakthrough from the many angles of “teaching to fish” is almost as hard as finding gold in the sand.
I can have whole lot better focus now, after having read this message of gold.
I will definitely increase my activities that involve selling “buttons” a great deal and focus more of my energies on these “buttons.”
What you just said here makes so much sense that it helps to explain many questions that I have in mind.
Thanks for the great post and look forward to more from you.
Oh, btw, I’m one of those who have purchased “The 7 Figure Code” and I like it a lot.
Best regards,
Dr. Kang-pang Chan
on September 12th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Great way to describe the various levels of service / product we may consider when creating! Thanks! Pat
on September 12th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Great article, and for me being an software engineer most part of my career , an internet marketing newb… I see a clear relation to a statement that says: “A good product is a product that performs it’s function and yet is as simple as possible for it to operate properly” (IPhone?)
Give me a simple solution that performs the best for me! The way to go.
on September 12th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Mike,
Very thoughtful post, thanks for writing and posting it.
I do have to say, in regards to your statement”
“Well, I am sure you have heard the biblical story that teaches the lesson of:
“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day… If you teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.†”
Sorry to stomp on your cabbage patch doll ( :) ) , but that’s not in the Bible.
on September 12th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Hi Mike,
This post was really good. Unbelievably good.
I cant believe you wrote this on an airplane.
Good job .
Koorosh
http://www.hiddenmindsecrets.com
on September 13th, 2007 at 9:31 am
I got the 10 sites I ordered (unfortunately)… zero PR in Google, in fact the pr indicator is “greyed out” on all 10 websites. These are definately not seasoned sites, unless I’m missing something here.
on September 14th, 2007 at 6:02 am
This is a real great post for clarifying thought processes.
It should help anyone figure out their sales funnel, where they are, where they want to be and give them a clue about how to get there!
It’s certainly helping me clarify my thinking.
Thanks for the post…
Troy
on September 14th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Mike,
Smart people have the innate ability to simplify the complex. You’ve done a great job of that here.
Truth of the matter is that teaching people how to fish is far easier than making buttons, which is why there is such a high premium on the price, and so few people building buttons that actually work.
Most of my products so far are Fish or Poles (the Landing Page Cash Machine ebook). I’ve got one box (www.TheMillionDollarTemplate.com) and a Button in the works (can’t say yet).
But I’d never thought of them this way.
I’ll be sharing this post with my staff so that we can collectively work together to serve our customers better — with buttons.
Hopefully big, shiny, gold buttons that go “Ka-CHING!” for my customers when they push them.
All the best, Mike.
See you soon in SF.
-Mark Widawer
http://www.LandingPageCashMachine.com
on September 17th, 2007 at 2:34 am
AAAAGH!
I built the pole instead of the button!
What an insight - thanks very much.
on September 17th, 2007 at 8:02 am
Best article I’ve read in a long, long time!
on September 18th, 2007 at 3:29 am
Mike,
I’ve been noticing this in many of the recent product launches, as well as the popularity of Private Label and resell rights products. My own inclination is to buy “buttons,” even though I love to learn!
Great artice!
on October 11th, 2007 at 4:34 am
I love to learn so much that I just assumed other folks were the same. Thanks for opening my eyes! It’s got me thinking about exactly what I want to be creating in this online world.
on October 11th, 2007 at 11:25 am
I have set up several websites, trying to follow the so-called advice of internet marketing gurus, in the attempts to sell my products and services online. And I get very little return on these sites. Yet, I have one site that gets great visitors, and even long-term clients and contacts from it. And I set this site up years ago, without any advice. It’s my hobby site. I see this idea here that people really do want instant gratification, and agree with that. Now it gives me ideas on how to refocus my businesses and my business websites. Although I still wish I knew a LOT more about properly marketing and building my websites.
on October 17th, 2007 at 5:53 am
This is truly one of the best articles on improving your business which I have ever read! It provides great insights.
And I have experienced it myself… My businesses are more in the “box” area and I still have a lot of people asking me if I could do all of the other things, too.
Like uploading their Adsense sites to their web server, adding a payment processor button to the salesletter (I have a membership site with Adsense templates and PLR ebooks incl. salesletters) etc.
Yes, basically they want to have it all done for them… They neither want to learn how to FTP, nor how to add a payment button to their salesletter. Your post really has inspired me to try something new and maybe, I will be offering them the “button solution” at a premium.
I hope, you will be flying often so we can get more of these high caliber articles from you… :)
on February 1st, 2008 at 9:32 am
Worm and Trojan Horse…
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on March 7th, 2008 at 11:56 am
car deals…
Excellent post. Keep it up!…
on January 18th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Hi Mike,
Great marketing insight. Fish, Pole, Box and Buttons… and Buttons are what the market want.
Thanks.
Yew Heng
http://www.embraceinternetwealth.com
on April 7th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Hello Mike.
this is a very well written article. This is not my first time reading articles like this but this is indeed the first time it is brought to me in such an easy-to-understand way.
The article points at what many needs and wants to know. Thanks for the effort in writing this long but useful article.