5 Ways to Kill Your Online Business Before You Get Started

Starting an online business is an attractive proposition for those who dream of working for themselves. There are practically no start-up costs involved, and by signing up for affiliate and MLM programs you can have an online business up and running in less than a day. Sounds easy, right?

The sad fact is, online businesses fail at the same incredibly high rates as brick-and-mortar start-ups: somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 percent. That’s right: at least nine out of ten online businesses will never show a profit, and eventually fold. This often starts the intrepid entrepreneur on a vicious cycle of abandoning one affiliate or MLM program, just to wind up with a string of failures. Why? Often, it’s because they fall for one of these five common mistakes online business owners make.

Mistake #1: It’s just an online business—I don’t need a plan.

Wrong! Every business needs a plan, even if it’s “just” an affiliate or MLM program. In fact, affiliate and MLM online businesses may need plans more than other business. You will be competing with dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of other online businesses who are selling the exact same products as you.

You don’t necessarily have to come up with a 30-page business proposal outlining the steps you plan to take for the next ten years. You do, however, have to determine where you want to be in the next 12 months and figure out how you’re going to get there. It can be something as simple as “in twelve months I plan to make enough from my online business to quit my day job”—as long as you have the how to accompany the what.

Mistake #2: I get a free website with my affiliate programs, so I can skip investing in a private domain name.

This is an easy mistake to make. Why pay money for something you can get for free? The answer is: because you can’t make money without spending money. There are two very good reasons to invest the ten bucks a month it will cost you to get your own domain name for your online business. One is that it looks far more professional than a long, nonsensical affiliate URL with a string of numbers tacked on the end. People will be more likely to trust you and your products when you have your own domain name.

The other is purely from a marketing standpoint. A private domain name is easy to remember and can be printed on business cards, flyers, and other sales material—try to do that with a domain name like www.thisgreatproduct.com/yourname/426563#. Additionally, search engines tend to give more weight to private domain names, and will sometimes ignore unwieldy affiliate site URLs altogether.

Mistake #3: The more programs I participate in, the more money I’ll make.

In online business, the real money is made by cultivating the businesses you own. Slapping your name on twenty different affiliate programs will not bring you any profit. You can’t just plaster a website up and then sit back to wait for the money to roll in—contrary to what some internet marketers would have you believe. Each program needs an investment of your time to make it work. Pick a handful of programs that you believe in and will be passionate about, and focus on them.

Mistake #4: The more money I spend on advertising, the more profitable my online business will be.

This makes sense on paper. But as it applies to online business, it’s completely erroneous. Throwing money into pay-per-click programs will generate you a lot of hits on your website—but it won’t translate into sales. The real key to success in an online business is time. You must build a customer base, cultivate loyalty and word-of-mouth (or word-of-mouse, as the case may be for an online business) and concentrate your efforts on offering value and service. Buying customers is bad business sense; you want money coming in, not going out.

Mistake #5: If I e-mail, they will come.

Here the message for avoiding mistakes is simple: don’t spam. This is the fastest way to turn potential customers off. Always build your mailing list through double opt-in messages. Your online business must be as professional as possible. Spraying e-mail boxes with your marketing messages will not only generate a negative image for your business, it can also get you banned from search engines.

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Managing Your Time is Easier Than you Think

With so many businesses taking so many drastic cost cutting measures, it is strange to see how few of them really look deeply into the benefits of time management. Effective management of time is like effective management of any other resources – it can save your company a huge amount of money if it is properly implemented. With the huge cost of outsourcing and moving operations overseas, it seems like every measure should be taken at home to improve efficiency before such a drastic solution is proposed.

Of course, performance management is nothing new. Although the modern understanding of the benefits of time management is a little bit different than as it was originally conceived, the concept still goes back about as far as Henry Ford and the invention of the assembly line. Back then, workers were clocked to see how efficiently they were putting together cars. Various steps were taken to improve the program constantly, resulting in less work for the same product.

The benefits of time management are easy to see on an assembly line. In an office environment, however, time management benefits can be a little bit less apparent. This does not mean that they are not important! The benefits of time management will show up in the books, but it will take a while. After all, the tasks that people have are usually a little bit less concrete. Rather than manufacturing a car, you have to type up financial reports, communicate with clients, and do other similar business tasks.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of time management is on the individual performance and job satisfaction of any particular worker. Without effective time management training, increased job duties can seem overwhelming. After all, when a worker is used to getting a certain amount accomplished in a single day, adding additional tasks on is never welcome. To do that without giving them training on how to accomplish other tasks is not only unrealistic, it is also unreasonable and unfair. The benefits of time management training is that it allows you to provide a way to ease workers into taking on additional responsibilities. If you provide them with adequate training, they will be able to cope. If not, you can often lose some of your best, most seasoned employees to greener fields. No matter what employee benefits you offer, if you stress them out too much, or stretch their time too thin, they will leave for another company.

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Using Mailing Lists to Your Advantage

E-mail or electronic mail is by far the most commonly used and the most powerful feature of the Internet. However, its characteristics are often overlooked as people use the service for more mundane and day-to-day activities. E-mail can be used to distribute information to a large target audience as well as supporting direct person-to-person communication.

E-mail can also be used to keep in touch with one’s customers, or to inform them about special offers or new products, etc. This is further facilitated by the usage of e-mail lists, or commonly known as mailing lists. A mailing list is basically a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers are referred to as "the mailing list".

The use of mailing lists can lower the amount of printed information one needs to dispense. The speed of delivery of email and its low cost are extremely attractive qualities in making mailing lists a huge success. There are several features of mailing lists which can be automated according to your and your customers’ convenience and it is possible for individuals to subscribe or unsubscribe themselves from any mailing list.

Generally, there are two types of mailing lists which are commonly used. In the first one, a mailing list of people is used as a recipient for newsletters, advertising or periodicals. The second type, known as a mailshot, is used when identical material is being sent out to all subscribers on a mailing list.

Mailing lists are often rented or sold. If rented the renter agrees to use the mailing list for only the agreed upon times. The mailing list owner typically enforces this by "salting" the mailing list with fake addresses and creates new salts for each time the list is rented. Unscrupulous renters may attempt to bypass salts by renting several lists and merging the lists to find the common, valid addresses. Mailing list brokers exist to help organizations rent their lists. For some organizations such as specialized niche publications or charitable groups, their client list may be one of their most valuable assets and mailing list brokers help them maximize the value of their lists.

For individuals who are in the process of creating a mailing list, some of the guidelines to keep in mind are:

• It is important to start off with a catchy title in your e-mail's subject line that gets the reader hooked
• Add value to your newsletter by including something of interest to them. This can include product reviews, links to similar sites, how-to articles, etc. It is important to keep an unbiased view in all these fields.

Some of the essential information which need to be included in your mailing lists are:

• Your website address(es)
• The way to subscribe or unsubscribe
• Copyright information
• The e-mail address of your company contact(s)
• Personal introductory note
• Links to any products or sites mentioned
• Note telling readers to forward the letter to people they think will be interested
• Shortened privacy policy along with a link to the full one

If used properly, mailing lists can simplify your life drastically, as well increase your work efficiency. However, do keep in mind that you should not come across as a spammer. Therefore, choose carefully what you put in your mailing lists.

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Making Time for your Business

As a business owner, wouldn't it be great if you could take time off whenever you needed to? Unfortunately, most small business owners worry that the business will fall apart if they're not there to mind the store. Too often, they simply lack the appropriate resources for their business to keep going in their absence.

"Taking time off is as important as food," says Charles Tuttle, leader of a group of entrepreneurs in North Carolina. It takes deliberate work on your part and here are a few simple ideas to get you started.

Find a way to make work fun: If your work is stressful, build in laughter to ease the stress and tension. Take frequent breaks to stretch or breathe if you’re sitting all day. Fun makes the passing of the day more enjoyable. Try it and watch your fabulous day unfold!

Take leisure time in smaller chunks: Look at opportunities to journal, meditate or read between appointments and activities. It may seem pointless but it goes a long way in developing your time management skills while caring for your need to unplug. Tap into a little bit of spare time in your productivity process. It’s a great way to balance the scales in your favor!

Plan personal time on your calendar: Your calendar reflects your commitment to priorities or what’s important in your life. Typically, if you set aside the time on your calendar, you will observe it. Plan, then act to ensure you’re creating plenty of break time and doing something important in your life. You’ll have a greater sense of integrity and accomplishment at the same time.

Consider taking time off on a weekday: Who said you can only have fun on the weekends? Take time off in the middle of the week or even at the beginning! You’ll be surprised at how imaginative you’ll become while creating your fun time.

Identify unconventional ways to take time off: Time off may mean snuggling on the couch in your favorite bathrobe. It may also mean turning the ringer on the phone off, turning the TV and radio off or going to a park to feed the ducks. Your assignment (should you choose to accept it) is to get away from your business – whatever that means for you. Most entrepreneurs are in business because it offers freedom and flexibility so learn to capitalize on it!

Acknowledge yourself weekly for your accomplishments: What you do is hard work so pat yourself on the back for it! Select rewards that nurture and care for you like a facial, manicure, massage or other spa treatment. Treat yourself to a movie or read a good book. The more you acknowledge your progress, the more you’ll enjoy the journey!

These are a few simple ideas to help you practice taking time off from your business. Remember, whether you’re just starting, squeezing a few moments out here and there or in full throttle, taking time off is good not only for you, but also for your business.

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Ten Tips for Time Management

Do you often feel that you have too much work to do and never enough time to do it all? Inability to manage time is a big problem faced by many people in the world. Ranging from school student, to college students, to busy business people, it’s the same story over and over again. Time management is a skill few people master, but it is one that most people need.

Generally experts in the field of time management believe that one of the first things people need to do to manage their time effectively is to analyze and determine how they are spending their time at present. This process is known as a time audit. By undertaking a time audit, you can change the way you are managing your time now and thus, change yourself in relation to time. That’s the key to time management!

Time cannot be managed. It’s not possible to slow down time or speed it up. You also cannot manufacture extra time, much as you would like to do that. Time management is all about managing yourself by following some basic time management values and principles.

People who effectively use these time management principles are generally the highest achievers in all walks of life. By using time management skills effectively, you can function in the best possible manner even under intense pressure.

The basic rule of time manage is to shift your focus to concentrate on the results and not on being busy. Many people often times spend their days doing a lot of activities, but rarely achieve very much because they are not concentrating on the right things.

Some simple tips to managing time are given below:

Managing time takes practice. Practice asking yourself this question throughout the day: "Is this what I want or need to be doing right now?" If yes, then keep doing it.

Find some way to realistically and practically analyze your time.

Do a "to-do" list for your day. Do it at the end of the previous day.

At the end of your day, spend five minutes cleaning up your space. Use this time, too, to organize your space, including your desktop. This gives you a fresh start for the next day.

Learn the difference between "Do I need to do this now?" and "Do I need to do this at all?"

Sort your mail into categories including "read now", "handle now" and "read later".

Read your mail at the same time each day.

Have a place for everything and put everything in its place.

Best suggestion for saving time - schedule 10 minutes to do nothing. That time can be used to just sit and clear your mind.

In order to manage your time successfully, having an awareness of what your goals are will assist you in prioritizing your activities.

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Automating Your Business

One of the biggest challenges facing small businesses today, especially as they start growing larger, is how to integrate and automate key business management systems and software - customer relationship management (CRM), financials, e-mail, calendaring, contacts, etc. The basic idea for all small business owners is for everything to work together efficiently and not end up creating extra work or new problems.

This article discusses two of the latest softwares available on the market today which can help you automate your business and breathe easier!

The first software is BizAutomation. This is an all-in-one solution with CRM (Customer Relationship Management)and big business-style Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) at its core. It has modules covering virtually every business management function, including financials, projects, inventory, price books, e-commerce, documents and business portals. The product also includes pre-built integration with QuickBooks and other small business accounting systems. It installs on the same server as Microsoft Exchange and uses Outlook Web Access (OWA) or regular Outlook for its user interface.

The second service is that provided by Nsite, a Pleasanton, California-based company offers an online service that it says "automates manual processes that require judgment, decision making and approval and are being done today through e-mail, spreadsheets and paper forms." The company's Predictive Routing Engine simplifies the automation process and requires no modeling or coding on the customer's part. The first time you initiate a process - say for invoice approval - you create a route path that lists all the people the electronic document must go to. You pick the names from a drop down list of your registered employees or vendors.

Creating the route path is a one-time event. From that point on, the system automatically knows where to route the document. The Predictive Routing Engine lets you make changes on the fly. You can add or delete people from the routing, and you can even make real-time changes to a form that's already been routed. Since the service is based on the ASP model, you can use the service anywhere as long as you have access to a Web browser.

By using such helpful tools, entrepreneurs as well as small businesses can benefit greatly by automating their processes and saving a lot of time in the manner.

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Process Creation, Automation and Outsourcing

I recently gave a presentation at the Jack Humphrey's Authority Summit on how to get more done in less time. I talk about my three-prong approach to running your business which includes:
1. Process Creation
2. Automation
3. Outsourcing

You can grab the PDF of the Powerpoint slides for your use. Enjoy!

View Process Creation Powerpoint

Barbara

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10 Secrets to Prosperous Self Employment

The trend towards self employment is creating a new generation of home-workers who value quality of life over commuting to a corporate job. With this new lifestyle comes more freedom of time, income, and self determination. It also carries with it challenges that do not exist in the corporate world.Working independently involves a unique set of challenges that many new entrepreneurs do not consider when they start their own business. Some common challenges are:

Loneliness when working out of home
Too much freedom can result in procrastination
Lack of separation of home and office
Cabin fever when your office is in your home

Successful entrepreneurs have developed coping strategies to overcome the challenges inherent in self employment.

Use Technology: Today’s technology can both aid in creating a cocoon in which to work, or help us reach out to others. Email and instant messaging are both excellent ways to feel connected during the days in your home office. The most popular messaging services are Microsoft Instant Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. Both are free downloads and once installed on your computer, will allow you to virtually “chat” using your keyboard instantly with your friends who are also on that service.

Create Routines: When you work in an office, routines are normally established for you. Without that structure at home, it's easy to be distracted and scattered, and get little done. Some routines you can create are a consistent rising time, a regular breakfast, check email and phone messages, etc. And remember, since you work for yourself, you don’t punch a time clock. Figure out when your energy is at it’s highest, and you’re the most productive, then schedule your work time to take advantage of your body clock. If you’re not a morning person, then start your day a little later, and schedule your worktime later at night. Remember, you’re not punching a time clock, and you’ll likely be more productive because you accomplish more during your high-energy times.

Masterminding: Creating or joining a mastermind group is a wonderful way to develop lasting relationships with supportive entrepreneurs. A mastermind group is a small (4-8 people) group of likeminded individuals that can met physically or virtually to discuss specific business or personal development matters. Each group has a specific theme such as real estate investing, marketing, relationships, etc. The purpose of a mastermind group is to support each members’ growth, and hold all member accountable for their goals.

Conferences: Seminars and Conferences are a great place to re-energize your intellectual engine, and meet like-minded people. It’s also a great place to meet your next customer or strategic partner. You’ll certainly add to your list of Instant Messenging buddies! Seek out events that offer topics that will help you reach the next level in your business, or personal growth and development. It’s important to have a mix of intellectual and emotional/psychological training. Mind and heart shifts often result in insights into your business goals and personal aspirations. Often when were too close to a problem it’s difficult to see it clearly. Attending a conference away from home can provide a new perspective as you get out of your daily environment, and meet people who may share a fresh outlook.

Get Family Buy-in: When you work at home, your family might construe your presence in the house as constant accessibility to you. Explain to your family what you are trying to accomplish and schedule time throughout the day when you are available to be approached. You can also set rules such as shutting the office door when you are not to be disturbed. For older children (and your spouse), you can suggest they email you any non-essential requests that you answer when you take a break. While this might seem silly to do when you’re in the same house, it is essential to maintaining your ability to run your business. Too many distractions break your concentration and reduce your effectiveness, regardless of what business you’re in.

Make Play Dates: Remember how you looked forward to recess everyday when you were a kid? Somewhere along the way to adulthood, we stopped having recess. As an entrepreneur, you can choose to reintegrate play back into your life. After all, quality of life is a big reason you shoes to break out on your own. Enjoy it! You must schedule time to play, whether it’s a Friday afternoon movie, a walk in the park with the kids, or a date with your spouse. Develop a local network of friends and colleagues for lunches, dinner get-togethers, movies, workout buddies, etc.
All work and no play makes for a burnt-out entrepreneur.

Get a Pet: Sound silly? Research has shown that pets of all kinds can reduce stress levels. Sure, you can’t have a two-way conversation with most pets (certain birds not withstanding), but having a pet around provides much-needed companionship when the work-at-homer starts feeling isolated.

Nurture Your Body: This secret is one of the most important. It is imperative to fuel and move your body to maintain your energy level, and psychological and emotional health. Create a daily food routine that includes a healthy mix of protein, fruit and veggies, whole wheat, and avoid fried, fatty foods, and refined sugar. Ask yourself this before you put something in your mouth: “Does this food nourish my body, or sap my energy?” Getting the proper fuel is only half of the equation. You must also move your body. (Be sure to check with your health care professional before beginning a work out routine.) Regular weight training and cardio is essential to maintaining your health, and life outlook. Let’s face it… we feel positive and optimistic when we take care of our bodies. Keep in mind that a trip to the gym is not the only way to stay physically fit. Try social activities like hiking, dance lessons, or a family bike ride. For weight training, try doing squats while you hold the back of your office chair, while you’re on the phone. You can do arm curls with cans of soup as you wait for your coffee to brew. Make it fun, and you’ll be amazed at the results!

Use Time Blocking: Often, the hardest part about any project is actually starting it! A handy kitchen egg timer is a great way to trick yourself into beginning a project. Simply set the timer for 5 minutes and start your project with the intent to do just ONE five minute task. Soon, though, momentum takes over and before you know it, you’ve continued beyond the five minutes! Also, many projects are not tackled because they just appear too big. Break the project down into manageable five minute tasks to overcome the feeling of overwhelm. You’ll quickly see results and over a period of time, the project will get done.

Hire out Admin Tasks: When looking at your To-Do list, ask yourself “Is this task the BEST use of my time?” Now mark each task that YOU do not have to accomplish. Now locate a $10 an hour student and outsource those tasks. Would it be worth it to you to buy back 5 hours a week to accomplish tasks that bring you more business or income? That’s $200 a month for administrative help, that will potentially net you new business worth thousands, if you use that time wisely. As an entrepreneur, it’s not in your best interest to clean your house, grocery shop, take the car to mechanic, drop off the dry cleaning, or any other myriad of busy work we do that keeps you from building your core business. Outsource NOW.

The work-at-home population is growing by leaps and bounds as ex-employees realize their dreams of starting a profitable business, doing the work that they love, adding value to society, and spending quality time with their loved ones. According to the Small Business Administration, there are an estimated 42-million home-based business owners and home-based businesses make up 53 percent of the small business population. With rampant big business layoffs, and people increasingly concerned about quality of life, this number is bound to increase in 2005. According to Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, authors of the Millionaire Next Door, entrepreneurs and small business owners more often achieve millionaire status than any other group of individuals. So take heart, employ your coping strategies, and join the growing ranks of enlightened, successful entrepreneurs!

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Are Interview Products Dead?

I was at Mike Filsaime and Tom Beal’s 2007 Figure Business Workshop one of the hot questions for the expert panel was “Are Interview Products Dead?” With yours truly being just one of the around twenty ‘experts’ on the stage I didn’t have an opportunity at the event to put in my two cents on this subject so I’ll do it now. Interview products in the Internet Marketing niche are not dead if and only if you have a unique slant or marketing approach that will stand your interview product apart from the crowd. If you’re doing another “me-too” product that is nearly identical to bunches of other products already done your chances of having great success with that product are pretty slim.

Great marketing alone can give you a chance - but how many of us are great marketers? Your interview product is in a more specialized niche then you’ll probably find very few interview products even exist in your area. If you can identify the experts in your niche (not Internet Marketing) then an interview style product is still quite viable.

Here’s an interesting note. Speaker Fulfillment Services duplicates and fulfills products for a lot of information marketers. Here are the top 5 topics which we currently ship products on:

1. Nutrition
2. Stock trading
3. Dating women
4. Playing the guitar
5. Cake decorating

What don’t you see on that list? Internet marketing. There’s a reason for that. There is more money to be made in specialized niches. Find your niche and avoid the overcrowded markets with all the “me too” interview products.

For more information visit www.SpeakerFulfillmentServices.com

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10 Biggest Mistakes of Information Marketers

Information marketing can be a tricky business. Avoid these 10 biggest mistakes I see information marketers make to increase your chances for success.

1. No upsells in their on-line ordering system

You've got them on your order page - primed and ready to purchase your product. They're in a buying mood. Yet, you don't offer them additional products they can purchase right then and there. Bottom line - you're leaving a lot of money on the table. I've seen up to 90% of purchasers take the upsell that was offered on certain products. And I've seen upsells work well where the "upsell" was priced at 3 times the price of the original product. You're only limited by your creativity, but if you aren't offering any upsell you know what your results will be - zero.

2. No ride along offers with their physical product shipments

Similar to the upsell, you've got a new customer that has just received your product. Assuming you've delivered as promised on the quality of your content and you have a sharp looking package, then you have a prime prospect to purchase additional products from you. So include a promotional piece or two in your physical package that offers them additional items of yours to purchase. The only cost is the printing cost of the pieces you choose to include.

3. Trying to do their own product duplication and fulfillment

I always ask people the question "Are You a Speaker or a Fulfillment House?" When you're first starting out the economics may require you to do it all yourself. But once you're rocking and rolling you've got to ask yourself the question "What's the best use of my time?" Is it running of manuals at your local copy shop, burning CDs one at a time on your computer, searching for boxes and packaging materials, and running products down to the post office or the local UPS store to ship out everyday. The answer should be no. The most valuable use of your time is sales and marketing of your products and services and new product creation.

4. Not investing some time everyday in marketing

Your products won't market themselves. Yet so many information marketers get caught up in the day to day of working in their business they don't spend any time working on their business. You must invest some time everyday in marketing. Do at least one thing a day that will help you to build your business. Write an article, make a call to a potential joint venture partner, send out a promotion to your list. Whatever, do something each day that is an investment in building your information marketing empire.

5. Selling their product for too little

Too many information marketers price their products way too low. If you think you're going to make it in the information marketing business selling products for $15 then you're probably kidding yourself. The only exception would be if you have massive retail distribution selling thousands of units. Don't undervalue your products. If you're selling physical products for less than $97 you're going to have a tough go of it in this industry. Figure out how you can bundle a few things together to come up with $297, $497, $997 or higher priced products.

6. Trying to make it perfect

Just get it done. It doesn't have to be perfect. I've seen product launches delayed months while the creator was crossing every "t" and dotting every "i" for the fifth time. Yes, I think you need to have your product proofread by another set of eyes. But it does not have to be perfect. Get it out there and start generating some revenue. You can always tweak it on future production runs. Should it look professional - definitely. But don't let your obsession with perfection get in the way of getting your product to market.

7. Selling a product that isn't yet fully developed

This one tends to be a bigger problem for platform speakers than for regular information marketers, but here's the gist of it. A speaker offers a package from the platform that includes some components that are in development. They think it will take two more weeks to finish everything up. But, invariably, it ends up taking two months or more to complete. So you end up with a lot of unhappy customers who want refunds because delivery promises were not kept. The real key is to manage expectations. People will wait some period of time before things are in their hands, but if you keep pushing that delivery time out it will bite you.

8. Not testing your on-line ordering system prior to launch date

You've put months worth of effort into creating your fantastic new information product. You've lined up joint venture partners and your offer is being blasted out to thousands of people. Then someone tries to order and they can't get their order through. Oops, you forgot to check your shopping cart system out ahead of time. Does everything work as it's supposed to? Is your fulfillment house getting copies of all your orders as they come in? Don't scramble around after the fact trying to get your ordering mechanism in place and fully tested.

9. No "Read this First" or "Getting Started" document to guide users

You've assembled a comprehensive new course that's the latest and greatest on subject "x". It consists of 12 CDs, 6 DVDs, and a 400 page manual that arrives at your customer's door in a big box. You've definitely got "thump value". But when your customer opens the box he is overwhelmed by your product because he doesn't know where to get started. So include some type of "Read this First" or "Getting Started" document that will outline for your customer step by step how to consume your information. If they immediately put your product aside because they don't know where to begin then chances are they'll never get going with it. Which means there's a significant chance they'll return it and nearly a 100% chance they'll never purchase anything else from you. So, tell them how to "consume" your product in a logical manner and you'll be ahead of the game.

10. No unannounced bonuses in package

Everyone likes surprises. When you send your package to a customer be sure to include some unannounced bonus they weren't anticipating that further increases the perceived value of your product. It doesn't have to be another physical component - it can be a bonus they download or an additional file contained on one of the CDs or DVDs they weren't anticipating.

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