Marketing should be fun. If ever anyone has taken that to heart, it’s this guy.

When you really need to promote your book, and no one has ever heard of you, does that mean you just give up and make it a private book and kiss your best-seller dreams goodbye? NO!

Never give up on your dreams. This incredibly intrepid guy not only managed to get published, he got “Best Seller” on his cover, AND he created so much hype that he actually sold more than 10,000 books BEFORE launch! Only Harry Porter managed to better that! You can read more about this over at my friend Vivienne’s Versa Creations blog.

Technorati Tags: marketing idea, book launch, bestseller, publish book, great marketing

Ever heard of the Nigerian Scam? Old news, right? Heard of the new twist to it? You should read about it. Seems like they now target content producers like writers for Associated Content and other publisher networks. See this article from my friend Yvonne.

Because content producers like bloggers and professional writers have a lot of information about themselves online, they actually become easy targets for scams of a different kind. These scams are more scary because they target you specifically and make use of personal information which they glean from your Profile, your Blog or other places where you write. They make it seem like its personal, genuine and of course, tragic.

Recognize it for what it is - a scam. If someone offers you an opportunity to make a million dollars simply for being a “nice guy” or to help them move their “inheritance”, you got to be alert; its a scam. Unless you are the lawyer processing that multi-million dollar inheritance, there is no way you will ever know it is true. And if it is too good to be true, it probably is!

Fair warning to everyone. Especially the ladies. Yes, you of the soft heart and high EQ. You are more vulnerable than us brusque Neanderthals.

Technorati Tags: scams, online scam, Nigerian scam,   money making opportunity

The world today is much smaller. Not because we have consumed the minerals and thus causing the core to shrink and the circumference of the earth to… but, travel is much faster.

One of the most important aspect of global travel today would be - Cheap Hotels! But you know, sometimes, hotels can be down right scary. It helps that each of the listings over at HotelReservations.com has a photograph. Not all, but most of them do.

I like this site for a simple reason: it gets right down to business. On the front page, you can immediately select which city you are going to visit, when and how long your visit would be, and get a list of hotels when you click SEARCH. Simple is good.

They also have a Special Internet Rate, which is effectively a “lowest price” guarantee. This is nice as it allows you to quickly lock in on attractive offer prices and the bulk discounts that the company can secure. For those who regularly plan your own vacations, I think this is one site you will have to include while making your plans. It has invaluable tools, great rates and an easy to use interface. You can quickly and easily find what you need. Flights, hotels, and even vacation packages.

For those who are still leery of using your credit cards online (I wonder why!?), they even have a 1-800 number for you to call in your bookings. Overall, this is a really well thought out web site. I personally feel it is a little bland, but I guess you have a trade off between something clear, simple and easy to use or a nice, glitzy site where it could get confusing finding what you want!

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Technorati Tags: hotel reservations, vacations, online bookings, holiday, hotels

Talk about having fun with marketing… take a load of this Flash-based game!

http://onemorelevel.com/games3/double-wires.swf

I almost could not pull myself away long enough to write this post! OK, back to the game!

Technorati Tags: online games, flash games, nice games

OK, its time to count your calories! After sitting for 4-days at the World Internet Mega Summit Singapore 2007, I can tell you, its time to whip out my calorie counter!

I found out about this web site and now, I think it is time to take my diet plans a little more seriously. I can find good stuff like diet plans, healthy foods and best of all, create my own diet profile. I have too much of a “profile” at the moment, and really need a good dose of dieting goodnes! Hop on over there!

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Technorati Tags: diet, calorie, calorie counter, healthy food

UPDATE on the US$100,000 project to feed 1 million children:

Today was the final day, at least as far as the Internet Challenge went. However, the efforts to raise funds for the children of the world continues. So, for those who missed it, you can STILL give. Stephen Pierce came out to announce that the target was met, and exceeded! At the cut-off time, it was US$100,330.00. For all of you who have given, THANK YOU. For those who have not yet had the chance, click on the banner below.

Mark Joyner came on today with a brilliant follow-up to his talk from the first day. One of the most precious statements from his talk today was simply this, “If a THIEF is seen with your idea, he is deemed to be first.” Basically, he stated that SPEED was the only true protection an Internet Marketer had. Mark’s talk was brilliant. You weren’t there. You missed it. I am going to attempt to summarise some of the more important stuff. Wait for it.

Mike Filsaime gave so much in his presentation, his one talk alone would have been worth the entire cost of the World Internet Summit! He actually explained his entire Butterfly Marketing concept AND gave examples to show how it worked. I almost wanted to run out of there immediately after to come back to try it! He talked about the Proper Marketing Focus, Knowing Your Metrics, Setting up your Marketing Funnel and so much more.

John Childers is all about speaking. But this time around, he shared his thoughts on what he believed to be THE most profitable skill of all. In his opinion, backed by some big, big numbers; speaking was it. Whether it was in person or through a tele-seminar, a speaker, he enthused, could earn so much from doing just that - talking. I almost signed up for his $30,000 course. I will never know, till the day I die, why I did not do it.

Jay Abraham closed off, not just the day, but the entire Summit. His “simple” talk filled up almost 6 pages of notes for me. I have no idea how to summarise this in a few words! He gave everyone a free-to-use model of “affirmations”. These have been proven to increase sign ups. He gave a live, on-the-spot walk through of how he would launch an eBook. And I tell you, it was nothing like what anyone has ever imagined!

Ewen Chia, the king of affiliate marketing, was crowned the Best Presenter for the entire Summit.

Overall, I am glad to have made the time to attend this World Internet Mega Summit Singapore 2007. A friend of mine who attended the previous one assured me, that THIS time around, the Summit delivered much, much more than before. Personally, I have learnt  so much, and that is even before any of the in-depth courses conducted by each of the speakers. I can only imagine what value those who signed up for the courses will be taking back with them!

Technorati Tags: world internet summit, internet marketing, online marketing, online ideas, online training, tom hua, jay abraham, mark joyner, mark filsaime, ewen chia, stephen pierce

UPDATE on the US$100,000 project to feed 1 million children:

This morning, Stephen Pierce gave an update on this grand initiative. As of this morning, the tally stood at US$62,000. This gives us barely 24 hours to hit the remaining US$38,000. Spread the word!

Brett McFall gave a startling insight into improving your sales copy - look at other sites with GOOD sales copy! His presentation was energetic and full of wisdom that could only have come from real live experience in the trenches. He shared his B.U.R.P.I.E.S formula for writing good sales copy, then, of course plugged his software! Good deal.

Ewen Chia received an extremely warm welcome as the local hero of the Internet scene. But there was no hype as he presented 8 of his students who had signed up for his course and produced results almost from the get-go. But I think the thing that struck me most from among his many gems was this, “No one is born with a laptop on their laps.” Yes, we all gotta work for it.

Stephen Pierce took the final slot and right away, came up with a super quote! “The future is not an optional event, everyone is going to be there.” How true. He was talking about what we needed to do, the decisions we needed to make in order to take responsibility for our own future. He was a sincere and inspiring speaker.

Technorati Tags: world internet summit, brett mcfall, ewen chia, stephen pierce

UPDATE on the US$100,000 project to feed 1 million children:

Yesterday, we started the website at around 8pm. This morning, at 9.30am, Stephen Pierce came on-stage and gave everyone an update. He highlighted that not everyone of the partnes have “turned on” yet due to the time difference. But as of this morning, the funds raised now stand at: US$31,800

Day 2 at the Mega Summit was just as exciting, if not more so than the first day. Instead of just coming on-stage and say “thirty-thousand dollars raised…” Stephen Pierce took some time to explain some of the key concepts behind what they were doing to make this happen. He again emphasized the importance of good relationships for a successful Internet business.

Armand Morin was an impressive speaker. I remember this most of all: “You should be a Rhino!” What he meant was we should CHARGE! forward, have a thick skin and a sense of purpose (going ahead). But the most impressive was his demonstration of creating and entire online product for sales right before our eyes! Right there, he did a quick research, picked a public domain book, found a ready eCover design for it, got the author bio, plus a book summary and had it all done right there. Incredible. Understandably, he was swamped the entire day by eager “students”.

David Cavanagh gave a very good segment covering the basics with his “Getting Started on the Internet” talk. It was for the total beginner, but he had a little gem of a tip when it came to launching a new product. He pointed out that eBay’s PowerSellers will have a huge list of customers. Tapping into that could be one of the fastest way to get a qualified list. Interesting.

Tom Hua was his usual brilliant self today. His talk focused on traffic generation, a key element in any Internet strategy. In fact, he emphasized that it was the life-blood, the very blood stream of an Internet business. He spoke about Search Engines, Joint Ventures and Viral Traffic generation techniques. After his segment, the tables were packed with eager sign-uppers…

I am eagerly anticipating tomorrow’s sessions. Who knows, we might see the US$100,000 mark exceeded by then!

Technorati Tags: world internet summit, tom hua, armand morin, david cavanagh

One of the most challenging areas in marketing is in customer relationship management, or crm in short. But there are plenty of companies out there who claim to provide a complete “CRM solution”.

Sometimes, people confuse sales force automation with CRM. Yes, it is a part of it, but is not all there is to it. If you take a look at this product: AIMpromote, you will realize the depth and scope of a truly capable CRM solution. This rather unique and comprehensive package covers Lead Management, Sales Force Automation and Report Generation with aplomb. You can take a 14-day trial to run the software through its paces and determine whether this is for you or not. As a marketing professional, there are many areas we need to deal with. To be able to use a tool that makes CRM easier will surely be a great value add for us.

The software is also able to generate reports and track the performance of your campaigns. In this way, you will have a clear view of where the leads are coming from and can easily measure the ROI for each of your campaigns.

The feature I liked most was the ability to private label the software. Your users and clients can login and see your company name and logo. This makes you look so much more professional. It adds a level of sophistication that you will not have if they are asked to log into a page that bears the name and logo of a service provider.

As in all complex software, this may or may not be for you. Fortunately, the 14-day free trial should be sufficient for you to put the software through its paces and make an informed decision. Anyway, the value of a lifetime client outweighs the cost.

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Technorati Tags: crm, customer relations, sales force automation, lead management

If you have ever been hungry, if you have ever seen a child lost in the mall, if you have a heart for children; take a look at this: For A Greater Cause

Run as a “challenge” at the World Internet Mega Summit Singapore 2007, Stephen Pierce said it the best. “I have matured. I no longer feel I need to prove anything. But this is different… ”

 While we all strive towards our own goals, let us not forget to stop to smell the roses. In this case, let’s share a little of what we have. You can make a difference. Forget the challenge. Forget who gets rich when. Do this and put a smile on your face, and the deep gratitude of a child somewhere out there.  For A Greater Cause

The World Internet Mega Summit Singapore 2007 kicked off today. I was prepared to learn lots of stuff there, but instead, I was actually impressed by some of the things I learned today!

Just to share one or two things from 3 of the speakers today:

Tom Hua

Today, I heard one of the most logical and truthful statements in answer to the age-old question as to why they would want to actually teach others how to be successful on the Internet.  I would like to summarise and paraphrase what he said.

The Internet is above all, about INFORMATION. No single person knows everything and everyone has something to contribute. By bringing more people in, there will be more information products available which will in turn expand the overall market for everyone. The Internet today is already big enough to accommodate more people, and it is still growing.

Stephen Pierce

I think he said something today that really echoes what must be in the hearts of many of today’s Internet professionals: (again, I summarize and paraphrase)

He said that he is earning good money today. He has matured to a point where he no longer feels the need to prove anything to anyone.

I believe, the only reason anyone bothers to “prove” anything is just for our own good. It is for all those “newbie” Internet people like me who are still unsure. And I tell you, with the doubts and fears in me, I can use every ounce of “proof” I can get hold off!

Mark Joyner

Mark Joyner made a very interesting point today. He said “All rules are transient”. Rules are only as good as the context in which they were made. He gave some examples, one of which was of the mighty shark, once out of the water, can be bested easily. The Internet is also changing and some of the rules that  used to work no longer works. In a nutshell, he said that those who work for their own good will not be rewarded, while those who work for the good of the group will be rewarded.

Frankly, to summarise the rich and deep stuff I heard today would take a little doing. But I thought that a quick attempt would be good for those who did not make it to the event today.

I will try to summarise each day for the next few days.  Then after it all, let’s see what we can come up with.

Technorati Tags: world internet mega summit singapore 2007

Planning a great event can be a very trying task. But if you love events, you will understand when I say that there is no greater thrill then standing at the end of the last minute of the last day of the event and soaking it all in…

On good way to add to the pizazz of your event will be to engage motivational speakers. Good speakers are important and they can make or break your event. But then, getting good speakers have never been an easy task. Until now. Take a look at internationalspeakers.com and see their wide selection of celebrity and motivational speakers. Can you imagine Jay Leno or Michael Buble speaking at your event? You can be sure your event will be remembered long after the champagne has evaporated.

They have a nice line up of international speakers and will save you the hassle of trying to get in touch with these high profile celebrity speakers. Go check out the site!

(This is a sponsored post)

Technorati Tags: celebrity speakers, event management, entertainment speakers