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What a difference a Year can Make! | ||
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My name is Judd Burdon. I am 24 years old. I own 4 online businesses and thanks to Site Build It! my life has changed dramatically for the better over the last 12 months. I put my "Before" and "After" photos up for fun, but they really do tell the whole story. A year ago, I was working long hours and not making much money. I was highly stressed and always under financial pressure. I ran a seasonal asphalt paving business, which meant that I was effectively out of work during the freezing cold winter months up in Montreal, Canada. Compare that picture to the past few months. My family and I have just spent the last 3 months living in Florida and running my online businesses from there. We are now over on the island of Anguilla at our family home, in the British West Indies (Caribbean) for the next three months and I will continue to run my businesses from there. Here's My Story - And How I Did It First, let me give you a little background. I finished junior college and decided not to go on to university. I just didn't like school and never really did that well. I've always been a pretty good "people person" and I was a natural salesman. I started working for an asphalt company as a commissioned sales representative and it didn't take me too long to "see" that there was good money in paving and coating driveways. So, rather than work for someone else, I asked my dad for some backing and started my own business - I was 17 years old at the time. I had an old diesel Volks Jetta with a trailer. I used it to pull around my equipment. I got started and I stuck with it. Over a period of three years, my partner and I grew the business to the point where we had over 4 rigs and a crew of 14 men working for us. I was committed and dedicated to the task at hand and did my very best. I'm not afraid to work hard. And during the next few years, I was indeed working my butt off, had a bunch of employees and sales people and equipment and was growing the business. But I didn't seem to be lining my pockets proportionate to the level of effort that I was putting in on an annual basis. And winters killed us. On top of all of this, Christina (my wife) and I had started our family and I was the sole breadwinner in the family. There was a lot of pressure on me at this time in my life because I was unsure of what my future held. I was unsure if I could succeed and do as well as I really wanted to, since at that point, I only knew the paving industry. I had worked my way into a desperate corner, working to support others, barely getting by - and no real prospects for things to get any better. The Asphalt Man Meets "Digital Doc" I finally sat down with my dad and asked him for some personal advice. It didn't take him long to figure out that I was spinning my wheels and that the problem was that I didn't have the right structure and business model in place to drive bottom line profit results. Simply put, I was a great employer - making lots of work for lots of folks - but not making enough money for myself, which at the end of the day was important for my family and me. It didn't take me too long to realize that he was right and that I had to make a change or be stuck in "hard work - low profit results"... endlessly. Dad suggested that I meet with a close friend of his - Dr. Ken Evoy, who had created a web site building and marketing "operating system" called "Site Build It!". I didn't have a clue about any of this stuff, not a clue. I checked e-mail from time to time but never in my wildest dreams would I think that I could or would ever build an online business - and what was I going to build it on?... I really had no clue. It didn't take a rocket scientist to
figure out that Ken Evoy was special after reading just SOME of his
material. "Dr. Ken" (that's what my Dad calls him) is a medical
doctor, an inventor, and a very smart businessman. Clearly, this guy
was worth listening to. He was very open and kind to me and he
offered me the opportunity to try his Site Build It! program and
build out the first site of my life - I still had no clue what it
was going to be on. That was it! My father agreed to get me a new computer, desk and chair - and I decided to take the leap from being "asphalt man" to become "online man." I sold my 50% interest in our asphalt business to my partner and used the proceeds to bankroll our living costs over the next few months. I still had no clue if the Internet could ever provide me with an income that would allow me to have the future which I always dreamed of having. Clueless But Committed As I said, I'm not afraid to work. I committed to Site Build It! with the same determination. Others were clearly making it work for them, so I would too. Of course, I still didn't have a clue how the heck I was going to do it. I dug into the SBI! Action Guide that came as part of the SBI! purchase. It was written in a very down to earth manner that even I could understand. It was prepared in a step by step manner which made it very easy to follow. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't "easy" - to the contrary - this was going to take some work, but the good news is I understood it all and each step was do-able. Things were explained in a very simple, logical manner... It was almost as though Dr. Ken was there to guide me in person. (While I was very lucky that my Dad is a friend of Dr. Evoy's, don't think that he spent personal time tutoring me - I think only Nori, his daughter, gets that luxury! No, I learned from him the same way everyone else does... through the Action Guide and online help.) Well, I decided that I had better focus on something I knew, and I sure knew lots about the asphalt business and rather than bore you with all kinds of background on this, just go to asphaltkingdom.com. Take a look around the site and you'll get a feel for what I was able to achieve. This was my first site EVER. I did not know a thing about html and did not know anything about creating a web site that would work - I didn't even know how to register a domain name and SBI! even did that for me -- I just had to click a button. As I started developing the site and once I got a fairly good first draft put together, I asked Dr. Ken for his input and suggestions. I guess Dr. Ken was impressed with the work because he had some encouraging words and good feedback, that spurred me on. He was never there in person for more than 30 minutes (managing SiteSell eats up all his time and allows him to help thousands at a time) and even then he always recommended that I go back to the Action Guide to find my answers and advice... which I did. (And that is the most important advice I can give to anyone who starts SBI!. Just leave yourself in the hands of the Action Guide. Follow it to the letter. It will all make sense. And most important... it works!) It took me about three weeks to get the site into a reasonable state. The more I read the SBI! program instructions, the more I "got it" and began to develop the site's "monetization" elements - i.e. how I could make money from my site. Here's a short list of a number of these key monetization elements:
After about three months of my site
being up and running, I started getting traffic and inquiries.
People were actually coming to my asphalt site and asking
questions. It's such a queer, amazing feeling, I can't
really describe it. The U.S. Army Contacts
The Online Man And here's another amazing thing. Like I said, I'm not a tech guy. I'm not even a "Net marketer." I'm a business person. So I don't want to worry about being up to date in Net marketing stuff. I just want to grow my business. Well, next thing you know the SBI! e-zine, Site Build It! Xpress, is telling me all about Google AdSense. Their SBIX takes all the stuff from all kinds of cutting edge gurus and newsletters and boils it down to the small amount of important, practical information that I need for my online business. They literally save me hundreds of hours. I wouldn't do all that other reading anyway - I don't have time. Anyway, SiteSell was one of the first
to write about Google AdSense - they even have a site all about it.
So here I am, an asphalt guy, applying to be a Google partner. Ha!
Double ha! Actually, I have not touched the asphaltkingdom site for months. But as I write this, another customer is driving from Ontario to pick up $9,000 worth of equipment. I will earn a 10% commission on it. All I did was create a web site -- I'm in Anguilla as I write this. I've earned over $8,000 in commissions despite not touching that site in months. My Next Experience I met with a gentleman named Alan Lofft on my 4th month into my online adventure. Alan works with the folks at Axiom Audio (axiomaudio.com), a high-end speaker manufacturer that wanted to start selling direct-to-consumer via the Web. They wanted to build a web site that would drive targeted traffic to their main site. So I chatted to them about Site Build It! and the way it worked. They were very impressed and asked if I would like the opportunity to build a site for them. I agreed, as I had the time on my hands.... Asphaltkingdom.com was running on its own and I had plenty of time to work on another project. So, I began my 2nd site on a completely different topic. I worked through the SBI! process the same way I did with my first site and actually re-read the Action Guide for the second time. Mr. Lofft provided me with content, since I'm not an expert here -- I simply entered it "the SBI! way." To make a long story short - audiolofftreport.com generates over 100 targeted visitors per day to axiomaudio.com to complete the sales. Once again it was happening - targeted traffic turned to sales - and SBI! showed me how to do this step by step. I Start Working At SiteSell! I now had 2 sites under my belt and I was only 5 months into my online adventure. At about this time, Dr. Ken offered me the opportunity to respond to SBI! customer inquiry e-mails and phone calls. I think he saw that I was someone who could use/read his system and make it work. And he knew I loved talking to people. But he also told me that this was not about "selling" -- my job is to, as Dr. Ken says, merely match what people need with what SBI! offers. And if there is no fit, then I send them to a product that fits what they do need. Dr. Ken is obsessed with customer happiness. I answer peoples questions from all over the world and give people the best advice I can. I love doing this, and I am pretty good at it. I now run the SBI! advisor group at Sitesell for Dr. Ken. We now have a team of 5 expert advisors that work with me. We have had wonderful feedback on this advisor program, and I think it's exactly because we don't sell. We help. I actually built an advisor site at this time to help answer people's questions and walk them through the step by step process of setting up an SBI! site. The site is called sitesellexperts.com. The Network Marketing Experiment On my 7th month into my online adventure, Dr. Ken was contacted by a top performer in an online network marketing company that was built into a $100million+ dollar company all based on Tea Tree Oil. Dr. Ken asked me if I was interested in building out a site case study that could be used as an example of how SBI! could be applied to network marketing companies so that they could empower their representatives and drive sales for their company. Dr. Ken's concept is unique. Actually, it's more than that. It's revolutionary - you can read more about it at networkmarketing.sitesell.com. I have already found that when Dr. Ken "suggests" something, it's a good idea to listen closely because there is often "more than meets the eye." I knew that this would be a test for me. He wanted to see what I was capable of. I accepted the challenge, but to be honest I really didn't want to do it. I didn't know the network marketing industry and I really had no clue what the site should be about in order to create targeted traffic that would turn to leads for a company based on tea tree oil products. But it was more than that. How was I going to build out a site that was going to prove to the network marketing world that SBI! was the breakthrough online operating system that would empower their representatives to drive targeted traffic that would turn into sales? That old clueless feeling was starting again. The only thing I had going for me was that we did use and like several tea tree based products. But it's not like I was passionate about it, or knew much about it. It was just the kind of stuff that I might say to a friend, "You know Bob, I put some XYZ on that and the itch stopped." That's about it. I mean.. I could (and would) talk to you about SBI! all day long... but not tea tree oil products. It's like talking about my favorite cereal. But off I went, anyway. I proceeded to
work through the SBI! step by step process, as usual. One of the
first steps is to use the SBI! Manager. This tool helps you
brainstorm and research particular topics to find the most
profitable keywords in regards to themes you are considering. It's
great for finding the most profitable theme possible, and for going
one step better - to fine-tune your approach to a theme so that you
can make the absolutely most profits. What I find exciting is that
you do all this all before you register your domain name, or even
type in the first word on your site! But it wasn't as happy a time as doing the sites I loved. Dr. Ken was right again. Do a site on something you love. As he says, work becomes play when you do that. I suppose others can do research and learn about a subject and create sites about things they don't care about. But for most people, it's best to enjoy your topic more than I did for this site. Built The Site... Then
Ignored It Off and On The site didn't start delivering
traffic as quickly as the others, not sure why. And the SBI! Advisor
program was growing -- folks love being able to call or e-mail
questions to real SBI! users. And we love talking about SBI!. By the
way, do you have a question? That's what the advisors are here for.
Call 1-888-987-3669, 8AM-11PM (EST) 7 days/week Or
click here anytime to e-mail your question. The Big
Surprise! This closer look at my site stunned me. All this happened without ongoing maintenance and efforts. Imagine how well it would be doing if a serious network marketer had been building just one page per day during those months! I got thinking about my case study
project that I promised Dr. Ken I would do. It seems to me that in
the network marketing business, like Amway or Melaleuca, you need to
meet and present to people to generate new customers and
distributors. That kind of thing is really not for most people,
since you really need to be outgoing. You need to be comfortable
with public speaking and striking up conversations with strangers.
Not many people can do that. Dr. Ken Was Right
Again If I was selling hard goods, I'd
copy-and-paste a shopping cart into my site. If was selling a
service, I'd use a form for folks to contact me for a quote (and my
e-zine would be very important to continue PREselling people until
they were comfortable enough to contact me). 3) Warm leads will call you. Network marketers do not have to cold-call and chase after people all day long. I can't get over the fact that I'm doing what network marketers dream of doing... presenting to a "room" full of people day after day. And those people want to be there! 4) My e-zine gives me a chance to talk to these same people over and over. That's important for building trust and confidence. I can also pass along good information for customers and my down line (that's if I had the time to do this, of course!). What's the bottom line? People are doing network marketing all wrong on the Net. Sure enough... SBI! had found a complete new approach, and I had proved (despite a lack of initial enthusiasm to start, only 22 pages, and a certain degree of neglect afterwards) that this approach is the way to do network marketing online. My only problem is that I don't have time to manage this business. Anyone out there want to grow this with me (Melaleuca person, preferably -- they are a well-run company with good products)? If a Melaleuca distributor was to follow-up with the people who are coming to my site, he or she would do great. And that is the point... Every Kind Of SBI!
Site Has Its Own Monetization Methods The simple fact is that SBI! is the secret weapon in any business and I sure do believe in it as I have experienced it first hand, with four different sites (me, the "asphalt man"!). It can be used by network marketers, infopreneurs, product sellers, affiliate marketers, those who have a service to sell, or by local business to increase the effectiveness of their sales by a long shot. Want to see how your business fits with SBI!? See this site - find.sitesell.com. After doing four sites and talking to hundreds of people, I know that SBI! is perfect for most small businesses. Actually, it's the best. Look at me. I have gone from asphalt man, stuck in an old world business with no future, to "digital man" whose life knows no limits. I know that I can work from whatever location in the world and achieve my dreams and goals online. I started in cold Canada and am now at my home in the Caribbean, finishing this story with the sound of waves and the warm tropical breeze flowing in through the window. I'd thank Dr. Ken and Site Build It!, except for one thing. He'd say the same thing he tells everyone... "Not everyone succeeds at SBI!, just the folks who want to. SBI! is just the tool, Judd. You swung that e-hammer and built your life. Thank yourself for having the courage to go out and do it. You deserve that pat on the back." Well... thanks anyway, Dr. Ken. I know that I did it... but I could not have done it without SBI!. Judd Burdon asphaltkingdom.com |
