“B” prospects are people who have shown an interest in what you’re selling – maybe by calling a toll-free number, sending an e-mail, or writing a letter to ask for more information. They’re interested, and they’ve acted on that interest. That’s great.

But they’re not nearly as valuable to you as “A” prospects.

Where do you find these primo prospects?

First, go to your own list of buyers. Always target them when you create a new product similar to one they’ve bought from you before. Then go directly to a company that has successfully sold products like yours. Rent their mailing lists. Their buyers should respond well to your offer.

[Ed. Note: Small-business and marketing expert Marc Charles reveals a new "under the radar" business opportunity - and the marketing tactic you can use to take advantage of it - every month in the Liberty Street Letter.

He's joined by experts in real estate, commodities, and retirement planning, and others who specialize in making money "off Wall Street." Find out more here.]

This skill has enabled me to successfully negotiate multimillion-dollar deals. Plus, it has given me a quiet assurance, a pit bull type of confidence in myself.

The skill I’m talking about is knowing how to close a sale. Basically, all it takes is asking your prospect a simple question.

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling or whether you’re doing it in person, on radio/TV, in an e-mail newsletter, or via direct mail. When it’s time to close the sale, you ask your prospect…

“What can I do to make this work for you?”

I know… it sounds like a used-car pitch. But let me explain the logic behind it.

The best salespeople understand that, in order to make a sale, they have to first understand what the prospect wants or needs. When you really understand what it’s going to take to “make it work” for your prospect, you’ll be able to craft an irresistible offer.

How do you find out what it will take to make a deal work for your prospects? Ask them! Most of the time… they’ll tell you. And, most of the time, it will be doable on your end.

What happens if they ask for something outlandish? In that case, you’re probably not working with a serious buyer. Don’t waste your time. Just say, “Sorry. The best I can do is…” and let ‘em walk. There are plenty of other prospects out there.

Once you understand how to apply the “What can I do to make this work for you?” technique, new opportunities will open for you – whether you use it to sell your own products or someone else’s.

But selling someone else’s products is the opportunity I want to tell you about today.

Getting Started as a Freelancer

Fact is, no matter what happens with the economy, independent sales reps, and especially closers, will always be needed.

And getting started as a freelancer is a lot easier than you might think. Real estate, information and network technology, building contractors, direct-mail services, medical equipment and supplies, pharmaceuticals, vacation rentals – these are just a few of the industries that desperately need independent salespeople.

Identify the markets that interest you, and start digging for independent sales opportunities.

Very few companies will turn you down if you tell them you can bring them business.

Years ago, I met an entrepreneur who was struggling to keep his business going. He manufactured modular and mobile homes – and his sales were going the wrong way. Down.

I proposed selling for him on a freelance basis, as an independent contractor. I knew the market for modular and mobile homes was huge. I also believed that if he would be willing to offer low-interest financing to his customers, he could blow his competition out of the water.

The entrepreneur agreed, and I was right. I increased his sales five-fold. Then, before moving on, I trained his sales staff in the “art” of closing sales – in particular, I introduced them to the “What can I do to make this work for you?” technique.

What’s in It for You?

To survive, just about every business needs people who can make sales. And most business owners are receptive to freelancers, because it means less “out of pocket” for them. They don’t have to provide freelancers with such things as health insurance, a pension plan, and paid vacation and sick time.

The downside for freelancers is that they have to forgo the benefits that usually go along with a salaried position. The upside is that their commissions usually far exceed what they could make with a “regular” sales job.

On top of that, they have the freedom to work on their own terms.

One of the main benefits I’ve enjoyed as an independent contractor is being able to work at my own pace, without management breathing down my neck or poking their heads into my office whenever they felt like it.

I began selling advertising for publishers as an independent contractor in 1996. Since then, I have sold tens of millions of dollars’ worth of advertising.

When I started, I had several other business ventures going at the same time, so I did it only part-time, one or two days a week. But my first commission check was all the proof I needed to know that freelance selling was for me.

It could be a perfect fit for you too.

[Ed. Note: You don't need a fancy investment portfolio to build a substantial retirement nest egg. With help from "King of Business Opportunities" Marc Charles and the rest of the "Off Wall Street" experts at the Liberty Street League, you can discover unusual and off-the-beaten path methods of creating wealth. We're talking little-known or overlooked investments as well as hot business opportunities. You can get special alerts about profitable moneymaking ideas by joining the League today.]

This makes importing a viable way for you to generate extra income on the side or as a full-time venture.

Through the Alibaba website, you can meet qualified suppliers (manufacturers and other sellers) and reach agreements on pricing, delivery, insurance, and even storage (if necessary). Then you can re-sell their products online.

And you don’t even need a website. All you have to do is list your products in the online marketplace – on high-traffic sites like eBay, Amazon, MSN Shopping, and Yahoo! Stores. You can customize your listings to make them really stand out. What’s more, you can feature your products on the front pages of these sites for a small fee.

One of the best ways to start making money with Alibaba is to focus on importing products that have the greatest demand. And the fastest way to find out which products are in demand is by reviewing Alibaba.com.

With some products, there are minimum order requirements, so you may need to purchase them in bulk. Even so, you can start out fairly small and grow from there.

[Ed. Note: To find out more about this business opportunity, check out the best guide in the world for launching, running, and managing a profitable import/export business: Marc Charles's China Wholesale Secrets.

Learn more by clicking here.]

There are hundreds of ways to drive traffic to your website. Some of them are free, and others cost money. The trick is to get “targeted” traffic. By that, I mean visitors who are likely to be interested in the content on your website and in the Google AdSense ads you’re running.

My favorite ways to do this are as follows:

1. Targeted e-mail newsletter advertising. Preferably using deep discount or remnant ad campaigns.

2. Keyword advertising on discount ad networks like Advertising.com, 7Search.com, ExactSeek.com, Kanoodle.com, and AdBrite. You can purchase keyword advertising “clicks” on these networks for as little as 5 cents.

3. Building your own search engine or directory, and redirecting traffic to your website that’s running Google AdSense. A search engine or directory is simply a website with a database and a searching mechanism. Most programmers can easily build one for you.

The best part of Google AdSense is its “auto pilot” feature. If you have a website running Google AdSense ads, and you have targeted traffic coming to the site, the ads run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – without requiring any maintenance or babysitting on your part.

[Ed. Note: These tactics for driving highly targeted website traffic to boost AdSense revenues were originally published in the Liberty Street Letter, a monthly publication dedicated to under-the-radar business opportunities and investments. To find out if you're eligible to receive regular profit alerts that could help you boost your income, click here.]

Boomers aren’t the only ones buying and using cosmeceuticals. Young and old alike are potential customers.

The quickest and easiest way to get in on this business opportunity is to become an Internet affiliate for an established company. Three companies I like that offer affiliate programs in this area are:

• Perricone MD
• Mercola.com
• Celazome Skin Care (Commission Junction manages their affiliate program.)

As an affiliate, you associate yourself with a company that has a proven brand name and product line – a big plus, because that’s what people will be searching for on the Internet. And you won’t have to handle any orders, customer service, support, or billing. That sort of thing is taken care of by the company you become an affiliate for.

Instead, you focus your energy on marketing their products.

That could mean keyword advertising on Google, MSN, Yahoo!, Bing, or hundreds of other sites, directories, or search engines. It could also include opt-in e-mail marketing, social media marketing, targeted blogs, and whatever other channel you find to be effective. The links you provide in your advertising will be unique to your affiliate account, ensuring you will get a commission every time a prospect you send to the company’s website buys.

[Ed. Note: Marc Charles is a member of the Liberty Street League, a group of investors and entrepreneurs specializing in "off Wall Street" investments and business opportunities. Find out how the League can boost your wealth today.]

Well, guess what? You can resell prepaid cards like those online as an affiliate. There are hundreds of markets to choose from, including prepaid cellular, restaurants, auto repair, computers, and game rentals for the Xbox and Nintendo Wii systems.

One opportunity I particularly like is with TracFone, the biggest prepaid cellular company in North America. They have a very lucrative affiliate/partnership program that enables entrepreneurs to make a 15 to 20 percent commission on all TracFone sales. This includes the TracFone itself, airtime, and accessories. (The largest TracFone reseller averaged more than $30,000 per month in sales in just one year.)

Entrepreneurs are offering TracFone airtime cards on websites and/or promoting them to their opt-in subscribers. I’ve even seen TracFone affiliates selling products, accessories, and airtime through keyword ads on Google and Yahoo.

As I said, there are hundreds of SVC markets just waiting for someone like you to take the bull by the horns. But the TracFone program is a great place to start.

[Ed. Note: Marc Charles is a member of the board of experts at the Liberty Street League, a group of like-minded entrepreneurs and investors dedicated to making money "off Wall Street" with under-the-radar opportunities like this one. Find out if you are eligible to join the Liberty Street League right here.

Interested in becoming an Early to Rise affiliate? You'll get access to bestselling products and proven advertising materials that have brought in millions. And the program pays commissions as high as 90 percent! Find out more about the ETR Affiliate Program here.]

Comment on this article

The opportunity I’m talking about calls for selling legal services and documents on the Web as an affiliatefor established companies.

I’ve used Web-based legal services personally, most recently to set up a living trust. So, trust me, they are legit (at least, the ones I’m familiar with are). Plus, I’ve saved more than $2,300 over what an attorney would charge. That cost saving is what will attract customers to you and should be featured prominently in your marketing copy.

I recommend affiliating yourself with LegalZoom.com. A few other choices include LawDepot.com and LegalDocs.com. As an affiliate, you market their services on the Internet. Whenever one of your “clients” purchases a legal document or service from them, they pay you a commission.

Granted, there are products and services you won’t be able to offer as an online affiliate, like handling criminal or tax cases. And – this is a biggie – you can’t represent yourself as a lawyer or law firm. But the most common legal documents, incorporations, business agreements, trusts, wills, small claims, bankruptcies, and divorces can be managed effortlessly. And there are many innovative ways to market these products and services, including e-mail, text links, pay-per-click ads, Web banners, videos, and more.

[Ed. Note: As a member of the Liberty Street League board of experts, Marc Charles offers up under-the-radar investment opportunities every month in the Liberty Street Letter, a newsletter dedicated to making money "off Wall Street." Find out more here.]

Comment on this article

The fact is, you can get by with the bare minimum. (I’ll give you a simple way to come up with blockbuster product ideas in a minute.) And in about 5 minutes, you could have access to an army of salespeople eager to work for you.

I’m talking about selling a digital product on ClickBank. Here’s how to get started.

You can write an e-book or develop another type of digital product (software, tutorials, an e-mail newsletter, or video instruction, for example), post it on ClickBank, and generate residual income for months, years… even a lifetime. (Or as long as ClickBank stays in business!)

In 2001, I developed a digital product that is still generating residual income on ClickBank. I receive a royalty check from ClickBank for this product every month. (And that’s not the only digital marketplace I use.)

With ClickBank, you have access to more than 100,000 affiliates who can sell your product for you. And the best part is IT’S EASY!

If you develop a product that resonates with the market – i.e., people buy it – there’s a good chance ClickBank affiliates will be attracted to it and start selling it to their own subscribers, members, and website visitors.

How do affiliates find your product so they can start selling it? You don’t have to worry about that. ClickBank affiliates are a savvy bunch. The most successful ones are constantly scouring ClickBank for the best and most profitable products.

But that’s not all…

You can “jumpstart” the process by advertising your product in ClickBank, hundreds of other digital marketplaces, or on Google, Yahoo! and MSN (to name a few places).

You see… popular (bestselling) products also “move up in the rankings” on ClickBank.

It should be no surprise that the ClickBank program has one of the lowest attrition rates in the affiliate business. The entrepreneurs who sign up as ClickBank affiliates tend to stick with it. I think the main reason for this is because ClickBank pays their affiliate commissions accurately and on time.

Here’s what a typical ClickBank affiliate payout looks like:

Product – Yahoo Cash 4 Idiots
Sale Price - $77
Affiliate Commission – $40.69 plus 60% commission ($40.20) on back-end product

Another reason the ClickBank affiliate program enjoys such a low attrition rate is because it’s so damn easy to make money with it.

So why not consider developing an e-book or digital product to generate residual income on ClickBank?

The best way to research and/or develop a saleable product is to STEAL IT!

Well… not exactly steal it… but COPY one of the products that’s already being sold successfully on ClickBank. I’m not talking about word for word plagiarism. I’m talking about copying the “Big Idea” of the product and putting your own spin on it.

Search all the ClickBank categories and study the most successful digital products. Order a few of those products, too. This is the best way to save time and start making money, because you won’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can also hang out on the ClickBank blog. You’ll learn about the best strategies and products right from the horses’ mouths (ClickBank staff and Super Affiliates).

As for determining what kind of commission to offer affiliates… again, copy success. What are other publishers and writers offering them to sell similar products? Maybe you could offer more. Or maybe less.

When you work with ClickBank, you’ll be in control of your product and retain a lion’s share of the profits. You can earn residual payments for weeks, months, or years down the road – just by submitting one e-book to the ClickBank Marketplace.

And just imagine what would happen if you submit two e-books – or more!

It’s easy to get started. Simply create an e-book based on your area of expertise. (You may want to do a bit of research first, to discover the types of products people want to buy.) To get a good sense of what’s selling on ClickBank, check out its marketplace – where ClickBank offers all the products it has for sale. You can identify the most popular products by sorting your searches by category. (ClickBank also allows you to sort the results based on other criteria – for instance, the number of affiliates who made money on a particular product in the last 30 days.) 

Once you’ve got a digital product to sell, simply visit ClickBank and click “Sell Online.” The instructions for getting started are easy to follow.

[Ed. Note: As "King of Business Opportunities" Marc Charles points out, starting a side business doesn't have to be expensive or even time-consuming. If becoming a digital entrepreneur doesn't appeal to you, no problem - Marc seeks out easy-to-start side businesses with high profit potential each week in Profit Center Dispatch.

Sooner than you think, you can have a business that's easy and enjoyable to operate, and can be run from anywhere in the world. If you're looking for the opportunity of a lifetime, jump on this now.]

Comment on this article

I’m talking about the business of graphic design.

Let me warn you. There are naysayers. A top Internet “guru” recently proclaimed that graphic artists, webmasters, and designers are obsolete. He said online graphic design and website template stores like TemplateMonster.com, BoxedArt.com, and WebsiteTemplates.com have eliminated the need for online marketers to pay someone to “tinker” with the graphic design on their websites.

But despite these “one-stop” shops, there are STILL unlimited opportunities for freelance graphic artists, designers, and webmasters. (And when you become established in this market, you might consider offering your designs to the design/template stores, too.) You can make serious money working in this industry – and I’m going to show you everything you need to get started.

It’s common for graphic designers to make $35,000, $45,000, or even $55,000 per year, working part-time. Some freelance designers and webmasters are making six figures per year! The secret to making big money in this business is to find a pool of qualified prospects and sell your services to them. Believe it or not… knowing how to do that is almost as important as the quality of your work.

Most of the graphic designers I’ve retained over the years believe the quality of their work is the only factor that generates business for them. Granted, quality workmanship and attention to detail often separates the amateurs from the pros. And no client wants sloppy work. But I’ve outsourced hundreds of graphic design and Web-development projects over the years, and I can tell you this: The graphic designers making the big bucks in this business often have marginal design skills… but exceptional marketing savvy.

What the Heck Is a Graphic Designer?

Graphic design is the art of arranging images and text to communicate a message. It may be applied in any media, including print, digital, motion pictures, animation, product decoration, packaging, and signs.

Those are just some of the hundreds of areas you could choose to specialize in. But I’m going to show you where the money and repeat business resides.

Graphic design and the World Wide Web (especially the direct-marketing side of it) are a natural fit. Business owners and direct marketers need graphic designers to develop print products like brochures, catalogs, magalogs, sales letters, multimedia presentations, and advertisements. There’s also a huge demand for graphic designers with Web-development, marketing, and e-mail marketing know-how.

How to Make Money as a Freelance Graphic Designer and Webmaster Guru

Most of the money in this business can be generated from four main markets. There are other markets and variations to the ones I’ve listed below – but, in my opinion, these are the most promising ones:

1. Small- to medium-sized businesses

According to InfoUSA.com, more than 2.5 million businesses are launched every year. Most of these start-ups need graphic design work, and especially graphic design with a Web component. They need designers to help with brochures, flyers, sales letters, posters, DVD covers, e-book covers, catalogs, landing pages, micro-sites, Web pages, etc. The average small- to medium-sized business website has about 30 pages.

You can find qualified prospects who would be interested in your services at websites like eLance.com, FreelanceDesigners, Project4Hire, Guru.com, and iFreelance.com. Business owners, entrepreneurs, and direct marketers come to these sites to find designers and webmasters.

Another way to attract qualified prospects is by purchasing targeted keyword ads on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN, and linking each ad to a powerful, persuasive website selling your services. (I also use some popular second-tier pay-per-click networks like 7Search, MIVA, Kanoodle, ABCSearch, and Mamma.com. Then, when a prospect is searching for a graphic designer/artist or freelance Web developer, your ad pops up.

Still another way to attract qualified prospects is to post your availability on freelance websites. Six of my favorite sites: Elance.com, CraigsList, Monster.com, WebmasterWorld, DICE.com, and WarriorForum.

You can reach qualified prospects through direct mail and FedEx, too. You simply secure a mailing list of names… and mail away! Three reputable mailing list brokers that can help you identify the best lists are CenturyList.com, USAData.com, and GoLeads.com.

2. Subcontracting work for ad agencies, entertainment companies, and Web-hosting companies

Advertising and direct-marketing agencies, entertainment production companies, and Web-hosting companies typically “outsource” graphic design and Web-development projects to freelancers. There are tremendous opportunities for those who are willing to do subcontract work.

• Gaming-software companies are always looking for graphic artists with programming skills.
• Ad agencies receive billions of dollars a year from clients to develop Web, direct-marketing (print and electronic), and e-mail promotions.
• Direct-marketing agencies produce billions of dollars in promotional pieces every year. They can handle only a portion of this work in-house.
• Web-hosting companies are usually not interested in graphic design and Web-development. They offer these services to their customers on a “value-added” basis. (Keep in mind that Web-hosting companies and Internet service providers are notoriously cheap.)

3. Direct-marketing companies, agencies, and related businesses

This may be the largest and most promising sector for securing graphic design and Web-development projects.

Direct-marketing companies, agencies, and related businesses (including pre-press services, printers, mail houses, and publishers) are constantly in need of graphic design and Web-development services. In fact, on HotJobs this morning, there were more than 3,500 job openings for graphic designers.

Granted, the majority of these opportunities are for in-house, on-site positions, but don’t discount those listings. Employers can often be persuaded to hire a freelancer instead (mostly because it saves them a bundle on overhead).

4. Government work

You start the process of securing government contract work by submitting your profile into the vendor network. It may take a little time to get yourself into the “inner sanctum,” but it’s worth it.

For instance, the General Services Administration (GSA) awards millions of dollars in contracts to small businesses every year. They have a new submission service called eOffer (eoffer.gsa.gov) that enables vendors of products and services to submit contract proposals via the Internet. If you have multiple disciplines (like Flash, PHP, Cold Fusion, Linux, and Java programming) in addition to Web-development and graphic design skills, you’ll be light years ahead of the pack.

How Can a NOVICE Learn Graphic Design or Web-Development Skills From the Ground Up?

My 17-year-old “whiz kid” son learned everything he knows about graphic design, Photoshop, Web development, programming, hacking, online gaming, and Flash… online! He’s read only one book on programming – the Linux Bible.

There are thousands of sites on the Internet that offer graphic design and Web-development tutorials. Three of my favorites are DesignTutorials.info, Abduzeedo.com, and grafx-design.com.

There are also several graphic design programs on the market that can get you designing on a “professional” level in no time. When your skills are up to snuff… start looking for work. Use the freelance and job websites I mentioned above or try a direct-mail campaign offering your services… and you will have your first paying gig very quickly.

[Ed. Note: As “King of Business Opportunities” Marc Charles points out, graphic design could be your key to a second income in 2009. For a weekly report on some of the hottest money-making opportunities around, sign up for Marc’s Profit Center Dispatch.

Comment on this article

In fact, I made more than $10,000 in my first three months with this niche business. I simply interviewed executives and “tech gurus” in the beginning days of the dot-com hysteria. All of the interviews were conducted by phone or e-mail. I then sold the interviews to business publications, news-driven websites, general-interest magazines, e-zines, and specialty publishers for $100 to $500 each.

Though the dot-com bubble has long since burst, I’ve found that this is still a very viable business opportunity. CEOs, hotshot entrepreneurs, and celebrities love getting the attention and publicity to help them stand out from their peers. Most of the executives I’ve interviewed became giddy when “their stories” appeared in the mainstream news or in top business publications.

So where do you find potential interviewees?

Search the newswires for press releases, especially those announcing major company changes or other newsworthy events. It’s easy to do on sites like Google News, BusinessWire.com, and PRWeb.com. Jot down CEO names and company Web addresses, and go to their websites to find specific contact information. Then send each CEO a friendly but professional e-mail. Introduce yourself as a freelance columnist and request an interview.

Keep your request simple and to the point. (Two or three sentences, total. These people are busy.) Often you will be referred to the company’s corporate communications or PR department. They’ll give you guidelines for the interviews and help set up the interview time. If they ask you where the interview will be published, tell them you have an extensive contact list of top editors and publishers who may be interested once the interview is completed. (If you don’t have a contact list, start one today.)

Yes, it’s as simple as that. I’ve only been turned down six times since I started doing this. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish if you just try, isn’t it?

The best interviews are more like conversations that flow freely and comfortably. But you do have to do some prep work to make them appropriate for publication.

The first thing to do is develop an outline for each interview. Check out interviews on sites like Entrepreneur.com or Inc.com and study the questions the interviewers asked as the interviews progressed. What sorts of questions led the interviewees to reveal the best information? What questions did they not like?

The next step is to do a little “pre-call” research. This will help you understand the person you’re interviewing, what they do, and their competition. If you don’t prepare for an interview in this way, it will not go well. Trust me.

You also need to come up with a unique angle – a big idea that will interest readers and convince publishers to buy your interview. One of the best ways to do this is to tie the interview to hot current events or news. There are hundreds of ways to do this, but I like to use Google News.

Let’s say you’ve secured an interview with the CEO of a top software company. Their software enables users to make telephone calls over the Internet without any special hardware. If you search Google News under the Technology section, you’ll find that Mobile VoIP is a hot new technology. So I would tie the interview to Mobile VoIP.

If the executive prefers to do the interview via e-mail instead of over the phone, just send him a copy of your questions. But make sure you ask him to be as specific as possible with his answers. And never ask questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. That doesn’t make for a very compelling interview.

Of course, no matter how good the interview turns out, it does you no good if you don’t have anywhere to publish it… and get paid. That’s where your contact list comes in.

I built my initial contact list of managing editors, writers, and publishers by searching Google and other top engines. But I also used dozens of trade directories like the Gebbie Press All-In-One Media Directory.

Most publishers will request “exclusive rights” to an interview. That means you can’t turn around and sell it to another publication. That’s okay. In fact, as I gained more experience I charged extra for exclusive rights.

Eventually, I built up a good reputation – and publishers and editors started sending me assignments for interviews they desperately wanted (but were unable to obtain). I conducted those special-assignment interviews for $350 to $750 each.

It’s a blast obtaining “impossible” interviews with executives, hotshot entrepreneurs, and celebrities. I approached this business like a game, and you should too!

[Ed. Note: Marc Charles is an expert at discovering low-effort business opportunities with high profit potential.

And now you have the chance to meet him in person... and pick his brain about the best entrepreneurial ventures around. Just sign up for ETR's 2008 Information Marketing Bootcamp. Not only will you get to hear about Marc's freshest business opportunities, you'll also get insight into the Internet's hottest trends from 11 other money-making masters. And be prepared to be blown away. We've insisted that each speaker share at least one idea that could place $100,000 cash money in your pocket within 12 months or less... regardless of your current level of skill, expertise, or the state of your business. Learn how to reserve your spot right here.]

Comment on this article