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ection 3: Flipping And Scaling

Alas the payoff. It's time for you to make your money back and then some. In this section we're going to cover listing your site, which includes what to put in the sales page as well as how to treat your auction when it's live, what to do after the sale and scaling up into a full fledged business.

First things first do another once over on your site and make sure everything is looking good. Check sidebars, inner post pages, menus and categories. If you need a site as a reference take a look at BlueTidalWave.com or our case study wherein we go over aesthetics and cover why the site sold.

Once you're ready to sell your site it's time to focus on your listing. I've included a sample listing PDF which you can use as a SAMPLE.

Please DO NOT copy the listing exactly for your own sake. If everyone and their mother starts making identical looking websites and sells them with identical sales pages, it's not good for anyone. Paraphrase the listing, hell pay an outsourcer to rewrite it for $5 but don't straight COPY it. You can see the included listing sample PDF but we'll be going over what you MUST include in your listing below and WHY.

Writing Your Listing

Before you can list your site you have to write the listing. Don't rush through writing your listing as it's the connection between your site and your potential buyers and you don't want to turn any potential bidders away with poor grammar or because you left something out.

Below are things to include in your listing, review them then jump over to the listing sample PDF and read through the example listing and start working on your own.

Introduction - In the introduction you want to give a brief 1-2 paragraph synopsis of the site, the PR, the authority in the domain and the potential value to the new owner. This will be just enough to get casual browsers baited into reading more about the auction. Talk briefly about the niche, the page rank, the backlinks, the growth potential and the monetization options.

Quick Stats - In the quick stats section you will essentially be reiterating many of the stats that Flippa provides in bullet points while also putting in some of the vital value added statistics we spent so much time hunting for in our domains. This includes domain age, Page Rank, backlinks, Domain Authority,
Page Authority, amount of content on the site, uniqueness of content and any other vital stats related to the domain (which could be Alexa rank, DMOZ listing or anything else of value.)

Aesthetics, Content And Images - In the content and Images section you want to stress the quality of the content and images you've spent time putting together for the site. Talk about the perfect grammar and high quality engaging content in the niche. Encourage browsers to visit the site and read the content. Include some title examples from the site. Talk about how unique the site is appearance wise and how much it stands out from the crowd in terms of quality. You spent the time putting together a killer looking website, it's time to show off.

Monetization Options - This part is huge. You want to get people excited about the prospects of owning the site and show them how they could benefit financially from ownership. Since the site has page rank, one of the best ways to make money on the site regardless of traffic is to sell guest post with links to websites. This is one of the huge selling points for these quick flips and is something you need to tout here. Talk about how the new owner can sell guest post for SEO purposes to other websites in the niche and how much revenue can be pulled in. Talk about how large the niche is and the possibility for guest post sales.

Who Can Run The Site - Many of your bidders may be completely new to the website buying world. This is the case for any website being sold on Flippa. Many people on Flippa are browsing and have money to invest to start or grow a website portfolio. Talk about how this site would be a great addition to their portfolio based on the niche, the quality of the content, the age of the domain, the Page Rank and so on. Mention how the site is easy to run with Wordpress and your willingness to help the new owner learn and get used to the site.

What's Included With The Auction - Here you want to talk about everything included in the sale such as the domain, all rights to content on the website and any other bonuses you wish to include. I always include an excel spreadsheet detailing urls and titles for all content on the site as well as writer contact information to the new owner. I also include support for life, free hosting for a few months as well as additional queued content.

Potential And Growth - In this section talk about the entire niche in general and how the site is positioned to be an authority in the niche with a bit of effort put into the content and promotion. Mention how the opportunity is there for people to jump in to an already built site in a desirable niche without the need to start from scratch.

Transfer - In the transfer section I always mention my willingness to transfer the site for the client.

Many times they'll transfer it themselves, sometimes they'll need some help. If you're uncomfortable doing this you can pay someone (usually around $10) to do the transfer for you or take a peak on YouTube and find videos detailing every step of the transfer. With your profits it's worth spending a few dollars to have the transfer done for you. It's all about speed and automation.

Questions - In this section I try and stress my willingness to help people out when it comes to the site and how I'm here to answer any questions they have about the site, the content or anything else in between. Make yourself personable and be there for their questions, it will read well and boost their confidence in you as a seller, especially if you're new to Flippa.

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There is a multitude of software out there designed to make working easier and more efficient. In this chapter we'll go over some of the most widely praised programs, some free and some paid, that can help you boost your productivity and make working from home a breeze.
Instant Communication: Skype

In the last few years, Skype has become to #1 instant communication tool for online workers. Whether you prefer instant messaging, phone calls or video chat, Skype offers it all for free (or, in some situations, for a low fee). It's available for most platforms, and you can even take it with you in your phone or tablet.

Office Suite: Microsoft Office (or similar)

There's no way around it: if you're going to work from home you need an office suite. Microsoft Office remains industry standard, but there are lots of alternatives available if you're feeling experimental. There are cloud-based solutions like Google Docs (free) as well as locally installed software such as Open Office (free) and Apple Productivity Apps/iWork (commercial). All of the alternatives are file-format compatible with Microsoft Office, but not all formatting features are supported by them.

Cloud Storage: Dropbox

Dropbox is cloud-based storage that lets you store your work files online and reach them wherever you are. You can install it on all your computers, phones and tablets, ensuring your important documents are always with you (assuming you have an Internet connection at least sporadically so it can sync). It's also great when you're collaborating with others, as you can share folders and files with them and see whenever a file is changed.

Project Management: Basecamp

There's no shortage of great project management tools on the web, but Basecamp is perhaps the most well known of the bunch. It's designed to be fast loading and simple to use, and the clean, clutter-free interface is held in high regard by many. Keep in mind though that the simplicity and ease of use comes at a price: Basecamp doesn't have as many features as some of the more advanced project management systems.

If you don't like Basecamp, give Asana a go - it's becoming more and more popular and has some features that Basecamp lacks.

To-do List: Wunderlist

There might actually be even more to-do list services than project management services out there. It's a popular service to build apparently, most likely because it's a deceptively simple idea. It's not easy to get it exactly right though, and there are many poor implementations out there. Wunderlist is one of the best, with pleasing aesthetics and all the functionality you could ask for. It's also free to use, and multiplatform so you can use it on all your devices.

(Bonus tip: Some people actually find it better to use a plain old pen & paper for to-do lists. If you've tried software and online services but can't seem to stick with any of them, give the old-fashioned method a go!)

Time Tracking: Toggl

Whatever your profession is, you may sooner or later find yourself requiring time tracking of some kind. Some project management tools have it built-in, but if you prefer a light-weight, standalone alternative you should check out Toggl. It doesn't get any easier to use, and in many situations it's completely free to use.

Time Management: RescueTime

If you find yourself easily distracted while working, or just want to see how you really spend all those hours in front of the computer, check out RescueTime. It lets you track everything you do on your computer, and create reports showing exactly how you spend your time. This can be a real wake-up call!

Block Unproductive Websites: LeechBlock

LeechBlock is a browser add-on for Chrome and Firefox that lets you block time-wasting websites during working hours. If you regularly find yourself wasting time on Facebook and Youtube when you really should be working, installing a tool like that can really help you become more productive. Keep in mind though that you will need at least some willpower to ensure you don't just disable it when you feel your Facebook addiction calling!

Note Taking/Management: Evernote

If your computer is overflowing with notes and documents that "could be useful someday", you may want to check out Evernote. It lets you store all the little bits and pieces of information you collect throughout your day in an easily searched repository. You'll have everything in the same place, accessible from all your devices. This is especially useful for information hoarders, but most of us are probably guilty of not organizing our documents in the best way.

Dictation: Dragon NaturallySpeaking

For those who spend much of their day typing, it may be worth checking out Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Many people find dictating much faster and easier than typing things out, meaning productivity will increase with a tool like this. It's also great if you're suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome or anything else that prevents you from working long hours on a keyboard. It may not be the best choice if you're not a native English speaker though, as it requires good pronunciation to work as intended.

Cloud Accounting/lnvoicing: Freshbooks

Financial software is rarely easy to use, but Freshbooks is a notable exception. It's perhaps the most popular solution for simple accounting and invoicing today, and it's quite affordable too. Unless your business has very specific requirements and need an advanced accounting solution, Freshbooks will most likely be more than enough.

Password Management: LastPass

You probably already know that you should have a unique password on every website you have an account with. The question is, how on earth are you supposed to keep track of all these passwords? Easy! Use a password manager like LastPass. With a tool like this, all your passwords will be stored in an encrypted database accessible through one single master password. It's very convenient, secure and it works on most platforms. If you prefer a noncommercial solution and hosting your password database yourself, check out KeePass which is a decent alternative.

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Creating The Ultimate Sales Funnel

First off, let me acknowledge that things are probably taking longer than you expected. I know you were hoping that you’d be able to setup everything in just 5 minutes and be ready to start driving traffic.

But don’t worry, we’ll get there! The first few steps in listbuilding lay the foundation for your business. Once you have these things in place, you can focus 100% on driving traffic and making edits to your copywriting to improve your conversion rates.

Now let’s take a look at what the ultimate sales funnel should look like:

The first thing it all starts with is the squeeze page on the left. This is where you’re going to be giving away your free offer in exchange for the visitor’s email address.

So they have to signup with their email in order to get your free offer.

As soon as people enter their email address on the squeeze page and submit their information, they’re going to be taken to the Free Gift Download page. The reason you want to take them here immediately is so they can get what they just signed up for!

Some people will say to take them to the OTO, but here’s the problem with that- the subscriber won’t trust you yet.

Instead, it’s better to let them see the free gift so they trust you a bit more.

Once they’ve done that, then you take them to the OTO. This is a special sales page just for these subscribers that is going to offer them a special discount of some sort. It should be closely related to your free offer, but a lot more comprehensive.

For example, if you have a free report that offers five tips to lose belly fat quickly, your one-time offer might be about how to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks, or something like that. It builds on what the free offer provides, and provides even more information and more value. So it might be a video product that explains different diets and different exercise plans, if you’re in the weight loss niche.

As far as pricing goes, you can go with any price point you want. Some people recommend a low price to get more sales, but some of the greatest marketers out there recommend going with a high price point, like $97. You’ll get fewer sales, but (probably) make more money in the long run.

If they decide to purchase your OTO, great! You can even send them to an upsell offer after that if you want, so now you may put a $197 product or service in front of them. Perhaps it’s a coaching offer, or a service that’s related to your OTO.

Or you can choose not to, it’s up to you. One rule to always keep in mind is that the more upsells (and downsells, which is the complete opposite) that you put in front of a new subscriber; the more likely you are to make them frustrated. After all, they came to you wanting a free gift, NOT to get bombarded by a dozen different products and services.

And if you want to kill your business fast, a good way to do that is to throw offer after offer in front of your subscribers. Sure, you may make more money short-term, but you’ll lose out long-term.

So they download the report, but also, and more importantly, they’re now on your email list. That was the whole point, so you can continue building the relationship you already started with them with your free offer.

The best way to do that is to share a lot of great information for free, and sprinkle in some stories about yourself. Your subscribers want to know that you’re a real person- one who is very helpful and is helping them to solve their problems.

You want the people on your list to get to the point that they’re excited to see your emails. You want them to read these emails like he’s reading them from a good friend or mentor.

This allows you to continue to provide more great information for free, as well as to continue to promote more offers in the future. These might be memberships, services, personal coaching, physical products, etc.

Remember that most people need multiple tools and sources of information to solve all of their problems, so someone building a business may be willing to buy a computer, WordPress class and service through your affiliate links.

And at the end of the day, promoting these other, higher-priced offers is what will make or break your business. You can make decent money promoting low-end offers, but it’s easier to make good money quickly when you get $1,000 per sale rather than $7!

So again- that’s just an introduction to the sales funnel. It’s showing you the big picture, so you have an idea of where we’re going. The first step to all of this is the download page, since we need to have something to send the visitor to once they subscribe.

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22. Multiple ways to contact: with the phone number on the top, side and bottom, and the address only at the bottom.

Don't waste your readers' time by making them hunt around your site for how to contact you. Make your contact info easy to get to. Put your contact info (or a link to it), on the top of every page.

If you're not printing your phone and/or email anywhere because you don't have the resources to handle inquiries, then do your readers the courtesy of letting them know that, so they don't spend forever hunting in vain for contact info that doesn't exist.

Unfortunately you can't link up your email address with a simple mailto: link, unless you want lots of spam. That's because spambots are good at stealing such addresses from web pages.

Here's another point:

How easy is it for visitors to find your contact information? Do you provide more than just an email address? If the only contact information is an email address, chances are, people may get hesitant to give you any credit card information.

If you're just using an email address, what email address do you use? This is not the place (and time) to use your free yahoo email address or a PO box address.

For clients to feel that you are a LEGITIMATE business, they would want to see:

Your business name

Phone number

Your business' physical address

Your business' email address

Many small business owners that are new to the Internet would say that they are not entirely certain if they want to make the above information available on the Internet.

Well, here's good news: ANYONE can find this information out about you, in a matter of seconds, without you publishing it on your website.

It all comes back to making a decision on how you want potential clients to view your business. It is highly recommended that you place your Company name, physical address, and phone number on every page of your site. Your personal name should be available on both the contact page and the "about us" page.

23. References/Testimonials Testimonials can be an extremely useful sales tool for your website (and your other marketing materials tool). However, they can be just as harmful if you're not careful. Your testimonials need to be legitimate and sincere, and there are a number of ways to ensure this.

Firstly, who are they?

For your testimonials to look legitimate you should at least include their full name (not just their initials), as well as their location. A suburb and state is usually best.

If they are representing a business, then include their business name, and you should also provide a way for them to be contacted so that their testimonial can be backed up. So for example, ask them if they mind if you include their website address.

If you're struggling to find enough people to provide testimonials, this can also be a good way to turn your request into an opportunity for them - you are advertising their business and creating a good inbound link for their website (which is good for their Google rankings!). But always remember to ask for permission before publishing their testimonial.

Including a photo is also a great way to improve the credibility of the testimonial (and definitely don't fake this with a generic stock photo!).

Another tip is to choose testimonials that have a specific message in them. For example, a testimonial like "I chose your restaurant for my mum's birthday, and we couldn't be happier with the service, the food and the ambience. Your lamb shanks and risotto were to die for!" is far more effective than "You have great service and awesome food".

Now where on your website is the best place to put all these great testimonials? The home page is a good place to start.

The more details you indicate to the testimonial, the more credible it appears to your website visitors. Let's face it. There are cheap-looking testimonials that only says "Great product!" with just the initials underneath. The more statements there are in the testimonial, the more visitors will believe that you can deliver results.

Whenever possible, it would also be advisable to add the client's full name, location, client's company, URL if applicable, as well as his photo. This, of course, should be done with the permission of the client.

24. Relevancy: Search engines love website that show relevancy. This is done by picking broad and then drilling down in themes. Always optimize for one keyword per page instead of multiple keywords per page.

The term relevance, according to Wikipedia, is "a term used to describe how pertinent, connected, or applicable some information is to a given matter."

In essence, this should also be your measuring stick as you build content for your website.

Also, keep in mind that when a visitor lands on your website, the very first question they'll have in mind is: "Is this content relevant to me?"

Every click that a visitor makes is made because they have a specific intention, they have a question they want answers for, or a need they want to meet. If they click a banner ad (for example) but your landing page does not satisfy their question, they will click away. This results to a high bounce rate.

Did you know that studies show that visitors decide within 5 seconds whether your page is relevant to them or not? Your challenge is to capture their interest within this short amount of time!

To minimize bounce, create and maintain relevancy. Keep the consistency between the traffic source and landing pages. While you concentrate on one keyword per page, don't overstuff to the point that your content will not make sense anymore. Your readers are intelligent enough to know if you are writing for them or just for the search engines.

There has to be a balance of both.

If you think about it, search engines are actually doing their best to bring customers to your site. Just the same, these search engine spiders are also doing their best to give the most relevant results to potential customers who are searching for something online.