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Creating more alcoholics

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

Tengen

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Will post up something more substantial in a day or so, but just a quick update.

A threshold of sorts has been achieved - have just received my 3rd opt-in sign up, representing a hypothetical profit of $267 ($89 x 3) had my site been fully operational and ready to accept payments.

Wufoo provides an annual pricing of $259 for their "Bona Fide" plan, which is the first tier that allows payment integration. I had used Wufoo forms during my "free" period, offering a watered-down version of my service and gathering data, and find them pretty simple to utilise and implement via WordPress.

So, hypothetically, i could pay for the annual plan, email my 3 opt-in folks and cover all the costs. I could also email the handful of people that signed up during the "free" period.

The obvious problem: there's no guarantee that any of the opt-ins or the free users would follow through with the full service. Exacerbating the issue is that the three opt-ins have originated from India making me question their authenticity. But that's just something I'm going to have to get over.

Either way, i plan to move in on this in a few days time. I have a video-chat scheduled with @Andy Black to analyse my current adwords campaign and looking forward to the autopsy/evisceration analysis.
 
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Tengen

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Had a video chat session with Andy Black last night, very informative as always.

We had considerably much more data to work with this time - consider a while back I had 3 campaigns running and only racked up around 10,000 impressions over three weeks, this time we had 50,000+ impressions from just one week.

Part of this was due to my having selected to advertise on the display network, which isn't as strong as if I had advertised on google only. Also I had not separated the various regions I had targeted into their own campaigns, which made it harder to pinpoint the exact origin of impressions/clicks. If those points sound familiar, you may recall them being mentioned in his post on Advanced AdWords tips. We fixed this in short order, and I also decided to increase my bids now that the funnels were tightened.

A problem that has arisen is the disapproval of ads for one region in particular and surprise, surprise, it's India. Despite being an emerging wine consumption market I guess things still haven't progressed enough to loosen the rules. I suppose I had gotten away with it before because I had lumped all the regions into one campaign, but now that I'm aiming to run a tighter ship they're beginning to get picky. Unfortunately, rather than see if i can tailor each and every individual ad to remove references to alcohol, I decided to drop the region entirely. If you guys are interested in Google's Alcohol Policy, click here.

I still have 4 opt-ins from India though - originally i was going to get the Wufoo annual plan no matter what, and now this happens. I will probably still go for it eventually, but have to prepare myself for disappointment.

One thing that was suggested was to offer some kind of free e-book download or email series - This will probably be my next step as I'll be more able to tailor my ads and justifiably include "free report" in them, possibly improving CTRs. I'll probably choose to do the ebook, as the email-series autoresponders seem to require payment and now i'm feeling cautious.

TL;DR version:

1. Tighten up AdWords campaigns
2. WuFoo forms
3. Organise free ebook
 
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Tengen

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For all intents and purposes, I am now live.

Yesterday I decided to take the next step and paid US$259 for an annual plan with Wufoo. I chose this action rather than sitting and waiting on AdWords stats and working on an ebook because I felt this was the most immediately actionable thing i could do.

I spent some time extending the questionnaire form, integrating payment through PayPal and have updated the funnel. I have drafted emails to the 4 opt-ins from India I received and they are due to be sent out in a few hours. As mentioned before, I do feel mixed about the authenticity of these leads, but if they're good I need to strike while the iron is hot. If nothing comes of it, i won't be too disappointed, but if some of them do convert that would be amazing.

AdWords is already speeding up, thanks to the tightening of funnels mentioned in the last post, but also do to an increased bid price - to be honest when I woke up this morning and saw the stats I was worried my budget might not be enough. I'll keep observing for the time being, but things look promising for now. Really hate that AdWords stats only update every 24-hours... c'est la vie.

Now I need to work on the free ebook - I have a good rough idea of how I want it to be laid out, lots of graphics and stories and ending with a link to the actual consultation. Time to get to work.
 

Michael Raphael

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If you need help with your site and marketing shoot me a message. I have a few interns that can do some work :) But seriously I can try and help if you have a glitch and I have some free time :)
 
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Andy Black

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Data shouldn't be 24hrs late. Segment > Time > Hour
I typically see stuff 15 mins after the event (except conversions of course, which can happen days after the click).

Have you added conversion tracking?

If you are hitting your "buying data budget", then drop bids. I did a post on this... something like "Newbie Error #1".

Learn from what people are looking for, and give them what they want. If they are looking for a wine consultation, give them that. If they are looking for information, give them that.

There is no need to create an eBook if people are looking for information. Just create your first email in your autoresponder series. Don't create your second till you get any signups. Otherwise you are moving too slow. In a way, you are now creating an eBook to slow down shipping... self sabotage... :)
 

Tengen

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I'll have to look more deeply into that. Also took me some time to figure out how to attach tracking codes to OptimizePress pages, but finally did it for the entire funnel.

Have also reduced my bids so my remaining budget should have a longer life expectancy.

I'm slightly confused about the ebook/email series thing, wondering which one will be better, but I can decide that later - right now i just need to get some CONTENT written down on paper. Anything can be formatted differently afterwards.

Also on the 4 opt-ins I emailed, haven't received any response at all :( But like I said, I was prepared for that. At least now I have systems in place to convert when something legit does come in.
 

Tengen

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Just a quick update:

Working for content that will eventually go into the email series/ebook. Surprisingly tough going, i know the major points I want to work on, but lacking the energy and motivation to really go at it, as well as lots of little distractions.

I'm due to publish another blog post, so that will be my main focus for the next few hours.

Other than that, things have slowed down a lot - After tinker with adwords traffic has slowed to a trickle. Of course any resulting clicks should be more qualified, but does make me wonder if it's worth running while things are still a work in progress.

Then i just have to remind myself that I'm just an impatient bastard and I haven't really spend anything yet. A couple of years ago I started another "project" and managed to spend $2000+ while I was studying and working part-time. I don't think i've spent half of that yet on this venture. Time and effort are really the only other variables, and I'm not completely powerless in those areas.

Anyway, nothing much to add for the time being, just a little bit of positive self talk.
 
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Tengen

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Parkinson's law in action. :upyours: Finished up a blog post with 6 minutes to spare and went to bed after 1am last night @.@

Wake up this morning, click and check out a few things, suddenly the website is down :headbanger:

It's probably a small thing and technically it shouldn't affect my workflow, but it really peeves me that this could still happen. I think this is the 3rd time the site's gone down in as many months. If i hadn't already paid for 2 years hosting i would pack up and switch to somewhere else.

Current challenge now - overcome my frustration and keep working on what I can offline.
 

Tengen

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Haven't made a lot of progress, I'm finding it very difficult to to write down what I want to say in an eloquent manner and keeping in mind the principles of ad copy writing, but it's slowly taking shape.

The challenge is also to build up a substantial amount of information without giving away everything and making the reader feel that's all they need to know and not buy.

Was at a friend's birthday party last night and got in touch with some people. Usual party talk - "what do you do?". I tell them I'm a Wine Consultant and that gets a lot of oohs and aahs.

Anyway I talked to a few people, one seems pretty interested in trying out what I have to offer, and we exchanged details to get in touch. Sent an email this morning to touch base, and now hopefully this might turn into my first sale.
 

Tengen

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Strange... time goes by one day at a time, and before you know it, TWO WEEKS have passed since i started working on this ebook/email series thing.

Result - a little over 1500 words. Granted I've had to work on blog posts in between as well, but I still feel it should be more substantial. Too much time spent jacking off and lazing about. But i've fleshed out the essentials of the content, not I need to format this into something more presentable. I also want to flesh out a few new landing pages through OptimizePress to get ready for it. Basically get something like this prepared - https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...own-any-market-you-can-think-of-part-1.53039/

Modified adwords campaign has also ran quietly in the background, now i've decided to pause eveything and will take some time to stake stock of the results and decide how I want to tighten things up.

First sale hasn't occurred yet, have been communicating with the acquaintance from the party and they say they should have time in a few weeks... of course, not the most solid lead, and as time passes the chance of them outright changing their mind increases, but I guess I have to work with what I've got.
 
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Tengen

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Just want to share a sample of what i'm planning ebook-wise

SampleEbook.png

I think i will stick with an ebook rather than an email series, because i don't want to spend much more money through aweber or MailCheat(Chimp) on something that's unproven. I'm comfortable enough with OP that I can make a few pages than link to eachother and attach a download link.
 

Tengen

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About halfway through writing the ebook, had a few bursts of motivation and inspiration over the past few days. Also got in touch with an old acquaintance, he'll be helping me take some photos to add to the website.

I'm surprised how large the ebook is going to be, originally i thought it would just be around 7-8 pages or so. Then i kept adding content, found some good pictures and diagrams to add, played around with the formatting and now i'm on 10+ pages and not even finished yet. This feels good, like i'll be offering a large chunk of content for free and hopefully getting people interested in what else I have to offer.
 

Tengen

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Had another brief website issue that was resolved in short order.

I really honestly dislike having to use such unofficial avenues - there's enough click-bait stories out there about people complaining about food service and bombastic tv hosts that amounts to little more than childish whining, and the last thing I want to do is associate myself with such people. But I need my website up and they've demonstrated time and again that they are more responsive to such media.

Just gotta take a deep breath, take a sip of wine and remember that we don't live in a perfect world.

In the meantime, still working on my ebook, and another blog post to be scheduled in a few days.

Also lined up a photoshoot with an old acquaintance, will be roaming around taking some nice pictures to be used on the website. Soon I'll be able to remove the pic of that random asian guy from my landing pages.
 
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Tengen

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Updated website and relevant pages with photos of myself taken by my buddy. In return I gave them a free wine consultation and expecting another review to be added to testimonials.

Ebook is pretty much done in terms of content, now i'm fussing over the layout, formatting and structure. Of course I want this to be as flawless as possible, but at the back of my mind I have to remind myself that there's no such thing as perfection, and I should be prepared to launch even if i'm not 110% comfortable.

I've also decided to change my blogging schedule slightly to have fewer wine reviews and more articles and opinion pieces. I need more practice writing in an easy-to-read style rather than being overly analytical.
 

Tengen

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Attended a close friend's birthday party recently, I actually helped him pick out the wines for everyone and he even talked me up in front of the group as well, which was a pretty nice ego boost. One of the attendees commented on how it was a shame that I don't have business cards yet, but I overcame this by pointing them to my website/facebook pages on their smartphones. Got a few likes and told some people about a wine tasting that would be happening soon, so maybe will see some familiar faces.

I don't remember if I commented before, but I haven't made business cards because at the moment they're a superfluous expense - I've read through enough progress threads here to understand that business cards are more an ego-thing than real customer acquisition.


The ebook project has expanded well beyond it's initial projections, going onto 3000+ words. I expect it would be done in another week or so, but no promises - everytime I come close to finishing a section, some other chapter seems to be lacking and I add more details.

Past few days has also been a reminder that good friends are a precious resource - talked to a couple of buddies about my progress, sharing my dreams and doubts, assuring me that what I'm doing is a good thing and just have to stick with it to see success in the future. Always good to discuss such things over some nice scotch as well.

Emailed one of the people at the party about getting a consultation, so possible I will have my first customer soon. Need to email my photographer friend for a review on his consultation so I can add it to the website.
 

Michael Raphael

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Keep it up brother you got this. Never said it was going to be easy. I am 6-7 months into my project and still working hard. Rome wasn't built in a day.
 
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Tengen

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The usual slow progress, plus a bit of frustration from unexpected sources in the past week.

So happens my own mother checked out my website and tried to give me some "constructive criticism" like removing my picture from the material. Her reasoning - no one will take wine advice from some random Asian guy seriously.

I found this advice less than unhelpful. From what I've found, if there is a face on the website you are more likely to gain a viewer's trust. Does she expect me to grab some random Caucasian face on google images and slap it up there instead? Also, I find it rich that she's giving me business advice when she's entangled with yet another MLM scam.

This is just one of those situations where you have to nod, smile and say "shit, i've got a meeting in 10 minutes."

My second source of frustration was when I was trying to give wine advice on another forum that I'm a member of. I initially private-messaged the guy who asked the question, but someone else suggested I share it on a general thread. I did so, and caused a kerfluffle, mainly because I included links to my own website, but I was also accused of not giving real advice and being a wine snob.

First lesson I learned is to be very careful how you present your ideas. I linked to my website because I had written about certain topics that I didn't want to rehash. I included a link to my paid consultation, what I considered and afterthought, see-if-you-are-interested thing, but it got easily misconstrued as some kind of shady internet marketing shenanigans. Some even called for me to get banned from the forum.

Second lesson - any advice you give away for free is going to be under-appreciated. Either prepare yourself for this, or stop giving away free advice.

Third lesson - it is very difficult to take a moderate stance. Wine newbies are going to accuse me of being a snob. I expect when this project gets rolling, the real wine snobs are going to accuse me of being an over-informed, under-educated neophyte. If I didn't have a very strong sense of belief in what I was doing, I probably would have given up on he spot.

Fourth lesson - self control. There was all manner of expletives i wanted to employ, but I had to remind myself: You're a professional now. You have a business to run and an image to maintain. Don't let the voices of a few affect your mood. Grab a nice glass of wine, turn on some jazz, and chill.

I'm sure there are more lessons to be gleaned from this experience, if i've missed anything, let me know.
 
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Tengen

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Haha, that's a funny one, thanks Joe. Sad, but pretty illustrative of the current state of affairs - people don't know what they want and don't know what to look for.

Been reading some interesting threads on the forum:

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/what-is-your-number-1-productivity-tip.53345/
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/its-so-easy-to-get-lazy.53740/

My ebook's reached 4000 words and still doesn't feel complete. I think the content pretty much covers everything, but the way things are arranged I'm still not happy with.

Clicking between pages didn't seem to make things easier to comprehend, so I printed out the 20+ pages and went through it with a highlighter. Immediately things became clearer, I could see what structures and patterns of wording I wanted to change. Funny how in the digital age how the pen-and-paper approach still holds weight.

I'm going to attempt to split it into individual sections, break the problem into smaller pieces and handle them one at a time. Not sure why I didn't do this sooner, maybe I was hoping to just throw in as much information as possible and see what sticks in the end.

It could be worse - i could be facing a blank slate after 2 months+ of work. At least now the information is out there; now i need to organise it into knowledge.
 
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Tengen

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Recently received a nice review from my photographer friend, so with 3 reviews i decided that was enough to launch a new Testimonials page on my site.

Also changed my wine consultation page slightly - instead of using an op-tin box, where someone would have to spend an extra few seconds filling out their name and email, I just turned it into a bright blue button. It looks nice on computer and mobile, but positioning seems slightly off on iPad. Also added the extra testimonial on this page as well, it does seem to take up a lot of space though, so I might make some changes later on.

Other than that, still working on my eBook. In addition to that I've also recently put myself on a 30 Days of Discipline program after another member here mentioned it. I had actually had my eyes on it for a while, but I think that final mention clinched it. My pecs, triceps and thighs are so sore right now though... so glad I get to have Sundays off.
 
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Tengen

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Not really a progress update, but just a little note of encouragement.

Went to a wine tasting last at a fancy city venue, big crowd with lots of young professionals. Walking around and seeing what's on offer, i overheard people talking as well, some just casually exclaiming "I love wine, i just know nothing about it".

Started conversation with a few random people as well, people were generally impressed when I told them I was a "wine consultant". Lacking business cards, i told them to take out their smartphones and showed them my website/facebook page. So got a few extra page likes, if nothing else.

So it was a good night out - lots of wines, finger food, and extra confirmation that I had found an as-of-yet untapped market.
 

Andy Black

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Maybe it's worth getting business cards if people keep asking you for them. I agree that you don't typically need business cards before you've made a sale, but it seems like you're missing out by not having any.


First lesson I learned is to be very careful how you present your ideas. I linked to my website because I had written about certain topics that I didn't want to rehash. I included a link to my paid consultation, what I considered and afterthought, see-if-you-are-interested thing, but it got easily misconstrued as some kind of shady internet marketing shenanigans. Some even called for me to get banned from the forum.

Yeah, best to post the content in the forum. Keep doing that till people see you're trying to add value. Put your site in your signature. If someone is interested in finding out more, then they can do so. You only want those visitors anyway. Shame about that... it can be upsetting getting taken the wrong way, but that's what happens when you get out there. Good for you being professional. :)
 
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Tengen

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Maybe it's worth getting business cards if people keep asking you for them. I agree that you don't typically need business cards before you've made a sale, but it seems like you're missing out by not having any.

Thanks for the encouragement Andy. I'll put it off for another little while, but if I think I'm ready I know where to look - i've had other business cards made before (purely out of vanity, unfortunately).
 

Tengen

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Becoming much closer to finishing the ebook, looking forward to the day. I expect it to be finished sometime next month.

In the meantime I've found a friend on the subject of business startups. We've met up the past few weekends to chat and hang out exchanging ideas and book suggestions. On his advice I got a copy of The Lean Startup and will be working my way through it for the next few days.

He also suggested a site - usertesting.com - if I wanted some feedback on user experience for my wine consultations. A minor but nagging worry has been whether or not the questionnaire in its current format is simple enough, or even if the landing page is attractive enough for people to click through. I plan to assuage this worry with the ebook launch, but will be keeping this tool/site in mind if I have more worries about user friendliness.

Other than that, things are going well - still updating the blog regularly and finding more occasions to go out and meet more wine enthusiasts to talk about my site and product. Another event i'm considering on Monday, so looking forward to it - seriously considering ordering those business cards now...
 

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How many sign ups have you had for your wine consultation service?
 
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Tengen

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How many sign ups have you had for your wine consultation service?

Zero. (The testimonials are all from people to whom I've offered the consult for free.)

Firstly I haven't heavily marketed this, either through Google Adwords or elsewhere. My plan is to get started on that once my ebook is finished - drive traffic to the ebook, which should lead them to the consultation

I've talked to people and while there's been a lot of enthusiasm, when it comes to pulling out their credit cards there's always some excuse.

The more I think about it however, maybe I'm setting the price pretty high - i chose $89 because it's what I feel the service is worth, especially considering the alternatives (or lack thereof) out there, but what I feel it's worth doesn't matter if no one is going to pay for it.

Which is why I'm seriously considering bringing down the price to something like $10. My concerns are that it's an extreme change, a bit of a blow to the ego, and I'm afraid I might be setting myself up to get inundated with consultation requests. The last part may not necessarily be a bad thing, and it's probably my ego talking again, but there is a real concern of creating another "job" for myself, no matter how well it pays.

Then again, maybe i'm thinking too far ahead and should just focus on getting conversions.
 

Tengen

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My Ebook is 99% complete :D Just a few formatting touches and it's ready to roll.

However this has just opened up a whole host of other small jobs that need to be taken care of:

1/ Need a nice looking book cover / 3d mockup, will likely sift through Fiverr. Anyone have any recommendations?
2/ Have added so much detail to the book that I'm having to make some additions to my consultation templates.
3/ Need to prepare new pages on my website (landing, signup, download)
4/ Need to edit the current consultation page with updated information.

One of the biggest struggles I currently have is with the pricing, but I think I will bring it down way low to attract attention rather than risk being looked over because of a perceived higher barrier.

Once all of the above is ready, my game plan is:

1/ Write a guest post for a popular niche blog linking to my site/ebook
2/ Ask my friends to help promote on Facebook (suggested in this 4HWW post)
3/ Google adwords
4/ ???

That's pretty much what I have in mind. There is still that sense of dread that comes from thinking that these efforts will amount to nothing, but I nothing else matters right now other than pushing through.
 

Tengen

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Just got my ebook cover done from Fiverr:

Preview3DCover.png

I'm pretty happy with the result. I shared it with a few friends online:

Online Chat said:
me-> What do you think about my book cover?

friend-> Looks cool. How much you selling it for?

Huh? Sell?

Online Chat said:
me-> How much would you pay?

friend-> $15 USD, but only cos you're my homeboy

Well, there's an interesting idea.

I had planned on giving the ebook away for free, to lead them into buying a wine consultation, but if i could make something out of it, even a little bit, that opens up another set of possibilities.

Plus, if they paid for the ebook, even if it was $0.99, wouldn't that make them much stronger leads?

I haven't put too much through into it yet, will have to let it simmer and stew for a while before I make a decision...
 
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I've talked to people and while there's been a lot of enthusiasm, when it comes to pulling out their credit cards there's always some excuse.

What evidence do you have this is a viable service?

Enthusiasm doesn't put food on the table.

Took a quick look at your landing page and the offer doesn't really seem to match who you say the market is.

e.g. You're saying I don't have time to read books or have an event in a few days... but you want me to fill out a detailed questionnaire, wait two days, then read a 4000 word document.

It just sounds like a lot of work. And most of what's in the profile sounds like it could just be in an ebook anyway.

I'm not a wine guy so maybe I'm missing something. But from a copy/marketing perspective I don't quite get it.
 

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What evidence do you have this is a viable service?

Initial adwords tasting showed a lot of clicks but not much conversions, which to me indicates interest in the idea, but the value proposition they were presented with wasn't good enough for them to follow through.

I've also touched base with some experienced business owners and they believe the idea is sound - so it's just up to me to figure out the execution.

Took a quick look at your landing page and the offer doesn't really seem to match who you say the market is.

e.g. You're saying I don't have time to read books or have an event in a few days... but you want me to fill out a detailed questionnaire, wait two days, then read a 4000 word document.

Thanks for reminding me about a few points - I had another conversation with a friend and they too thought the "4000-words" claim was a bit much, so i've changed that. And it's not the questionnaire itself that is detailed, but the report that you receive, so I have changed the wording there too.

It just sounds like a lot of work. And most of what's in the profile sounds like it could just be in an ebook anyway.

I'm not a wine guy so maybe I'm missing something. But from a copy/marketing perspective I don't quite get it.

The profiles are supposed to be tailored and personalised to each individual. Instead of slapping down a textbook and suggesting you memorise all of various wine appellations by rote, I will be selecting very specific bits and pieces from this hypothetical ebook and crafting a report tailored to you. Knowing what to focus on and what to ignore is the goal.

I admit i'm not a natural copywriter and everything I've done has pretty much just been imitating other successful sites. I'm wondering if I should hire another Fiverr provider to give things a once-over for me.

But I believe the biggest barrier was the price - No matter how you frame it, $89 is a lot of money, even if you ostensibly get more value than from a wine dinner or class. So I have changed that to something that's more attractive and would hopefully encourage even more people to sign up.

Once I'm ready with the ebook launch I'll have something very attractive to get people interested, then another very high-value offer that will fill more bellies than raw enthusiasm ever can :)

Thanks you for your post @Kyle Tully, you've posed some good questions and by being able to answer them I feel more strongly about my progress.
 
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