Inspirational Success Stories

Stories inspire you…

from Derek Gehl, CEO
The Internet Marketing Center (IMC)

SUCCESS STORY #1: AbeBooks.com — $170 million in sales in 2006!

Abe’s Books started out as a small used bookshop in Victoria, Canada. When the original shopkeeper started complaining about how much time she had to spend tracking down rare or hard-to-find books for her customers, her “techie” husband suggested using the Internet.

Talk about a good idea. Just 10 years after going online, CEO Hannes Blum reports that AbeBooks.com is now selling $170 million worth of books a year!

Here’s a rundown of some of the strategies the company has used to achieve its incredible success:

• List segmentation: This company puts a lot of effort into splitting their customers and subscribers into different niche groups, and then presenting those groups with targeted promotional offers that speak directly to their needs.

Hannes says, “It’s much more effective to contact our customers this way than with ‘broad strokes.'”

• Targeted newsletters: AbeBooks.com offers newsletters on a wide range of topics, so that people can get free information on their specific interests.

“We have specialist e-newsletters dedicated to textbooks, rare book collecting and niche genres like science fiction and fantasy,” Hannes says.

• Search engine optimization: “All of our sites are designed to bring in natural traffic when people are searching for authors and books,” he says.

“Search engines are the roads people travel along when using the Internet to get places. If you’re not putting out signs to capture their attention, they’ll never find their way to you!”

• Pay-per-click campaigns: Hannes says his company uses all the major pay-per-click programs — Google, MSN, and Yahoo.

“Books encompass a massive variety of subjects, so we bid on a variety of keywords: titles, author names, genre names,” he says. “You definitely have to know how your audience is trying to find you to use these programs effectively.”

SUCCESS STORY #2: ToolKing.com — $25 million in sales in 2006

Don Cohen’s first online selling experience was on eBay. He and his 14-year-old son decided to list two items for $4.00 — and they didn’t even sell!

But Don didn’t let that stop him. He recognized the profit potential of the Internet and took his retail tool shop online.

Turns out it was a great move. Don’s site, ToolKing.com is now selling $25 million worth of tools every year!

Here are some of the top strategies Don has used to achieve his success:

• Social networking: Don has built an online community site to support his sales site. People can go there to read free product reviews and recommendations, as well as industry information that’s difficult to find anywhere else.

“They can come and get involved in various forums and workshops, set up blogs, connect with our staff, and access a ton of free information and product reviews on the tools and tool brands we sell,” he says.

“The more value we can offer our visitors and customers, the more likely they are to return to our sites again and again, and give us the chance to market our products to them. And that’s what we want!”

• Search engine optimization: “Relevant content and relevant links are both very positive in terms of search engine optimization, and we’re really providing them with both things on a consistent basis,” Don says.

“You want to keep the spiders combing through your sites on a daily basis to see what’s there. You want to know where people head once they’ve been there — and how they got there in the first place!”

• Dedication to customer satisfaction: “The bigger you get, the easier it is to forget that your customers are the bottom line — not just your profits — and that you need to satisfy THEM in the end, if you want to grow,” Don says.

“We aim to provide the best product at the best price without sacrificing customer satisfaction, or putting a dent that all-important customer relationship.”

… Of course, if you’re just getting started, the idea of building a business that makes $25 million — or $170 million! — probably seems a bit ambitious.

But no matter what your goals — whether you just want to make a comfortable $5,000-$6,000 income, or you want to drive around town in a brand-new Ferrari (because your Maserati’s in the garage) — the best way to achieve success is to model the strategies of people who are ALREADY running successful online businesses.

And that’s why it’s so great to learn about the strategies that successful marketers like Hannes and Don have used to achieve their incredible success!
Any questions?