November 10, 2009
Whoa… This is a *LOT* of Work!
Holy smokes. I didn’t anticipate there would be this much work ramping up to my braintrust / mastermind. There is.
I’ve been slammed since I first got serious about this.
A lot of my readers and users have been pressing me for details. I still don’t know everything (because I’m very fluid and this will evolve over time)… but here’s what I know so far.
First, a word of warning… I am making zero effort to sell anything here. I’m just telling you the details I have worked out so far. If you want to be sold… go to the site. If you want the dirty details that aren’t on the site… this is where you’ll find them. I’m sure I’m breaking all kinds of marketing rules spilling the beans like this… but you’re an adult. I’m sure you can handle it 
Although I still have some behind-the-scenes stuff to work out, I have the basic site up for the giveaway portion of the braintrust.
I will be giving away some really good free content up front. No real surprise there. Today’s bonus is Image Ad Builder… although I still haven’t finalized the actual release version. What’s up there right now is still the beta version, but I’ve added another 27 user-created templates.
On Thursday I’ll be sharing a content network trick I learned from the CPA side of my business. It’s very cool, very powerful, probably not entirely allowed, and can’t be done with search. There will be a method and a piece of software for that. And it can be used with Image Ad Builder.
Early next week, probably Monday or Tuesday, I will release the final piece of the free stuff. It will probably be another piece of my iFrame Magic that I use. I released a portion of that when Amish Shah spilled the beans on part of what I was doing. I’m considering opening that up a little more so you can see another cool trick you can do with iframes.
I have a couple more ideas I may do instead of the iframe stuff, though. Mostly because it feels like the support questions on that might be too much, since it’s much more of a technical-geek thing that’s really powerful.
And the reason I’m doing all of that is to build a relationship with people who don’t know me yet. (I know… can you believe they’re still out there ).
Next week I will launch my IM Warfare coaching program / braintrust. Membership will be limited. And I’ve decided there will be 2 parts to it…
One part will be a membership in a community and forums where I will participate and make available early releases of new technologies I am working on. There will not be any additional cost to be part of the community… once you’ve been a member in good standing with my braintrust you are in the community for life.
I would hope that the community is as good as what Gauher has going for PPCF and PPVF. That’s really my ideal. I’ll participate a lot… and I would like to see active participation from others, as well.
The second part is a 6-month micro-continuity training and coaching course. During that time I will show you have I run by business, how I exploit technologies, and a bunch of other stuff I don’t talk about very often.
It will be *very* enlightening, I can promise you that. You will absolutely see Internet Marketing differently than you ever have before. Even when I hang out with the big guns I have a different perspective than them.
Once I teach you something, if I have technology I use to do it, you will get what I use. Nothing held back.
And, since it’s also a braintrust, you’ll have an open communication to me to suggest new features or entirely new technologies. I’m *way* excited for where that goes. My brain gets moving fast, fast when I get in an open discussion about what you see in addition to what I see.
So far, here’s what the early schedule will be…
I’ll start off revealing every single aspect of my Amazon.com business. What I did right and wrong. And you’ll get all the software I’ve developed and websites that you can use yourself. I’ll even have a version where you can just use my sites with your Associate ID.
I chose that first because, even though not a lot of people focus on Amazon, I think there will be those that pay for their entire course and more just with the Amazon stuff between now and Christmas. It’s a *crazy good* time to know this.
And, even better, *all* of my Amazon.com marketing methods are totally free.
Seriously… this is worth the entire course (at least at this time of year… wouldn’t be the same in March).
From there we’ll get in to cloaking, tracking, offer rotation, finding winners, and maximizing profits. We may get into some search PPC there, as well… but only if I feel like I can offer something unique… I refuse to give you the same tired methods everyone else uses.
We’ll likely spend most of December learning how to manufacture winning campaigns and how to explode them once you have a foothold.
In January we’re going to crush ClickBank. Seriously.
We’re going to kill it with all the new year’s resolutions and other unique opportunities that present themselves that time of year. Plus, I’m going to show you some wicked sneaky ClickBank tricks you can do anytime. And, of course, you’ll get all the software I use… most of it is server-side for the ClickBank strategies.
In February we’ll hit landing pages hard. Only we won’t be talking much about design and quality scores and stuff. (Although I’m trying to get Jonathan Van Clute, the lpGen creator, to provide some great content about that part).
What I will be talking about are different types of landing pages you can create for different monetization methods. It probably sounds a little murky right now… but just know that I’m going to show you new landing page templates that generate revenue in different ways.
You already know I like to give stuff away… what you might not know is that a huge portion of my online business is from giving away free stuff and monetizing the traffic in other ways. I can’t say more than that right now… but you’ll like my sneaky landing page tricks.
Beyond that it’s a little hazy still. Partly because I haven’t nailed everything down yet. And mostly because I anticipate going wherever the braintrust wants to go. I expect I’ll need some flexibility in there.
I do, however, have a list of other topics I will be covering…
- Bots and data scraping.
- Advanced javascript tricks.
- Advanced iframe magic.
- Using offline marketing to drive online sales (a pre-requisite for the mobile marketing module that I will end with).
- Video and multi-media.
- Creating your own free ad network (ridiculously cool).
- Social networking (not my string suit… but I do have a couple tricks that work really well).
- White-hat (gray-hat) cookie stuffing and other aggressive techniques.
- CPA domination.
- Various other technical tidbits and magic little scripts and utilities.
- Using software distribution networks for free traffic.
And, finally, I’ll close with either mobile marketing or personal ad networks. I’d like to cover both of them… but it depends greatly on where the technologies are when the time comes. We’ll see.
Bottom-line… it will be absolutely jammed-packed. And, if I had to guess, I would think 80-90% of it will be stuff you’ve never heard before. And probably half of it will be stuff you didn’t think was even possible.
My big concern is that as we get into some pretty advanced stuff (most of it is pretty accessible) that we’ll slow down and get off schedule. If that happens I’ll extend the training up to 2 months without any additional expense to you.
Now, if you’re still reading at this point you have to be wondering about the price. Right?
It won’t be cheap. If I’m going to do this it will be almost a full-time job for me for the next several months. Even though I have most of the technologies in use already, I still have to commercialize them and make usable for you.
That’s my second really big concern… that I won’t have enough people to make it feasible for me to commit to. In that case, I will probably just refund your money and not do it. So that is a possibility… mostly because I’ve never done this before and I don’t know if 2 people will sign up, or 100.
So here’s what I’m thinking… and, surprisingly, this is up for discussion until I go live… because this part of it scares me a little. I just don’t know what to expect.
If you actually learn what I teach you, this would be a no-brainer. If you know me, you know this is going to be Good (capital G). But that doesn’t make it any easier to price it.
Right now I’m thinking six months of training for $247 / month per person (I’ve got to do the marketing price ending in a 7, right? Isn’t there some sort of law, or something ). That is *not* a continuity thing (I hate those, even though they’re very profitable).
That is the number that makes it work for me. I spread it out over the six months so it would be more digestible for you today.
If you pay up front I’m thinking a pretty hefty discount would be reasonable. Maybe I’d do a single up-front payment for $1,197.
Lastly, on my actual birthday (Thursday) I will be offering a special deal… which was a big part of the point of doing this now. On Thursday, and only Thursday (which is before the course materials will even be available, since it won’t launch until the following Tuesday) you can get your first month for $40 (you know… for my 40th birthday).
So that’s $207 off if you pay monthly or $990 total if you single-pay. If you single-pay on my birthday your total savings would be $492. That’s pretty good, I think. And a killer value.
Okay… so bad marketing form to expose everything up front. But if you’re reading my blog you probably don’t expect anything different.
If you’re on one of my lists or the lists of my partners (I only have a half-dozen, or so, that I’ve invited to “celebrate” with me) you’ll get the hype part of it anyway… so I don’t need to clutter my blog with the salesy stuff.
Oh… and you can check it out now at IMWarfare.com.
As always, I’d love to hear your comments, suggestions, complaints, or pleas to lower the price… although those last will be summarily ignored
Especially, if you’re serious about joining my braintrust, and you have a question… leave a comment or send me an email. Heck… even give me a call on my mobile @ 602-214-4075 (only if you’re serious and have concerns). I’ll remove my phone number from the post in a few days.
Wealth and abundance.
Spread the word
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40 Comments on Whoa… This is a *LOT* of Work! »
November 10, 2009
Jason @ 12:19 pm:
WOW !!! Holly Crap
All that for that low of a price .. you must be out of your mind, but if you don't mind it doesn't mater
This is an incredible oppurtunity here for a lot (well bepends if it is limited membership) to make a lot of money
I know I'll be signing up on your B-day and paying the full amount up front… I don't even have to think twice about this one .
I can't beleive what a deal this is
Lana @ 12:20 pm:
Hi Matt,
I am in all the way.
You are my most respected marketer.
I am a software engineer, so I hope you do not hold back the technical tricks from people who can appreciate them and build upon.
Have been waiting for the opportunity to work with you for a long time.
Happy Birthday!!!
Hope to do the same on my birthday,
Lana
mharward @ 1:11 pm:
@Jason… I've really agonized over that. In my heart I feel like this is worth a *lot* more… but I also think that right now isn't the time to go there.
And since this is the first time I've tried this I just don't know where I should be price-wise… there really isn't anything I'm aware of to compare it to.
So this first group will be interesting… I'm open to the possibility that it will be a huge hassle and I'll never do it again…
And I'm open to the possibility that I'll do it again next year… except for $5,000 each.
We'll see. I'm excited. Thanks for the support.
Gabe @ 1:29 pm:
I see lots of pacing in your future….
Thank you my brother!
Vik @ 1:49 pm:
@mharward..
Hey Matt, one concern: you mentioned that some of it will be very technical, and some of us aren't code-savvy. What portion of the stuff you give out will be technical? Just worried that if most of it goes over my head, I may need to hire a programmer to be on-call to help out. In any case I'm in.
-Vik
mharward @ 2:06 pm:
@Vik… great question. That will probably be a concern for a lot of people.
An important part of what I want to do is introduce you to some technologies that I think *every* marketer should know… because you're so limited if you don't at least understand what is possible.
For *most* of the technical stuff I'll teach you *about* it and then I'll give you my solution. There will still be some stuff that you'll need to do on your own… things like hosting and a few server things.
It shouldn't be a huge deal. I especially don't want people to back away from this because you're intimidated by the technology. I'm as good a person as there is to show you this stuff… and if you want to stay competitive in this industry you'll *have* to know it soon.
I recorded a second video yesterday that I didn't post. In it I talk about how the competitive advantage of knowing more than your competition is shriveling up. There's almost no leverage from knowledge right now… the information is too abundant and too stale (at least for now).
Without a serious shake-up in how the industry works in the very near future (and I don't see that yet) we're all competing more and more on our ability to execute better than our competition… because we can't rely on knowing something they don't know.
Does that make sense?
Execution and scalability is the next frontier of internet marketing. There's nowhere else to go unless Google invents an entirely new platform in the next year.
I think eventually it may be mobile that provides a "knowledge" advantage again. But I really think you'll have to learn some technical stuff to compete.
And that's really good news. Because most marketers won't. And most marketers will just keep treading water.
I don't think you guys realize just how badly the "bulk" marketers are killing you right now. The geeks and wizards are raking it.
And I know there are "old-school" guys killing it, too. But don't let that fool you. You'll need to have at least a little "geek" in you to succeed in the future. Even if you're not a coder (and it's not my intent to make you one). I just want you to know.
Long winded comment… I know. But it's a good question and it really deserves a complete answer.
Vik @ 2:44 pm:
@mharward..
I've been thinking about that lately and really wondering how some people are killing it…you just answered that question! It probably is time that I start learning the technical stuff now(if I can get through 4 years of engineering school, I believe I can learn coding if I put my mind to it).
One more thing and this is going to sound a little selfish on my part (well, maybe very selfish). Your post mentioned that you're willing to hear some debate on the price..I'm going to suggest going the other way on your price (increasing it) for the simple reason that the less people know about it the more impact your techniques will have for those who join. Instead of taking in 100 people, how about 50 at double the price…
-Vik
Taylor @ 2:46 pm:
Woohoo, I'm in! This is going to be amazing.
@Vik, remember there is a forum too. I'm in another private forum that has a great family feel, people help each other all the time with technical stuff. I'm sure our forum will be very friendly and safe.
Thank you Matt.
David Jewell @ 4:34 pm:
Hi Matt, I think the price set is fair, and you got to "feel" its right. It's set high enough to remove the Tyre kickers and right on the money for non programmers like myself. My only concern like the others is the technical stuff. BUT we all started with an iframe code right
Question on the Amazon software, in reading the blog months ago I know you had difficulty getting your cheque off them, is this software modeled on the same system or a modified version. My Amazon mini niche IPK sites have been giving me a steady $2000 a month on autopilot and I don't want to risk my account! ( Especially in the next 6 weeks when they all go bananas!)
Dan @ 4:35 pm:
Matt,
Aside from the forum/community, how do you expect most of the mentoring to be facilitated? Will it be live webinars? Videos? I'm mostly curious because i have some trips planned and wonder if my absence will hinder the learning process.
Thanks.
mharward @ 4:44 pm:
@david… I went through heel to get my check from Amazon. That is true.
This software and system is approved by them.
The traffic "footprint" lef tby my software could appear as suspicious activity. Once I understood their concerns and they saw my software (I had to fork over source code, and everything), we got on the same page.
@dan… I expect the forums will be a really critical part of the communication. That lets everyone from around the world get involved.
Outside of that, I intend to have both webinars and push video. I will also do my best to support local mastermind mini-groups.
Also, all webinars will be recorded and made available later.
There will always be scheduling conflicts of one sort, or another. We'll find a way to deal with them.
Jon @ 5:12 pm:
Matt
I'm definitely in!
This couldn't be better timed for me, and the price looks right, in fact it looks incredible value when looking at the list of things you've got planned.
I like the idea of covering multiple techniques and markets rather than keeping all the eggs in one basket.
Also looking forward to learning the more detailed technical aspects of the business, especially tools and software to help automate the process.
Roll on Thursday.
Allen @ 5:22 pm:
Matt,
Wow, your plan looks great and I'm totally in!
It's so rare to find advanced tools and techniques from a marketer who's kicking butt in the trenches. I'm looking forward to being part of the community and sharing tips & tricks.
The Image Ad Builder is a great example of a super-useful tool that's as good or better than another tool that I paid $100/month for (and was worth it even at that price). Bottom-line, thank you Matt!
Allen
Will @ 5:35 pm:
Hi Matt,
Thank you for offering the MasterMind group & BrainTrust.
From what I've read so far, you have again over-delivered!
Mahalo!
Will
Gabe @ 6:39 pm:
@ matt - "I don't think you guys realize just how badly the "bulk" marketers are killing you right now. The geeks and wizards are raking it."
I think I've known that for a loooooong time now (like probably lots of other people here)… That's why it's a challenge to stay in the game at all because it's like you know something is going on but you just don't know what.
If that makes sense…
Basically, I am just sick of being ignorant about alot of what *really* happens. I mean, you can piece it together here and there but unless you are a natural braniac, it's tough.
So, I'm guessing that the overall aim here is to give us mere mortals (no offense to the geeks and wizards reading this) a chance to level the playing field a bit?
How much of what we learn do you suppose we be able to implement ourselves vs. having to get help from programmer types - assuming we have a basic skill set?
robin @ 6:41 pm:
this sounds really wicked. I cant wait to see what you got in store for all us IM'ers.
Edgar @ 7:05 pm:
Matt.. you're making it feel like its my birthday instead of yours! This could well be my ticket out of my day job. I'm excited and I'm so glad that you are not going to make it a continuity thing but well planned with exciting things to learn every month.
Michael @ 9:28 pm:
Ya Holly Crap! I have been looking for somone on the real inside to give me a hand up…
To learn what you have just said above for 250 a month ,,man I have allready wasted 20,000 on re hash'd manuals and software ,with so many bugs.
I have been trying to figure out what the big big boys are doing,,Thanks big time Matt,, I am diff in,, I beleave this could be my final jump off piont to the real Day Job Killer.
Amish has only leaked parts of this here and there.
Thanks bunches Matt Michael…
Will @ 9:34 pm:
Hi Matt,
It's Will again. Going back today and reading your 'old' PPVF forum posts on PPVF2, you seem to have quite a few tricks up your sleeve on how you do PPV and the tools you use.
How about 1 month of the MasterMind course covering PPV/CPA, and maybe another month covering Content Network/Site Targeting; those paid traffic IM areas not (yet) saturated by the 'newbie generation' beyond decent profitability and with which you have expertise and experience?
Thanks Again!
Will
November 11, 2009
Jonathan van Clute @ 12:48 am:
Ahhhh Matt, Matt, Matt…
You have completely flipped your gourd, and I think the Marketing Police will be at your door soon to revoke your license for breaking so many of the Laws of Marketing in one blog post.
Fortunately for all of us though… you're not usually really big on rules in marketing.
This is gonna be absolutely freaking stellar. But of course you just HAD to decide to do this while I'm in the throws of getting LPGen2 finished and stable for release!! ARRRGH!!! Like I don't already have ENOUGH on my plate without you tempting me this way?? LOL
Seriously everyone… strap on your safety belts cuz this is gonna be one hell of a ride, I promise you that!!
Way to come up above ground Matt…
Jonathan
Zen @ 1:56 am:
Matt, how quick out of the gate will we be making some serious jack with this if we put forth some serious action?
Amazon and the holidays are upon us.
mharward @ 8:11 am:
Hey all… just getting up and going for the morning. Lots of comments and messages to reply to. Here are some quick replies…
@zen… I think you can get on the Amazon.com stuff pretty quickly. The commissions are small… but the volume this time of year is staggering. And… Amazon is a great place to make sure you drop a cookie this time of year. You'll pick up all kinds of unrelated commissions even with a 24 hr. cookie.
@jvc… rofl. I keep waiting for the knock at my door in the middle of the night. Good luck with lpg2… maybe we can see some of it in the braintrust?
@will… planning on it.
@gabe… I think the vast majority of it you'll be able to do yourself. So much of it is copy and paste once you know what to do. Some of the strategies I'll share (like how to use free software to spring a guerilla attack on a market) will require specific technical skills… you caneasily hire them out or choose to not implement those strategies.
Just to be clear… this will be a *lot* of information. I don't expect everybody to do everything. What I hope to do is introduce each of you to those handful of "a-ha" moments that will put your business into overdrive.
Don't be overly concerned with "getting" and implementing absolutely everything I say. Does that make sense?
Zen @ 9:13 am:
Matt, I like what I'm hearing. I think there is some concern you're so super intelligent the mere mortal won't be able to keep up. Sounds like you're telling us that won't be a problem.
Is there a pre-sign-up to the pre-sign-up? You know, a place where a few of us can wish you an early happy birthday?
I can't wait to get started with this. I'm ready right now.
Taylor @ 10:25 am:
Matt, just found this Wordpress theme that might be easier for the group than a forum. Looks like you can make a sort of private twitter, without the 140 restriction. Supports iPhone too.
http://ma.tt/2009/05/how-p2-changed-automattic/
fyi
Charlie @ 11:08 am:
Matt,
I'm in. Your freee stuff completely blows away most paid tools. I can't wait to see whats under the hood.
And this is my personal ultimatum to myself. I either meet my reasonable financial goal with your braintrust/mastermind, or I quit IM for good.
I'm serious. You are at the top of my list, and I never thought I'd get this chance. My chips are all in.
Zen @ 11:23 am:
Charlie, I'm in the same boat. If I can't get this done with Matt and this group, I'm done.
Michael said in a previous message he's wasted $20,000 with his IM attempts. I'm nowhere near that, but it's considerable.
See you on the other side.
danny @ 2:45 pm:
Hey Matt
Happy birthday from UK
I'm in and I have not even seen the site or price yet- but just love your tools i got already
Where is this site at for me to be sold!!??
cheers
Danny
Jdon @ 2:53 pm:
So mister, you are saying that come tomorrow that a program that will be $297.00 a month in future payments, we will get the first month for $40.00?
Darm if that is true and correct, I have to get on board, I do.
Jay - TheBestBonus.com @ 10:29 pm:
Hi, Matt
As a software developer myself, I appreciate all the automated tools you provided for us. You are the smartest marketer I admire the most!
Thanks for offering such great opportunity for us to learn more from you! You are a bless to a lot of us!
November 12, 2009
Simon @ 8:03 am:
Sounds interesting Matt, just wanged my details into the opt in, guess we will hear from you soon about how send you some $$$ for the training.
Nick @ 9:04 am:
Hi Matt,
I'm Definitely interested the training but would like more detail on how it's delivered and what experience level it's for newbie, intermediate, advanced or all the above.
I know your a real technical guy but I'm not so I might get lost if it's to techie.
Nick
Jason @ 2:59 pm:
This looks awesome Matt,
I hope you'll be teaching us stuff about PPV/CPV as I'm in those markets among others. You need good software to implement quickly in CPV it seems and I'd like to hear about it from your point of view.
I fired up a new AdOn campaign this morning and had a few broad targets that I missed when cleaning my list. 30 mins. later i had rung up a $200 bill. Chalk it up to getting in there and getting your hands dirty.
But I can see the potential there, and i just need to hone my skills.
Also interested in the other side of google, which is site targeted and image ads.
Now a question: Do you use Facebook Advertising? What are your thoughts? Looks like you can tightly target your ads. I'm gonna fire up a few campaigns in FB tonight.
BTW, I'm joining your group. It's an investment, but to me, your free knowledge has been second to none, including the gurus out there that call themselves the experts. Back that up with the fact that you seem to be a standup guy.
I have no doubt that this will be a definite gamechanger for my biz and my lifestyle. I just hope i can implement as quickly as I can learn.
thanks
Jason @ 3:06 pm:
Another quick question.
I have alot of my own products. Will there be any focus on marketing our own products?
Danell @ 5:15 pm:
Hi Matt,
Sounds terrific! Even mystifying….but hopefully not toooo mystifying….lol.
I'm definitely in! And not just because your stuff looks and sounds amazingly fresh and effective but because more than anything YOU and your approach sound irrresistible! Bring on the wild ride. I'm really looking forward to learning from you.
Happy 40th!! (I just turned 61 and your "Brain Trust" is my Bday gift to myself).
Cheers!
Danell
Paula @ 10:32 pm:
Your tools save me lot of efforts to launch campaigns.
With your Amazon script, how to get traffic? SEO or paid ads? Comment on "drop cookie". Is that safe to get commissions from Amazon? Lot of people got banned by cookie stuff. Really love the idea to make some killings from now to Christmas.
Mobile marketing sounds wonderful.
November 13, 2009
Tom @ 2:16 am:
Glad to be aboard with you Matt. I've spent the past year and a half completely immersed in learning everything I could about everything related to IM. Bad mistake–now my head is spinning!
So I'm putting my trust in you that you can stop all that spinning and get me on the straight path to success! My tech skills have been a major bump in the road for me, but you seem like a great teacher, and I'm ready to learn.
Can't wait to get started!!
Oh, and Happy Birthday!
Tom
November 14, 2009
Larry @ 12:50 pm:
Belated Happy B-Day Matt. Great opportunity you're providing here. This will actually change the lives of some people, and that is a Great Gift. So, to you I wish much success in your family life & health. You certainly have it financially and your willingness to share is a true treasure. Count me in.
Larry
November 17, 2009
Zan @ 6:58 pm:
Damn, missed it, please open this up again next year Matt, Im dirty that i couldn't get in, any chance of opening up a few more seats??????
December 16, 2009
Tony @ 8:14 pm:
Yeah same here….. Let me know if your going to open this back up again next year… I could use some schooling at the moment..
March 3, 2010
matt @ 7:30 pm:
Let me know if you open this back up or if anyone drops out