Baby Boomers Starting Over After 50 And Making A Profit

Dear Direct Response Reader; Bob Bly here for Hal Hoadley.
Think you’re too old to start a business? read on…

At what age are you too old to start an Internet marketing
business – or other new career or business?

I have thought at various times in my life (I am now 54) that
the cut-off age was 50 … 60 … or even 70.

There were two reasons I believed you’d reach a point where
starting over just wasn’t practical anymore.

The first, and lesser, was sheer age and lifespan: the idea that
when there are many more years behind you than ahead of you,
your time to enjoy the fruits of whatever labors you pursue is
too limited.

The second reason I believed there was a cut-off date for
starting a new career, learning a new trade, or launching a new
small business was lack of experience.

For instance, one of the many careers I considered in my youth
was the law. But years ago, I decided pursuing that was
impractical (not that I was really interested anyway; it was
more of a theoretical consideration).

Reason: say hypothetically you were to graduate law school at
age 45.

You compete against two groups.

The first is other 45-year-old lawyers who are the same age as
you – but have 20 years of law experience vs. your zero years.

The other group you compete against is your classmates. Like
you, they are new to the law.

But being in their 20s and single, instead of 45 and having a
mortgage and 3 kids in college, they can afford to work for
starting salaries too small to meet your needs.

However, actor Abe Vigoda has changed my mind about all this …
and my opinion today is that it is never too late to learn new
things, start a new business, switch careers, or go into a
different industry.

Abe Vigoda, if the name does not ring a bell, is the dour-faced
actor famous for playing the character Fish on the TV show
“Barney Miller.”

A few years ago, I read a short interview with Vigoda, who was,
at the time, still a working actor at age 87.

In it, I was reminded that Abe Vigoda’s big break was his first
movie, “The Godfather,” in which he played Sal Tessio.

Well, “The Godfather” was released in 1972. So if you do the
math, Abe Vigoda didn’t begin his movie acting career until he
was over 50.

More impressive is that, at age 87, Abe Vigoda – who, pardon me,
has a slightly cadaverous appearance that makes him look ready
for the Old Folks Home – was still a competitive handball player.

If Abe Vigoda can get his first movie role at over 50 – beating
out actors his age who had decades more credentials and
experience – then I am convinced that you and I can start a new
career or business at any age.

Yes, you may have some disadvantages over your younger
colleagues, peers, and competitors – including (possibly) less
energy, less flexibility, and less adaptability to new
technologies and methods.

Then again, maybe not. It depends on your personality – and your
circumstances. If you are a retired empty-nester, you may
actually have more time, freedom, and flexibility, not less.

On the other hand, if you are still working for a paycheck
because you have to and not because you want to, it may take a
greater degree of courage and fortitude to make any major
business, career, or life change.

As an older entrepreneur or career changer, you will likely have
some advantages over your competitors – such as greater life
experience and wisdom to draw upon when making decisions.

But I know from first-hand experience that 50 is not too old to
make a major change, and from that, I am guessing that your age
won’t stop you, either.

For example, I started a small online information marketing
business as I was closing in on my 50th birthday.

Today I earn a six-figure passive income selling information
products on the Internet, “working” less than an hour a day.

In my case, I kept my day job as a freelance copywriter and
still put in long hours on that.

But entering a new field – Internet marketing – has energized
and renewed me in a way I never thought possible.

If your gut tells you that you are ready for a change, you
probably are.

I close with this piece of wisdom from Milton Hershey, founder
of Hershey Chocolate:

“I have often been asked – What is the best age for producing? I
know only one answer, the age you are now.”

Sincerely,

Bob Bly
Copywriter / Consultant
590 Delcina Drive
River Vale, NJ 07675
Phone 201-505-9451
Fax 201-573-4094
www.bly.com

How to Expand in Database Marketing and Increase Back-end Sales to Raise Overall Profits

Establish a number of simultaneous promotional campaigns with a promotion automating email applications that will improve results for your web business sales, while growing in opt-in lists, prospects tend to follow, increasing back-end finishing sales, and bottom line profits.

Follow up is important because when you don’t follow up prospects or repeated customers with additional products and information, valuable potential sales opportunities are escaping from your reach. They will instead go to competitors, have their wants and needs fulfilled, and do it at the expense of what should have been your sale.

There are potential customers that may be interested in your products, but lose your information or were too busy for your sales pitch when it was given. Some customers will choose companies to buy from that follow up on inquires in a timely manner and friendly way. When they do not receive feedback, or the feedback is vague, their business is taken elsewhere.

Though everyone’s experiences are different, a commonality seems to be that just about everyone doing business on the internet has had that happen to them because of failing to follow up. Even customer follow up at preset times with a standard thanks or message has a huge effect on returning customers and thus increase in sales.

Those who have relatively automated marketing campaigns, email lists and database management, tend to follow up with personalized marketing software for email. Thus, the return in back end sales and bottom line profits increases.

Though raising profit margins and increasing sales is important, automation marketing is a time saving feature, as is email marketing. Both of which are important aspects of database marketing and gaining back end sales.

Doing internet business with email marketing automation comes with many benefits. One of which it to follow up old clients and make them prospective clients again. While following through, you will be collecting leads, prospects, customer contact information and personal data, all from a scope within your target market. Growing an opt-in list is important and vital as managing lists on multiple servers and using a number of marketing campaigns with many automatic responses.

Regardless of spam filters that have been recently employed, email is still the most effective medium for a number of reasons:

• It can be used to keep customers in touch with your new products and services
• It promotes continuous communication with website visitors
• It is a proactive way to keep clients interested and reaffirm brand loyalty
• Keeps organized all contacts and email communication
• Gives prospects a mode to ask questions

That list can be elongated by a series of other important functions of the email follow up. This has unlimited possibility for increasing return clients and following up well with prospects, aside from perhaps technological or software limits to follow up.

More to follow in your next post…

Related articles business owners must know:

• Why Opt Out is Not a B2B Marketing Strategy (thecustomercollective.com)
• Small Business Growth Expert Offers Free Report on Email Marketing 2.0 (prweb.com)

As salespeople we know how important it is to follow up with our customer. We don’t want to be intruding and we certainly don’t want to be annoying. Here is a brief video to show how you can approach the subject of follow up with your customer before he leaves with his purchase.

Image by Stuck in Customs via Flickr

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