CD-ROM Directory

Compact Disc Internet Directory

There is a net profit of over $2,000,000.00 in this deal.
(Estimated, based on past performance.)

Here's the user value in this CD.

For the user:

What a great way to save time. Sources, sources, sources!

But also instantly locate customers and clients, new product reviews, the latest legal and tax information. Also quickly find "how to" and training manuals, convention and trade show news, professional associations, and even sources of finance. Have instant access to employees and independent contractors that can get your job done, and done right. Log into discussion boards and read what others have to say, before you sign on to a purchase, investment, or procedure.

For the Merchant, Supplier, or Professional:

Your participation puts you on a link to your web site on this Compact Disc. This means that your business is promoted in places where it would not be otherwise. A function such as this CD is a win-win for both customer and supplier.

This CD will be initiated by an IMC Service Provider. IMC achieves marketing coverage by sharing the effort across the board.

For example:

The cost of creating this CD is shared by all participents, divided amongst all subject matters. The programming and duplication are negotiated as a single contract. The distribution of the software is carried out across the board as well, meaning that other companies, many you don't even know, are promoting your business simply as a byproduct of promoting their own. This allows for an "economy of scale" with significant cost reduction for everyone involved. In short, others help you carry your financial load.

The IMC governmental body is what helps bring everyone together and keep a level of parity amongst the parties. Getting more bang for your buck is why one chooses to participate.

For the IMC Service Provider:

Companies that pioneer an IMC Directory or Service Provider application (such as this Compact Disc) are exceptionally rewarded. They have considerable input and control over the IMC governmental body. Other IMC directory owners instruct them in the maximizing of profits. Best of all, the IMC Service Provider generates a level of promotional coverage that far exceeds its true cost.

What does it take to get started?

As with most IMC opportunities, there's much that's already been done. You can take advantage of the efforts of others, and some will help you even more along the way. The most important component is the human element. If you have the desire and the energy, everything else will fall into place. But you must think of this as an enterprise.

This CD Directory will be the follow up version to the Surplus Directory on CD-ROM, the biggest difference is that this Directory will feature much more than surplus. It will be a Directory of Directories featuring every subject imaginable.

Most users will acquire this CD as a business tool for their own line of work. They'll use it to find customers, clients, supplier sources, product reviews of legal and tax information, training manuals, trade show news, professional associations, sources of finance, etc. But, a CD has room for many individual directories, so there's no reason not to include everything. This way the user can have a much larger reference library.

The big advantage to IMC Service Providers (individual directory owners) is the cost. How else could this much advertising be obtained for so little money? Better yet, it can easily become a very good profit center to any Service Provider that wants to "work it". That's what the surplus guys did with the first directory, and it was a winner.

A lot of money can be made here, especially for the company that puts all the pieces together.

So, here's a little history on how all this got started:

The IMASD Administrator got a call from a company that creates CD-ROMs for trade shows. (Apparently this company's sales rep confused theIMASD with the ASD, an actual physical trade show event, which IMASD is not.) The sales rep pitched the IMASD on creating a CD-ROM for trade show attendees. This CD would list the contact info of all the trade show's vendors and the CDs could be passed out to supplement, or replace the printed material that is included in the usual handout.

The idea was a good one. A plan to promote the IMASD Members at the Las Vegas ASD trade show, with printed material, was already in the works. Why not a CD-ROM instead? So, the IMASD Admin wisely called the boys at EIS to get a bid from them. (EIS hosted most of the IMASD then, and therefore had a vested interest in an IMASD success. Taking advantage of relationships such as this is a fundamental principle of the IMC. IMC companies help each other, because it is in their own interest to do so.)

Sure enough, EIS came in with a much lower bid than the other company. EIS also came up with a much more usable and viable programming, so that each IMASD Member could get web site visitors long into the future.

Each IMASD Member got a link to his or her own web site on this CD-ROM, included at no extra cost, with their IMASD Membership. But there's more. Various IMASD Members were solicited for highlighted or extended listings in the Directory. They paid extra, and that extra money went into additional CD copies to be duplicated.

When it was all said and done, 50,000 of the Surplus Directory on CD-ROM were produced!

About 15,000 were distributed at that Las Vegas trade show with a number of IMASD Members helping pass them out from their own display booths. (Why did individual IMASD Members help? They got a little extra, a highlighted listing for the effort. A "little extra" is another IMC principle.)

The remaining 35,000 were sold (by EIS to a vendor who then sold them off) to companies (all over the world) who in turn, distributed them for their own purposes.

Not only did this generate close to $20,000.00, but it also generated tremendous promotion for the IMASD, and it still does. The Surplus Directory on CD-ROM is still being used, and every IMASD Member old or new, is getting more exposure and potential customers because of it.

Do the math: If 100 individual directories were including the original creation, and the production run was increased to 50,000,000 so that each Directory owner (each IMC Service Provider) was allotted 50,000 copies, the net profit would exceed $2,000,000.00.

A proven road map is in place. The programming is simple. The duplication is a slam-dunk. The distribution practically happens on its own. All that's needed is the pre-sales. What a gold mine this is for a 2 or 3 person team that likes to get on the phone.

Complete distribution of the Surplus Directory on CD-ROMs took a little over 2 years. With a more serious effort, this could be an annual exercise. It would get easier every year.

Estimated Cost for Consulting: $5,000 plus programming and licensing. Fees can be reduced considerably by pre-selling or partnering with others in the IMC. Enough 'partners' and you'll be in the black before you start the project.

Business and Revenue Streams:

Listed below are a number of other revenue streams that you handle yourself, our farm out. (Once you acheive critical mass, you can sell these like a franchise!) This is not to mention the immense value of becoming an IMC Service Provider. The IMC Service Provider is the one who launches the Directory, or in this case, the Compact Disc.

Consulting estimates are provided by Electronic Information Services, Inc.
To inquire, call (425) 487 3700 .

Also see http://www.surplus.net/services/index.html#software for a related IMASD business opportunity.

RETAIL PRODUCT SALES FOR YOUR PRODUCT

This requires an online shopping cart. This technology is available from many sources. References and consulting in this area are often provided to IMC Directory Owners (IMC Service Providers) at no charge. The Service Provider (you) then offers this technology to individual vendors (IMC participants) for a fee.

Estimated Cost for Consulting: Free to IMC Service Providers.

WHOLESALE PRODUCT SALES

Nothing too involved here. It's a promotion to sell your products in large volume. Just close the sales. After all, this is why you'd become involved with the IMC in the first place.

Estimated Cost for Consulting: Free to IMC Service Providers.

INDUSTRY DIRECTORY

Running a Directory is the basis from which all IMC benefit flows. A complete IMC Directory, tapping into all the various revenue streams (including Compact Disc) will need about 2 full time employees.

No charge if you qualify for an 'Open' directory. Directories that are already taken, will require negotiation with its current owner.
Need help? $500 will buy you consulting for an unclaimed (open) directory.

CLASSIFIEDS

If you choose not to run this yourself, then hook up with a "Classifieds" Service Provider.

Also see "Classifieds".

AUCTION REVENUE

With a few exceptions, most online auctions have flopped. The problem is that the approach was too broad. You can't compete with Ebay, so why try? If you stick to your area of expertise, Ebay can't compete with you. Be specific.

Estimated Cost for Consulting: Free to IMC Service Providers.

BROWSER SOFTWARE

Imagine that surfers all over the Internet have your web site built as their default startup page every time they open their browser.

Also see "Browser Software".

CONTACT LIST GATHERING

This can work in several ways. One being in association with web site construction, and another with a For Sale and Wanted program. Leads are automatically loaded into a database. Very effective, but it does require a technical infrastructure. (For example, IMASD gets up to 100 offers daily using this venue. Inquire to see a working example.)

Estimated Cost for Consulting: $2,000. (IMC Service Providers only.)

DISCUSSION BOARD

It's hard to find something that keeps more people coming back to a web site than a Discussion Board. People love the soap operas, the arguments, and the rumors. Let them have what they want and cream off some customers in the process. There are a couple of guys who know how to make this pay.

Also see "Discussion Board".

Estimated Cost for Consulting: $1,500 including software and tech support.

FAX NEWSLETTER

The value of a delivered hard copy (a fax) is greater than an e-mail. It has more impact. Running a Broadcast Fax Newsletter can be profitable, and relatively easy to run. But don't think that it's a big earner. A good fax newsletter is not a huge income earner in itself, but it is an excellent support service. Publishing a newsletter makes you most of your money indirectly, not as an advertising venue.

Also see "Broadcast Fax".

Estimated Cost for Consulting: $1,000.

IT SERVICES (HOSTING, SHOPPING CARTS, WEB SITE CONSTRUCTION

If you're an ISP or Web Hosting company, this is the way to go. Run an IMC Directory and you'll have a built in customer base. Technology companies should also see "Internet and E-commerce".

Estimated Cost for Consulting: Trade out your services in exchange for the traffic.

MAGNET PAGES

AKA 'doorway pages' are web pages that attract search engine rankings. Good pages will appear early in the rankings of Google, Yahoo, and others. Pages such as these can be sold to individual vendors, or used to attract visitors to the directory overall.

Also see "Magnet Pages".

Estimated Cost for Consulting:
$5,000 for 100 pages, installed.
$1,000 for Do-it-yourself instruction. (IMC Service Providers only)

E-MAILING LIST

There's a way to do this properly, and for a fee the manager of one of the most popular e-mail newsletters on the net will teach you how. You should keep in mind that a good e-mail newsletter is not a huge income earner in itself, but it is an excellent support service. Publishing a newsletter makes you most of your money indirectly, not as an advertising venue.

Estimated Cost for Consulting: $1,500. (IMC Service Providers only)

MEMBERSHIP REVENUE

There are a lot of web site portals that tout "become a member" but no one on the Net has done it better than IMASD. A membership to the IMASD now costs over $4,000.00! How did an IMASD membership become so valuable, and who's making the money here? Well, you could do the same with your own membership organization, but you better start with an Internet directory. (Learn how the IMASD did it.) There are people who can formulate a plan for you, but there's a fee involved.

Estimated Cost for Consulting: Inquire with the IMASD Web Administrator. www.surplus.net/contact.html

PAY-PER-CLICK

High traffic web sites often display their own general search engines. These search engines are supported by advertising companies that sell keyword searches to advertisers. This means that a 'search the web' box on your web site can earn you money. You can tap into EIS for the knowledge and the basic programming to make your web site(s) earn passive income from these pay-per-click companies.

Estimated Cost for Consulting: $1,000.

PRINT PUBLICATION

Are you considering the launch of a periodical that's all about your business or profession? Did you know that an IMC Directory can launch a publication cheaper than any other avenue of promotion (not to mention the ongoing source of ad revenue)? Maybe you already have a publication and you're looking for increased circulation. Hooking up with an IMC Directory can make your year.

Also see "Printing".

Estimated Cost for Consulting: Negotiable with the individual IMC Directory owner. A quick EIS consultation and evaluation is available at no charge.

PRINT DIGITAL HYBRID

This works using Adobe Acrobat PDF files. It allows a print publication to integrate with an IMC Directory that uses an online database. Customers can print out timely information and advertisers in both the Directory and Print Publication get greater exposure.

Estimated Cost for Consulting: $2,000.

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