723 – Your Questions Tom’s answers: Tom talks Q&A

Episode 723 - Q&A
[00:00:08] Welcome to Screw the Commute, the entrepreneurial podcast dedicated to getting you out of the car and into the money with your host, lifelong entrepreneur and multi-millionaire. Tom Antion.

[00:00:24] Hey everybody, it's Tom here with episode 723 is Screw the Commute podcast. This is one of my question and answer things. I do this occasionally where I just collect questions and answers or questions from people that I get all the time and pick the ones that I think would be most pertinent to most people listening. So this is episode 723. Hope you didn't miss Episode 722. I called that sleeping rough. It's definitely not my normal high energy podcast. It was I was. I still am actually sleeping in a chair near my beloved dog because his rear legs quit working. And I don't know if you hear any noise in the background. I'm doing laundry a couple times a day because he messes himself and God just trying to take care of him, keep him comfortable and see if I can rehabilitate him. So that's just my little story about that. And I'm so darn lucky I have this kind of business where I can be with him all day and all night. Let's see. Okay, Follow me on TikTok at tiktok.com/@digitalmultimillionaire. Pick up a copy of our automation book at screwthecommute.com/automatefree. It'll save you hundreds of hours or possibly thousands of hours into the future. If you use just a few of the tips in that book.

[00:01:47] Okay. Let's see. Let's get to some questions here. Pdf versus Kindle. People seem to have trouble with this. So I want to make it very clear the PDF version of an ebook is sold on your website or given away on your website. You can get full price as much as a regular ebook in a bookstore. You get the customer that purchased it in your database, which is important. As important as the money you get for the book and you get all the money minus the credit card percentages and so forth. Now, the Kindle book is different. Oh in PDF books have page numbers and footers where most Kindle books do not because you can change the size of the font. Now you can make a Kindle ebook that looks exactly like your print book, but it's just not as easy to manipulate with the Kindle software from the reader's perspective. Now, you don't put page numbers in these these type of Kindle books that are reflowable, they call it. And you can't you normally don't charge as much. But the upside is Amazon has hundreds of millions of visitors every day that you get advantage, you get to take advantage of. And if they buy your book, then Amazon gets their percentage, you get your percentage and they send you a check and you don't have any fulfillment or anything like that. So that's the difference. Pdf is sold on your website at full price and you get the person in your database. Kindle is usually no page numbers, no footer, no sales letter with a big guarantee at the bottom.

[00:03:33] You do have to write a description for the book so people want to buy it. And also on the side note Kindle ads for your ebook are dirt cheap. So that's some. And they send hundreds of millions of customers to the site. So you have to format your Kindle description and everything so that people can find it when they search for your topic. Okay. Next thing dashes in domain names. Folks, this went out. Oh, I don't know. It's probably pushing ten years ago. See in the early days you would try to stuff keywords in your domain name because that would be a ranking factor with the search engines. And then everybody started abusing the heck out of it. In fact, I'm guilty as charged. I mean, you could put multiple dashes. So I had like great dash. Dash, dash. Dash. Dash, dash, dash. Speaking. Dash, dash, dash, dot com. It was just stupid, all right? But that's the way it was in those days. So nowadays, no dashes. I mean, Google found out everybody's stuffing keywords in their domain names. And so the ranking factor is almost zero to have it. Now, it is a good idea to have keywords in there from the visitor's point of view. If they see your website and it says public speaking or it says Antion Associates, well, and they're looking for public speaking, they're going to click on the public speaking domain, not Antion associates, which doesn't tell them anything about what it's about.

[00:05:06] So I usually reserve the sites with my name on it, like antion.com for my speaking. That's what I do now. So and there's so many top level domains now. You know, they got dot everything nowadays you can probably get your whichever you want, but you're not going to have a.com for the most popular ones. But just don't put a dash in there and you can usually find a way around it. Like if your name was John Smith, you could be the John Smith or author John Smith or something like that. Okay, let's see. Tom. I want to start a mentor program like yours. How should it be structured? Okay. Well, the first thing is I'd say go get 29 years of experience before you start. I'm just kidding. But, you know, it should be something you're credible on. But the way mine is structured and I started this way from the beginning, I would start copying all my training sessions and put them into a membership site. And so after a while, when you do this, you build up so much stuff like, I got 19, 20 years worth of stuff in my membership site. Some of it's obsolete because it's internet, but. What happened was, is I was as time went by and it only took a year or so, I was able to handle way more people one on one, which I like one on one because you get more money for it and I can get more results out of people when I'm not lumping them in groups and.

[00:06:40] After a while you get so much stuff built up in the membership site instead of giving the whole our spiel on how to. It was three hours on on the shop, how to use the shopping cart. I recorded it all and then I have them watch the videos and then come with me with hi to me with high level questions. That way it doesn't drive me crazy answering every question over and over and over again. We had, I don't know, 15, 1600 users of that shopping cart, see? So that's how you do it. You build up a repository of stuff and get it in a membership site so you don't have to after a little while, you don't have to repeat yourself. So that's one thing. Second thing is, anytime you can tie your success to their success, people love that because a lot of people and I tell this story all the time that they wanted 50 or 100 grand up front to help them. And they'd be a you know, a lot of these people were rip offs. They'd get your 50 grand and then there's no incentive for them to keep helping you.

[00:07:42] They're already paid. So I made it an entry fee. And then I don't get my big money unless you make big money, bigger money. So I get for me to get my 50 grand, you have to net 200 grand. See? So any time you can tie your program to something that's based on the results you get for them, then that's a great thing. And that's why mine is the longest running ever in the field of internet and digital marketing. And most successful, most number of people. No lawsuits, no chargebacks of credit cards. Nobody badmouthing me because we take care of people. And, you know, as they're successful, I get my share, they get their share. And then then also we cap it at 50,000. So you're not stuck with me forever because people don't really want to do that either. Okay. So that's some structure for a mentor program. It says if you had to pick Tom, if you had to pick one skill to develop for selling and marketing, what would it be? Well, for years I've been saying it's copywriting and this isn't protecting your work like a Library of Congress copywriting. This is writing words or saying words that make people want to buy your stuff. And there's a technique to it and an art to it. And anybody can learn the technique.

[00:08:56] And then it just takes practice to develop the art. But this is the number one way that the better you get at it, the more money will pour in your front door. And a side note, you get good at it, especially if you really need some cash. You can do it for other people. Too lazy to learn how to do it. Sometimes if you get really good at it, you can get a percentage of their sales as part of the deal say so. Copywriting is no question. That's that's the one. Okay. Next is the Google Digital marketing certification worth anything? Well, first of all, it's any kind of big entity that talks. Digital marketing is based on a lot of numbers and crunching numbers and numbers are really important, no doubt about it. But they usually don't teach you nuts and bolts on how to operate a shopping cart, how to write an email and how to write copy, and how the proper way to blog and so forth. Now, even if they do cover those topics, most of these certifications are like 40 hour online with no instructor. So if you have a question, you've got nobody to turn to. And I never took the Google course, so I don't know. I just hear a lot of these people that never made a nickel. Oh yeah, you can get a certification, you know, for free with Google.

[00:10:17] All right. Go ahead. God help you. All right. Now, first of all, I'm totally for studying anything you can get on your field of expertise. But to think that a 40 hour course is going to make you some big expert and very in demand in the marketplace, you're you're delusional. All right. So, I mean, my school was 540 hours, I believe is the clock hours for for that. You know, how many times is that? You know, 20 times more studying. I see. I don't know. I have to get my calculator out for that. So see numbers. Remember I said numbers? Let me see. So. 540 divided by 40. Let me see what that is on my calculator. So it's 13.5 times as much study and we have a bunch of electives. So we have a new one on artificial intelligence. We have ones on eBay and Etsy and things like that. See, So we we have even more chances for you to study by somebody that's actually done this stuff. A lot of the courses you see there are people writing on how to do it, but they never really did it. So. So is it worth something? Yes, any kind. As long as it doesn't teach you stuff that hurts you. Because a lot of these places that never did the stuff that they're talking about, like, I'll tell you what, I bet I almost bet you that no big executive at Google has ever had to bring money in from an email.

[00:11:50] All right. And had to sit down on a Friday, send it out and hope to God they brought in money by Monday. All right. Nobody. So that's the way it is in the small business world. And if you can do that and you can write your own ticket. Okay, let's see. Tom. Who's this interesting one? Who's the smartest person you know? Well, you know, that kind of varies depending on the topic. If I had to pick one person overall, it would be my dad. And a lot of people say that. But I mean, he did pretty good for only going the second grade. And and he actually I remember him when he retired. He sat down and read the entire World Book Encyclopedia 26 volumes plus the the supplements. Now one more modern guy I would have to say Warren Carlyle. I mean, the guy's mind is like a steel trap. He's the one that's the community building guy. Facebook is asking him to speak, I think, at events and and you know, when I'm around him, he's just man, his brain is like a steel trap. So Warren Carlyle, look him up. He has octo nation, the largest octopus fan club. All right. Next question. Is leasing a computer a good idea? Well, it depends on your tax situation.

[00:13:07] First of all, leasing it personally. Of anything is normally not a good idea. I mean, it's not even any different than leasing a house. You build up no equity in it, you get no tax benefits for it. So if it's a business, it can be very good. Now, for instance, I usually get the state of the art laptops whenever I change to a laptop, but I don't like to put out 4 or $5000, so I lease it because as a business, the lease payments are tax deductible. If it was personal then and first of all, I'm not qualified to give tax or accounting advice, so check it out with your tax advisers. But that's the way I do it. The lease payments are tax deductible fully. If it's if it's a purchase, then you have to amortize it or depreciate, I think they call it. And the same thing with a car. It can make sense for you as a business. But you know, I usually take care of my car is really good. My Suburban is ten years old. It looks brand new and it's got 80,000 miles on it only, you know. So I'm not going to, you know, just throw it in and get another one just for the heck of it. I just got it. The seat where I like it, you know, So so, yes, it can be good, but check with your tax advisor.

[00:14:25] And if you're not in any kind of business, usually it's bad. All right. This next one. Tom, Do you think I will replace you anytime soon? I wish it would. I got to tell you, I don't think so. It says be a long time before it can really think and see nuances. Although it's it's going very rapidly. You just have to worry about falling in love with it because I didn't that one reporter I heard on the news that the the I was trying to tell him he was in love with him and he wanted him to leave his wife and marry the computer. So. So it's hard to tell, but it's it's coming rapidly. So we'll get more about that. Okay. Next question. Tom What books are you currently keeping on your desk or reading? Well, I always have multiple books going, so I just looked around me where I sit and one, two, three, four, five. There's seven of them that happened to be right next to me. First is build a profitable business with Amazon KDP without writing a single word. This is about low content books like puzzle books and log books. So I just I read the book. I didn't even read the whole book. I just wanted to see this. I think this called Book Bolt, this software I tried out and I have this beautiful screw the commute logbook.

[00:15:51] Now, I haven't promoted it yet. I'll probably give it to my mentees. But but I was able to do that in no trouble. Print on demand. So let's see. Next one is the preparatory manual for pyrotechnics. And I'm always interested in all kinds of stuff, so I want to be able to build my own rocket motors for these, you know, toy rockets and stuff. So I got that one. Next one is 300 303 marketing tips from Entrepreneur magazine. That's a good one. Next one is I love My instant Pot, and that isn't that isn't weed. All right. That's my instant pot keto diet recipe book. I don't even have an instant pot. But I saw the book and I couldn't pass it up. Next is the trapper's Bible. And so this is how you trap things. Now I animals. But you know, and I don't do it just to practice it. All right. I would only do it in a survival situation, but I know how. Okay. Next one is you staying young. The owner's manual for extending your warranty. Every time I go to a drive thru window, like for McDonald's or something, I say, Can I get the extended warranty on that big and just let him look at me? But this is the owner's manual for you. And then the next and the last one is to screw the commute logbook, which is basically an opening introduction page.

[00:17:22] And then a bunch of blank pages and blank pages can make you rich because my friend Cindy Cashman was, I think this is the 26th or 27th year of her book, What Men Know About Women and the Whole Inside is Blank. And she was a single mom. Semi-literate broke when she did that and she ended up 25. It just had its 25th anniversary. She sent me a new copy, but she sold the company for millions and I think she sold 4 million copies of the book. And then she sold the company out for millions. So. So it's a blank book. All right. So anyway, there's some questions and answers for you. And hey, if you want help with any of this and any stuff that you need to know to be successful online, Hey, you know where I live? Hey, it's not hard to get a hold of me, All right? So I'd love to have you in the mentor program. Check it out at GreatInternetMarketingTraining.com, And we will catch you on the next episode. And let's see, what is it? 724 Let's see, what is 724? I forget. Oh, it's 725 is Scott Bywater on that's upcoming Friday for copywriting and 724 it's Daniel Martinez that's who it is on the really interesting real estate method. That's pretty cool. I haven't heard it before. All right. Catch you later.