Episode #3 – Marketing Lessons from Virgin Airlines, GoDaddy.com, About Internet Marketing & A Useful Online Mind Mapping Tool
May 6, 2008Episode #3 - Welcome to another episode of ‘Help! My Business Sucks!’ – I want to help your business suck a lot less! This week I share helpful marketing lessons from Virgin Airlines, GoDaddy.com, there’s a viewer question, and an online mind mapping ‘nifty click’ called www.MindMeister.com
May 7th, 2008 at 2:19 am
How much of your set is CGI and what camera do you use?
-Godaddy (good upsell process)
May 7th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Andrew
Another great presentation
I don’t like all the upsells and how easy they make it for you to inadvertently choose one…
On the other hand, GoDaddy are always running offers and promotional coupons – which means you should never have to pay full price!
A while back I made a screencast for our members on how to make a purchase, dodge the upsell and get a discount coupon code
I also uploaded it to YouTube for free viewing.
TomC
May 7th, 2008 at 5:45 am
I just found out about this show and am a new subscriber.
By my third episode, I have learned so much truly practical knowlwedge.
It’s unbelievably useful and applicable immediately—without a lot of B.S.
Where the heck have you been all this time?
Thank you so much for this awesome venue!
May 7th, 2008 at 6:00 am
I happen to be very annoyed my the GoDaddy upsells. I’m usually in a hurry and simply want to take care of business. I don’t like the fact that I can’t simply click and be done.
I understand what they’re doing, they are all about marketing. That’s why if you have to call them for ANYTHING you will get a sales pitch as soon as you’re done. I don’t blame them, but I don’t like it.
That’s why I started using , they’re cheap and cut to the chase.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:15 am
I don’t see the problem with what go daddy does. It gives you the option to skip and they are only trying to follow a business model to be more profitable.
I guess it catches some people unawares that don’t realise they can do without most of it.
Thanks for the show Andrew.
Alex
http://www.alexpoole.tv see what I think of the Nintendo Wii Fit
May 7th, 2008 at 6:45 am
I don’t mind the GoDaddy upsells, although I do feel they make them too ‘tricky’. I know a lot of people who inadvertently purchase something they didn’t realize or need. The upsells are fine, but confusing customers is not.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:15 am
I STOPPED using GoDaddy for many reasons and one was that LONGGG DRAWN OUT checkout process! Several upsells are OK but PLEASE not 10 or more! That’s one of the reasons I will pay more at NameCheap!
Also Andrew, I noted that when I started up your page at least two shows started at once. Have you had that complaint?
Hugh
May 7th, 2008 at 8:12 am
I think all the upsells on Godaddy are annoying. However, I am guessing their research show that it works. Also, I am guessing the amount of bank thery are pulling in from the upsells out weighs the amont of complaints.
I also noticed Andrew that two different videos start playing when you pull up the sight. This weeks show was great. Thanks.
May 7th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Hi Andrew,
Nice videos , and very professional
As for Godaddy – I actually chose to pay more from 1and1 to avoid all the upsells…lol
(I think I’m scared of buying stuff without realising… haha)
You have some great content in the videos (and I like the ‘T’ Shirts too!)
As for your microwave offer – I was tempted, but would like to see a sample before committing…. but then I also noticed you only have card facilities and no paypal option (or ClickBank)
This prevents people like myself from buying as I have no credit cards… I thought it may be worth mentioning
Warm Regards
Randy Smith
http://www.SalesLetterABC.com
May 7th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Hey Andrew,
I honestly think that from a marketing perspective GoDaddy has an awesome set of offers.
They make much more money on their backend upsells then they do from the domain name registrations.
They could just take the domain name orders and then try to upsell customers their other offers via emails but the very best time to sell that next item is at the same time the customer is making their first purchase.
They have done very well with this process and we can all learn from it…
~Brett
http://www.FreeTrafficBigProfits.com
May 7th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Another great and useful video! Many thanks for that.
GoDaddy=Too much. Overkill.
Now, someone mentioned 1&1 – you could go with them instead if you wanted…
That is, if you wanted: Horrible customer support, generic replies, staff with no tecnical training, double-billing…
May 7th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Ian, we use the Sony Z1U HDV camcorder for the videos. The set is created using special hardware from NewTek, it’s not ’2d graphics’ as you’ve seen.
Tom, thanks for the Godaddy video and the tip about coupons.
The video pages have been updated now so that only one video appears each time, you can still access the archives, too.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
In their defense, if you click on any of that crap you deserve it, all you have to do is read.or if you have been there a million times scroll to the bottom. Where else can you get domains for $6.95? They have to make $ somehow.
I actually took all my domains off auto pay so I can use a coupon code when I renew. I save hundreds of dollars.
Also, about a year ago I had a Godaddy rep call me and tell me that they had changed all the hosting accounts and that I should downgrade my account since I don’t use all the functions. So I did, and saved $5 a month. Now that is good customer service! HA
May 7th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I find the upsells entertaining. Have you ever bought anything at vistaprint.com? They use upsells in the same way. I think they are a great model because it has worked on me.
Todd
May 7th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I have purchased a number of domain names from GoDaddy and have found the experience of back-end and upsell to sometimes be annoying …. however on other occassions have added .net .info
url’s to my purchase. I’m sure that you are right when you say they must know what they are doing … and you would expect that they have tested the metrics with a number of different approaches. Now it doesn’t cause me any grief. .. really enjoyed the video.
Thanks
Derek
May 7th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
I heard about this site from Dr. Mercola’s business emails a week or two ago. I almost deleted it, but decided to check it out at the last second. Man, what a mistake that would have been.
Re: the upsells – it’s doesn’t bother me, but I know how to skip them. I’m actually int he process of deciding whether to add a shopping cart-type area to my website for vitamins and herbal supplements. It’s a tough decision because in my line of work it is better for the customer to come in to the office for a clinical nutrition evaluation. I’m just thinking out loud here, but I guess I could offer our neck pillows and things of that nature on our website. Hmm, something to think about.
Anyway, thanks for the great information Andrew. Out of curiosity, have you ever been to a Get Altitude seminar, or similar seminars?
May 7th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Hi Dr Scott, it’s wise to have some upsells rather than no upsells. As you say, there are related products that would not require a medical evaluation, plus advanced shopping carts can detect a customer’s previous orders and offer them the same product again, as an upsell.
Re the seminars, I didn’t attend Get Altitude but I have the DVD’s and it was an excellent event. I speak at a number of similar seminars each year, including Dan Kennedy and Yanik Silver’s events from time to time.
Glad you found the site and joined us – there’s some very smart marketers who contribute to the conversation here, so please tell your friends in business about the show…
Regards
Andrew
May 8th, 2008 at 2:05 am
Andrew, you are the best. It is 2:00 am as I write this after watching three episodes.
You are so entertaining and so knowledgeable, I will definitely recommend this site to my investor group and friends.
I am following the lead of Virgin and asking my customers what they want from me and it is shocking. I am also being a renegade and not conforming. I think I am going to cause great waves in my very stuffy and highly regulated industry.
I love the example of the special names of the products. The wedding site example was perfect. I know which company I would have chosen in a heartbeat.
I could go on and on with the ideas I got from the just the three episodes I watched, but I will stop for now and come back for more.
You asked about people helping instead of selling. I recently totalled my Ferrari in a near fatal accident involving my 9 1/2 year old son. My mechanic offered to fly to anywhere in the country (I only would pay his airfare and incidentals) to personally inspect any car I wanted to make sure I got another perfect car. I was really surprised as most mechanics I would think are HOPING you buy a lemon or a car with a lot of problems so they can earn a fortune helping you fix it. He said he would rather only see me at social events and wants me to be a happy car owner. I am having all my friends use his expertise and when all of our cars breakdown, which they all do at some point, he has us for LIFE. Amazing.
Sincerely,
Rick Grunden
http://www.wealthinvestmentgroup.com
May 8th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Rick,
I’m glad you’re okay after the accident – sorry to hear about that. And thanks for the experience re helping not selling, that’s a great one.
Randy,
You asked about why I don’t accept PayPal for the Microwave Marketing Monthly. The reason is because Paypal payments have a high level of default – not usually deliberately but often people don’t have money in their account when the subscription is due, and that leads to a lot of costs in chasing people up. So we had to make a decision based on trying it for about 6 months in the past. For us, it requires too much man power in administration. I understand that not everyone has a debit or credit card, but obviously most people do have one of those. I hope that explanation helps.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I have to say that personally, I got so annoyed with godaddy’s upsells and difficult to navigate site that I stopped using them as a registrar. I was willing to pay $3 more on the last 10 domain names I bought to use a different site that’s more simple. Godaddy is pretty inexpensive though.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:06 am
I have used Godaddy to register all my domain names and although I do think the process can be tedious with the upsells, I can’t see fault in what they do. It seems to me that all my research on internet marketing says to “upsell, upsell, upsell”, why should Godaddy be different? Let me add that in the past I have purchased “additional items” I did not need or want and when I called customer service, not only were they courteous but gave me a prompt refund.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:48 am
I had to use GoDaddy.com to get my newest .com. I was very frustrated.
I appreciate, however, their effort to remind me of all the little things I may not have thought about in order to get a website up and running.
There is a limit to it though. I guess they know when to quit, and it is very useful for people new to creating a website.
I am one of those people who goes to websites (especially those who are trying to sell me an ebook or guru specialty) and scroll to the bottom to see the final price. I like being able to skip to the end and know the final results. If the price isn’t listed, then goodbye.
Anyway, that’s my opinion.
Andrew, I have been getting your emails for some time (I thoroughly enjoy them) and have to say this video format is fantastic. Thanks.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:28 am
Great show again, Andrew! I have zero problem with GoDaddys upsells. But at times I think they are a bit much. That being written, I’m sure they know what they’re doing.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I know GoDaddy is profitable,but I don’t like their methods. I don’t like all those upsells. If it is more plain how to skip the thing then I don’t mind so much.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I think the upsells are annoying.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Andrew,
Awesome series I love it. The production values rival Access Hollywood. I like the GoDaddy chunk. My own opinion is good for them in maximizing the amount of money they make from a new registrant. Domains are only the draw, they make pennies per domain name sold initially, so trying to increase their per buyer transaction revenue is brilliant. 1 & 1 should adopt the same.
Any plans to do a weekly roundup of the biggest news in Internet Marketing? No one is doing it now and I think you would be the best at it.
Keep up the fantastic work. Maybe a segment on comparison sites would be good.
Cheers,
Jim
May 11th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Andrew,
Awesome series thus far, keep up the great content. The mindmapping tool is awesome as I’ve used them for a couple past projects by hand and had great success with them.
As for godaddy, I think the upsells are a bit much, and can be toned down a bit so that it would be a little easier to checkout.
Gregg
May 12th, 2008 at 3:40 am
Hi Andrew,
The best thing about your shows is your personality. Freindly, engaging, and funny.
The second best thing is the content. Quite interesting and helpful.
The third best thing is the great looking set.
As an independent musician, I would love to hear some theme music that doesn’t sound ike a ’60s game show, but that’s a minor personal preference.
Having just returned from Asia on Singapore Airlines (by all accounts a good airline) I can see I would have enjoyed the trip a lot more on Virgin. I’m now planning to ask my clients what they want from me.
Never tried GoDaddy. I use Hostbaby because they have a lot of great (free!) features included that are designed for musicians, and even with all that, they’re cheaper and more customer friendly than anybody else I’ve looked at.
Great show — keep ‘em coming!
http://www.gregtamblyn.com
May 12th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
I appreciate that godaddy needs to provide upsells in order to market effectively. I am one of those, however, who is annoyed with the 325 screens that you must go through and find the tiny print that says that you don’t want the add on that they are offering. We found a great domain registry/hosting site at http://www.1and1.com where the domains are only about $6.99/year with free private registration, free domain transfer, etc.. and you get to skip all of those millions of upsell screens.
September 24th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
With all of Go Daddy’s upsales and confusing web site, I switched to 1and1 for my domain names and web site hosting. Also, Bob Parsons needs to grow up and quit thinking he is an attractive playboy!
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:44 am
Oh that is annnoying. When I first was going to register my site, I went to GoDaddy. When I saw how much they were trying to upsell…..I left and I never went back.
February 27th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
GoDaddy has gone too far – too confusing and too much. They would be much better “packaging’ offers that fit together for the consumer as opposed to providing all the one offs that don’t necessarily fit together.