Expertise for Sale

November 15, 2007 – 11:39 am

If you have expertise or specialized knowledge about a product or service, you can use the services of www.ether.com to connect with buyers. The main selling point is your own knowledge, money selling what you say to others over the phone or through email.

How it works 

First you sign up to get an Ether Phone Number. This is free. Your connection number is 1-888-MY-ETHER + an 8-digit extension that is unique to YOU. You forward this number to an actual number that you own, like a mobile number or a home or work number. Set up is fast. Next you set your rate. This is where you decide on your time value. It could be $75.00 per hour, or $30 for 30 minutes, and so on. When people call you, you have the knowledge that your rate has been prepaid. No chasing after bad debts after the fact.

You only take calls only at your convenience

By setting your own work hours, your phone will never ring when you don’t want it to. You have an automatic schedule to set the hours when you want to take calls. The default is set to eliminate evening or night calls. Or you can activate your Ether Phone Number with a simple click of a mouse. You can also engage it by using your phone.

Once you have the account in place then you market yourself

If you want to be known you should advertise your Ether Phone Number at a variety of locations like your business card, on a website or blog. You make your self available wherever people can find you. Your privacy is maintained since your real phone number is not published.

There is another call opportunity marketing possibility available with the click to call button. You can put an Ether Button on your blog or website.  This allows customers to determine whether you can take calls. The first thing that the customer sees when they click on button is the payment process. This involves a simple web form. 

How you get paid

First of all, if you have any phone activity that means that someone has prepayed your rate. Ether will bill their debit or credit card.  You receive your money in a variety of ways, including direct deposit or check. The commission earned by Ether is 15%. Those are your only costs. There are no monthly fees. Set up is free so is the connection.

An e-mail alternative

You can use your email to sell a variety of different items like reports, photographs, or digital products like podcasts, videos, or any other content. All you have to do is send an Ether Mail to the recipient with the price you are charging and the contents you are selling. To view the contents people will pay your price.

Sell content on the web

You have seen the buy now button at different locations around the web. Now you can add one to your website or blog. The Ether Buy Now button can be placed where ever you want, so you can sell any product.

Advantage

The method of marketing has a lot of potential if you have expertise for sale that can be transacted over the phone. If the content involves something that you can answer quickly this can be a trusted method of delivery.  Your calls should be over content that you are quite familiar with and something that you don’t fumble around trying to get information for. Your customer, like anyone calling a help desk, will quickly see if they are getting value in the call or if it is a waste of time and money.

The e-mail and buy now features can secure your expertise by offering white papers, how-to’s, and guides to the public. Recurring sales on subject matter can be an easy source of income.

Downside

If you can’t market yourself well enough, your ambitions will fall short and this could be another one of those make-money-on-the-Internet acts that goes nowhere.

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