7 Dollar Tools

New Site Design

Sat, 24 May 2008 16:08:57 -0800

You'll certainly have noticed the new site design that came out as a result of Minisite Wars 2007. Two designers battled it out and this was the winning design, created by Tino Hartung of Tino-Designs.com. I'm not sure what happened with this competition. As of this date, nearly a year after the start, the "war" isn't yet over -- there are still design spots open and there's no winner. I'm glad my skirmish was over before the troops deserted.

Updated Expansions for $7 Secrets 2.8

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:30:38 -0800

Yes, you're right: it's been a very long time since I've posted here. The basic reason for that has been that, since my last post, I've been very busy with getting $7 Secrets 2.7, and then 2.8, together and out. Add to that my support activities on the support desk and the forum; getting out a new, Italian language version of $7 Secrets; and maintaining all of my previous commitments, and you can see why development at $7 Tools has lagged. But now I'm pleased to announce new versions of most of the tools here, updated mostly to keep them compatible with $7 Secrets 2.8. Here's what we have:

Admin Expansion 1.2 and Admin Expansion Lite 1.2, offering a new interface for the 7DSS admin panel and 7DSS 2.8 compatibility

Admin Expansion 1.2 now requires 7DSS 2.8.

Expansion Pack 1.1, with compatibility for AE 1.2
Sell-Out Expansion, with compatibility for AE 1.2 and 7DSS 2.8
The $7 Blacklist, with compatibility for AE 1.2

These new versions all require Admin Expansion 1.2, which means they also require 7DSS 2.8. (Previous versions compatible with 7DSS 2.7 are still available in your download area, but, hey, you should update to the latest versions for increased reliability.) To download these updates, use the download link you were sent when you purchased. Remember, purchasers receive free updates for two years from date of purchase. If you have any questions, open a support ticket and I'll get back to you.

$7 Secrets Under New Ownership

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:36:43 -0800

Well, this is big! As of September 10, I am the new owner of the $7 Secrets brand. Under the terms of the sale, I have purchased from Jon Leger the full rights to the $7 Secrets report, the $7 Secrets scripts, and the 7dollarsecrets.com and 7dollarforum.com domains. I am really excited about this opportunity to expand (pun intended) the reach of $7 Secrets and to see that the scripts continue to be maintained. I want to first thank Jon for the incredible service he has done the internet marketing community by making these resources available. He has shown that it is possible to put your product out on the Internet at a low cost, without an expensive e-commerce system, and make money—sometimes lots of money—while doing it. It seems that everywhere I turn I see a new report or product or service being sold using the $7 Secrets model and/or scripts; Jon can be proud of the difference he's made in this industry. So, what's in store for $7 Secrets, or, more specifically, the scripts? Well, there are definitely some changes coming. Some I can't mention now, because I've not worked them out yet. Others have not even entered my mind yet. But here are some things I can let you know about:

After being down for 100+ days, 7DollarSecrets.com is up and running

$7 Secrets

This does not mean you cannot promote $7 Secrets!

free Seller Beware! report

Version 2.6 of the 7 Dollar Secrets Scripts is once again available

$7 Secrets

Version 2.7.1 of the scripts is still under development
The support address for $7 Secrets has changed

http://7dollarsecrets.com/support/

If you purchased $7 Secrets at 7DollarSecrets.com and you didn't receive or you lost your download link, file a support ticket
If you're having a problem with installing the scripts, read or reread the installation guide
If you're still having a problem with installing the scripts, or you need to hire someone to install them for you, visit the $7 Secrets Forum. Search the forum first—someone's probably already answered your question. Then, if necessary, post your question, request, etc. in the appropriate area.
If you think you've found a bug, check the forum. If it's truly a bug, it's probably been reported and there may even be a work-around.
If you have a feature request or suggestion,... you've got it: check the forum.

In closing, let me thank you for supporting 7DollarTools.com; I'm looking forward to supporting you with $7 Secrets.

Do your prospects trust you?

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:18:26 -0800

What do you suppose is the biggest obstacle to getting people to buy from you? Particularly if you're new to Internet marketing, you'll find that getting people to trust you is the most important thing to do if you're going to get people to buy your product, subscribe to your list, or even click on a link you've sent to them. Overcoming the Trust Barrier is the first video in a powerful new series designed to show you how to apply testing and optimization to achieve maximum conversion with your online marketing system. Created by Doug Hudiburg, a corporate marketing consultant and founder of Strategies for Optimization.com and Daily Marketing Ace.com, this series offers practical strategies to improve your online marketing success. In "Overcoming the Trust Barrier," Doug reveals a fool-proof system for eliminating the #1 reason that qualified prospects don't buy from you. Overcoming the Trust Barrier is not yet available to the general public, but Doug has allowed me to make it available to you—a $7 Secrets user—through a special arrangement—before he opens it up to your competitors. I'm sure you will find (as I did) that Overcoming the Trust Barrier clearly explains the concepts behind the most successful marketing systems (including $7 Secrets), helps you refine your selling process and even opens up new markets for you as you promote your products and the $7 Secrets system. I'd love to hear your comments after you've watched the video!

Expansion Pack Updated to 1.0.2

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 10:29:55 -0800

Expansion Pack has been updated to fix two bugs:

Fixed bug which in some cases caused the Download Expired page to show when bypassing the squeeze page (thank you, Xavier Nelson) [1.0.1]
Fixed bug introduced in 1.0.1 which did not allow bypassing of the squeeze page for giveaways (thank you, Henry Zeng) [1.0.2]

Past purchasers of Expansion Pack for $7 Secrets can download the latest version by using their original download link.

Summer Heat Got You Down?

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:00:38 -0800

$7 Secrets user and all-around nice guy, Rob Richards, is promoting Summer 2007's largest giveaway of internet marketing (and other) products -- over 400 in all! There's something for everyone there: website templates, graphics, articles, e-books, software, membership sites, videos, and more. Some offer PLR, some offer MRR, but all are free. I've got a duckie in this swimming pool, too, but you'll have to check out all of the gifts to see what it is. So, if the summer heat's got you down, it's time to get refreshed. Head on over to the Summer JV Giveaway and load up on all the great stuff right now!

Tip: Alternate Squeeze Page for Giveaways

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 19:13:29 -0800

If you're running a giveaway promotion (whether using the built-in 7DSS giveaway feature or an Expansion Pack custom giveaway) in addition to leaving the order option open, you've probably noticed that your squeeze page says something like "Thank you for your purchase" even if the user is getting your product through a giveaway. I'm a bit of a stickler for communicating to the user accurately, so I needed to come up with a way of showing one squeeze page to a person purchasing the product and another squeeze page to a person getting the product through a giveaway. It turns out this was quite easy to do: just six lines of code to add to your squeeze page and a modfied squeeze page that I called squeeze_giveaway.html. Using a text editor, add these lines to the top of your squeeze.html:

and this line to the bottom of your squeeze.html:

Your squeeze.html now looks like this:




... the rest of your squeeze page here ...

If you've named your giveaway squeeze page as I have (you can change it to whatever you want, but make sure you change the "filename = " line accordingly), when a user clicks your giveaway link they will see your new squeeze page. Users clicking your order link, however, will still see your normal squeeze page, unless their giveaway cookie is set. You can also use the same code to load a modified download.html (front-end product download) or downloadoto.hml (OTO product download) page. Just create the appropriate pages and add the code to download.html and/or downloadoto.html. Make sure you change the "filename = " line! Have fun with this!

Admin Expansion Updated to 1.1.2

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 00:22:21 -0800

There's a new version of Admin Expansion available. Purchasers are eligible to receive updates for two years from the date of purchase. Here's what's new in Admin Expansion 1.1.2:

Fixed a bug that caused the user to be logged out when enabling/disabling test mode and occasionally caused test mode not to work
Now uses URLs of the form 'index.php?action=' instead of '/?action=' to avoid problems with some web server configurations

I recommend that all users of Admin Expansion upgrade to version 1.1.2. Use your original download link to download the "scripts only" package, then replace your copy of exp_admin.php with the appropriate file.

Updates and 2.7 Compatibility

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 17:42:59 -0800

I just wanted to check in briefly and let you know about some minor updates to my 7 Dollar Tools expansion products. Also, because the $7 Secrets Scripts have been updated, I've gone through each product to ensure compatibility with version 2.7. To determine the versions you are currently using for the following products, log in to your admin panel. Use your original download links to update your products. Admin Expansion Lite — current version: 1.1.2, 2.7-compatible: YES - v1.1.2: Various changes for future expandability - v1.1.1: Various changes for future expandability (Use download link for Expansion Pack, Sell-Out Expansion) Admin Expansion — current version: 1.1.1, 2.7-compatible: YES - v1.1.1: Various changes for future expandability - v1.1: Updated Test Mode to work with 2.7's "gather zips" feature Expansion Pack — current version: 1.0, 2.7-compatible: YES Sell-Out Expansion — current version: 1.0, 2.7-compatible: YES The $7 Blacklist — current version: 1.0, 2.7-compatible: YES Although these products are 2.7-compatible, I do NOT recommend that you update your 7 Dollar Secrets scripts installation at this point. I am currently beta-testing version 2.7.1, which appears to correct the issues I noted with 2.7; hopefully that will be released soon. Lastly, I recently completed an installation for Admin Expansion user, Dylan Loh, who has just released a new product designed to show you how to find JV partners who will promote your products for you. If you want to really break loose, move some product and build your list, you'll want to check out http://7dollartools.com/ht/secretjvprofits.

Using Expansion Pack, Bypassing the Squeeze Page

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 23:48:25 -0800

Expansion Pack user and Business Card Guru, Diana Ratliff (http://7dollartools.com/ht/bizcardguru), wrote to ask:

[How can I] do just like you did on your expansion page and collect the name/email when they order?

Well, Diana, it's an easy, three-step process:

Copy your autoresponder's form code from your squeeze page (squeeze.html) and paste it into your sales page (salesletter.html).
Change the "Thank You"/redirect/confirmation page URL for your autoresponder from:
Edit the Bypass Squeeze Page setting in exp_settings.php:

The script flow has now changed from Sales Page -> Order -> Squeeze Page -> Download/OTO to Sales/Squeeze Page -> Order -> Download/OTO Have a question about Expansion Pack or any 7 Dollar Tools products? Ask away at: http://7dollartools.com/support

Free IQ Wants Your Content

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 01:00:09 -0800

Want a whole new market for your e-book/audio/video? Some weeks ago I posted a message to the $7 Secrets Forum which mentioned a report I had run across about optimizing your home page for conversions. It was interesting to me -- and should be interesting to you -- because what that really means is "making your sales letter sell." http://freeiq.com/7waysconversionschecklist Since then I've had the opportunity to look over the whole site and I am impressed! Free IQ has free and paid content on just about every information niche you can imagine -- and they want you to add your content to their offerings. http://freeiq.com/addyourfreeiqcontent Free IQ handles the fulfillment of your digital products and it looks like you will pocket up to 85 percent of the sales price of your premium (paid) products, depending on who referred the customer to the site. You can pay affiliates 25-50%. I wouldn't presume to tell you how to run your business, but it seems to me Free IQ is a great way to promote free content—a product of yours, perhaps, that will encourage the user to purchase additional paid products on Free IQ or your own website. Kinda like a $7 Secrets giveaway product to get the back-end (OTO) sale. You can join as a content provider or as an affiliate; I recommend that you join as an affiliate so you can promote additional Free IQ products and get paid for that, too. http://freeiq.com/joinascontentprovider http://freeiq.com/joinasfreeiqaffiliate However you choose to use Free IQ, it looks like there's a fantastic opportunity to reach potential customers who don't know your e-book, audio, or video exists. Don't miss out! (BTW, there are still a few free DVDs left of Russell Brunson's DotCom Secrets.)

Announcing Sell-Out Expansion

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 17:46:48 -0800

I realize I'm not first to market with this idea for $7 Secrets Scripts users, but I do believe I have the best-in-class product. Here's what makes Sell-Out Expansion for $7 Secrets different from 7DSS v2.7 and other products:

	Sell-Out Expansion \|	7DSS 2.7 \|	Product A
Limit front-end product	Yes	Yes*	Yes
Limit OTO product	Yes
Limit by number of sales	Yes	Yes	Yes
Limit by date	Yes
Optionally disable sales page	Yes
Optionally disable OTO	Yes
Requires extensive modification of 7DSS	No		Yes

* A bug in 7DSS 2.7 causes front-end and OTO sales to be grouped. Sell-Out Expansion is very simple to use: you upload it to your scripts directory, add one line to your index.php file (not necessary for existing Admin Expansion and Admin Expansion Lite users), and set your preferences. Now, what would what would show off this product better than an actual demonstration? Right now I've reduced the price by 25%, but that offer is only available to the first 30 buyers or until August 5, 2007 -- whichever comes first. More information on Sell-Out Expansion Support for Sell-Out Expansion and other 7 Dollar Tools products

Protect Your PayPal Account... from PayPal!

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:00:24 -0800

I spend a lot of time on the $7 Secrets Forum (as you may know). Two of the great things about hanging around there are the things you learn and the people you meet. In a moment I'm going to tell you about someone I met, but first I want to warn you about a subject that has been discussed there extensively in recent weeks. A growing number of Internet marketers have had their PayPal accounts frozen for alleged breaches of PayPal's Acceptable Use Policy. Most Internet marketers don't really understand the true nature and extent of the risk they run, or why PayPal is acting in this ruthless way. By the way, PayPal can freeze your money for up to 180 days (that's SIX MONTHS) and it pays you NO interest on it! It's been especially challenging for users of Jonathan Leger's $7 Secrets Script. Many of them are new to online marketing, attracted by the low cost and simple solutions offered by the script, so there's now a lot of confusion (and fear) about what's acceptable to PayPal - and what's not. The good news is that practical help is now available in the form of a new, free ebook titled: "SELLER BEWARE!" How to avoid PayPal's lethal game of 'Pin The Tail On The Internet Marketing Donkey' In this 50-page Insight Report from The Profit Clinic, author John Counsel—a recognized authority in the field of direct selling for more than 20 years—explores the issues behind these latest developments and offers informed insights and practical ideas to help you protect yourself against having your PayPal account limited or closed. (John's that person I met on the forum. Besides being a genuis in this field, he's got a great Aussie accent!) It offers no "secret" loopholes and no "Black Hat" tactics or gimmicks for getting around PayPal's policies. Instead, it points out the realities involved, explores the reasons behind them, and looks at ways for complying with them and dealing intelligently with PayPal. It's a timely application of the timeless proverb: An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. Best of all, it's free, with no hidden catches. You'll find it all here... http://7dollartools.com/sellerbeware/ (Yes, you can give it away from your own web site, too. Download the Redistributor Pack for details.) This is a must-have reference for every Internet marketer who uses PayPal as a payment processor or to pay affiliates. And if you use the $7 Secrets script, you're playing Russian Roulette with your own business and income without it. Don't wait another minute. Every moment you delay could mean your site is being scanned by PayPal's silent-but-deadly Tail Pinners, who shoot first—and ask no questions later! At this price (free!), what's stopping you? Don't walk... RUN! Here's that link again... http://7dollartools.com/sellerbeware/ Play safe when it comes to PayPal. It's your money, after all!

Announcing The $7 Blacklist

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:34:00 -0800

I was robbed last week. Someone clicked my link in the $7 Secrets forum to this website, then used their affiliate link to purchase my product. I was mad! Who is so cheap that they need to steal a $7 product? Well, that's the last time they'll do that to me, because I created The $7 Blacklist. The $7 Blacklist is very simple to use: you upload it to your scripts directory, add one line to your index.php file (not necessary for Admin Expansion and Admin Expansion Lite users), and (optionally) set one preference. The $7 Blacklist immediately begins protecting you from affiliate fraud. Every time someone comes to your site with an affiliate link, The $7 Blacklist checks the affiliate ID against an online database of known abusers of the $7 Secrets Scripts affiliate system. If the affiliate ID is in the Blacklist, the affiliate cookie is not set and, optionally, the the 7DSS fraud page is shown. To make this product successful, I need you to do two things. First, download and use The $7 Blacklist. It's free for all users of 7 Dollar Secrets scripts. Second, report affiliate fraud at the link below. Sure, losing $7 is a drop in the bucket, but if we allow these thieves to continue their behavior they will steal from the rest of us. Download The $7 Blacklist and report affiliate fraud Support for The $7 Blacklist and other 7 Dollar Tools products

$7 Secrets 2.7 is...

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:23:32 -0800

After a 35-day absence from the $7 Secrets forum and 85 days after v2.6 was released, Jon Leger has returned -- bearing version 2.7 of the $7 Secrets Scripts! What's new, what's changed, and what does it mean for you? Here's what's new in the scripts:

Added code so ?e= with no PayPal email will clear the affiliate cookie
Added ability to collect Country / State / Zip code information for tax purposes.
Added conversion tracking and the ability to have multiple sales letters for conversion testing purposes
Added the ability to limit the number of sales before "closing the doors." (soldout.html)

And what's changed:

BUG FIX: Recording payment_amount to ipn.txt instead of payment_gross caused problems for some currencies

payment_gross

mc_gross

BUG FIX: Script would hang after customer redirected back from PayPal

All this news about version 2.7 sounds great, but I'm going to caution you against downloading it and using it on a production site. As I began running through the code to see what effects the new version would have on my $7 Tools products, I came across bug after bug that limited the usability of not only the new features, but of the script as a whole:

A section of code that made it impossible to place any orders
The sold-out feature can cut off sales of your regular product before you expect it
If you're testing multiple sales pages, only the first one shows
If you delete a sales page you were testing, a customer that had already seen that sales page might get an error when they return [updated 7/24/2007]
If you're collecting country/state/zip information, your customers will not be able to buy your OTO
If your customer cancels the purchase of the OTO, they're kicked out of the order process and can't download their first purchase (reported in April)
A common setting error needlessly keeps customers from downloading their purchase (fixed by Admin Expansion and Admin Expansion Lite)
A bug which sends an invalid address to PayPal when using split commissions on the regular product (reported two days ago)
The amount received is not reported correctly for a fraudulent transaction when the payment is in a non-USD currency. [Updated 8/24/2007]

Again, I recommend that you NOT download and install version 2.7 of the scripts. Version 2.6, when combined with Admin Expansion or Admin Expansion Lite, will work well for you until these kinks get ironed out. I'll let you know when that happens.