Infusionsoft Sees Three-Year Sales Growth of 304% Despite Recession, Change in Revenue Model

Gilbert, AZ (Vocus) August 27, 2010

Inc. magazine ranked Infusionsoft No. 984 on its fourth annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. In the last three years Infusionsoft has grown its customer base of small business marketers by 800% to more than 20,000 users. Infusionsoft continues to thrive during the recession because its web-based marketing automation tool helps small businesses grow quickly and efficiently without having to hire more staff. Keeping costs down is a big concern for small-business owners, more so now than ever as the struggle to get capital continues and consumer spending is stagnate.

“We’ve gone from a struggling start-up with big dreams and grand visions working out of an obscure strip mall in Mesa, Ariz. to now the preferred tool used by entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses quickly and profitably,” said Clate Mask, co-founder, CEO of Infusionsoft. With 130 employees and 20,000 small business users, the Infusionsoft family continues to grow as the demand for our software grows.”

“We first appeared on the list in 2007. So to be recognized as one of America’s fastest growing private companies by Inc. magazine for the fourth year in a row is an honor we’re super-proud of. And yet I feel like we’re just getting started,” explained Mask. “No doubt about it, big things are ahead for Infusionsoft.”

Infusionsoft helps small businesses convert more leads and increase sales with its email marketing 2.0 solution. The company does this through web-based software that combines advanced multi-channel marketing capabilities like email marketing, voice broadcasts, direct mail and SMS with a full featured CRM (customer-relationship management). That combined with a powerful automation engine is the secret sauce that enables small businesses to market like a big business on a small business budget.

The company has seen year-over-year growth despite making a major change to its business model from a setup fee and monthly subscription service to now a subscription service only. This change allowed for more small businesses to get access to Infusionsoft’s powerful all-in-one solution.

Founders Clate Mask and Scott Martineau have become known globally as small business experts having chronicled their experiences of building Infusionsoft in their new book Conquer the Chaos: How to grow a successful small business without going crazy (Wiley, 2010). It debuted on the New York Times best-seller list and has become a staple on every entrepreneur and aspiring entrepreneur’s bookshelf.

About Infusionsoft
Infusionsoft helps small businesses grow smarter and faster through web-based email marketing 2.0 software that automatically adapts to prospect and customer behavior. Infusionsoft combines advanced multi-channel marketing and CRM in one app that’s driven by a powerful automation engine. The privately-held company has made the Inc. 500/5000 list four years in a row. The company is based in Gilbert, Ariz. and is funded by Mohr Davidow Ventures and vSpring Capital. For more information, visit www.infusionsoft.com.

About Inc. Magazine
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,647, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology.

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Blogging is a great way to get started making money online, but it takes work. All good things come with some effort, right?

Doing nothing is the absolute worst thing a new blogger can do. Yet, that’s exactly what happens to many bloggers when they first get started. While trying to get their blog just perfect, they do nothing and, instead, spin their wheels and go no place…slinging mud the whole time!

Meanwhile, they get frustrated, their dreams fade, and they end up giving up before they even get started. It’s sad, especially since many of them are talented writers, passionate about their topic, and have a lot to share with the world.

So if you’re a new blogger, how can you avoid this trap?

Simple. Outsource.

But, what, exactly is “Outsourcing”?

Outsourcing is just a fancy word for getting someone qualified to quickly and efficiently do a job for you that you

• don’t want to do
• don’t have time to do
• don’t have the skills to do

But what can you outsource?  And how?  Can you afford to?

All great questions. Here are 4 tasks you can immediately outsource for a modest price (and boost your blogging efforts at the same time).

1. Blog Installation and Optimization.

If you’re planning to blog, you’ll need a web host. Why not choose a multipurpose web host that will also install your blog for you? There are several that will install your WordPress blog for you, but I use Go Daddy for myself and my clients.

There’s no point in getting paralysis by analysis. This is an easy decision to get over your first hurdle – actually getting your WordPress blog online and ready to roll.

2. Design.

Another thing you can outsource is graphics. You can find a professional designer at Shelancers.com or even eLance.com.  But I’d suggest first asking a friend for a recommendation (or even ask on Twitter) before going with someone totally unknown.

3. Content Management.

Keeping your blog active with fresh content can be a feat in itself. But there is a big secret that bloggers use to make their lives much easier. It’s called PLR content and it’s something that I use periodically.

What is PLR content? Basically, PLR articles are written by ghostwriters and sold at a very affordable price (usually around $1-2 per article) to multiple bloggers and website owners. So as a blogger, you can purchase these articles and post them on your blog as is. But I recommend you edit them a bit before you do — or outsource this to a Virtual Assistant.  While PLR is not totally hands-free, it can help you to get over the hurdle of having to write all of the content for your blog all the time and all by yourself.

When I’m looking for good PLR articles, I use EasyPLR.com.

You can also have your Virtual Assistant post your blog for you so that it’s waiting in there the next time you face writer’s block.

4. Community.

Do you ever hear the sound of crickets when you go to your blog? How do some bloggers get such a conversation going while others seem to be talking to themselves? The answer may not be what you think. Another big secret of top bloggers is that they sometimes “seed” conversations with their own assistants and friends. Yes, they have commenters who are paid to come by and leave comments to keep the conversation going. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

While you don’t have to go quite that far, it doesn’t hurt to be “comment buddies” with some friends and help keep each others blogs active with conversation.

If you have your comments approved before they’re posted, you’ll want to log in and check daily.  There’s another job that can be outsourced to your Virtual Assistant!

This is just the beginning of what can be outsourced! If you’re having problems keeping your blog current, email me and let’s see how I can help you!

If you’re doing your e-mail marketing through Infusionsoft, and you have not customized your opt-out link, you could be losing subscribers unnecessarily.  There are two reasons to create your own opt-out link.  One is because someone may want to update their e-mail address. Second, someone may want to opt-out of your weekly promotion e-mail, but not opt-out of your monthly newsletter.

Infusionsoft’s default opt-out link allows for one thing:  unsubscribe from all e-mail marketing!  Ouch!

To avoid this problem, within the e-mail template, click on the open merge window.  Then select the links tab and click on “Create Update/Opt-Out”.  Then select the type from the dropdown menu.  Opt-out allows the subscriber to opt-out of all e-mail marketing or just the current sequence.  Update allows the subscriber to update their contact information only.  And opt-out and update allows the subscriber to do either of the previous options.

Type in your blurbs in the html and text versions (i.e., To unsubscribe or update your information, click here.).

Fill in the opt-out display information (i.e., Opt-out of our weekly promotions), as well as a description for that particular e-mail sequence (i.e., By clicking here you choose to no longer receive e-mails with our weekly promotions.).

You can also create actions associated with individual opt-outs.  For instance, you can change a tag or send them an e-mail that says, “We’re sorry to see you leave the weekly promotions e-mail.  If you’re interested in our monthly specials, click here.”  Or something along those lines.

The important thing is by customizing your opt-out links, you won’t be losing people unnecessarily.  For detailed information on the above, click here.  And if you’re still not sure what to do or don’t have the time, as a Virtual Assistant, I help my clients set up and maintain their Infusionsoft account.  Please contact me for more information.

You might be asking yourself: What’s the difference between Email Marketing 1.0 and Email Marketing 2.0?  Or What’s so great about Email Marketing 2.0?  Well, hopefully I can answer some of your questions here.

Email Marketing 1.0 (regular old email marketing) means that you’re sending the same email and the same message to everybody, no matter what.  Email Marketing 2.0 is smarter and adapts your message accordingly, automatically.

Think of Email Marketing 1.0 as being a bad salesperson.  He’s memorized the sales pitch and no matter what the prospect says, he doesn’t listen.  He continues through his spiel because that’s all he knows.  That’s how Email Marketing 1.0 works.  You set up the autoresponders to send out an email to your prospect, maybe once a week, and no matter what they do (i.e., clicking on a link for more information about a particular product or service) the autoresponder continues on the same path.  Deaf…not listening.

Email Marketing 2.0 is like a good salesperson who listens to his prospect, answers questions and communicates with the prospect.  In the same example of the person who clicks on the link to go to a webpage to view more information about the XYZ service you’re offering, the Email Marketing 2.0 program recognizes that activity, stops the generic weekly autoresponder and then sends an email with — perhaps — a special promotion you’re offering on your XYZ service this week.

How impressive is that?  And of course, it’s up to you what you want to send and when you want to send it.  You set it up completely in your Email Marketing 2.0 program.

Now, there are some Email Marketing 1.0 programs that you can view reports and see who clicked a link, and you could manually change your email sequence.  But there’s a lot of manual work involved in all that, and that all takes time.  Infusionsoft offers completely automated Email Marketing 2.0.  It’s a web-based solution for small businesses, combining Email Marketing, fully integrated CRM, marketing automation, and e-commerce.  You can even use Infusionsoft to send out postcards, letters, faxes and voice messages.

It does take a little bit of time to set up these systems initially, but then it’s completely automated.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed or not sure where to begin, I’d love the opportunity to discuss automating your email marketing utilizing Infusionsoft!  As a virtual assistant, I have helped many clients implement their Infusionsoft. If you’d like to check out Infusionsoft, click here for a 15-day free trial.

Marketing…the word can strike fear in some, causing them to hide under the covers, while others put on their gladiator armor and are READY to strike it with their sword!!  What does marketing do to you?  What do you think of when you hear the word?  Cold calling?  Door to door sales?  For a lot of businesses, during the dog days of summer business slows down.  Now is a great time to look at your own marketing and implement (or change) your marketing strategies.

Marketing is a lot of things.  It can be cold calling and door to door sales, but it can also be your website, blog, social media, ezines, article marketing, print media, business cards, postcards and other such mailings through snail mail.  It can be networking at chamber events or referral networks.  And a few zany ideas I found while doing some research are:  hosting a food eating contest, celebrating one of the month’s crazy holidays, sponsoring a fundraiser, and setting a world record.

How many hours a week do you spend on marketing?  The VA Virtuoso seminar suggested I should be spending 10 hours a week.  Yikes!  I know I don’t do that, but I plan on using my time boxing techniques and scheduling specific time during each day to concentrate on my own marketing.  When I researched this question, there are varying answers.  Sometimes it just depends on the industry you’re in and how long you’ve been in business.  The shorter the time in business, the more time you spend on marketing.  But for most people it averaged about two hours a day.  One article suggested that HALF of your working time should be spent on marketing.  Half?!!

How much time do you spend on marketing?  Are you asking yourself, “When will I find the time?”  Or, “What should I be doing?”  Start by taking an inventory of what you’re currently doing.  Then write out what you SHOULD be doing or WANT to be doing.  Who do you want to reach?  Do you have a target audience?  What steps can you take to reach them?  How often do you need to touch base with them?

Your marketing efforts — whether they be social media, ezines, blogs, or mailings — should be consistent.  Contacting them once every now and then won’t cut it.  Of course, during busy times it’s easy to put marketing on the backburner, but then the slow times will hit and we’ll be wishing we had continued our marketing efforts months earlier!

And don’t forget your current customers.  It costs less to have repeat business than it does to create new business, so touch base with them, as well.

Marketing doesn’t have to be scary, and perhaps you just need a new perspective on it.  If you’d like to discuss your marketing efforts, please feel free to call me!

The Internet has become a way of life for 75 percent of the population in the United States (according to Internet World Stats).  But how reliable is the information they’re seeking and you’re finding?

The recent stories of Shirley Sherrod are a real life example of how misinformation on the Internet can harm someone.  In this case, a blogger posted a portion of a speech she had given which made her appear to be racist.  Shortly after, she was forced to resign as Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture.  This is the short of the story — there are a whole myriad of other issues involving this case, which I won’t get into in this post because this is about being aware of the Internet and the misinformation it provides.

Another example involves a fellow Virtual Assistant.  Several months ago she had a couple of her articles, taken from one of the article marketing sites, reposted on another website.  She was given credit for the articles, and this is within the rules of the article marketing sites (i.e., you can use the articles as long as the author is given credit and the article is unchanged).  The problem was the article had been substantially changed and the changes were not good — incorrect grammar and random words added and changed, making the article appear like it was written by a first grader.  She does copywriting and anyone who Googled her name would see these horrendous writings.  She has tried unsuccessfully to get the articles removed.

On Friday evening I was watching the news and it talked about a doctor who — between surgeries — visits social media sites to disperse correct medical information because, according to him, he had too many patients coming in with false information they had read on the Internet.

Why all the false information?  Well, basically everyone has an opinion and if they have a computer and access to the Internet they can voice those opinions!  They can be whoever they want to be on the Internet, so they can also appear to be an expert in that field.

How can you protect yourself?  First, what is the purpose of the site?  Is it selling a product?  Is it to entertain?  Is it a place where Joe Smith basically rants and raves his opinions?  Next, is there contact information on the site — or an About Us page?  Is the site sponsored by a company or is it a forum where anyone can post?

Check multiple sites.  Don’t just read the first one you come to and believe what they say.  Do more research.  When I do a Google search, there are particular websites that I read first because I know they’re reliable, but I will also check some of the other sites and see what their opinion is.  When I came up with the 75 percent of the U.S. population using the Internet (above), I looked at several sites before I determined the 75 percent to be accurate.

Just be aware of the sites you’re reading.  And if you still have questions, call an expert in the field you’re researching and talk to them!

Yesterday started out a good day….  I was taking the day off in celebration of 4th of July.  Late morning I was searching the Internet for a recipe — yes, I was going to cook — when McAfee started popping up that it blocked this Trojan and that Trojan.  What??!!  I was just looking for a recipe!!

Then next I get a window pop up called Defense Center Installer and to click okay to continue installing.  No!!  Not what I want!!  Then another window — Windows Security Center warning me I don’t have any antivirus installed and yet Defense Center Installer telling me I need to uninstall my current antivirus software before it can install.

Ah!!  What’s happening??!!  I just wanted a recipe!  First thing I do is restart my computer.  Nope, that didn’t fix it.  And now I have all these questionable icons on my desktop.  Ugh…  Next, I unhook my router adapter because if there’s something still downloading from the Internet, I want that to stop!  Then I start to run McAfee Antivirus scan because I figure, hey, it was trying to block it.  But partially through that my computer reboots itself.  Hmmm….
Ever have one of those days?

Then I decide to go online on the other computer to look up this nasty little booger.  Sometimes manual removal is necessary.  The information I find is to run a malware program, such as Spybot Search and Destroy, which luckily I have and had actually just ran a scan last week.  After several attempts to restart in safe mode, I went ahead and restarted in regular mode – I have too much stuff loaded on my computer and couldn’t get to Spybot S&D while in safe mode.  Yes, I’ll be cleaning off some old programs this week!

And the happy ending to this story is that Spybot S&D found all my problems and fixed them and I went on to enjoy the rest of my day!!

Now I could go on about people who create these Trojan programs to cause disruption in peoples’ lives, but instead, I’ll thank the people who create the programs and definitions to STOP those trying to create hell and havoc.  And remind you to make sure your antivirus definitions are up-to-date, as well as your adware and malware programs.

Here we are midway through 2010 and it definitely feels like summer here in Georgia!  I’m very thankful to be a Virtual Assistant, where I can sit inside with the air conditioner during the heat of the day!!  Heck, even early morning and evening have been hot and steamy this week!

But enough about the weather…  As I said, we are midway through 2010 and now is a great time to stop and evaluate where you are in your business.  You know, evaluate whether you’re on target with increasing sales by 10% or sending out a weekly newsletter or posting on your blog at least a couple of times a week — whatever your first of the year goals were.  Have you checked yourself yet?

If not, now is the time to do it.  Pull out your list of “Things I Want to Accomplish in 2010″ — you did make one, right?  Review it.  Evaluate it.  Measure your progress.

As you look through it, pat yourself on the back and be proud if you’re meeting (or even exceeding) your goals.  Don’t be afraid to let your guard down and let out a yippee!!

If your goals are not being met, don’t be discouraged.  You still have another half a year left!  What are the steps you need to be doing to reach your specific goal?  Are you implementing those steps?  Did they not turn out the way you thought they would?  Now is the time to make changes and adjustments to those steps to continue working your way toward your goals.

If you’re a solopreneur and you’re feeling like you’re in a rut, talk to someone.  A trusted friend, someone on your team, or a coach are great resources for looking at your steps and goals with a fresh set of eyes.

And if you haven’t been able to reach goals because there’s just not enough of you, it could also be time to delegate.  Consider hiring a Virtual Assistant to take care of some of the tasks you’ve been burdening yourself with.

Whatever your business and wherever you are in your overall progress for 2010, I hope you will stop now, breathe deep and “refresh” yourself!!

When you started your business, you knew that you would have to have the online traffic to make it a worthwhile venture. With your marketing plan, ideas were already recorded to help that become a reality. Here’s one you may not have thought about: newsletters. They bring the reader into the “know” and that could mean dollars and cents to you.

A business website gives visitors the basics of your operation. You want to use your resources to tell them about what you do and why they need to do business with you. There is not always enough space to put columns or tidbits that would be important to readers but not necessarily part of your main marketing agenda.

Newsletters are designed not only to inform but also to let readers get to know you. There can be a column written by you that thanks them for being loyal readers and customers (leading them to buy if they haven’t already). You can share honest appreciation for what they do for you.

The Magic of Newsletters

When you don’t have enough room on your website for the fun things (contests or freebie offers, for example) and the more in-depth things (affiliate program info or new products) that you want your readers to know, put it in a newsletter. There are several formats for online newsletters:

• One page layout that you email to subscribers
• Multiple page PDF format they can access through a link in email
• Animated links on website

Usually, newsletters are sent to subscribers. These are readers who come to your site and opt-in for it by giving you their email address and name. Each month (or week or biweekly) they get an email with your newsletter or link to the newsletter.

For longer newsletters with more information, you can create a PDF they can access, download, print and share with others. This way, your newsletter goes viral to people who know your readers.

Another idea for your subscribers is creating a “Subscriber Only” section on your site that gives them access to newsletters with videos or animation that they won’t see if they had a PDF. This makes readers feel special that they have a place just for them on your site.

Your format is up to you. Whatever you feel that will engage your readers, use it. In the beginning they may not want a lot of flash since it could be viewed as trickery. Keep it simple until they ask for more.

Customer Spotlight

Newsletters are a way to highlight those readers who want to be known. Maybe you have visitors who have joined your affiliate program or have opted in the previous month for the newsletter. Listing their names gives them a place of importance in your business.

What will you place in your newsletter? Creating one, to catch all the “tidbit” information that readers really love, helps them feel like a vital part of your enterprise.

How do you build trust with others? You get to know them and find out what they are all about. While that’s easy face-to-face, it can also be done virtually if you are willing to work at it. But why is it important to build trust with your virtual peers?

Building relationships with your readers is vital to your business. Remember that your goal is to make money and for that you will need people to visit your site. But visiting your site is just not enough in and of itself.

Think about it in these terms. Let’s say you launch an incredible new product. You advertise everywhere that you can think of. In the first months of your launch, your unique visitors go up 100% (it’s possible!) AND the sales go through the roof.

In your bliss don’t forget that the journey towards one-time sales is a short trip. If you made six figures in each of those months, it still wouldn’t compensate for the next eight months of basement stats because none of those customers came back. That’s no way to run and grow a successful business enterprise.

Instead, strive for repeat visitors every month of the year. How do you do that? You build a relationship with each one of them. No, you don’t have to know them all by name, but you will want to pay attention and give them what they want to keep them coming back.

Readers are more than just people who come to hear what you have to say, they are looking for something. It could be your product or service, but they won’t stay where they’re not appreciated.

Here are a few reasons why reader relationships are so important to your site:

1. They have friends. You never know who is visiting and reading your site content. One thing that you do know is that they have a sphere of influence with someone. That sphere can be yours if they are satisfied with their relationship with you.

2. They have money. What started out as simply a visitor can be converted to a customer who uses your products or services if they trust you. Now you have the potential for repeat business.

3. They represent a portion of the population. Whatever their connections, they can be useful to you in building a better business. Online business owners can provide organic backlinks for you; bloggers can ask you to guest post for them; avid social bookmarkers can help lift you to expert status by linking to your content.

Readers are not just numbers; they are people who are important in their own right and to your business. Connect with them. Coming up next will be ways to stay out there and build trust.

Can’t wait? Want help now? Call me and we can discuss the various options available.