Amazon Bestseller Progress

The past week has been controlled chaos with extreme focus on reaching the Amazon.com bestseller goal. We are expecting a minimum of 400 purchases and hoping for over 1,000.

Many people have offered to help. Thank you! Sheena and I are both really psyched at the potential of the message being spread to so many people. It just feels really good to pursue a goal where our company can profit, but at the same time make a large impact.

As we grow, we're going to be thinking more about the specific outcomes we want to create and how we're going to measure them. Right now, our main outcome is for students to create a life plan (like a business plan, but for an individual) and then follow their plan. We really think that if students asked themselves simple, but important questions like entrepreneurs do when starting a business, they could make much better decisions about life and set the foundation for creating a life of passion, purpose, and prosperity. The book and over $1,600 in gifts for purchasing the book are all aimed to this end.

As I do when I pursue most of my goals, I'm erasing any doubt I have in my mind that the goal will be reached (at least theoretically). Sometimes, I'll be riding the subway or walking somewhere at the end of the day and I'll think to myself, "What the hell are you doing? You're wasting you're time." But 99% of the time, I've just been super-motivated lately.

Progress Update

1. Revised Strategy. We are now using a revised pre-order strategy to achieve the bestseller goal. Instead of trying to get all of the orders from Amazon on November 15th, we're going to collect orders from people through our web site and then key them in on the 15th.
   
2. Finalized over $1,600 in give aways.
   
3. Created a sales letter.
   
4. Set up PayPal e-commerce system
   
5. Created a database of:
   • 50 invidual supporters
     
   • 60 list-owners (some who we know and some who we don't)
     
   • 71 collegiate entrepreneurship clubs
     
   • 250 entrepreneurship teachers
     
   • 25 potential bulk purchasers that we know

Next Steps

1. Contacting these people in our database.
   
2. Finalizing the delivery of some of the give aways.
   
3. Planning the PR for when the goal is reached.

$1,600+ in Give Aways

1. Autographed Copy of The Student Success Manifesto: Buy one copy of the book, and get another one signed. This offer is only valid for the first 100 purchases. ($14.95 value, yours free!)
   
2. Mentoring for One Year: Gain direct access to Michael Simmons, author of The Student Success Manifesto, with your questions via his home phone line. ($395 value, yours free!)
   
3. Summer 2004 Self-Development Conference: Network with motivated students from across the country and learn from the authors of The Student Success Manifesto and other exceptional speakers both young and old. This event promises to be a life-changing experience. ($695 value, yours free!)
   
4. Internship and Entrepreneurship Resource Guides: Save hours of your time combing the Internet, by getting hundreds of the very best internship and entrepreneurship resources at your finger tips. ($24.95 value, yours free!)
   
5. Michael Simmons' Extreme Entrepreneurship Video: A keynote talk from the 2003 national Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization conference. ($19.95 value, yours free!)
   
   
6. Extreme Entrepreneurship University: Craft your own life plan (like a business plan, but for an individual) with word-by-word, in-depth guidance from the founders of Extreme Entrepreneurship. The course utilizes insightful assignments, which each receive detailed feedback and advice. When it's done, each student will have everything they need to go forth and pursue a life of passion, purpose, and prosperity. ($495 value, yours free!)
   
7. Desktop Background & Screen Saver: Empower yourself with a "Be the Change You Want to See" screen saver and background ($9.95 value, yours free!)
   
8. Zero to One Million eBook: Zero to One Million is a guide for aspiring entrepreneurs that explains how to build a company to one million dollars in sales written by Ryan Allis, an author who did just that by the time he was 17. ($15.95 value, yours free!)
   
9. The Student Success Manifesto eBook: Read the electronic version of The Student Success Manifesto with video clips with the founders of Monster.com, Dell, Barnes & Noble, and Nantucket Nectars. ($14.95 value, yours free!)

How You Can Help
If you're interested in contributing to the Amazon.com Bestseller, here's how you can help:

1. Buy one copy of the book for yourself (if you haven't already) and copies for your friends or others who you think would enjoy it as a holiday gift.
   
2. Tell organizations, who have an email list or who might be interested in making a bulk purchase, about the book.
   
3. If you have an email list and would like to mention The Student Success Manifesto, please contact me.

For exclusive, up-to-the-day news on the Amazon bestseller progress from the people who report it best, please visit back soon. The previous lines were removed by Michael for suspicion of being too corny at 8:35pm. Michael's suspicions were confirmed by Sheena at 8:36pm.

Posted at November 3, 2003 08:27 PM | TrackBack