• IMASD BENEFITS
• IMASD APPLICATION FORM

How do I substantially increase the number of hits to my Web site?
IMASD is an Internet Community.

How can I create equity in my business and my Web site, making it something that I might be able to sell for a profit someday?
IMASD is owned by its Members.

What is the best way to approach advertising to thousands using e-mail?
Don't send spam.  IMASD rents only the best of subscription based e-mail lists.

How do I find a good commercial Web account?
IMASD will get you set up.

How can I make my Web site effective and profitable (for the selling of wholesale goods)?
IMASD will help you get to the point.

How can I automatically update my Web pages on a regular basis without hiring a full time Webmaster?
IMASD has auto-generated Web pages.

How do I get the technical support I need to sell on the Web?
IMASD will show you how.

How can I easily add useful, new buyer leads to my list?
IMASD will help you continually in building your list.

How can I register myself on the top search engines and directories?
IMASD will you do it for you.

Do I need to have my own domain name as in "my-company.com", and if so, how do I do this?
IMASD will register it for you.

How can I locate some of those great liquidation deals before they are made public?
IMASD will find some for you.

How do I get wholesale buyers to contact me first when they are looking for something?
IMASD will send these request directly to you.

How can I get directly to principals, without having to deal with a string of brokers?
IMASD help you qualify your potential clients.

How can I easily post my newest offers, so that it can be immediately seen worldwide?
IMASD will post them immediately.

How can I get my Internet advertising and other services at a fraction of the cost?
IMASD Membership gets you a lot of services.

How can I gain clients from my competitors advertising?
IMASD will link their pages to yours.

Every advertising venue I have ever tried on the Internet has been a bust.  How do I know that IMASD is everything it's cracked up to be?
IMASD can be tried out on the cheap.

I'm new to this business.  What is the most important thing I should learn?
IMASD will explain how not to waste time and money on bad deals.
 

Question about Web traffic:
How do I substantially increase the number of hits to my Web site?

Answer:
There are many expensive ways to do this, so let us re-phrase the question.
"How do I substantially increase the number of hits to my Web site WITHOUT substantial cost?"

In the real world, high traffic areas can be created by bringing a number of merchants together in one location, or under one roof.  This is often referred to as "cluster marketing".  A good example of this is an automobile row, where one can visit several car dealers in the same location.  The dealers all do better together, side-by-side, than they would alone.

In cyberspace, this is called an "Internet Community", kind of like an Internet Mall.  The IMASD has created this type of community.   For example, you can visit our Member Web sites through the Wholesale Dealers Directory.  This directory gets quite a few hits, and it directs traffic to our Member's Web sites.

One should also consider the quality of hits, as well as the quantity.  All of our IMASD Members have some relationship to wholesale goods, export, surplus, or salvage, so the demographics are targeted to the very type of visitor that our Members seek.

If you have the need to unload inventory from time to time, we invite you to join the Internet Marketing Association of Surplus Dealers (IMASD) and become part of our community.   You will get many more visitors to your Web site than you do now and most will be actual wholesale buyers.

Getting more hits is only one of the many advantages of becoming an IMASD Member.  Join us and learn first hand how you can grow your business through the Internet.

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Question about investing money in a Web site:
How can I create equity in my business and my Web site, making it something that I might be able to sell for a profit someday?

Answer:
From the beginning, one of our IMASD Member goals has been to build equity for each one of us.  We wanted the money that we paid out for marketing services to also build something, something that might grow in value.

Here's how IMASD has approached building an asset:

First, we limited the number of Memberships.
Second, each Membership was allotted an equal amount of ownership in any assets that IMASD acquires.

In theory, as we gain more assets, the value of each IMASD Membership should grow in value.

Becoming an IMASD Member requires one to buy a Membership from an existing Member, and this is one way we profit.  If we do well as a group, then each Member should be able to sell a Membership for more than he or she paid for it.

How have we done so far?

Value in IMASD Memberships has risen 800% since our launch.

We can't guarantee continued growth at this rate, but as long as the Internet continues to grow, our chances are very good.  No matter what, this sure beats just throwing our money away with some Internet company.

You can see that all of us, the Members, have a vested economic interest in IMASD.  Why shouldn't you?  Why not join us?  Who knows, you could be on the ground floor of something really big.

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Question about e-mail advertising:
What is the best way to approach advertising to thousands using e-mail?

Answer:
The difference between "good information" and "annoying advertising" is mostly a decision of the recipient, so consider who will be receiving your e-mail advertisement.

Here are some of the DOs and DON'Ts of e-mail advertising:

NEVER send unsolicited bulk e-mail advertising out to just anybody (aka SPAM). If you do, it will very likely get you into a lot of trouble.  One good reason not to do this is that your Internet provider may terminate your service.  In some parts of the United States, it has now become a prosecutable crime to send SPAM.

ALWAYS make sure your e-mail recipient list is composed of those who want your information.

IMASD helps its Members handle their e-mail advertising needs in three ways:

1) Collectively, we do mailings using a commercial list.  We mail out 4or 5 times per month.  This is paid for out of the IMASD budget, so each Member can use this service at his or her discretion and it costs them nothing.

2) We have arranged a considerable discount with a commercial list server, so Members can advertise individually at a nominal cost.

3) Members are assisted in building their own contact list.  These lists contain more information than just e-mail, such as name, phone, fax, postal address, and the type of products that the buyer or seller is interested in.  Each of these custom built lists resides on the individual Member's computer and belongs to that respective Member.

Note:  IMASD rents the best and most effective list available. We use The LIQUIDATION MAILING LIST.  We are their largest customer and we retain substantial influence and purchasing power with this list server.

One more note:
It is never a good idea to send attached executable files (pictures and non-text files) without permission from the recipient.  Smart people won't open these attachments because they know this is how computer viruses can be transferred.   You should never open this type of mail from an unknown source.  Pictures and executables are OK, as long as you know the source.

So, if you want to do e-mail advertising, do it safely and responsibly.  If you are in the wholesale surplus or salvage business, then consider doing your e-mail advertising through IMASD.  You will be more effective and it will cost you much less.  Currently IMASD Members can get up to 1,000,000 impressions per month.
Join us and learn first hand how easy it is to send out your notices worldwide.

To join IMASD just fill out the online form:
 
Click here for an IMASD APPLICATION FORM.

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Question about Web accounts:
How do I find a good commercial Web account?

Answer:
The sales people of various Web hosting sites may confuse you with terms like megs, gigs, and T1s.  Is 5 megs enough?  How many pages does that add up to?  How much transfer is included?  Eeeek!

Don't feel bad.  There are so many variables that even experienced Internet users have trouble determining good value when shopping for a place to host a Web site.

We at IMASD figure that the technical specs are irrelevant.  All the hard drive space in the world won't help you, if you don't know how to use it.

Ask yourself:
Is my Web account generating sales?
Can I get a problem solved when I need to?

What counts is the bottom line.  If your Web account is generating profit, then you're at the right place.  If not, it's time to move.

IMASD uses a couple of old human solutions for this hi-tech problem.

First of all, we contract with a Web host company, so that we can offer a full commercial account to those Members who need one.  There is no charge for this account and it comes with everything necessary to do business on the Net.  In essence, we buy these services wholesale, and pay for them out of our monthly budget.

Secondly, for those who wish it, we make referrals.  To be on our referral list a Web provider must be recommended by another IMASD Member.

If you are displeased with the Web service you are getting, why not join IMASD and solve the problem?
 
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Question about Home pages and Web sites:
How can I make my Web site effective and profitable (for the selling of wholesale goods)?

Answer:
Clients are visiting your Web site for a reason, so get to the point.

Many of the Web page creation tools and programs are an exercise in overkill. Most buyers in our business have little interest in fancy graphics and other Internet tricks.  They want to know what you have for sale, and that's about it.  Some of the simplest Web sites do the most business in the wholesale industry, so you don't have to spend a bundle on fancy looks.

Your Web site should be able to easily address the following issues:

• Make it easy for a visitor to your page to contact you now and stay in contact with you.
• Make it easy for that visitor to list what kind of products they are looking to buy.
• Make it easy for the visitor to fill out the form on your site, in order for you to gather this information for future use.
• Make it easy for visitors to go right to your product list.

A commercial Web site is only the beginning.  If you join IMASD, you'll get everything you need to start doing business right away.
 
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Question about updating Web sites:
How can I automatically update my Web pages on a regular basis without hiring a full time Webmaster?

Answer:
Let's face it.  There are only three ways that Web page updates are possible:
1) Make a computer do it.
2) Pay somebody to do it.
3) Learn HTML and do it yourself.

You may think "If I only knew HTML, and how to upload Web pages, then life would be easier."

Well, IMASD Members have two options that are even better than doing it yourself.

Option One: Automatic Page Generation (make the computer do it) IMASD has a custom program that allows Members to simply type in their new listings.   Instantly, these listings are added to their Web site.  When a listing is sold, it can be removed from the Web site with a simple click. Nothing is easier.

Option Two: Cheap Help (pay somebody to do it)
IMASD supplements payment to some Members to help other Members.  One example is Web site design and maintenance.  If an IMASD Member wants a hands-on approach and custom updates, we can supply the extra help at a fraction of the cost.  How?  IMASD keeps a Web site designer on retainer.  It just so happens that our designer is also an IMASD Member, so she already knows the needs of our business.

If you are having problems keeping your Web site updated, why not join IMASD and solve the problem?

To join IMASD just fill out the online form.

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Question about technical support:
How do I get the technical support I need to sell on the Web?

Answer:
Technical support should be specific to the needs of our industry.  How does it help to put up a Web site if that Web site does no good in promoting your business?

IMASD Members have specific goals, so our tech support is specific to the advancement of those goals.  For example, if an IMASD Member were to use the ELECTRONIC AUCTION, they would learn more than just how to post a deal.  They would learn what to post, when to post, and the dynamics of how to handle the transaction.  Our tech support is about more than learning the computer. It's about making a profit.

Not only that, at IMASD, you can get somebody on the phone and get some real help.  If you have had a bad experience with some company's tech support department, you'll really appreciate IMASD.

You need a solution, and that is what tech support should be about.

If you are struggling with technical problems, why not join IMASD and get on with your business?

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Question about finding new customers:
How can I easily add useful, new buyer leads to my list?

Answer:
One way to build a customer list is to use a 'lead gathering form'.  Visitors to your Web site are encouraged to fill out and submit this form to you.

IMASD Members were some of the first to use this type of tool, so we know the ins and outs, and how to be most effective with lead gathering forms. We understand that the quality of leads is as important as the quantity.
Our Members save a lot of time by knowing in advance whom to contact, because we try to collect good leads, not just any lead.

Tools such as a lead gathering form come as standard equipment with every new Member set-up, so if you are planning to pay for this service elsewhere, why not consider becoming an IMASD Member?

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Question about Search Engines:
How can I register myself on the top search engines and directories?

Answer:
Do it yourself.  There is no charge to register your Web site on these engines and directories, it's just time consuming.  Whatever you do, don't procrastinate.  Registration is a MUST for your Web site.

Here is how IMASD Members approach the search engine problem:

1) We provide this service at NO CHARGE through one of our Members.  Your Web address is submitted to the top search engines and directories.  The top 20 are done manually, not by a program, as is usually the case.  Manual registration is extremely important to insure that our Members are listed on these public search engines and directories.

2) We install a separate Web address for each new Member, so as to allow for double registration.  This is done so that even those Members that paid for registration elsewhere, can benefit from an IMASD registration as well.

Obviously, at IMASD we expend some considerable effort on these marketing applications, like the search engines.  And you can be sure of this:  After you get on the engines, you'll be faced with one inevitable question.

"How do I get to the top of these listings?"

There are a  number of ways to approach this, so we'll share with you one of our favorites.

We built our own search engine at the IMASD Web site.  It is exclusive for the registration of our own IMASD Members, so we can each easily post our latest deals, and we are guaranteed to show up on the first page!

If you have a new Web site and you have questions about the search engines, why not let IMASD supply the answers?  Join us and share in the benefit.

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Question about Domain Names:
Do I need to have my own domain name as in "my-company.com", and if so, how do I do this?

Answer:
A good way to think about domain names is to consider it similar to real estate.  They are in essence "real estate in cyberspace".  Just as in the real world, there are three things to consider with real estate:  Location,
location, and location.  A good location will increase your traffic.  A good domain name does the same.

Let's assume you are XYZ Company and you are in the surplus business.

You don't have to have your own domain name to be connected to the IMASD Network. But if you do want to register one, please feel free to ask us to help you.

Join IMASD and get hooked up with the best location in the business.

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Question about buying leads:
How can I locate some of those great liquidation deals before they are made public?

Answer:
Constantly solicit manufacturers, distributors, and other owners of product until you get lucky.

Well maybe you don't have that much time and energy.

Here's how IMASD makes this job much easier: We distribute private leads to our Members.

IMASD Members get first crack at many great deals before anybody else does. This is one of the reasons we make money.   We have access to many more deals, because there is strength in our numbers.

How?

Ever since IMASD was formed, our Administrative office has been solicited with offers for sale.  We were constantly asked if we knew of any Members who might like to purchase one thing or another.

At first, our Administrator, being only a computer guy, told these sellers that they would have to contact each Member, individually.  Then he got a little smarter and started to post these deals on our Members Only bulletin
board.  That was appreciated by all of us, so he worked a little harder and had these offers e-mailed directly to each of us the second they came in.

Now he really has it down, because he gave us some tools to screen out the best of the deals.  Not only that, our Administration now solicits manufacturers and distributors on our behalf.  We can pick and choose from the offers that come in.  This is the best!  We secure, and then make publicly for sale, many of the deals that come in to us this way.
 
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Question about selling leads:
How do I get wholesale buyers to contact me first when they are looking for something?

Answer:
When a wholesale buyer is looking to purchase something specific, you would probably like to know in the event that you might be able to fill the bill.

IMASD has a few ways we handle this, but here's our favorite.  We call it The WANTED mailing list and here is how it works.

We solicit buyers right on our IMASD Homepage, saying "Looking for something?" Buyers are  encouraged to fill out a brief on-line form that describes their needs.  These requests are automatically e-mailed to each IMASD Member (that wants to receive them) the moment they are submitted.

The result is that wholesale buyers visit our IMASD Web site regularly, using it like a locator service.  And guess who gets the business?  That's right, we do.

Right now, somebody out there is looking to buy what you have for sale.  It's just a matter of putting the two of you together, so why not join IMASD and let these buyers come directly to you?

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Question about brokers.
How can I get directly to principals, without having to deal with a string of brokers?

Answer:
Let's face it, sometimes even brokers like to get other brokers out of the way.

Here are a couple of ways that IMASD Members are able to screen out the brokers:

1) Qualifying Filter Forms.
These are widely used to screen outside buyers and sellers.  These forms do not omit any potential customer, but present information so that an IMASD Member can make a more informed decision, on whether or not to spend the time on a buyer, a seller, or a deal.

2) Qualified Customer Lists.
We depend a lot on the building of lists.  Once you know who's who, you want to keep a list.  Then, when you don't want to go public (to the world and all of its brokers) you can contact just the 'good guys'.

Sometimes it's good to have brokers out there, beating the bush on your behalf, but wouldn't it be nice to know up front who you're dealing with?  If you become an IMASD Member, you get information that will save you some considerable time. But remember, have the courage to ask the hard questions of a new seller, and be prepared to walk away from the deal.
 
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Answer:
Submission Forms.
These are on-line forms that one fills out with the appropriate information, such as price, inventory count, location, etc.  The information is usually stored in a database and called up by request, for a bulletin board or similar list of offers.

IMASD Submission Forms are particularly beneficial in that Members can post listings to four separate venues with only one submission.  They are:

1. 1) The LIQUIDATION MAILING LIST.   Members use this mailing list to distribute offers to buy or sell.  The list has a current subscription base of over 85,000.
2. 2) The IMASD Hot Sheet.  The Hot Sheet lists the latest 100 offers to hit the market.
3. 3) The IMASD Search Engine.  This allows the offer to be called up by a keyword search.  For example, if you are looking to buy home electronics, enter the word 'electronics'.
4. 4) Web site listing pages.  Many IMASD Members have our Submission Form set up to automatically add the offer to the Member's individual Web site.

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Question about overhead and other ongoing expenses:
How can I get my Internet advertising and other services at a fraction of the cost?

Answer:
The Economies of Scale.
IMASD provides a tremendous amount of service to its Members at a very low cost.  We can do this, because together, we have real purchasing power.  And we pay for something one time, then we share the asset among ourselves.  One can purchase most all of these services elsewhere, but it will cost significantly more.  Not just a little bit more, but quite a bit more.
 
We estimate that each Member can save several thousand dollars each month.

It wasn't easy bringing together a group of competitive entrepreneurs such as ourselves, but it has sure paid off in the long run.  Together, as the IMASD group, we are fast becoming the most significant force in the modern
surplus marketplace.

Why not join IMASD and become one of us?

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Question about the competition:
How can I gain clients from my competitors advertising?

Answer:
Trade Web page links with your competitors.

Newcomers to the Net are often fearful of linking to other vendors, because they think they might be helping the competition.  Thinking this way could be a big mistake.  Linking together like this is one of most effective ways to
bring in new customers.  If you are able to get more traffic than you are giving away, then the trade is a good one.

IMASD Membership requires Members to feature the IMASD (surplus.net member) icon on their Homepage. This icon links back to our general Web site and the directory for all our Members.

As one Member put it "Instead of sending our customers to the competition, they are all sending their customers to me.  Our one link out in exchange for hundreds of links in.  Excellent deal."
 
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Question about credibility:
Every advertising venue I have ever tried on the Internet has been a bust.  How do I know that IMASD is everything it's cracked up to be?

Answer:
1) Contact other IMASD Members.  Why are these vendors continually advertising through IMASD?  Why don't you ask them how IMASD compares with other things they have tried?

Our current monthly dues are quite minimal and our benefits are tremendous.

Of course, the only way to become an IMASD Member is to purchase a Membership from another Member, and they may ask a healthy price.  If it costs a lot to become an IMASD Member, it says a lot.  It reflects a real market value.  There is obviously significant value in their holdings.   The fact that this resale marketplace has sprung up out of nowhere is something that our Administration is very proud of.  We must be doing something right.

2) Consider that another well known service on the Web offers Internet marketing for over $7,000.00 a year and they don't provide one tenth of what IMASD offers.

3) Try it out on the cheap. Membership resale's are currently going for around $3,000, but you don't have to pay this entire fee up front.   A three month trial is offered, a monthly payment plan can be arranged, or you can simply rent it and not be a full owner.   You'll pay a setup fee and monthly dues as well, but if IMASD doesn't significantly increase your income within a few months, then walk away. This can demonstrate to you that IMASD is truly worth the money, without getting soaked.
 
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Answer:
Don't waste time and money on something that doesn't sell *immediately*.

If you have the right goods at the right price, these goods will move fast.  If they don't sell right away, they are NOT priced right, period.  New vendors waste so much time looking for buyers that will never materialize and brokers make the mistake of working deals that can't be done.  They are pushing product that is just too expensive.

Listen to the marketplace.

IMASD has a tremendous voice in this industry.  We reach thousands of dealers and, working together, we are very effective, but we can't perform miracles. Learn what is a good deal, and what is not a good deal before you get involved, or the marketplace will teach you the hard way.

The computer and the information age have fundamentally changed our industry. The selling of surplus and salvage was once the domain of an elite group of dealers.  These dealers had contacts that had been developed over the years. Merchandise was bought and sold by a few phone calls to the right people. The key to success was 'relationships'.

Now, the key to success is 'numbers'.  Merchandise is sold by advertising to as many contacts as possible.  Electronic marketing has opened the doors and knowledge (of the computer and the Internet) is power.

There are opportunities today like never before, and IMASD has made it possible for the small business person to play along side the big boys.  If you're sharp enough to understand the difference between a great deal and a dog, then we'll be happy to have you as an IMASD Member.

And you'll be glad IMASD is there for you.

Click here for an IMASD APPLICATION FORM.