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Success Stories - 12 Doers Share Their Secrets. Interview #8: Linda Caroll.

by Martin Avis

Linda Caroll is well known on various forums as a knowledgeable and helpful participant. She is also a successful home-based businesswoman whose talent is sure to drive her on to even greater heights.

This is quite a long interview, but even so, a lot of good stuff ended up on the cutting room floor.

I hope that what's left gives you a good picture of this dynamic lady.

BizE-zine: Hi Linda. Tell us all the personal details.

LC: Hi Martin! My name is Linda Caroll and I live in the Greater Toronto area, Ontario, Canada, with my daughter and Maximillian Augustus of Wyndhaven III. He's a pure-bred Maine Coon Cat. We call him Baby.

BizE-zine: What does your daughter think about having an Internet celebrity for a mother?

LC: Haha! She was quite oblivious to whether or not I was a "personality" online until recently. I still laugh about it. A young man at her work mentioned that he was learning HTML and hoped to be able to find work in that field. My daughter said; "My Mom designs websites. I bet if you email her, she'd help you get started."

When she wrote my email address down for him, he looked at it - and looked at her - and then said "... your Mom is Linda Caroll? Oh my GOD. I didn't know!"

My daughter came home still wearing a confused look. When she told me the story I laughed my head off.

BizE-zine: How did your interest in marketing begin?

LC: It all started 22 years ago. I lived in a small city in the middle of the Saskatchewan prairies, working in management for one of Canada's largest retail department stores. Our copywriter was off sick the day an ad for my department had to go out to the local paper. Impulsively, I offered to do the ad instead of forfeiting the space and to everyone's surprise it pulled record results.

I was in total awe when the management from head office flew to our little store in the middle of the prairies to meet me.

Marketing had me hooked!

I worked for the store for seven years, and eventually ended up traveling between three cities to help other stores with their sales.

I became the 'gimmick master' - and people loved every minute of it. Both the shoppers - and the store management. Customers would drop by and ask me what my next promotion would be. I'd laugh, and tell them it's a surprise...

BizE-zine: What exactly is your business now, and how did you come to be so active online?

LC: I work full-time online, providing website design, strategy and marketing services.

Before the Internet, I owned my own business providing graphic design, promotional marketing and marketing strategy to local clients.

When I had my daughter I juggled working and parenting for a few years - and finally decided to stay at home to raise her.

Within a couple of years, I was bored to tears and started working from home, creating promotional strategies and marketing materials for small businesses.

Anything and everything from business cards - to a six- foot berry that was used for a national promotional event. My clients included small home businesses, the provincial school board, ACT/UCT International, Canada Post and more. I created the T-shirt art for a dinosaur museum, and posters that were used for an International Sports event.

BizE-zine: What do you think is the secret of great advertising?

LC: While I've never bought an ad for my own business (it thrives on word of mouth and referrals) - I create ad strategies for my clients daily.

I believe that good advertising must surprise the viewer.

People see the same old lines and ads and buzzwords all the time. If you can surprise them, make them laugh, make them curious - or just make them feel emotion that's when you get response.

BizE-zine: How do you integrate online and offline promotions in your work?

LC: I teach my clients that a website is a communication tool, so in business strategizing, I combine offline and online. Even down to the simple things that other people might forget. For example, I'll create a killer business card that makes people curious about something... and then send them to the appropriate website for the answer.

The client's business will determine the approach. I'm doing a site for a financial consultant and her card says "Could you pass the money quiz? Go to (URL) to find out. Free". She distributes the card locally, leaving it on tables in restaurants, etc... And it brings people to her site.

Another business that I am working with sells goods online only. So, their business card says; "To thank you for your order, we would like to offer you a lifetime discount on future orders. To obtain special pricing, please go to.. (URL)." They include that card with all first orders sent to new customers.

BizE-zine: When did your love affair with the Internet begin?

LC: I discovered the Internet in about 1995. My marriage had recently broken up, so I worked all day and then got online for hours every night - learning and soaking up as much information as I could.

I was fascinated and spent hours researching and talking to people via forums. I still remember the complete awe I felt when I received an email from a woman in Australia thanking me for inspiring her.

My sister was living in Australia at the time and it took 21 days or more to get a letter to (or from) her. Then this woman wrote me within 10 minutes of when I posted to a forum. That really hit me hard. That one email drove home the wonder of the Internet for me. It was a communication method unlike anything known before.

I started dreaming about what it could do for my business.

At that time, with a growing daughter and bills to pay, I needed more income than my at-home ad/graphics company was providing. So, I decided to go online to pick up more business.

I found much support and encouragement from people online. I have never forgotten the people that welcomed me with open arms to their forums and cheered me on as I grew.

BizE-zine: Forums seem to have played a large part in your business - and you are still active on many. Do you find it a problem that they can be quite addictive and eat up large amounts of time before you know it?

LC: They can be addictive, but I am very self- disciplined, and I simply set time limits. I tell myself 'I will check out the forums for 30 minutes' and at the end of the 30 minutes, it's back to work - or off to dinner - or whatever the next thing on the agenda is.

My time is too pressed for me to allow any one thing to monopolize it, and if I spent more than the allotted time, I'd feel that I was shortchanging clients who are waiting.

BizE-zine: How would you describe your primary Internet business?

LC: 'Helping people improve their profits.'

To do that, I offer website design services, and also provide marketing and strategy consultation.

My online business was a natural evolution of my offline business. I saw the Internet as a way to be able to help business owners anywhere in the world. And boy has that come true! I have clients from all over the world.... including Canada, USA, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Australia and more.

I have clients that are small home businesses and large corporations, as well as two Hollywood actresses.

BizE-zine: Having done both, what do you see as the main differences between online and offline marketing?

LC: Consumers are much more in command on the Internet. In other media, they can't help but be exposed to whatever advertising messages are put before them. If they want to watch TV, they're going to see ads. They can leave the room to get a snack, or turn the channel, but then they may miss part of 'their show' if they don't tune back in fast enough. If they want to read an article in a magazine, they are going to see the ad in their peripheral vision. And they sure can't close their eyes to billboards, or there would be disaster on the highways.

On the Internet, the consumer is totally in command. If that flashing rude banner is annoying, they scroll past it or leave the website. If a site has pop-ups, they can close them. The next website is always just one click away. Total command - in the click of a mouse.

So, if online advertising is not extremely good, it will get little or no response.

Also, because of the issue of anonymity that comes with the Internet, credibility is a big issue. For all a consumer knows, any business can be 'here today and gone tomorrow' - and that's a big fear. People look for credibility - and it's established in many ways. Five autoresponders just doesn't cut it!

The subject is a book in itself. (Yes, I'm working on one!)

BizE-zine: They say that the best benefit of earning your living online is that you can slob around in your pj's and work from anywhere in the world you like. Yet you look very glamorous in your photo and you choose to live in Greater Toronto. Have you missed the point - or have you a different way of looking at it?

LC: *laughing* I haven't missed the point - and I do both. There are days that I work in my bathrobe until heaven knows what time... and other days that I feel I want to start the day combed and tidied. Summer will see me in casual wear (tank top and jeans).

Odd thing I've noticed: it never fails that the day I stay in my bathrobe until noon is the day the FedEx guy shows up.

BizE-zine: Moving your business online seems to have been financially successful for you.

LC: Absolutely! My online business pays for the bills and the frills, the college fees and car keys, not to mention feeds the cat. I have no offline income now.

BizE-zine: How long did it take you to start making a profit?

LC: I was making a profit before my site was even finished. As I was working on it, I showed my partially done site to a couple of offline clients - and picked up orders.

My first client was taking orders before I finished my own site.

So - my site took a back seat, and had contact forms on a lot of pages with a note that 'this page will be complete soon... if you want to know when it's ready, just send me an email and I'll let you know.'

It's a good thing that sites didn't get booted from the search engines for being 'under construction' back then, like they do now, or I would have been in big trouble.

BizE-zine: How many ebooks on Internet marketing have you bought?

LC: Not a single one.

However, back in the days when I was working offline (about 20-some years ago) I took a marketing course called 'The Psychology of Selling.' The lessons I learned had huge impact on me - mostly because they we so similar to everything my Grandfather used to say when I was a little girl. The lessons are as applicable today as they were back when I took the marketing course.

I believe that business, marketing and sales all boils down to people. I like to think of myself a lifetime student of human nature.

I have had several authors send me their ebooks for feedback, and the one thing that I discovered is that if a marketer is any good there is a common and underlying theme that they understand human nature and the psychology of response.

I suppose that if I found an ebook that really intrigued me, I'd buy it. I do, however, purchase old- fashioned paper books from Amazon or Chapters.

Mostly the reason is that I work 12 hour days at my computer, so when I take time off, I like to curl up and read. I've bought books like Forbes Greatest Business Stories of all Time, and Marketing As Unusual - The Anita Roddick Story (Body Shop) and other titles that intrigue me.

BizE-zine: Not many people base their Internet success on their Grandfather's advice! What were Grandfather's Internet Secrets?

LC: He talked about the essence of people a lot. He said life is about two things ... people and time ... and said that the most important thing is not to abuse either. He said you get what you give... and never from the same person. If you are nice to that lady that talks funny, someone else will surprise you by doing something nice for you one day.

When I was younger, about 20-ish- I soaked up every bit of marketing and advertising material and training that I could. The more books I bought and the more courses I took, the more I realized that it all just boils down to understanding and respecting people and knowing how they react to different things.

I wrote an article in tribute to my grandfather, called 'Grey Knit Vest' and it's been reprinted extensively. http://www.lindacaroll.com/articles/ greyknit vest.html

BizE-zine: Without doing any formal advertising, you don't seem to have trouble getting traffic (and clients). How do you do that?

LC: Without a doubt, through my writing. I have been published offline and online, quoted in the New York Times, and have made guest contributions to several books as well.

If I need traffic or want to promote an event, all I do is put out a new article or press release and my traffic goes through the roof. Sometimes I have no say in the matter, because I give people free reign to re- print my materials as long as they link back to my site. If I'm experiencing a flurry of traffic, I can be sure someone has re-printed one of my articles.

I find it somewhat amusing that some of the writing that has nothing to do with selling but focuses on human nature and people are the articles that consistently bring me the most response. I've lost count of the number of emails I have received that started out by saying "I read 'Grey Knit Vest' and ..."

BizE-zine: What has been your biggest mistake?

LC: My biggest mistake was starting my first e-zine without knowing about email harvesting tools - and then going on to accept the death of the e-zine (Bizwizard's Biz-E) after the subscribe address had been harvested and added to an 'opt-in' cd.

In retrospect, I wish I'd had the perseverance to fight the spam attack. My list members were such an absolutely fantastic group of interactive, responsive people.

Today, I would never roll over that easily.

BizE-zine: Why haven't you started up another e-zine? Surely with the knowledge you have now, you could protect yourself from the harvesters?

LC: I didn't really worry about it because there are so many good publications that I didn't want to be 'just another' one.

I subscribe to some great e-zines, and I know that I'm pressed for time... and assume other business owners often are, too.

So, I wanted to wait until a unique approach came to me. Something that's so different that people would really look forward to reading it, instead of saying, "oh, I don't have time" and deleting it... which I imagine happens a lot.

Finally, I've put my ideas together and launched my new e-zine. It's called 'Shocking Truths' - and I'll be sharing true stories from the gutters. Real stories that happen to real people. Both good and bad.

If you want more info, there's a blurb online at: http://www.websitemagic.tv/shocking.html

BizE-zine: What software do you use to help you run your business?

LC: The piece of software I'd most hate to be without is the Zone Alarm Firewall. Last summer will always and forever be dubbed my 'summer of viruses'.

Despite having had current virus protection, over 1200 viruses swept my network, resulting in a need for one hard drive to be replaced and two others to be reformatted. Until that day, I didn't know there were viruses that could shut down your virus protection and proceed to do their damage. I learned that the hard way.

I tried several other firewalls, and found Zone Alarm to be the easiest and friendliest to use.

For anyone doing business on the Internet, keeping your system free of viruses is imperative - not only for your own good, but for your customers good, too. There are just too many viruses that have the ability to send themselves out at will - without you even knowing about it... and some that can disable your virus protection to allow themselves access to your system.

I saw one terrific e-zine totally devastated because the poor guy didn't know he was infected with a virus - and the virus happily sent itself to every one of his subscribers. Repeatedly. I know... I was one of the recipients.

BizE-zine: What's next for your business?

LC: I want to spend more time producing training materials and books. So far, I can only help clients one at a time. That frustrates me a great deal. There are so many people that write to me in need of help and I simply can't keep up with email, nor could I possibly work with that volume of people on a one to one basis. There just aren't that many hours in a day.

I spent about 4-5 hours a day just replying to email and I wish I had written materials ready to offer to some of these people.

I'm working on rectifying that, and I'd like to develop an entire series of training manuals based on my 20 years experience offline - and my 5 years experience online.

From there, I'd like to build a network of people that will help distribute the materials on a generous profit-share basis.

I also have a dream of being able to hold conferences in which a part of the conference includes a trip under Niagara falls. I think that sometimes the force and beauty of nature can do a better job of putting us back in touch with reality and the miracles of life than anything else.

BizE-zine: Do the questions that fill up your inbox follow a pattern? What are the most often asked questions?

LC: Daily, I get letters from people wanting to know why their website isn't working. The common and underlying situation is that these people bought marketing programs and are still not getting any results. I look at the website, and immediately see why.

The second most common scenario is the person who wants a website and has bought a marketing program and wants the site built according the instructions in the marketing program.

I've had people say (repeatedly) "I want it as close to (so and so's) site without being a complete rip-off"

Now, while I would not say that the marketing programs out there aren't any good, I can see that they are not working for the majority of people. It serves to reinforce my theory that being able to 'do' and being able to 'teach' are not synonymous.

Just because a marketer can market like crazy and make a lot of money does not mean that marketer can impart the knowledge needed for others to get the same results.

My goal is to create materials that makes it easier for normal everyday people and small business owners to understand - so they can get real results. It is a big dream - but isn't it the big dreams that drive our actions for the most part?

BizE-zine: Your bio says that you like to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Do you also wear your underwear on the outside?

LC: *laughing* Nope... it's a fun saying that goes back about four years. I was talking with a potential client and she said "We need a hero. Can you leap tall buildings in a single bound?"

I laughed and said, "that's what I specialize in."

I've used the phrase since then. It's truly what I strive for with each client. When a client comes to me the way Cathy did (www.KoaCoffee.com) and says her site has cost more in hosting that is has made in sales for over two years, I want to be the hero. And when her site was listed in the Forbes Top 50, I was as jubilant and excited as she was. It's a high that I just can't explain.

My grandfather used to say that it is important to feel good about what you do, not just to make money. If you can achieve both, you have succeeded. That's what I strive for.

BizE-zine: What one piece of advice would you give to someone who is just planning to start out?

LC: One piece of advice? Me? (laughing) If you gave me a penny for my thoughts, you'd get a dollar's worth. At least.

I would tell them to base their business on something they love and can be proud of. Having some kind of passion for your field is the only way to compensate for the hours you are going to put in during the early days.

I would tell them to strive to be different - success is never run-of-the-mill or ordinary. Marketing is not like pantyhose... there is no 'one size fits all'. No one succeeds doing things exactly the way everybody else does them.

I would tell them that the two most important traits are perseverance and tenacity. As Calvin Coolidge once said:

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

They will make mistakes. Lots of them. That's okay. The only one that is truly a mistake is the one they don't learn from. The rest aren't really mistakes - they are experience, and we all need to gain that before we can succeed in any field.



Bio: Linda Caroll is a marketing consultant, website designer and published author who specializes in leaping tall buildings in a single bound. She believes that good marketing requires a regular infusion of imagination because success is never run-of-the-mill or ordinary.

You can find her at http://www.Linda Caroll.com and http://www.Websi teMagic.tv

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Martin Avis is a management and training consultant.

To get your unfair advantage in Internet marketing, business and personal success, (and 6 free gifts), subscribe free to his weekly newsletter, BizE-zine. mailto:subscribe5@BizE-zine.com or visit his information-packed website at http://www.BizE-zi ne.com

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Success Stories - 12 Doers Share Their Secrets. Interview #8: Linda Caroll. (c) Martin Avis, 2002