I was very successful in the car business before I began doing the IM stuff. I was successful because I was committed, hard working (70-80 hours a week) and a jackass.

I was a jackass because people who run that business only respect jackasses and the customers respond to success like any other industry, and although I could be myself with a customer (laid back) I had to be a jackass in every other facet of the business, generally for fear of being taken advantage of and of winding up looking like a weak fool.

So, when I made my mind up to cut ties and set out on my own course, I was soooo happy I would never have to play that game again.

Wrong.

On top of what I do for my own sites, I take on clients. The really laid back business owners have a hard time budgeting for something like SEO and the industries that keep calling on me seem to be car dealers and home builders.

The two industries known for having jackasses, and they go out of their way to live up to it.

Now for the time it takes to sell a company to hire me, I could already have their site right where they want to be. And again, I hate the bullshit involved in selling.

And then there's the "What have you done before?" stuff, and I just feel silly stating that I make ugly ass websites that sell ugly ass ebooks and make great money, because in their world, it's just not possible.

Each client has my confidence, and I don't like to trade on what I did for a mattress company's website, because it will be totally different for this home builder website, and I am tired of explaining supply and demand for search terms and having to educate every business owner like a newbie to make a sale.

After all, all they want is the traffic and the money that comes with it.

So my new strategy is this:

1. Find a market chock full of jackasses who have terrible sites with terrible search engine results.

2. Build 5-10 sites for the local niche in big markets. (I.E. Atlanta New Home Builders, Used Cars in Nashville, etc)

3. Get those sites great traffic and rankings.

4. Sell those sites to the highest bidder in their respective markets.

This way there is no confusion or re-education or misconceptions by either party.

Rather than just teaching them to fish, or fishing for them, or selling them a fish, we are having a fish auction.

What do you all think?

Old thread I know. However, I agree with everything you've said apart from point number 4, I don't sell the sites to the highest bidder, I rent the sites to them on a monthly basis with the understanding that if they fail to pay the site gets offered to their competition.