ClickBank allows its merchants to sell many different types of digital products, but with the proviso that they must be deliverable entirely over the internet within 24 hours of purchase.

Most merchants focus on downloadable products (especially ebooks and software applications), although ClickBank can equally be used to sell digital content delivered by email or via membership websites and other online communities. But there is one category not usually associated with ClickBank - services.

In theory, the need to deliver within ClickBank's stipulated 24-hour timeframe excludes the sale of services. It is almost impossible to absolutely guarantee delivery of a service within a specific timeframe, as fulfillment invariably involves activity on the part of the merchant and may be affected by workload and other variable factors. With some services, implementation naturally takes place over an extended period (often scheduled to suit the buyer), making it even more difficult to comply.

Fortunately, ClickBank's interpretation of the 24-hour rule is somewhat liberal. A number of successful ClickBank merchants operate service-based businesses where fulfillment takes a month or more to complete. In these cases, delivery is deemed to have taken place when the merchant makes first contact with the buyer. This flexibility allows the sale of a very broad range of digital services:

• Writing services (ghostwriting, resume writing, translation, proof reading, editing etc)

• Artistic services (web design, graphic design, custom art, book cover art etc)

• Professional services (consulting, project planning, legal, accountancy etc)

• Technical services (website optimization, software development, etc)

• Marketing services (copywriting, search engine optimization, etc)

• Personal services (personal coaching, wedding planning, relationship counseling etc)

• Critique services (website critique,
  
  
  book critique, sales copy critique etc)

Despite the flexibility to sell various types of digital merchandise, every ClickBank sale involves a specific pre-defined offering at a fixed price. Before a sale takes place, a ClickBank buyer wants to know exactly what she is buying and how much she is going to pay for it.

So, you cannot use ClickBank to sell your services by the hour, nor can you currently establish recurring billing relationships with your clients. Whatever you sell, you need to package it so that it can be described very specifically and offered at a fixed price. For example, as an attorney, you could not use ClickBank to sell legal services using the traditional hourly-based or results-based pricing models. But ClickBank is ideally suited to selling a fixed-price legal service, such as writing a will or creating a simple, standardized contract document.

One of the most practical ways of selling services via ClickBank is to offer a customized version of an "off-the-shelf" product. For example, a web designer may offer a custom design service, whereby the buyer selects a web template and receives a limited (and specifically defined) amount of custom modifications included in the purchase price. This packaging model enables innovative merchants to penetrate markets traditionally dominated by expensive professionals, broadening their own scope by offering better value-for-money to the buyer.

So, use your imagination and create some new and enticing digital services that you can sell through your ClickBank account!

Copyright © Tim Coulter. All rights reserved.

Tim Coulter is a consultant and software developer who helps netpreneurs to harness marketing technologies.

He is also the author of "ClickBank - The Definitive Guide" The Ultimate ClickBank Tutorial & Reference Manual.

http://www.clickbankrevealed.com/