MLM The Easy Way - RPr Update http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com en-us EasyRSS
by Felton Thompkins

Do you need to automate?

In the Internet marketing business, this is one of those questions that deserves to be answered with a question.

The answer (question) is ... "Do you wish to make any money?"

I'm assuming the answer is "yes" to both questions but, in order for you to automate your business, you must have an autoresponder system in place.

What is an autoresponder?

An autoresponder is a system that allows you to just about "set and forget" your E-mail advertising campaigns, newsletters, E-courses, or just about anything you set it up to respond to.

The autoresponder, simply put, is a computer software program that will automatically answer any E-mail request sent to it. A perfectly good autoresponder will also automatically send you an E-mail notification that will inform you each time someone sends you a request for information.

When choosing your autoresponder service be sure it gives you that option.

You have a choice between a very simple autoresponder service or a very complex one, and the prices vary as such. You also have the option to set up your own system, or you can outsource the service. Outsourcing is highly recommended.

Your autoresponder is by far one of the most important pieces of software that you will need and use for building your E-business.

A word of caution before we continue, however: When choosing your autoresponder system, be sure that you're planning to use the system for the long haul, because your list will depend on it.

You may be tempted to choose a system that costs less but, as the old saying goes, you generally get what you pay for. A good service will cost you about $20.00 per month, and it's well worth the investment, if used properly. In this case, less is not always best!

Is an autoresponder the magic pill to all of your needs as an Internet Marketer? No. But it is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Let's just look at some of the benefits of adding an autoresponder to your business efforts.

INCREASE YOUR REVENUES!

Allows you to convert your Website visitors into subscribers.

Allows you to convert your subscribers into paying customers.

BUILD YOUR MAILING LIST

Add a simple Web-form to your Website in 2 minutes to build your list, boost your traffic, and get more customers.

DELIVER YOUR NEWSLETTERS

You can launch your E-mail marketing campaigns with advanced newsletter hosting features and top E-mail deliverability.

TRACK YOUR RESULTS

You have the ability to track your E-mail marketing clicks, visitors, open rates, undeliverables, sales and sign ups!

BUILD TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE AND BLOG

You know what? Buzz comes and goes. With your autoresponder, you can retain your traffic by automatic mailings to your visitors whenever you update your blog.

You will benefit from unlimited E-mail marketing and autoresponder features, follow ups, mailing lists, and broadcasts.

These are just a few of the benefits that you receive by having your system in place.

Copyright 2007 by Felton Thompkins - The Newbies Advocate. If you are in search of a very good system to automate your marketing efforts, here's an excellent place to start: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Felton_Thompkins .

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by Des Smith

It's no big secret that affiliate marketing can give you a lucrative income, but did you know that you can create a seven figure income with it? People are doing this right now, making incredible amounts of money as super affiliates -- and you can, too. All you need are a few effective affiliate marketing ideas and a little work and you're set.

When you decide to pursue online affiliate marketing, you will make money -- as long as you do it right.

You can have a very profitable home-based affiliate business and it is simple to do. Once you find your affiliates -- at least two-tier, and those with the best payouts -- you begin marketing.

There are many ways to market your affiliate business. Some of the best ways won't cost you much or they are entirely free.

Blogs and E-mail Marketing:

These are popular affiliate sales methods today. These venues are probably the easiest to do. Write about related content in your blog and include links to your Webpage or directly to your affiliate Website.

You can also include a link in your E-mail signature line. This is a free and easy method of promotion.

Forum Postings:

You can post to forums, answer questions, establish your reputation as an expert and -- now and then -- include your affiliate link. You do not want to do it often, because you do not want to be labeled a spammer. Just mention it now and then and include a link in your profile, as well as in your posting signature line.

Social Networking:

This is a great affiliate Internet marketing method. Social networking, on sites such as MySpace, Tagged and other similar networks, can give your affiliate business tremendous traffic and drive traffic to your site.

Link Exchange:

A link exchange can cost you money, or it can be free, based upon credit exchanges. You determine how much of an investment you want to make in your affiliate business-driven lead links. Marketing Internet affiliate programs through this method can be extremely effective, as it will draw traffic to your site.

If you get a link exchange that is very targeted, you can ensure that the traffic that is drawn to your site is relevant.

Google AdWords:

This method generally requires an investment, if you want to purchase keywords. This will bring very relevant, specific traffic to your site and boost your rankings in the search engines. Many affiliate marketing programs include this type of marketing and provide you with the tools to get it going. It is highly effective.

Once you learn how to do online affiliate marketing, the sky is the limit. You can promote your site, drive traffic to your affiliate programs and get tons of sign ups. Do it correctly and you stand a good chance of earning that amazing seven-figure income through affiliate marketing.

Take time to learn the ropes of affiliate marketing so that you can best utilize the opportunities that are available. It may take some trial-and-error to find affiliate marketing strategies that work best for you and your business.

You Too Can Become A Seven Figure Super Affiliate Marketer.. http://www.learnonlineaffiliatemarketing.com/recommends/affiliate1.

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by Ba Kiwanuka

Professional snipers (and well-equipped soldiers, for that matter) use night goggles or night scopes to sight their targets.

When driving at night, people flick on their headlights (unless, of course, you're Paris Hilton) -- so they can see where they're going.

Veteran online marketers use sophisticated tracking software and scripts to analyze and evaluate the results of their marketing campaigns and promotions.

The average everyday Internet marketer effects their marketing strategy on hearsay, hope, trial and error! You don't have to be a genius to figure out what's wrong with that picture.

In defense of the average struggling marketer, until fairly recently, having access to top-of-the-line tracking software meant shelling out a hefty monthly or yearly fee. It was only well established marketers with bottomless deep pockets who could afford to use such software.

That has all changed! Now, anybody and everybody who so wishes has access to such software -- and it's free!

WHAT TRACKING SOFTWARE CAN DO FOR YOUR MARKETING CAMPAIGN

VISITOR ORIGIN

Wouldn't it be great if you could tell how your visitors got to your Website; you could see whether they got there via a search engine, another Website referral or from a forum.

How about if you knew their country of origin, or even the city from which they hailed? You could then concentrate your promotional efforts in those areas that readily maximize your profit.

In the same vein, once you know which search engines are sending you traffic and which ones aren't, then you can better focus your SEO efforts on the ones that are generating revenue rather than waste time blindly attempting to optimize for all of them at the same time.

KEYWORD OPTIMIZATION

Ever heard of the term "Long-tail Keyword?"

Long-tail keywords are the various word combinations that people use naturally and unconsciously every day, to query search engines. These are word combinations that are rarely listed by keyword research software and, if such word combinations are ever listed, they tend to be way down at the bottom of the list, jumbled up into unnatural incomprehensible arrangements that only a machine would ever consider.

Those long-tail keywords tend to have fantastic conversion rates, but you'd never know it unless you had excellent tracking software to apprise you of the fact.

These days, the search engine algorithms are really smart critters! They have matured to the point that they can identify and combine separate far-apart-spaced words on any Webpage to comprise long-tail keywords that people actually type in as search engine queries.

The search engine algorithms then qualify that Webpage as optimized for that combination of words (long-tail keyword).

The real bonus here is that, most times, you'd never even think up such keywords, let alone optimize for them, even when using keyword research software!

VISITOR DURATION ON YOUR SITE

The best tracking software avails you of stats illustrating how long people spend on your Website (individual time-frame stats for each page, no less!), so you can easily know whether changes you've made to your site have improved conversion performance or, conversely, decreased it.

In this manner, you can readily determine which version of your sales copy or Web page content has a higher conversion ratio.

To summarize, without statistics compiled from sophisticated tracking software, much of your promotional efforts would hinge upon trial and error which, basically, is tantamount to aiming blind.

Get your free tracking software from the author here: http://www.internetbusinessmart.com/got-google-analytics-yet.htm.

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by Roger Hall)

If you're reading this, you're probably already advertising on Google. Or at least considering it.

Am I right?

What if I told you there are a couple of alternatives to Google AdWords Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising that could only cost you between 10% and 33% of what you would pay for those same clicks at Google?

How can this be?

It's no secret that Google has the vast majority of click traffic on the Internet -- and, as unhealthy as that is, its not going to change any time soon. Most PPC specialists will tell you, if you're not advertising on Google, you're history.

But, with some clicks going for more than $15 each (for high-end and lucrative products and services such as computer servers and credit card merchant accounts), isn't it time to look for effective alternatives?

Serious advertisers should consider alternative pay-per-click services.

Two that I have been trying recently for my own advertising are and Enhance Interactive and 7Search (disclosure; I am in no way affiliated with either of these companies).

Enhance Interactive, based in Provo, Utah:

Enhance Interactive's partner network receives more than one billion queries each month. I've found their program to be an easy, effective way to purchase PPC (pay-per-click) advertising.

You can pick both the keywords for your ad and the price you're willing to pay for someone to click on it (as little as $0.03).

Like Google, you only pay when your ad is clicked on.

Enhance Interactive's Guaranteed Inclusion service allows you to submit URLs which are guaranteed to be in the database of highly-visited search engines such as Excite and Dogpile, as well as smaller directories.

What's more, you can set a per-click price on any keyword and it will be significantly less than other large pay-per-click search engines.

Even better -- Enhance's system allows you to see your competitor's bids ... something Google does not allow. That's handy!

Your first deposit at Enhance Interactive is a minimum of $50, all of which is directly applied to clicks. There is no minimum monthly spend at Enhance Interactive. One disadvantage is that you have to pay in advance, whereas Google allows you to make a $5 deposit and they charge you every two weeks or a month for past clicks.

An interesting feature available on Enhance, which is not available on Google, is a feature called 'LogoLink,' where you can upload an 80x40-pixel image that's no larger than 8 KB in size. Animation is not accepted. This image will then be displayed alongside your PPC ad.

Very cool! Feedback from users who use this feature is positive.

While not as sophisticated as Google, conversion tools are available on Enhance, after you've installed some simple html code into your Web pages you wish to track.

Overall, I'm impressed with Enhance Interactive's service and prices, which I've found to cost only 20%-30% what a Google click would cost for the same keyword. I suggest you give them a try on a small scale. You won't have to stop your Google campaigns completely -- just cut back a bit and purchase some clicks from Enhance to give them a try.

7Search:

Moving a little down the click-quality scale, yet still worth a try, is 7Search.

With over 1.5 billion searches per month and no minimum keyword bids (starting at one cent per click), the 7Search product is an enticing alternative for advertisers weary of Google's high bid prices.

Like Enhance, Chicago-based 7Search allows you to see your competitor's bids, and select the ad position you wish to take.

One major potential "fly in the ointment:" you can't select what countries your ads will be shown in on the 7Search network. That can be a real deal-breaker for an advertiser who wants to target a particular region or country.

Why?

Click fraud and useless clicks are likely to increase. But remember; on 7Search, click prices are also a lot cheaper than Google, so it may be worth a try. As with Enhance, you pay in advance for clicks.

The 7Search interface feels a bit 'clunky' when compared with Google or even Enhance Interactive. But, if you're willing to slog through it for 30 minutes or so, you'll likely be able to figure out what to do. And you will be paid for your effort with low-cost clicks delivered to your landing page.

While 7Search does not provide a conversion tool, Google Analytics will track clicks that come from other search engines so, if your Google Analytics code is installed correctly, you can track a 7Search click, or most other search engines for that matter.

Summary

Let's not desert Google entirely -- it's still a good (if more expensive) tool. As always, even if you decide to choose Google alternatives, remember you can track most, if not all, the clicks arriving at your site with Google Analytics.

Towards becoming a more efficient business, give some thought to Google PPC alternatives.

Just remember: Using proper PPC ad writing and construction strategies is vital on the cheaper PPC service providers. The proven secrets apply on these cheaper services, as much as they do on Google.

About the Author

Roger Hall, Author of the new book, "37 Killer AdWords PPC Secrets Exposed," develops programs and pay-per-click ads to help you succeed. Discover how to create Google campaigns that work, save you money and beat your competition with his popular FREE AdWords Tips for advertisers. Available at: => http://www.37AdWordsSecrets.com .

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by Simon Davies

You’ve heard the classic formula, AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

But, how do you grab attention, turn interest into desire and prompt an action that’s sure to get the phones ringing?

Here’s 20 tips to ease you through the trauma of getting strangers excited:

Grabbing the reader's attention...

Short of saying "Hey, you!" at the top of the page, how can you get more than a passing glance from a busy reader?

1. Avoid using "Dear Sir or Madam." Tie a householder to your product with "Dear Holidaymaker" or "Dear Shopper." For a business, try "Dear Manager" or "Dear Sales Director." (It's true, important people can be just as vain as the rest of us!)

2. Don’t be too clever with headlines. Just get your point across so your reader will keep going. Avoid wordplay at all costs - most people hate puns, and your reader might need to know your product before they’ll get the joke. Wordplay also slows down the reader's inference, which is the last thing you want to do.

3. Don't fall for gimmicks. Headlines in clever fonts and wobbly lines of text can look pretty naff and a little amateur. And whatever you do, steer clear of WordArt – especially the blue wavy font, it’s been done to death!

4. Tantalise. If your prospects have been suitably profiled, you already know what they long for. So write a headline that puts it within their grasp. They'll read on to find out if they really can have it.

5. Use impressive facts or case studies. It's a great way to grab the reader’s attention, and it gives you something to refer back to when you're rounding off the letter.

Turning attention into interest...

Once you've grabbed the reader's attention, you need to keep them reading. At this stage your style of writing plays as big a role as the message itself.

6. Empathise. Show the reader you understand what bothers them. Get them on your side. They don't want to know about your business, but they are interested in how your business can solve their problems or meet their aspirations. Once you’ve got the reader focused, you're free to show how your product meets their burning desire.

7. Keep it personal. Assume you’re chatting to a friend, not writing to the bank manager. You don't want to be over-familiar, but remember important people are still human beings who respond to a warm, friendly approach.

8. Choose your words carefully. Say "and" instead of "but," "when" instead of if" and "will" instead of "might." And keep it customer-focused by using "you" and "your" more than "I" or "my."

9. Stress the key points. Use sub-headings, indent important paragraphs or italicise vital words. But AVOID CAPITALS and exclamation marks!!!!! And don’t emphasise too much - or nothing will stand out.

10. Make it easy to read. Keep your sentences short. Like this. Keep paragraphs to half a dozen lines or less. And leave plenty of blank space on the page. If it's daunting for the reader, it goes in the bin.

From interest to desire...

You've got the reader's attention and used enough hooks to keep them reading. They're focused on why they need your product. Here's where you make them salivate...

11. Sell the benefits, not the features. By and large we don't care how something works as long as it does the job. Unless you're writing to experts or hardened enthusiasts, lengthy product specs will only slow down the read.

12. Focus on the end result. Give the reader something to dream about - look beyond the product and show how it's going to change their life forever! Insurance buys you peace of mind. A car buys you freedom. A new sofa gets you precious moments at the end of a busy day. This is where you take the reader to the end of the rainbow, where their woes are distant memories!

13. Banish doubts. Part of building desire is silencing that nagging voice that says "there's a catch." So prove your credentials with qualifications, testimonials or a no-risk offer.

14. Set yourself apart. By now the reader's fairly keen, but why get the product from you? Be careful of rubbishing the opposition - no one wants to get caught in a bitching crossfire between you and your competitors. Focus on the positives and hammer home your unique selling point.

15. Imagine life without it. Now the reader's imagined life with your product, take it away from them! Remind them how bleak life can be without your miracle solution. Can they carry on without it?

Desire becomes action...

You're nearly there! You've built up an opportunity, but every word matters as you move in for the kill...!

16. Use subliminal closing. When you finally ask for business, you don't want it to read as a sudden jolt or change in tone. So fill the letter with casual assumptions that you will be doing business. Positive phrases like "When you call us" and "You'll see the difference" ease the reader gently into the right frame of mind.

17. Don’t be shy asking for what you want. When the time comes, be bold. You may be looking for a sale or just a chance to quote. But if you don't qualify what you want, no one will second guess you. Make your call to action clear and make it easy for the reader to respond.

18. Add an incentive. It's fairly obvious, but your greatest enemy is apathy. Even a warm prospect could put you on the back burner unless you give them a compelling reason to get in touch today.

But -- remember -- that needn't mean offering a discount. Adding value with a second product or service is better for your image. And your bank balance.

19. Your signature matters. Make it legible and sign in blue ink so it doesn't look mass-produced. And if you're a Sales Manager, remember many readers will be put off by your job title - far better to send the letter from the MD or Head of Customer Services.

20. Add a PS. Letter writing protocol demands that we sign off formally, but in doing so we lose momentum. A PS is a chance to re-excite the reader, where you re-state a key benefit or add one final incentive. By the end of a good PS, your offer should be way too good to resist.

Happy Scribbling!

Simon Davies is the co-founder of Wales-based copywriters EarthMonkey Media. He and partner James Daniel have over 30 years experience as journalists, copywriters and scriptwriters. Their site can be found here: www.earthmonkey.biz.

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by Joy Gendusa

Where to Start:

Most novice marketers have definite fixed ideas about direct mail that are way off base - most often in the area of what to spend and how much to do.

You should determine what you are able to spend for your marketing budget, spend it, and determine the maximum number of leads that you can create. For instance, I’ve heard this statement quite often: "We aren’t that large of a company. How could we send out 2,000 postcards all at once?" because "What if they all call?"

Seems like a valid concern, right?

Here is the reality behind it: Unfortunately, they won’t all call. However, a good deal of them very well may and making sure that your traffic is not more than you can handle is something to think about.

Truthfully, there is no sure way to tell exactly how many people will call if you haven’t done this type of marketing before. Think of it this way: What would happen if they did all call? You may not be able to handle all of them, but you would handle as many as you possibly could, right?

In this scenario, you would have maximized your income for that time period, providing you could close all those callers! You can also explore the idea of expanding your operation to handle the number of leads that you can create.

What if you didn’t max out your promotion at the very start? You can afford to send out 4,000 pieces every two weeks but you think that you will simply get too many calls to be able to handle them all. You, instead, send out only 2,000 and the response is decent. However, you still have some down time where you are having to try to “manufacture” sales.

You saved $400 in marketing money but you had enough down time where you could have closed quite a few more sales than you did. The question now is "Which gives me more money in my pocket? Saving $400 on marketing or closing quite a few more sales and earning an extra couple of G’s potentially.”

More than likely, the answer is to spend as much as you possibly can on your marketing, right?

By spending all that you can afford on marketing when you start a program you maximize your income almost immediately.

Okay, Time to Track Results.

Hopefully you have more than one way that you try to recruit new customers. So -- how do you know which ones are working and which aren’t?

Set up a system to track the results.

Let’s take, for example, a situation in which you decide to start a Postcard Marketing Campaign for your business. The first week you send out 3000 postcards. When they start hitting homes you get 30 calls.

Did all of these leads come from the postcards? Probably not. Because the week before you got 8 calls and hadn’t sent out any postcards yet.

So how can you tell who actually got a postcard?

The Answer: All you have to do is ask them. "So how did you hear about our company?" The hard part is making sure that any employee in your company who answers the phone and may talk to a new prospect remembers to ask the question every time.

The fewer prospects who answer this question, the less accurate your information will be when making future marketing decisions.

Now let’s assume that you have been sending out postcards for a while and you have a good number of calls coming in. If you ask the question "So how did you hear about our company?" they may respond, "I got your postcard in the mail." But, by now you have mailed postcards to 4 different lists, 3 times each.

How do you tell which list and which mailing this customer was from?

The Answer: Put a marketing code on the postcards that will tell you which specific postcard they received and when it was mailed.

Give each list a name and work the date into your marketing code as well. And the only thing your representatives have to ask is "Would you mind reading me the marketing code above your address?"

This code should give you all the info that you need to know and help you keep your Marketing Results Tracking as accurate as possible.

Try not to operate off of assumptions about “how to market” if you haven’t educated yourself. And make sure you collect all the data and make your future marketing decisions based on the facts.

Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania (www.PostcardMania.com) in 1998, her only assets a computer and a phone. By 2005 the company did over $12 million in sales, employed over 100 people and made Inc. Magazine’s prestigious Inc 500 List as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the nation. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy.

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By: Gary Foreman

Gwen writes: “What’s going on? This month on two separate credit card statements, there are notices informing us that as of October 1, we may be charged ‘more than two’ late fees or ‘over the limit’ fees per month.”

It is estimated that Americans have charged $1.8 trillion in 2005 on the 690 million credit cards outstanding. According to a Government Accountability Office study released in September 2006, 13% of credit card users were assessed over-limit fees and 35% were assessed late fees in 2005. So Gwen has a lot of company.

Let's try to do three things. First, understand what these fees are. Second, see how fees are changing. Third, what can Gwen do to keep from being hurt?

Credit cards have always had fees, such as, late payments. This is understandable. Other fees came along as credit cards took on new capabilities; cash advances and balance transfer fees. Still others should not seem possible; like over-limit fees. You would think they would not allow you to borrow more than your limit.

There are also 'penalty interest rates'. If you're late with a payment or go over your credit limit you could see your rate bumped to 30% or more.

The 2006 GAO study looked at fees and penalties. It said that not only were fees increasing, but also the credit card companies were doing a lousy job of informing consumers about those fees.

The credit card companies are obligated to tell you about any fees or penalties and how they're triggered. Some fees, like paying your credit card bill by phone, are sometimes not clearly disclosed. What Gwen received with her statement was a notice of a change in how fees would be charged. As long as she is notified, they can get by with almost anything.

Late fees have nearly tripled in the last 11 years. And many cards have adopted a 'universal default clause' that says a late payment on any card will trigger the penalty interest rate.

Credit card companies say that the higher interest rates and fees are appropriate based on risk factors. If it weren't for the higher fees, they claim that they wouldn't be able to offer credit to riskier consumers.

In fairness, the GAO's survey found that (at least among 6 of the largest card issuers) 80% of accounts paid interest rates of less than 20%. So the vast majority of card users are not paying penalty rates.

The study also found that the disclosures were written well above the eighth grade reading level and (surprise!) featured small print. They recommended that the Federal Reserve Board revise rules on credit card disclosures.

Now that we understand what's going on, we can try to help Gwen avoid problems:
1. Recognize the card issuers get to make most of the rules. Whether those rules are fair or not isn't relevant. The best she can do is to avoid getting hurt by those rules.
2. Get familiar with each account. The only way to know exactly what's allowed is to read and understand the "Card Member Agreement." Tough duty, but necessary!
3. Watch out for unexpected fees; like balance transfers or increasing your credit limit. Know what could trigger fees or penalty rates.
4. Know exactly when your payment is due. Keep a list of due dates for your credit card accounts. If you don't get the bill, it is your responsibility to contact the company and still make a timely payment.
5. If possible, the best thing is to join nearly half of the cardholders who paid little or no interest. That's because they do not carry a balance.
6. Obviously, for many people that's not immediately possible. It is important to send in your payment as soon as possible. Being seven days early is better than being one day late.
7. If you find it difficult to get your payment in on time, you might want to authorize the credit card company to automatically debit your checking account for the minimum payment each month. You'll probably pay for the service, but that way the payment can't be late.
8. Talk to your card issuer. If you’re due date falls at a bad time of the month, they'll move it.
9. If Gwen is near or over the limit on any card, she should try to shift part of the debt to a different card. Some fees are even being assessed when an account is merely getting too close to the limit. Your best bet is to keep balances to less than half the available credit.

Although the higher late fees are infuriating, they do minimal damage. The real problem is in the universal default clause. Most credit card accounts now have a universal default clause.

Suppose your rate went from 15% to 30% on every open credit account. For every $1,000 you owe, an extra $150 interest would be charged each year. So if you're the type of person carrying a $10,000 balance, that one late payment could cost you $1,500 per year. For as long as you have the balance!

Gwen needs to pay close attention to her credit card accounts. With newer fees and penalty rates in place, it becomes more important to manage your credit. In fact, it's critical to your financial ‘well-being’.

Gary Foreman is a former financial planner who currently edits The Dollar Stretcher website. If you'd like to stretch your day or your dollar visit today! You'll find hundreds of articles to help you "live better...for less". View their website at: http://www.stretcher.com
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By Joe Leech

Let's face it: you’re probably working for far less than you need to. The sad thing is you may not even be aware of it or the options that are available! We're going to change that for you, and share, not only a thought, but also a vehicle that can change your financial life.

We’re going to show you how to get so much more out of your sales time investment.

This may apply more to the part time, home based business person than the professional...but we have seen, met, and talked with professionals who really are under- valuing their return on time investment. The phrase “time investment” is used repeatedly, but you MUST consider it just as important as you value cash or a money investment.

It is even more important because once spent or invested, you can never get that particular moment or minute back. It's gone! You can always invest more money, but you only have so much irreplaceable time. Your sales time investment is one of the most precious investments you can ever make.

As we look at business models, we find on one end, the model that proposes high volume but low profit per sale.

Wal-Mart has certainly shown this model works. Many, many supermarkets work this same way. If you have the ability to create large volumes of sales, it will work; the question is, do you? If you are an individual sales rep, or a small business, just how much of an opportunity do you have in creating large volumes? The appeal to the small businessperson is to do this by creating some type of a multi-level sales organization, (probably incorrectly referred to as a pyramid); and in the ideal world, ‘IF’ you can do this, you can create volume. This could take years to accomplish, and still never guarantee any income or security because: (1) The company behind it could go out of business, be taken over, or any number of things. (2) The pay plan could change. (3) The group suddenly dissolves, particularly if or when a heavy hitter or group leader decides to switch to another business taking his distributors or sales force with him. Do you make a good sales time investment if you choose this model?

Of course, you still have the ability to sell the product or service yourself, but (1) can you do the volume, and (2) is the profit per personal sale worth your time?

The second business model, at the other end of the spectrum, is one that provides a relatively high profit or earning per sale. Often, in this category, we think of real estate people and car sales people, as well as, sales people of specialized capital equipment, but that's not the majority of us.

The downside is, if we are thinking about selling a high ticket/high profit item, we have to ask (1) is there a large market and prospect base, and (2) if we are thinking in terms of the ability for a part time person--possibly a "stay at home mom", can this high ticket, high profit product or service be first mastered in terms of the technology, and is the customer prospect base readily accessible?

In most cases, the answer to those questions is "no, not available". But if it is, or was, then here's a fact that can be virtually carved in stone:

IT TAKES NO MORE TIME OR SKILLS TO SELL THE HIGH PROFIT PACKAGE THAN IT DOES TO SELL THE MASS PRODUCT WITH ONLY PENNIES OR DIMES IN PROFIT!

Think about that! This is ALL relative to your sales time investment. It's the MOST IMPORTANT investment you have to make. Ask yourself: "Am I working for pennies or dimes, when instead with the right vehicle I could be working for dollars?"

If the answer is yes, and this is so true of particularly home based business entrepreneurs who are involved in the sale of nutritional supplements, skin care, fad gadgets, etc., then ask yourself, "Am I doing this because I want to earn a nice income, and do it as quickly as possible... or am I kidding myself about that goal and do I just want to get products wholesale or discounted and have some fun?"

There is nothing wrong with that, if you have an honest assessment of what you are doing and why. But...if your goal is $4000 to $5000 a month or more, and you do not want to spend all your waking hours "working your business", then it is time to change!

This article is written from the school of hard knocks. It is one that really had us very emotionally involved with the businesses; rah, rah, rah, recognition pins, etc.…Amway…Free Life…Primerica…Herbal Life. Been there, done that! Made some money? Yes, but far, far less than in other options. This represents the part time side of things we did to supplement our “real” job. We made some money, but had no security, and worked for far less than we could have been doing. Plus, we just sold our time for money, no residual income…that is a subject for another article.

We hope this has helped you focus your thinking and our resource block will point you to one tool that will let you change your life.

Joe Leech has been involved in both conventional and home-based businesses for over 40 years. He offers sound advice from his experience and at his website at http://www.wideworldinfo.com/abundant/opty.html he offers a way to do what he writes about.
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By Mario Churchill

It is an unavoidable fact that businesses will encounter problems once in a while. It may be a problem in marketing, in sales, or in personnel. Whatever it is, you need to solve it fast in order to keep your business on track and avoid losing a lot of money.

Having problems in your business may seem very frustrating. With simple problem solving techniques, you can solve your problems in no time at all.

For example, if your competition is selling more than you, you need to analyze all the related factors of the problem with your company, or why your company isn't selling like it used to. Determining the problem is the first step in all kinds of problems that you need to solve.

With big business problems, face the facts; you will need help in order to solve it faster. Here is a guide you can use in your problem solving techniques to know how to solve problems more efficiently:

-The first thing you need to consider is identifying what problems you are facing. Whether it is about marketing or about sales, you first need to know what the problem is in a specific department. It may be lack of sales or it may even be problems with inefficient employees. Whatever it is, try to know what is causing it.

-Once you identify the problem, you need to set up a meeting with the people who are responsible. Then, you can ask them about their opinions on the problem. Try to ask them what is wrong with their respective departments and try to let them list the things they think need to be improved.

-After they write all the things they think have a problem, discuss it one by one. Ask them how and why they arrived at that particular problem, and what their opinions are to properly solve the problem.

-Now that you have their opinions, you can now decide what to do about that particular problem. Knowing what is causing the problem will enable you to arrive at the right decision in solving the problem.

These are the things you should consider when solving a problem in your company. You will know how you can solve the problem by making the right decision.

If you still need information to arrive at a good decision, then you should look for it. One way to solve the problem is by imagining how you can cause the problem. For example, if you think you need customers, imagine how you can scare them away. By doing this, you can determine why you don't have enough customers and solve it.

These are some of the things you should keep in mind in order to solve the problem in your business more effectively.

By getting the right information about a particular problem, you will be able to solve it at a much faster rate. You can really improve how your business is running and also improve the way you deal with problems.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information checkout http://www.ideacenter.com and http://my-updates.info.
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