Home Business The Easy Way 715 Update http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com en-us EasyRSS
By Jim Mack

Every day, millions of entrepreneurs get up, go to work, and they go no further than their own home. A home business is one of the most popular ventures for those who want to earn money, but also desire the freedom and flexibility that can only be achieved through working at home.

At day’s end, the most important thing that we have is our family. In an effort to spend more time with them, many entrepreneurs set up an office in a spare bedroom or even in the family room. This option is especially beneficial for those who have children and feel the need to be at home with them. Today, many families prefer to live in a suburban or country setting to allow their children the safety of playing outside or riding their bicycles. The problem is these areas are not commonly associated with a large job market, which means a longer commute for those who work away from home. For many, a home business is the answer to living in a safe area, eliminating the need to commute and still maintaining a steady income.

Family freedom is achieved through setting aside important time to share in special moments and always making sure to be there when you are needed. A home business allows for all of these things, but with a twist. It’s still possible to take your little ones to softball practice or pick them up from school, but it’s also possible to earn a full-time living while doing so.

If you work for someone else, what happens if you want to take a vacation? How early do you have to provide your request and what will happen if something later comes up and you need to change the date of your trip? If you’ve already requested a vacation from your employer and that request was approved, what happens to the vacation plans? It’s not always so easy to change plans when you are working on someone else’s time clock. If you want the freedom and flexibility to choose your schedule, arrange family outings and vacations at a time that is convenient for everyone, have the peace of mind to know that plans change and you need to be able to change with them, then a home business is the way to go.

Working at home is not just about being there to clean up little spills, run errands or even picking someone up from school. It’s more than that. It’s about taking care of your children when they are sick and need you. It’s about being there when one of them calls from school and wants to come home because they are hurt. It’s also about being there for the special moments that deserve your presence. Whether it’s your toddler’s first step across the carpet or their first step into kindergarten, these are the moments that shouldn’t be missed and won’t be missed, if you are in control of your own schedule.

Jim Mack is a home business professional that is dedicated to help his team succeed http://www.giantcashcow.com, the BEST home business out there today. To find out more about Jim go to http://www.giantcashcow.com ]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips715/user/index.php
by Joe Cooper

Over the years, I have read thousands of books, articles, and newspapers, and listened to hundreds of speeches and lectures about all kinds of mumbo-jumbo. A topic that has always intrigued me is, "What does it take to truly be successful?"

I’m talking about, "How does one really pull himself up from his boat straps?" “How does one go from rags to riches?” “Is there a general set of circumstances one needs in his environment?” “Is it a combination of quality characteristics within an individual?” “Do you have to know the right people?” “Do you have to be lucky?” “If you have to be smart, why do I know people right now who are less intelligent than me, but who are twice as rich?”

I’ve been researching these questions and many others like them, to finally come up with a definitive list or combination of skills that I believe to be most important for one to achieve their business dreams, no matter what they may be.

There are three primary "ingredients" that I have discovered to be absolutely vital for your success. The great thing is that you have most of these ingredients right inside of yourself. You just have to bring them out, cultivate them, and use them.

1. The first necessity is earning your own Luck.

Okay, okay! I know what you rationalists out there are saying: “There is no such thing as luck!”

This is positively not true! I will prove it to you over the course of these lessons!

I have always been fascinated with the idea of luck, i.e. good fortune. I have always wondered why it befell some more than others. Over the years, I have had the privilege to get my hands on several very, very hard to find books (many that have been out of print for decades). I have learned that the majority of the content you find in today’s most popular positive thinking books has already been covered in books printed back in the 1920’s, or earlier.

One of the best (rare) books that I’ve been fortunate enough to get my hands on is a tiny little blue book called The Kybalion. It is a book on Hermetic Philosophy.

Hermetic Philosophy is not Greek Philosophy, but in truth, Ancient Egyptian Philosophy. History tells us that Greek disciples traveled to Ancient Egypt during Ancient times, to be educated and initiated into what was called the Mystery Systems.

Egypt is accredited as the birthplace of Hidden Wisdom. All nations across the Earth have borrowed from their knowledge. This includes the ancient civilizations of India, Persia, Chaldea, Medea, China, Japan, Assyria, ancient Greece and Rome, and other ancient countries.

The great founder of this philosophy was known as the "Master of Masters," Hermes Trismegistus (meaning "thrice great," "the great-great," "the greatest great"). He is said to have lived three hundred years in the flesh (take it with a grain of salt)!

The best Christian authorities regard him as a contemporary of Abraham of the Christian Bible. Some Jewish traditions go so far as to claim that Abraham acquired (was taught) some of his mystical knowledge from Hermes. The Egyptians deified him making him one of their gods called Thoth, the Great God of Wisdom. Years later, the ancient Greeks made him one of their many gods, calling him Hermes.

That is what he is popularly known as today.

Although the teachings have deteriorated over thousands of years, even to this day, traces of the Hermetic teachings can be found in all lands, among all religions. I don’t want to bore you with a long history lesson, so I’ll get on to explaining what all of this has to do with Luck.

Let's take a look at the relationship between luck and Universal Law. There are a lot of books that have been written on Universal Laws. Universal Law is, basically, the laws that govern all of humanity, nature, animals, plants, marine life, time, space, and everything in-between.

I have never read a better, more complete book on the subject than The Kybalion. The Kybalion explains that there are Seven Laws, or Principles, that govern creation. The seven laws and their basic axioms are:

The Law of Mentalism, which states that "The All is Mind; The Universe is Mental."

The Law of Correspondence, which states "As above, so below; as below, so above."

The Law of Vibration, which states "Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates."

The Law of Polarity, which states that "Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled."

The Law of Gender, which states that "Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine principles; Gender manifests on all planes."

The Law of Rhythm, which states that "Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum swings manifest in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates."

The Law of Cause and Effect, which states that "Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to law; Chance is but the name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation but nothing escapes the Law."

These are the Seven Laws of the Universe, according to the teachings of Thoth (a.k.a. Hermes of ancient Greece). To find out more about them, read The Kybalion. It is a fabulous book that every human being would benefit from reading. It’s a little hard to find, but there are still copies out there for those of you willing to do a little digging.

If you want something in life, but find that you have not been able to attain it, the questions you need to ask yourself are "Are my thoughts and actions in harmony with Universal Law?" "Are my thoughts and action in harmony with what I want?"

A very important lesson I've learned is that, when we fail in life, it's not because we are "breaking the law." It's because the Law is breaking US. This is because the Law operates unceasingly, regardless of if we are consciously aware of it or not. The law suffers every fool.

The advantage you should take away from this article, then, is to stop working against yourself and to start working within the Law. Use it to your advantage.

Here's a quick example: Whenever you are evaluating a situation or sizing up events, problems, challenges, or designing goals, objectives, etc. always ask yourself, "What role does Universal Law play in what I am seeking?"

This is always the best place to start because, whether you are aware of it or not, Universal Law is forever operating unmercifully.

Now we know what Universal Law is: It is the operation of Seven Laws which we will go into detail right now. I will also explain why everyone is entitled to a "lucky break."

Universal Law does exist. We do not live in a chaos, but in a Cosmos sustained by fixed Law and Order. This is actually a major advantage!

Everything you want in life can be manifested by properly attuning your mind. You have to first know what you want and then mentally create it, inside of your mind, and by using your emotions, imagination, faith, will, intelligence, and zeal, and by doing it all with feeling (Mentalism).

In other words, you have to truly believe that you can achieve what you set out to achieve.

Once you have successfully created the desired circumstances and resources you’ll need (inside of your mind first), your subconscious mind will gradually start to create the external means of attainment (Correspondence). You’ll start meeting the right people, gravitating towards the correct resources, and generally start to always be at the right place at the right time, doing the right things!

It may not seem like you are on the right path, but persevere. There is no such thing as a "mistake" for those dedicated to success.

You will continue to consistently and passionately imagine and mentally affirm your desires. This will intensify your external manifestations, because you will nurture your mental images with emotion, visualization, will power, and deep desire (Vibration), which will further draw you to the right circumstances, people, places, and things, and draw the proper circumstances, people, places, and things to you.

You will generally be moving in "the right direction" you need to be going to succeed (Polarity). You will combine together the proper mental state within yourself (Feminine polarity) with the necessary action and physical effort (Masculine polarity) to propel yourself towards your objective at an even higher intensity and rate of speed.

You will sustain your mental focus and physical labor, regardless of the natural ebbs and flows of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly cycles. You will overcome the ups and downs of your energy levels, mood swings, self-doubts, the natural "highs" and "lows" of existence, etc. You will overcome the adverse rhythm of life (Rhythm) by persistently staying focused mentally and staying loyal to achieving your goals.

Over a long enough timeline, if you sustain your mental focus and your hard efforts (Cause), through all of the cyclical, rhythmical controversy that none of us can escape, you will be rewarded, eventually, with a "lucky break" (the Effect).

To work this process until you achieve your goals entirely is to defy the odds (thus earning your "lucky break").

There is no telling how this "lucky break" will come about. But, all you need to know is that it is inevitable. This means it is 100% guaranteed to happen (as long you do your part). As sure as the sun comes up everyday, you will be rewarded with "a lucky break" and probably many "lucky breaks" along your journey towards your objective.

Luck is natural, but rarely perceived as such, because it is very difficult to mathematically predict. By appearance alone, it seems random at times, because you never know when it will pop up.

The best thing to know is that, when you do your part and stay dedicated to the natural operation of things, you will be rewarded. Chances are, you will be surprised at the timing of your lucky break but, nonetheless, you will receive it.

The Law of Luck, then, is that everyone is entitled to their own lucky breaks in life. No one has a monopoly on luck. Luck is earned. Over a long enough timeline, everyone is entitled to his or her lucky break. This is true, provided they work hard and are smart about how they work hard.

About The Author:

Joe Cooper has researched and experimented with over 275 home based business opportunities over 25 years. Discover more information about internet scam reporting at http://www.best-internet-home-based-business.net and http://www.best-internet-home-based-business.net/order_form.html

© Copyright 2006 Joe Cooper

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by Wendy Maynard

A Website is one of the most powerful marketing tools that you can implement. You can update it immediately; it is unique to your business; it can be seen by thousands of people who are searching for EXACTLY what you have to offer; and it works as your sales force, 24/7. It also can be expanded and changed over time.

Make sure that your Website includes content that will keep your prospects coming back. This is called a “sticky” site. Things like articles, tips, and quizzes not only show off your company's expertise and skills, but they are interesting and can educate people about a wide variety of topics.

Here are some things you can do to enhance the "stickiness" of your site:

1. Update Your Portfolio: If you have a portfolio of your work (photographers, architects, landscapers, designers, writers, etc.), keep your "latest and greatest" work current. Send an enthusiastic E-mail to your customers, to let them know when you update it.

2. Write Articles: You are an expert in your field. Customers are hungry for the information only you can provide. Give them helpful advice and tips. On your homepage, let Website visitors know about this section.

3. Add a Discussion Forum: Your Website designer can help you add a discussion forum. This allows visitors to communicate with each other, and your staff can provide helpful answers.

4. Create a "Links" Page: Customers like being able to find out more information regarding their purchasing decisions. With a links page, you can map the way for them to visit other related Websites. People will return to your site as a resource, to access this compilation of links.

5. Publish an E-zine: Publishing an E-zine will help position your business as an expert in your field. It sets you apart from your competitors and instills confidence and trust in your readers, making it easier for them to do business with you. You can archive your articles on your Website on an ongoing basis, to refresh your content for business.

6. Ask Your Site Visitors What They Want: Is there something in your business you are considering? Do you want some feedback on a service? Why not ask for your customers’ opinion? You can post an online opinion poll and, down the road, post customers’ responses.

7. Start a Blog: If you are committed to posting regularly, a blog can be a great way to build relationships with your customers and leads. You can give them advice about services or products, you can offer them helpful advice, and you can give business updates. Best of all, a blog is easy to set up and update!

8. Publish "Audio Bytes": There is so much great technology you can easily incorporate on your Website. One example of this is easy-to-record audio. You can create audio reports or radio shows, to give your visitors helpful advice.

Copyright 2006 Marketing Maven

About The Author:

Wendy Maynard, your friendly Marketing Maven, publishes REMARKABLE MARKETING, a weekly marketing E-zine for business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. If you're ready to skyrocket your sa1es, easily attract customers, and have more fun, subscribe at http://www.gomarketingmaven.com/ezine.html.

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by Ann Marie Nichols

Can you get rich selling E-books? Huge profit is not guaranteed, but you can build a nice income for sure, and you can also create some nice links for your Website. Improving your links will help create better search engine ranking and more visitors to your site.

E-books are electronic versions of printed material that can contain text, sound, and images. The profit potential from selling them is high because start-up and operating expenses are very low. The biggest expense is purchasing books for sale.

You can earn even more money if you write some of your own E-books. Your writing skills don't have to be stellar. There are online sources that will take your research and craft an E-book for you. Some of these companies even take care of marketing, payments, and shipping.

Buying E-books for Sale

You can purchase e-books from authors online. eBay is another source for E-book buying. Purchase E-books with resell rights. This allows customers to sell the E-books they buy from you themselves, thus providing an incentive for them to do business with you.

Make sure the E-books you buy (or write yourself) are full of useful information and resources. Some E-books are nothing more than ads and sales pitches for the writer's products. These "ad books" will turn off customers and decrease repeat business.

Do your research to determine what types of information people are seeking. Getting rich selling E-books will depend on the topics covered, customer base, and marketing campaign.

Before buying an E-book for resale, do an online search for the title. If lots of Web sites are selling the book, it's probably a popular title and will be a good seller. It also helps to sell E-books that cater to a specific market niche. Search online forums and other group sites to locate potential target markets for niche titles. Contact these groups with a short E-mail inviting them to visit your site. Offer an incentive, such as 20% off first purchase, to increase site traffic.

E-books about current trends or hot topics will generate more income. Your income will really get a boost if you can spot the "next big topic" and write or purchase E-books to sell before the competition saturates the market.

Marketing Extras

You can use a common template for your E-books Web site, or sell them on an existing site you already have. However, to stand out from the competition, create you own Web site to sell E-books. Always add new titles to your stock, to keep old customers coming back and to attract new ones. Use E-mail to notify customers of new titles and special sales. Offer discounts on slow-moving titles.

Affiliate programs are another way to get rich selling E-books. The affiliate pays you a commission for its E-books you sell. To earn extra cash from E-books you write, start your own affiliate program.

There are plenty of online and print books that will help you learn how to get in on the E-book sales bandwagon. A good place to begin reading is, "Make Your Knowledge Sell," by Ken Evoy and Monique Harris.

Sources:

"About Making Money with E-Books," (about-the-web.com)

"Make Money Selling Ebooks," (christianet.com)

"Make Money Selling Ebooks," (homebusinessmag.com)

"Is Your Dog Selling E-Books Too?," (marketingsource.com)

About The Author:
Selling Ebooks for Revenue
Copyright © Ann Nichols
http://www.NicksProfitPlus.com

To find the best home-based business ideas and opportunities, so you can work at home, visit: http://www.NicksProfitPlus.com

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by Madison Lockwood

Travel and the Skeptical Public

There is no question that the Internet has changed the travel business. Online airplane reservations and electronic tickets, combined with the loss of the commission structure, has taken a primary travel function away from traditional travel agents and automated the service. People can now shop for hotel and car reservations on their own, on the Web. Consumers can book vacation arrangements and cruises with a mouse and a keyboard.

And -- they can also get badly burned. It seems that the anonymity of the Web has spawned unscrupulous business operators in every industry and the travel business is no exception. Travel has had its share of horror stories about unfulfilled promises due to airline strikes and cruise line bankruptcies. In fact, insurance companies now routinely offer travel insurance that covers a consumer's loss if a trip that has been paid for fails to materialize. Add fraudulent travel Websites to the mix and the result is an entire industry that is suspect in the public's eye.

An Opportunity for the Independent Travel Agent

All of this can work to an honest travel agent's advantage. Oddly enough, the way that a travel agent can capitalize on public use of the Internet for travel, and public distrust of travel businesses in general, is to utilize -- the Internet.

The Web is a made-to-order medium for advertising vacation packages. Photos of beautiful, historic and exotic locales, combined with visual or audio descriptions, are tremendous sales tools; there is no reason why an independent travel agent can't use the same tools that Carnival Cruises or Expedia uses. The technology is simple, the software well-established. An independent agent can apply all of the sales technique found in the enormous, faceless travel sites.

The additional service that an independent agent can supply is personal service. It's fair to speculate that, with the advent of "help lines" for Websites functioning around the clock with overseas operators, perhaps a customer shopping for travel arrangements will place more faith in a travel service that has phone availability during business hours only. Certainly, an 800 number is desirable, but a number with the agent's local area code will lend an air of credibility to the transaction. Real personal contact has become important in the faceless, nameless world of the Web -- an independent travel agent can provide that.

The Independent Travel Agent - Guaranteed to be Genuine

The problem is so widespread that there is an entire Website devoted to travel fraud at http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/travelfraud.htm. Many of the situations for which this site provides warnings can be put to rest by an independent travel agent offering personal service. Someone who books an expensive vacation is going to want confirmation on reservations, reassurance on bookings and details on the destination site. An independent agent can provide those things; perhaps most importantly, an independent travel agent can have the same voice provide additional information every time a customer calls.

The net result, so to speak, is a travel site that provides the sizzle of online advertising, the convenience of online contact and the reassurance of personal customer support. An independent agent doesn't necessarily have to compete with the "online specials" and other gimmicks found on major travel sites. The security provided by personal service will make the price worthwhile. An independent travel agent can make the Internet an extension of the traditional personal service, rather than a replacement for it.

About The Author:

Madison Lockwood is a customer relations associate for http://www.apollohosting.com. She helps clients understand how a Website may benefit them both personally and professionally. Apollo Hosting provides Website hosting, E-commerce hosting, & VPS hosting to a wide range of customers.

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by Barbara Bellissimo

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Summary:

I'm talking about gratitude, not attitude! Do you express your gratitude enough? I know I don't. And I don't mean whether you write your thank-you notes on time. Do you take some time every day to feel fully grateful for what you receive? As a recognized expert at copping an attitude, let me tell you that copping some gratitude is much, much easier.

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I'm talking about gratitude, not attitude! Do you express your gratitude enough? I know I don't. And I don't mean whether you write your thank-you notes on time. Do you take some time every day to feel fully grateful for what you receive? Think of it as writing a thank-you note to the universe (or God, or your higher power) for looking out for you.

Thanksgiving obviously creates the perfect opportunity to cop some 'tude. It's easy to feel grateful at this time of year. So -- I'm not going to talk about family holiday traditions -- you can get that out of any magazine in the supermarket checkout line.

I am going to encourage you to take a few minutes every day to be grateful. Being grateful sets the stage for receiving more of what you want. Being grateful also lets the universe know you are appreciative of what comes your way -- even when you feel like you've worked really hard for it, and the universe didn't really help at all.

Sound a bit too esoteric for you? Let's bring it down to earth. Here are some of the 'tude-building activities that work for me.

1. My gratitude practice includes taking time each day to write down five things I'm grateful for that day. Some days, I go over the limit; other days, two of my items are "breathing out" and "breathing in". I learned this practice many years ago, when I read Simple Abundance (www.simpleabundance.com) by Sarah Ban Breathnach. This list takes 2 minutes each day.

2. Another gratitude reinforcement comes during my meditations. After manifesting using my virtual crystal ball, I take a minute to express gratitude to the universe for listening to me, and for whatever I may receive. These meditations take 5-10 minutes a day.

3. Finally, I just found out about a great little site, where you can light a candle in gratitude (or for whatever reason you wish). It's at www.gratefulness.org. The site walks you through the process, and you get a tiny window of your candle burning on your computer when you're done. You can shut the window, if you want to -- your candle burns for 48 hours whether you display it or not. Lighting a candle takes another 2 minutes of my day.

"But I've had a horrible day (week, year, whatever)! What do I possibly have to be grateful for?"

Here are some of my gratitude journal entries from the last few months:

A great new client.
Mom's doing well.
Reading by the beach.
Early to bed.
Great workshop response.
My husband arrived safely.
Reconnecting with old friends.
Little tulips at the end of the road.
My heat works.
My daughter's sense of humor.

See -- it's not that hard. As a recognized expert at copping an attitude, let me tell you that copping some gratitude is much, much easier.

Give it a try yourself. Go ahead, cop some 'tude!

© 2005 by Barbara Bellissimo. All rights reserved.

Barbara Bellissimo is a women's life transformation coach, and author of the bestselling book, "Become Your Own Great and Powerful: A Woman's Guide to Leading Your Real, Big Life." Visit http://www.seasonsofsuccess.com to get her no-cost special report -- "Turn On Your Power and Lead Your Self to Greatness" -- and her easy-to-use tools and ideas for leading the real, big life you want--right now!

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by Scott F. Geld

Almost a complete opposite to direct marketing, welcome marketing (or opt-in, as it is often called) is where people have actually asked to be part of your marketing campaign. This is a relatively new, but highly effective marketing method.

With opt-in marketing, people can sign up for advertisements, newsletters and more on topics that they enjoy or are interested in. Tons of wasted money, time and effort goes to waste on E-mails and direct mail letters sent to people that are not interested in your product.

With opt-in marketing, or consensual marketing, you know that you are marketing to people who are interested in your product or the topic of your product. This makes your effort at marketing more worthwhile.

Another bonus to opt-in marketing is that customers always give the best advice. They will tell you what they want and what they are looking for. You should always listen to your customer, but it is made easy with this method of marketing.

By targeting people in this way, you can make sure that the correct people are being contacted. There is nothing worse than receiving junk mail that is totally inappropriate to you and your lifestyle. Not only is this annoying, but it also makes you feel that the company has done little to understand you personally.

Although welcome marketing can be used for any form of direct marketing, its true beauty has been seen online. It is very easy for an individual simply to add their E-mail address to a Website to receive regular offers and newsletters.

In a world where there is an excess of marketing, customers can be understandably cold. The constant bombardment of advertising can be frustrating and annoying. Direct marketing, in particular, has been known to have the complete opposite effect and actually to turn potential customers away.

This is why giving your target customers an option is a great idea. You need to give them the option to opt out of E-mails and newsletters. You also need to remain there for them, even after they have bought. People feel like they are harassed with advertisements and, once they buy, they can not get a customer service rep for anything. Be there for your customers; you need them more than they need you.

Scott F. Geld is the C.E.O. and Chairman of Marketing Blaster, a Pay-Per-Click traffic source that repeatedly beats the major search engines in Conversion and ROI Ratios. Visit us online and see for yourself at: www.marketingblaster.com .

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by Suzanne Falter-Barns
www.howmuchjoy.com

There was once a time (and there still is, to a certain degree) when I would say 'Yes' to every opportunity, request, suggestion, good idea, and even mediocre idea that came my way. And let me tell you, it was exhausting.

It was like I had this automatic, knee-jerk reaction to accommodate any suggestion that came my way -- as if it were my karmic duty. I call this auto-response being a 'yes-dog'. Perhaps you know the feeling.

When you're a yes-dog, your entire being is all about making other people happy; you knock yourself out doing it. No task is too small -- you figure you've always got room in your psyche, your schedule or your soul to squeeze in one more thing that someone wants to fit in. God forbid you should say no -- for then that someone would be unhappy. Which would be unthinkable.

Like a lot of creative people, I'm naturally empathetic -- so I could literally feel other people's pain … an experience I simply wanted to avoid as much as possible. For many years, I thought it was up to me to please the rest of the world. I literally thought it was my job to be a 'yes-dog'.

These days, I'm taking a much more circumspect view. I've come to the realization that I simply can't live my soul purpose AND make the rest of the world happy all the time.

And I realize that being a yes-dog doesn't always make the rest of the world happy -- even in my little corner. The more well-known I get, and the wider my reach, the more I can see it. There is always someone, somewhere, who has a problem with what I'm doing. And therein lay the breakthrough.

I'm no longer uncomfortable with other people's pain. I mean, it's not like I relish it; but I don't run to avoid it. I've come to realize we all have a path, and a learning process we're going through. This means my entire job is nothing more than to be authentic, listen to my gut, and act accordingly. Not only will I not make everyone happy -- I can't!

If someone is upset by this, it's no longer a big problem. Rather, it's simply the way their path is rubbing up against my path; it's part of life, growth, and karma. So I have nothing to fear.

My friend Joan Sotkin has a saying, 'I don't always have to be the one who's uncomfortable here'. Amen! Since I've given up being a yes-dog, and let go of the need to be 'the one who's always uncomfortable', great things have begun to stream my way. My reach, my income, my productivity and my impact in the world
have gone up in quantum leaps.

Best of all, I've relaxed as I go about my business. 'No' is not scary -- it's empowering. And, ironically enough, the world has not turned on me in anger and resentment -- it's actually stepped right up to my door and truly embraced what I'm doing.

Are you a yes-dog? Take my handy quiz below to assess where you are. And may I suggest a step away from that easy little word, to one that can be equally empowering: "No".

The Are You a 'Yes-Dog'? Questionnaire

1. Do you find it hard to say no to your children, even when they're making unreasonable demands.
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never

2. Do you long to be able to tell your boss exactly what you think … but you just can't?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never

3. Do you find it impossible to deny yourself 'forbidden' pleasures -- i.e. Ben & Jerry's ice cream when you're dieting -- even if you've made a decision not to indulge?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never

4. Do your friends tell you that you're a pushover, and advise you to stand firm?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never

5. Do you get a queasy feeling in your gut when someone asks you to do something that's just not a good fit for you … and then inevitably cave in despite your feelings?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never

6. Are you uncomfortable asking for more möney or more responsibility around your work?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never

7. Are you always the person who volunteers even when you don't want to?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never

8. Are there things you long to do in life, but you simply can't find the time or the courage to get to them?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never

Rate your answers:
For every a) give yourself 10 points. For every b) give yourself 7 points. For every c) give yourself 4 points. For every d) give
yourself 1 point.

If your score is 60-80, you're probably saying 'Yes' WAY more often than you want to. Consider getting some coaching on how to say no from a good friend, life coach or partner.

If your score is 40-60, your ability to say 'No' willingly is spotty … try pausing and counting silently to five before you answer.

If your score is 20-40, you've got most situations pretty well in hand. Try saying 'No' just a little more often and see what happens.

If your score is 0-20, you're doing great! Your ability to monitor when to say 'Yes' and when to say 'No' is truly inspiring.

©2005 Suzanne Falter-Barns LLC.

For information on how to find the time, energy, money to live your purpose in life, chëck out Suzanne's frëe ezine, The Joy Letter. Sign up at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/joyletter.html and receive our valuable report, 35 Guaranteed Time Savers. And get a daily blast of joyful tips from the Blast o' Joy blog at http://selfhelpsalon.typepad.com/blast_o_joy/.

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by Erich Sweaney

Newbies and Expert Internet Marketers all have one thing in common: Trying to get their Websites indexed through the top three major search engines quickly. For larger Websites, the task is even more daunting, and there are a few small but effective techniques that can assist in the indexing process.

Patience is a virtue and in today's internet marketing world patience and planning is a key.

Smaller one- or two-page Websites, also known as sales pages, are the easiest and quickest to get indexed in the three major search engines. Almost anyone can generally succeed by just manually submitting through each search engine's submission process.

Websites with a considerable number of pages will often immediately get their first page indexed, which therefore requires small effective planning strategies and a little bit of patience to become completely indexed.

Effective Key Planning Strategies:

(1) Prior to submitting your Websites to the search engines, establis link partners, which will cause the search engines to start indexing your Website.

Start planning out the basic Website structure so that search engine robots can easily flow through your Website and index each page.

(a) Have a sitemap linked from you main index page that thinks throughout your Website.

(b) If possible, ensure that each page is linked together, not just back to the main index page. This has been a successful technique in the past.

(c) Build and submit a Google Sitemap.

(2) Test your Websites design and structure using Google Sitemap Software such as SOFTplus GSiteCrawler (Freeware) that will try and index your entire Website.

If you're unsuccessful building a index of your entire Website, then further planning and design changes may be in order, to index your entire Website. If the software cannot index your entire Website, how will the search engine robots index your entire Website?

(3) Instead of manually submitting your Websites, submit your Website through directories and establish link partnerships. This will improve how often your Website is crawled by the search engines and how fast your Website is indexed.

Also, when establishing link partnership and directories, the higher their Google Page Rank, the quicker your Website will be indexed and more often your Website is crawled.

(4) Patience. The process the search engines will go through while indexing your Website is: First, the search engine will have to find your Website (hence, establishing partnerships with high Google Page Rank), then crawling through your Website and absorbing all the information contained, then ranking each individual page and, finally, your Website will appear in the search engine result pages (SERPs).

Erich Sweaney has been marketing online since 1999. http://www.es-solution.com - Discover the Power of Internet Marketing!

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by Tellman Knudson

One question that people often ask me is, "Tellman, I want to start list building like you suggest, but I don't know where to start."

OK. Let me give you the 7 simple steps to follow:

1. Choose your niche: What are you passionate about?

I mean, what really gets you going? What can you get excited about and what will keep you that way? It could be anything from knitting to knees. It really doesn't matter, as long as people are searching for terms that surround your niche, you should do well. First, figure out what it is you have a passion for.

2. Do some research: Write a list of words that are used in your niche and then, go to http://inventory.overture.com/ .

Type the words into the blank, one at a time, and see how many searches are done for the terms. If your primary keywords generate 3,000 searches or more per month, you probably have a niche to work with. If you see there are 20,000 to 30,000 searches, then you definitely have a winner.

Just be aware that the very heavily-searched niches are probably very competitive. You may want to start list building around a smaller niche

3. Create a unique domain name: Your domain name should have something to do with what you're list building around.

For instance, my site, MyFirstTraffic.com, is for my beginner's traffic course. Makes sense, right? It makes it easy for people searching to find my site and buy my product, and it makes it easy for the search engines to figure out what my site is about for indexing.

Just be sure the name you choose isn't too long or difficult for people to remember.

4. Choose a web host: The most important factor here is dependability.

Don't ever base your choice of Web host on price because the cheapest hosts may just close shop and leave you hanging. You also want to be sure they have nearly 100% uptime. It's impossible for a host to have no downtime at all because upgrades and repairs are always needed. Just be sure that they have a good uptime reliability factor.

You may want to delay buying your domain name until you choose a Web hosting company, too. Many of them include a domain name or two with your hosting package. If you're just starting out, you may not need a very complicated plan, but if you're starting a membership site, say, where you'll need to use PHP extensions, then, you'll want something a bit more expensive.

If you don't know what you need, you'll probably have a tech person working with you anyway, so you can always ask them for a recommendation.

5. Build a squeeze page: Now that you have an idea about the niche you want to pursue, you want to start list building.

In other words, you want to gather a group of people who are hungry for information or products in your niche. To do that, you need a squeeze page, which is nothing more than a great headline, 3-5 bullet points of copy detailing the benefits of joining your list, and an opt-in box, which leads to...

6. Your autoresponder: Autoresponders are services that collect and house the names from your E-mail marketing list.

They also send out your confirmation messages. When someone signs up for your list, they have to click on a link in the confirmation message, which verifies that they actually signed up to your list. Once they do this, you can send email to them anytime you want.

This double opt-in process is important. If someone accuses you of spamming, you can get yourself into trouble. You can lose your ISP or, worse, face charges for violating the CAN-SPAM act of 2003, if you're in the U. S.

Autoresponders protect you from spam complaints. Choose a service that you can afford, but also find one that provides uninterrupted service and maximum deliverability. If nobody gets your E-mail, how can they read it to buy something from you?

7. Put your list building page on your server: The easiest and quickest way to put your list building page up is via FTP because it makes uploading quick and easy.

Wise FTP and Cute FTP are two programs that you can use, but there are many others. Using FTP is something you should learn more about if you plan to do business online.

If you follow these 7 steps you'll be list building in no time. Choose a great niche, create a memorable domain name, build a squeeze page, get an autoresponder, and upload your page and BOOM! You're list building.

How easy is that?

List building master, Tellman Knudson, is CEO of OvercomeEverything, Inc. and he has built a massive, responsive list in a short time. Learn his "Get a List Quick" system when you visit MyFirstList.com at http://www.myfirstlist.com/)

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by Audrey Burton

The experts say you need benefit statements in all your marketing – on your Website, on your brochures and flyers, in your 30-second introduction and in all types of advertising. This is true.

There could be so many benefit statements for your business, how do you choose?

Marketing is the process of communicating to people about your product or service so they can make a purchase if they perceive they want or need it. If they are not aware of it, don't know how to purchase it or don't perceive it fulfills a want or need, there can be no sale.

The key word in that paragraph is 'perceive.' Your marketing, and therefore your benefit statements, should focus on the perception in the marketplace, not necessarily the actual benefit.

For example, in my business, one of the greatest benefits many of my clients realize AFTER working with me is confidence. My clients' confidence in their business abilities sometimes skyrockets. So why don't I market based on this?

Confidence is so important in business ownership. Prospective customers will often decide against making a purchase because they sense a lack of confidence in the seller.

When prospects are considering hiring me, they do not perceive that they have a confidence problem! Therefore, if I am marketing to my target market based on increasing their confidence, my marketing will fall flat. It will not connect with my target at all.

My target market comes to me mostly because they lack certain business knowledge or are overwhelmed by all the business stuff and need an advisor as well as a coach.

Here's another example. A couple is having love life issues in their relationship, and a couples therapist is looking for clients. The actual problem may be that the man is not saying anything remotely romantic, and the woman is too critical. They don't see it that way before they have gone through the therapy, so if the therapist markets herself based on men and women not communicating well, she won't get these clients.

If, on the other hand, the therapist markets herself based on improving couples' love lives, that will make an emotional connection and pique interest because that's the perceived benefit they need. The actual benefit they receive is improved communication, but using that benefit in her marketing will not entice her target market to call.

Here's your homework. List all of the benefits of doing business with you, then reexamine them to identify perceived vs. actual benefits by putting your feet in the shoes of your target market. Go get'em tigress!

Audrey Burton, Small Business Coach, is "The Tigress." Get her FREE Special Report, "Closing the Sale is Not Complicated!" and her FREE monthly E-mail newsletter at http://www.TigressCoaching.com .

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by Gil De Palma

Burning Man is a simple HTML website that tells the story of a 23-year-old artist afflicted with a mysterious chronic burning disease who discovers that the flames killing him little by little have miraculous healing powers.

Many people have said that this Website is really weird and ugly, but they keep on coming back just the same.

They read the compelling stories. They view whimsical art works. They join blog campaigns. They react. They leave comments. They buy stuff. They recommend it to others.

And they even profit from the FREE success secret it revealed!

But, really, the Website is the secret. It is like some kind of "curiosity central." It is a potent people magnet. And, yes, it is the stuff of super affiliates. It gets thousands of hits daily without really trying.

Perhaps being weird and ugly is really its revenge for being so.

You can learn a lot from its success. Discover the secret right now...

"Frankly, it’s technically weird and ugly."

Although no one can say exactly what it looks like when a Website is weird and ugly, a Web designer actually E-mailed 23-year old artist Burny Madden with an offer to "beautify his Website technically."

Indeed, in the Internet – where the word "techie" is synonymous to godling, and the word "newbie" is almost an insult – a "technically cool" Website seems inevitable.

Whether a Flash eye-candy Website with animated buttons, titles, images, streaming video, cinematic sound effects, pop-ups, and techie cool what-have-yous is visually distracting is beside the point.

Never mind what you’ve heard about beauty in simplicity. In cyberspace, techie cool is what’s beautiful.

Burny and his best friend Nona have built a Website to tell his life story to the world. Burny is afflicted with a mysterious chronic burning disease that causes parts of his body to ignite at random. Burn scars constellate his body. He walks with a limp. He is too mortified to be with people. Some even call him a freak.

Then, he discovers that the flames killing him, little by little, have miraculous healing powers. His life has never been the same again, especially after going online.

But, now, Burny and Nona feel that if a Website is called weird and ugly; it probably looks a lot like their Burning Man story site.

It certainly feels that way when people say the Website will have tremendous potential if they show a short animated feature about the story. It certainly feels that way when they receive e-mails asking in so many ways why the site is "sooo static." And it certainly feels that way when they read this message from a returning site visitor: "Hey, no offense guys, but I think your old Flash Website looks a lot better than this dead mind-numbing stuff."

Burning Man is an offshoot of a fancy Flash Burny Madden Website, their newbie attempt at being Webbies. It was an absolute "techie beauty." Cinematic intro. Scrolling text. An array of moving thingies. Even an animated page-turner. All this plus some Hollywood-style effects. It gave that peculiar feeling of watching a mystery movie.

But where’s the rest of the story? That was the question of most site visitors.

Burny and NonaI intended to tell the Burny’s story in that Website. Trouble is, the animated page-turner limited them to a maximum of sixteen pages – about 106 pages short of the site’s designed content.

Their first Website became some kind of an unfinished visual treat that people would visit once or twice at the most, and then never again. Adding more animated effects served like a one-time adrenaline boost for the site, that’s all.

Requesting those who purchased the ebook to recommend it to others led some people to accuse them of spamming. They even tried using sophisticated linking software to increase its exposure to no avail. Webmasters would visit, but only a handful would link to it. Their Website traffic seemed to trudge to a dreary drumbeat – one…two…bye.

They built it and they came, and they left forever.

It took an unusual degree of humility for them to accept that the techie beauty they were so proud of did not actually work for them. After all, it revealed to them the extent to which people responded to the Website’s story more than its looks.

They discovered that, although head-turning imagery and special effects raise Web design to a higher level, they will only work if they are built on a good concept. The cool stuff is in the content. When an idea translates into a compelling content with which audiences can relate, it causes them to hook up psychologically to the Website. When it makes an emotional bond by showing people an idea or experience they’ve had, an idea or experience they’d like to have, or the information they’ve been looking for, real cool content stuff happens.

The Website connects to the audience.

In this case, the premise of Burny’s story connected to the audience. And it turned out that they wanted more.

You never really appreciate a story until you enter the door of a character’s head and walk around in it. But, Burny’s original Website was a beautiful door that opened up to nothing!

So, Burny and Nona said "goodbye" to the techie beauty and built the Burning Man Website. Simple HTML. No cool effects. It only uses Burny’s original artworks to illustrate the story. The only thing that moves in it is the visitor’s cursor.

In this new Website, they continue telling the story, revealing that while Burny’s mother insists that his burning condition is a symptom of demonic possession, his stepfather is forcing him to burn and heal others for a huge fee.

Because of this, Nona has launched an online campaign to save Burny from burning to death.

Here’s Nona’s Save A Burning Man message:

"PLEASE HELP ME SAVE MY BEST FRIEND WHO IS AFFLICTED WITH A MYSTERIOUS BURNING DISEASE.

"PLEASE READ HIS STORY, POST A MESSAGE TO HIS CRUEL STEPFATHER WHO WANTS TO USE HIM TO MAKE MONEY, OR SIMPLY FORWARD THIS MESSAGE ON.

"I hope that if people pass this on, his stepfather will get tons of petitions asking him to stop this madness before he forces my friend to burn to death.

"My childhood friend, Burny Madden, is a young artist who is burning little by little to death. Something unexplainable is causing parts of his body to ignite for no apparent reason at all.

"Burny usually bursts into flames when he is too upset or too excited. And the burnings are getting worse every time. Now I’m afraid that if he burns again – he might die.

"A few weeks ago, a weird incident involving a dead dog that has allegedly sprung back to life when Burny touched it with his flaming hand, caused his stepfather, Stanley "Stan" Lucierno, to conclude that the fire has some kind of healing power. Stan is now trying to force Burny to burn – threatening him, hurting him, abusing both him and his mother in sickening ways – so he could cash in on it.

"I built a Web site for Burny and published his story so that, through the Internet, people may know about his terrible situation and help me save him.

"PLEASE HELP ME STOP BURNY’S STEPFATHER.

"Please visit Burny’s Website, read his story, and E-mail Stan. I will make sure that your messages get to him.

"Also, please drop Burny a line, if you can. He is in pain, afraid, and very lonely. He really could use a kind word right now.

"I WILL GIVE A FREE T-SHIRT (MADE BY BURNY HIMSELF) TO THE ONE WHO WILL SEND THE E-MAIL THAT BURNY WILL LIKE BEST. I will even pay for delivery to anywhere in the world. It’s the least I can do for a childhood friend.

"PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. IT WILL ONLY TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO SAVE A BURNING MAN.

"Thank you very much.

Nona http://www.burning-man.palmagick.com/index.htm"

The Burning Man Website generated five times more hits in just one month than what the old Flash Website made for an entire year. This time, people are coming back to the Website several time a week. They are sending Burny and Nona E-mails. Some of them post messages on the blogs. A lot of them are buying Burning Man stuff.

It’s almost a real success story, except for the fact that Burny and Nona are not real persons.

I am a writer, an artist, and a filmmaker. Burny Madden and Nona are just characters from my screenplay "BURNY." I decided to put them online to help me develop their characters and write the story. I am also a newbie and the real owner of the Burning Man Website.

Burny and Nona still do not know that they are just fictional characters. They are still running the Burning Man Website, posting new content, reading and answering E-mails. If you visit the Website and click the "author" button, you will understand why.

I passed on Nona’s letter to a few friends who got so amused by it – they passed it on to others. Without really trying, it became a form of word-of-mouth advertising via E-mail. The Website got over 50,000 hits the next day!

So, if you receive Nona’s letter from someone you know, he or she probably got this forwarded E-mail from a friend or colleague or even a family member who also got it from someone, who also ... well, you know.

Here’s a little secret. As a Psychology major back in college, I have understood that people have a subconscious desire to communicate about things that have no relevance to their primary needs for existence. The urge to tell others about the Burning Man is actually working for the Website.

I think Nona’s letter has gone round the world much farther and faster than any advertising I could hope to do at the moment. Now people are asking if Nona has new letters. It still amazes me.

I am yet to hear somebody say that Burning Man is a beautiful Website. People keep on giving Burny and Nona tips on how to improve it, instead. One site visitor even gave a link to a free Flash tutorial! Nice guy.

I’ve seen the word "ugly" in several E-mails, though.

I guess a techie beauty is not a bad idea at all. Stretching one’s imagination to push technology far beyond its comfort zone to create the coolest visually stunning Websites in cyberspace is certainly a big thrill to the senses. Hey, I like them, too. But I’d like them even more if they fulfill what I believe is the primary mandate of a Website – to connect to the audience.

The Burning Man did it with a simple interactive story. It may be weird and ugly, but I guess it is its own revenge for being so.

"You’ve got great content," the persistent Web designer said in his recent E-mail to Burny, "even I keep on coming back to know what happens next. It’s a shame that you didn’t give its overall design much thought."

"Yeah, it’s a shame," I thought to myself.

Burny did not hire him.

Palmagick http://www.palmagick.com/burnymadden/index.htm

Gil De Palma is a writer, artist, filmmaker, and the CEO of Palmagick Entertainment. He is the author of "BURNY" (http://www.palmagick.com/burnymadden/) and creator of the superhero pack TAEKWONDOGGS (http://www.taekwondoggs.com/).

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by John Young

"I’m amazed at this! I put very little effort into this online business, and already I’m making over $14,000 a month!"

We’ve all heard these testimonials in ads for “starting your online business.” We are then offered a "turnkey" Website already designed and filled with widgets to sell on the Web.

The ads lead us to believe that hordes of customers will flock to our site, wallets in hand, ready to avoid the downtown mobs. We’re promised an overnight fortune with little or no effort. We purchase the site and set up the store, only to find that reality falls well short of expectations.

The "SNAFU" Of Online Marketing:

Perhaps one of the greatest disappointments for the novice online marketer is to discover that the effort she has put into designing and publishing a monetizing Website may very well be wasted because no one comes to it.

In the real world (as compared to the virtual one), a business is generally set up by first renting space (hopefully in an area with heavy traffic, such as a shopping mall or on main street), designing and setting up the store, filling it with inventory, displaying the merchandise, and advertising to bring in customers with wallets ready to buy.

While location is important, most effort is directed at bringing the customers to the site, not the other way around.

In the virtual world, however, one has to bring the Website to the customer. Every potential customer sits in front of the same computer – essentially the same physical location for ALL businesses on the Web.

The business that can effectively bring itself to that customer will succeed. All others will fail.

7 Ways To Bring The Store To The Customer

Let’s say you do a search for a Google keyword such as “luggage.” You’re likely to come up with tens of thousands, if not millions, of potential Websites, some selling luggage, others giving product reviews.

Will your site be among the ones Google or Yahoo finds? Not too likely, and if your site doesn’t appear in the top 10 or 20, on page one or two, the potential customer is not likely to go to page 3. Expecting her to find your site on page 150 is pretty much out of the question. She simply isn’t going to go there to find your store.

Consequently, you MUST bring it up in the search ranks … to her, where she is sitting, in front of the computer.

Ranking Your Site

Today, most people find what they're searching for using Google.

Google ranks your site primarily by how many links are located on other sites pointing to it, and the context in which your link is found. For example, if your site is about dogs, and your link is found in the context of dogs, that link will be more valuable than if it is found in some other context or in no context.

Bringing your store to your customers by improving your rankings requires a few techniques, and a lot of hard work. Here are seven suggestions for methods that are not “Catch-22,” i.e. don’t require traffic to get traffic.

1. Writing and marketing articles.

Google and other search engines rank a Website by how many “one-way” links point to it from other sites. Writing an article and publishing it in the many E-zine barns (and having it picked up by online E-zines specialized for your keywords) is an excellent way to get these one-way links

2. Reciprocal linking.

Find other Websites with similar subject matter to your own. Contact the Webmaster and arrange to post a link to your site in exchange for reciprocating -- posting a link to theirs on your site.

3. One-way links.

Do a search on your keyword and “add URL” or “add your site.” You will find sites you can add your link to.

4. Join a forum.

You can get banned by putting a link to your site in your posts, but if you put it in your bio and then post information frequently on the forum, you can go up in Google rankings.

5. Blogging.

Set up your own blogs with links to your sites to gain Google rank. Free software exists to do this.

6. Search Engine Optimization

Make your site “keyword rich” by including a written introduction with searchable keywords in it, optimize the site and submit it to the minor search engines. Software exists to help you with search engine optimization. Google analyzes rankings in minor search engines when assigning site rank.

7. Advertising with Google Adwords.

Adwords can put your site in front of the customer – on the right side of the search page, not on the left. People read from left to right, and will see the results of their search on the left first. Depending on your bid for the keywords, your ad may appear at the bottom of a stack of Adwords advertisements. Adwords can bring in sales, but costs can get out of hand and ultimately be disastrous.

Work Smart ... and Hard

Ninety-five percent of all Internet businesses fail. Articles have been written simply stating that this is due to lack of “hard work” on the part of the owner, who thought she was going to have a “turnkey” business that would immediately reap “astounding profits.”

While this may be true, there’s an old saying: “Work smart, not hard.” In the case of an Internet business, you're going to have do both. You're going to have to work smart by knowing the most effective means of bringing your store to your customers, and work hard …

John Young is a writer and editor living in Santa Barbara. He is inviting submissions to his new E-zine, Explode Your Affiliate Checks at http://www.explodeyouraffiliatechecks.com devoted to all phases of online marketing. He has a second site at: http://www.ebook-marketing-software.com .

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by Tellman H. Knudson

How important is list building? I know I ask that question a lot, and some people just don't get it. List building is everything! Without a list, you probably won't make much money. But with everyone out there asking for names and E-mail addresses, what are the chances you'll be able to compete, if you've just started out online?

Very bad. You have to snatch people's attention away from the newest product or program and get them to join your list instead of theirs, right?

A really great way to do that is with video. You may say to yourself, "Are you nuts? I'm not putting my face out there for the whole world to see." Well, why not? Almost every video I've seen has average people in it, just like you and me.

If you're worried about how hard it is or installing the software, get over it! You're wasting time. Pay someone to do it for you and to show you how it works.

I probably don't need to tell you how hot video is online right now. I mean, if it wasn't, would Google have spent $1.65 billion to buy up You Tube? No! Forget the doubts. And if you're shy, don't worry. You can even stay off camera and make video work for you.

But, if you're going to be in the video, you need at least a Webcam, or a camcorder. Even some cell phones have video cams in them these days. It doesn't have to be a Hollywood-quality film; the information has to shine. Just get a way to record your film. You can also use a program like CamStudio to do a Webinar-type presentation. Once you have the recording equipment, then hit the button, you're ready to go!

When you're finished with the video, you'll probably want to edit it. If you're on a PC, no sweat. You already have Windows Movie Maker installed because it's an accessory in Windows. It's pretty straightforward and very easy to operate. Play with it a while and you'll soon see what you can do.

After editing, you'll want to upload it to Google Video and You Tube, at least. Because those sites get the most traffic, they're prime, but you may also want to upload to places like DailyMotion, Flurl, and Blip.tv. There are actually a ton of sites out there, but it does take a while for a video to upload, so decide how much time you want to spend.

The more times your video is seen, though, the better off you'll be.

"Are we list building yet?" you wonder. Well, yes. Now, we'll be list building because with every video, you also upload "tags," as you do with any other Web 2.0 site. So, if your niche is baseball, you'll have a video about a batting stance, for instance, and your tags will be "baseball, sports, etc."

Those tags are how people will find you. Be sure the URL to your list building page is in the video, too, either by way of captioning, or even, hold a sign with the URL on it in front of you while you're speaking. Just be sure to use that list building page address. It's vital.

But, if you're still shy, you don't need to show your face at all. Use pictures. A static picture can make a nice backdrop for your video. Or use a slideshow. They work well, too. Still, don't forget to include the URL to your list building page on each picture. You can edit that into your picture in a program like Photoshop.

The audio doesn't necessarily need to be fresh, either. If you've done any teleseminars and recorded them, you can just snatch a clip of one for video. Be sure to keep the length of your chat to about three minutes, though, or you'll lose some of your audience. Things move fast online.

Be sure to track your visitors, too. See how effective your video is. I think you'll be surprised. But you have to try new things. Don't let the technology stop you. Otherwise, you'll be left far behind with no list at all.

Tellman Knudson is an Internet Marketing coach and CEO of Overcome Everything, Inc. Find more of his incredible list building secrets at http://www.myfirstlist.com/ .

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by Jason Tarasi

When writing copy for your Website, always keep in mind the famous saying, "it's not what you say, it's how you say it." This very concept is how you turn casual visitors into customers.

Your Website content should convince visitors that your service or product is either unique or superior to that of your competitors in terms of quality -- or that it is competitively priced. Show how your product or service will solve their problems, answer a dream, enrich their lives, and/or improve their businesses. You are the dependable expert that they want and need!

Your Website copy plays a major role in establishing and growing your customer base. Web site copy creates the "voice" of your company or product. The look and feel of a site puts a "face" on the company, and on otherwise intangible products and services.

On an e-commerce site, the copy plays a key role in closing sales as well as in up-selling and cross-selling products and services. Good copy delights first-time visitors, encourages return visits and propels both customer acquisition and loyalty.

People read a Web page differently than they do a brochure or a newspaper. They scan, scroll, click, hit the "back" button, and hit the "forward" button. "Reading" is all about moving around and being in control.

You have one chance to make a first impression - to quickly convey the benefit of staying on your Web site. I can't overstate the importance of first impressions, which, in Web-time, are measured in milliseconds. The layout, functionality, message and overall look and feel of your Web page determine who stays - and who clicks away.

Remember - a confused visitor, is a lost customer.

Most people have a short attention span. You must grab their attention right away, and then hold it like a vise. Your story should be clear and to the point. Say what you have to in the least amount of words possible and never confuse your visitors.

The goal of any Web page should be to get the visitor to DO something: to move on to the next step in a purchase sequence or to click for more information about a product or service. Without readable, compelling copy and clearly organized hypertext links, visitors are much less likely to complete a transaction - and return to your site again.

Writing for your Web page should always start from your visitor's perspective. What is your Web site visitor looking for? Why is he/she there? How can you make his/her visit as quick and efficient and positive as possible? You should take the time to clarify the goal of each page before starting to write. If the page is part of a transaction sequence, identify what may be hindering the buying process. Be sure instructions are clear and easy to read.

You must create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) in combination with a strong, unique feature of your business. It should answer that most difficult question:

Why should potential customers buy from you?

Tell your customers what you are selling and explain what your service or product provides. What is the key benefit(s) to your customers? What pain does it cure, what solution does it provide? Compare your service with that of your competitors and highlight what makes you stand out from the competition? Keep working on this until you can clearly separate yourself from the field. As stated earlier, there must be a convincing reason for doing business with you, instead of your competitor.

Summarize the above into one tight, powerful, motivating phrase that will persuade your customer to do business with you and to trade their money for the benefits delivered by your service.

If you're going to promote your service and expand your customer base using your Website, potential clients have to be able to trust you. Their confidence in you and your products has to be boosted. Endorsements on your Website from a valued friend or colleague, or a referral from a strategic partner are the types of "leads" that boost your credibility. You and your service must be perceived as being trust-worthy before your visitor will be confident enough to contact you or even buy your product.

Show prospects that you have their best interests at heart and that you can adapt or customize your service to meet their individual needs. Foster an ongoing relationship that steadily increases their trust levels and cements a view that you are an "authority" in your field.

Finally, be wary of broadening the theme of your site too much. Try not to dilute your product or service's targeted niche simply to expand your base of merchant partners. Remember; focus on selling your product or service. That's where the "meat and potatoes" of your business will come from.

Looking for quality resale rights products? Michael Rasmussen and Jason Tarasi own and operate one of the Net's premiere resell rights memberships. To grab your free resell rights package, click this link now - Free Resell Rights (http://www.resellrightsblowout.com/).

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by Michael Laleye

Traffic on the freeway is bad. Traffic on the Internet is good. With over 60 million Web sites on the Net, you need a solid strategy for steering customers to your home business Web site.

Search Engines

Search engines are the yellow pages for a home business Web site. Over 80% of Internet surfers use search engines to find information on the Web. To get the most traffic to your site, list with the big search engine players Yahoo, Google, and MSN. Smaller search engines also get results from the big three, so you'll be covered in case customers visit less popular engines.

Looking Good

Your home business Web site can be simple or complex, but it must be functional and attractive. Make sure your site does what it's supposed to do - provide customers with concise, useful information about your product or service. Be wary of making things too complicated. The site should be easy to navigate or customers will look elsewhere.

Your home business Web site should also look professional, not cheap. If you aren't design savvy, spend money on a good Web designer. The investment will pay off by attracting more people to your Web page.

Online Ads

The Internet has many sites where you can list your home business Web site for free. To guarantee the greatest exposure, place your ad on several (20 or more) sites and repeat the process every month.

Banner advertisements can be as effective as TV spots in increasing customer awareness of your business. A banner ad should be direct, i.e. promote a benefit, rather than just the name of the product or service. Try participating in a banner exchange program such as LinkExchange, that connects your home business Web site to other company sites that have similar customer bases.

Affiliate programs offer an excellent opportunity to promote your home business Web site. Affiliate businesses post links to your Web page on their sites. You pay them a commission or a set fee, based on the amount of traffic sent to your Web site. Pay arrangements vary and can be based on the number of people who visit your site or the number of customers who purchase your product.

Bloggin' It

Bloggers are the hot new information medium. Getting them to write about your home business Web site is an excellent way to gain exposure to potential customers.

Technorati Blog Directory provides a listing of blogs by industry. Do your research here to determine which blogs might be interested in writing about your business. Send a short, personal E-mail to a few blog writers describing your Web site and asking the blogger to write about it. Offer the writer something in return. For example: free product or a link back to his blog on your Web site.

Offline Ads

Cruising Down the Highway

Your car is a moving billboard for a home business Web site. Window decals and bumper stickers are inexpensive ways to get the word out about your Web site. Spend a few extra dollars for a personalized license plate with your Web address.

Old Media Standby

Regardless of what the bloggers say, people still read the printed page. Run ads in the classifieds of large and small papers, trade magazines, and free weeklies. Your choice of print media will depend on the product or service offered and whether you do business locally or nationwide.

Make money online - Complete money making site set-up FREE! Go To: http://www.myaffiliatestarter.com/pips.html Read more great articles like this at: http://www.myaffiliatestarter.blogspot.com Get started today!

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by Rick Roberts

A Little Background:

I have been involved in Internet Marketing and Affiliate Marketing since 1994. I must admit, however, that I am a lazy marketer. Maybe a better word is "sporadic."

By this I mean that, from time to time, I will find a product or service that appeals to me and, for a few days or weeks, I will pursue marketing it. Usually, at first, there is some level of success associated with my efforts -- but not always. Believe me, I have squandered more money on Internet marketing E-books than I have ever made from them.

In my marketing endeavors, I always wanted to find a product or service that could be set on "auto-pilot," or self running, and make an extra few bucks a month. Let me tell you -- that's hard to find.

Mostly because the world of Internet marketing is ever-evolving -- and what sells today may be a non-selling item or service next month. To date, I have found only one that both works like this and stands the test of time sensitivity. You can read more about this from the link in my Bio/Resource box with this article posting.

Affiliate marketing is a waiting game

One thing I've learned through my experiences is that affiliate marketing is a big waiting game for any return on investment. Take, for instance, being an Amazon Associate. With Amazon, you earn an overall 4% - 10% commission off of any referral sale.

Not bad on the surface, but a big drawback is their sales reporting system. It's always a 24-hour lag getting stats from your promotions, which makes pay-per-click advertising a real gamble with Amazon. The biggest catch, though, is the wait-time for any commission earned. It takes 60 days from your first referral sale to get a check or direct deposit from them.

So, again, you really have to be careful with any paid promotions for referrals to Amazon. But, if you have the money or other resources to promote Amazon referral links and can wait 60 days on your return, you can make a fairly good chunk of extra income.

Last month -- March 2007 -- I made $202 in commissions after a $96 investment in PPC advertising.

Clickbank, on the other hand, is still an iffy proposition for affiliate commissions. The plus side of Clickbank is that you get a commsion check every two weeks on the prior two weeks' referrals. So, the inital wait on your first check is about 4 weeks. But there are two main drawbacks to Clickbank.

One is that almost every product you can promote is promoted to death on the Internet, which means you are fighting like cats and dogs over getting sales from your advertising. PPC advertsing is really a gamble with the products there because the good traffic keywords are so expensive to get decent position with.

Expect to pay $1 - $5 per click for good position with Clickbank PPC advertsing.

The real money-making promotions

Of all of the things I've tried to market on the Internet, the biggest money-maker is selling either your own products, such as physical items or E-books you've written, or reselling other E-books that you have master reseller rights to.

Having master reseller rights means that you collect all of the proceeds from the sales and you can advertise the product on your own Website with your own HTML pages.

Another easy money-maker and potential big money-maker is viral marketing.

I know it sounds like an evil thing but it's not. Viral marketing is the process of giving away something that links back to your actual sales pages or affiliate links.

The two most common viral marketing methods are:

* Giving away an E-book that has your links embedded within them to either your sales page or an affiliate link to another sales page. I've found people love free items and will snap them right up with little promotion at all.

* Submitting articles written by you to article directory sites that contain links to your own sales pages or affliliate links.

Summary

To summarize, I would have to list these points:

1. If you're new to Internet or Affiliate Marketing, expect to experience a fairly healthy learning curve in figuring out what to promote and how to efficiently promote the product or service.

2. Expect to invest a sometimes sizable amount of real money in PPC advertsing. In fact, if you're new, I wouldn't recommend this approach to promotion at all. Wait until you've figured out the ropes first before gambling with what money you do have.

3. Look for products you can sell that you have complete control over in both the commsions and sales approach, master reseller rights products.

4. Don't ignore viral marketing. It's the cheapest and most bang for your buck in promoting any product or service. Plus it's enduring. An E-book can float around the Internet for months or years, providing residual on-going income.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I would like to encourage you to check out the link in my Bio/Resouce box for a product that does work on auto-pilot and, best of all, incorporates both master reseller rights and viral marketing into one easy-to-promote package. It won't make you rich, but it will provide you with a residual income for months or even years, possibly.

Rick Roberts is an Internet marketer that manages several Websites across the Internet. Get the greatest viral marketing idea of all time and it's free to download http://www.daelectronics.com/ultimate. You will be amazed at how simple and brilliant this idea is. Plus, it has a surprise twist on the last pages of the E-book.

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by Keith Thompson)

So -- you've decided to take the leap into deep water and go into business for yourself, specifically into Internet Marketing. Congratulations!

This was a smart decision, one that will eventually reward you with all the dreams you can dream. Your challenge now is to survive that 1st year.

Hopefully, you're reading this early on in your endeavors, and can make the adjustments necessary to keep your enterprise afloat and your bank account bouyant. Here are several things the "gurus" neglected to mention along the way to building your own internet marketing empire!

1 - Who are you listening to?

There are a lot of people who've made a lot of money, and they're all too eager to tell you about it, frequently in the form of their latest product. It's very easy to find yourself tuning in too many voices, instead of riding one horse till it either gets you there or is spent.

Find a niche that interests you, find products that are either yours or through an affiliate program, and focus entirely on your plan, not allowing yourself to chase rabbits.

2 - What is certain!

The real money to be made in Internet marketing is produced in the following ways: owning your own site(s), your own products, your own opt-in mailing list, and your own vision! Think about it! Not one of the Internet millionaires to whom we look for advice has lacked any of these for very long.

You bought their products off their sites, joined their mailing lists, and, to one degree or another, shared their vision. If you haven't already, begin immediately to build your own empire. Build a site, start learning about traffic, linking, opt-in lists and all the other essentials necessary for long-term success.

Affiliate marketing will only take you so far. In fact, most of the top affiliates have several of their own products!

3 - The learning curve.

There is a certain amount of information you simply have to either learn (or pay for). Don't discount the fact that this will take a little time. One doesn't discover how to build and market a fully- optimized Web site in a month. Or three! This is; and because of the fluid nature of the web; always will be a work-in-progress.

Do what you can do every day and come back tomorrow for more. Don't be discouraged when the money takes a while to appear; if you do this right, when it does show up it will be worth the wait!

4 - A support system.

Get one. Don't plan on supporting yourself from your business right away. It took the best at the very least several months to start seeing any real money.

Don't despair if you turn out to be mortal, too. Give yourself a chance at this; the rewards are simply too great. I'll leave you with a quote that sustained me many a night: "I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." - Louisa May Alcott

(c)2004 by Keith Thompson

Keith Thompson is the Webmaster of Internet Marketing Here and Now!, featuring the latest and best tools for your internet marketing business. (http://www.internetmarketinghere.com) Email - keith@internetmarketinghere.com.

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by David Cooper

Here's something every affiliate marketer should understand: All keywords aren't created equal. Some are worth a lot more than others.

I can hear you now: "No kidding. Everyone knows that!"

Fine. The idea that some keywords are more valuable than others may not be a great new revelation. What might surprise you is how you should be differentiating between the power keywords and the also-rans.

Before you click away from this article, realize that the difference between the best keywords and the dead-enders has nothing to do with search volume.

Surprised? I thought so. Most people think of keyword value in terms of search volume. If millions of people are going to Google to look for "widgets" every day, it would be nice to own the top slot for "widgets," right?

Of course. However, snagging traffic on the basis of "widgets" might not be that easy. Every affiliate marketer in the universe will be going after those high-competition terms. Additionally, a relatively scant percentage of "widget" searchers will be serious potential buyers. There may be a lot of people out there searching for "widget" or "widgets," but not all of them are in a shopping mood.

So, by the time you duke it out for that high-volume keyword and then deal with a relatively small conversion percentage, you're apt to discover that the difference between awesome keywords and duds has little to do with search volume.

Two people sit down to do a Google search. One types "widget." The other types "where to find a good red widget."

Which of those searchers would you prefer to send to a sales page? Obviously, the second searcher is much more likely to make a widget purchase than the first.

So, even though "where to find a good red widget" may not secure a million searches per day, it converts much more than the generic keyword. And a smart affiliate marketer can own a top slot in the SERPs for it rather easily.

Less work. Higher conversions. It makes sense.

Those lesser-used keywords are buying keywords. They're the ones that will get you big checks in the mail from affiliate programs. The high-volume terms are search keywords. They'll get more traffic, but won't produce sales like the buying keywords will.

There's a marketing theory that's been applied to search engine use and keyword selection known as "the long tail." The idea is that it's easier to own those smaller-volume terms and the net effect of targeting the right ones will swamp the income potential of going after the bigger search term.

If you can learn how to apply that theory to your affiliate marketing business, you'll be able to experience success that will escape all of those other affiliates who are still focused merely on search volume.

Don't worry about the search keywords. Go after the buying keywords!

Their mistakes are your GOLD MINE! David Cooper knows how to discover the blunders of others and then use them as a way to create a snowball effect that ends in an Affiliate Avalanche (http://www.affiliateavalanche.com/) of cash!

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by Daryl Campbell

In the movie Jerry Maguire, Cuba Gooding Jr. uttered the phrase that has now become part of our lexicon: "Show me the money."

Whether intentional or not, every person involved in affiliate Internet marketing is thinking the same thing. That's understandable. Unfortunately, many people spend their time looking for the good fairy of affiliate business -- that magic product or service (courtesy of central casting) that will explode their bank account instantly, without having to do much work.

This may explain why the majority of affiliates don't make any money. They don't treat their business like a business.

With the emergence of blogs, video and Web 2.0, marketers have more tools to reach their target audience. However, there are still some old school techniques you should be using in your production.

1. One Site/One Product

Ever visit an affiliate Web site that's offering a ton of different products? For most people, too many choices lead to confusion. It also increases the chance your potential customers will simply click to another site.

The point of one affiliate Web site per product is to limit the choice of your visitors to either buying, leaving their contact information or clicking away from your affiliate site.

Place a review on your Website, along with testimonials from people (get their photos, if possible) who have used the product or service.

You can find previous reviews of the product you're affiliate advertising by searching E-zines and article directories -- but it's best to write your own.

The keys are to:

a. Write a good headline
b. Showcase the benefits
c. Fill each paragraph with just enough information to get your visitors to keep reading
d. A call to action

Make sure it does not come across as a blatant sales pitch. Walk your visitors through understanding the product and how it affects them directly.

2. The Free

According to Overture. 357,000 people per month search the Internet using only one keyword: free. You can get some of that action. Offering a free report is a terrific affiliate marketing tool. Place it at the top of your Website, so visitors can't help but see it.

You can also offer it to your opt-in E-mail list and invite them to pass the report along to others. Make sure your name and Website are branded on the report.

3. Targeted Traffic

There are any number of ways to drive visitors to your affiliate Web site. The question is, once they get there, will they be interested in your offer?

I mentioned before you should write your own product reviews. You should also write articles. Not only will it get you noticed, but you can also find specific article directories, blogs, E-zines and forums where your target audience is most likely hanging out.

Try to write at least 1 article per week -- 400 to 600 words in length. This is a great way to bring targeted traffic to your affiliate Web site immediately and for many years to come. Article marketing combines useful information, free advertising (without looking like advertising) and marketing viral into one powerful package.

Using these tips can help you get through the maze of affiliate Internet marketing and create multiple streams of steady income. Focus on building an affiliate business first, so that when you tell merchants to show you the money, they will!

Daryl Campbell is your Internet Marketing guide for more free tips, tools, coaching, resources, video and up-to-the-minute information to help grow your business. Find out more by clicking now. Affiliate Marketing -- http://winthemarket.com/internet-marketing-guide/affiliate-marketing-and-the-ninety-five-percent/

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by Jay Conners

Having to deal with angry and upset customers is by far one of the worst responsibilities we must face on a day-to-day basis in the world of sales and business. However, this responsibility, like so many others we must face on a daily basis, just comes with the territory.

Customers become angry for all sorts of reasons. Some are legitimate reasons. Some are not. In any event, it's our job to defuse the situation. Here are a few tips on how you can calm your customer down and put them at ease.

1. Give them your hand to shake

When I was in the banking industry, I worked many years as a branch manager. A customer’s body language would speak volumes as they approached my office. This body language allowed me to prepare for what was to come.

It's not difficult to tell when someone is angry. Their face scrunches. Their lips tighten, and their brow wrinkles. They walk quickly with a purpose in their step, and you know they mean business.

My reaction to this type of body language was to reach out my hand to them as an offering of peace. I did this before they had an opportunity to start venting their anger.

I would then calmly introduce myself and ask how I could be of help to them.

This technique will catch your customer off guard, and your acts of professionalism and sincerity will ease the tension and put the rationale back into your customers thought process. This technique is by far the best way to begin any conversation that has the potential to be blown out of proportion.

2. Apologize to your customer

Once you have your customer seated and have allowed for them to vent, the first thing you want to do is apologize on behalf of your company for the way they have made them feel, or for the inconvenience they have been put through.

It really doesn’t matter if your customer is right or wrong, by apologizing to your customer you are being empathetic to their situation. This gives the customer the feeling that you are on their side.

Remember, when a customer has an issue, what they want more than anything else is for someone to listen to their problem and have an understanding of where they are coming from.

There is absolutely no need to take a bad situation and make it worse.

3. Resolve the problem

The last and final thing you want to assure your customer is that the problem will be resolved, or at the very least, the problem will not happen again.

To leave a problem unresolved and your customer hanging will only lead to more confrontations and wasted time down the line.

Remember, when time is wasted, money is wasted.

Again, putting out fires on a daily basis comes with the territory. The sooner you put out the fires the better. Never take a customer complaint personally. Act as your customers' advocate, and you will always prevent a bad situation from escalating.

Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of www.jconners.com .

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by Lydia Ramsey

A day in the life of a business person can be filled with joy and satisfaction or it can be frustrating and stressful. When things go wrong, some people lose control. Holding emotions in check and reacting professionally under fire are not always easy. It's particularly difficult to be nice to people who are not being nice to you.

So -- what do you do to keep your cool when the customer is chewing you out? Most of the time, it's not even your fault.

It could be that the problem was with a product or a service delivered by someone else in your organization. You're getting the blame because the unhappy person found you first, and it's not pleasant.

When faced with angry people, there are four key steps that will help diffuse the situation.

Step one is to apologize. "But," you say, "it's not my fault." It doesn't matter who's to blame; apologize anyway. As a representative of your company you have a responsibility to see that things go well. Your willingness to be accountable will have a positive effect. After all, it takes two to have an argument. If one of you refuses to be disagreeable you can't have a disagreement.

You're not accepting blame -- you're simply saying, "I'm sorry about the problem." You are wasting your breath unless you apologize with complete sincerity, so be sure that your tone of voice matches your words.

Step two is to sympathize with the irate customer. Let the person know that you can identify with his feelings. Say that you understand the frustration of receiving a faulty product or poor service. The angry person begins to feel better as soon as his reaction is validated.

Step three is to accept responsibility for the situation. Be accountable to the customer. Let him know that you intend to do whatever it takes to make things right. You can't help what has already happened, but you will come up with a solution to the problem or you will find someone who can.

The last step is to take action. Decide what you can do and tell the customer.

You will replace the defective or incorrect product as quickly as possible. If the issue was poor service, deliver better service. Whenever you can offer a bonus of some sort or waive fees, the tiger before you is transformed into a pussycat.

Use the acronym "ASAP" to remember these four steps for calming upset customers. Each letter stands for part of the process.

A is "apologize."
S represents "sympathize."
A stands for "accept responsibility."
P means "prepare to take action."

Nothing will be solved by becoming argumentative and reactionary. Instead, diffuse the client's anger by being apologetic and sympathetic and focus on positive steps that will resolve the situation. Before you know it, your adversaries will become your allies.

Oh yes -- remember to smile. It will make everyone feel better and behave better.

Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of MANNERS THAT SELL - ADDING THE POLISH THAT BUILDS PROFITS. She has been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Investors' Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and Woman's Day. For more information about her programs, products and services, E-mail her at lydia@mannersthatsell.com or visit her Web site www.mannersthatsell.com .

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by Rick Carbone

Establishing your own E-commerce site is not what it used to be. There are thousands of competitors that are competing for a bigger share of the market. Every method you can find to augment your sales will be beneficial.

Let's face facts; we are in this for the money. Altruism is not the primary motivation to put a website on the Internet to provide information for the world, even though there are some sites that provide information for the sake of providing free information to others.

I have just started to provide free information sites on a variety of topics that are near and dear to me, just for the sake of providing information to others. There is no monetary gain. For the most part, the majority of my websites are commercial in nature and are profitable. The majority of sites, though, are out there to turn a profit. I don't think that profit is a dirty word, either.

It is common knowledge that, without traffic, we have no business. Like any business, without any customers, you will not have any sales. No sales, no money and no site. Traffic represents all the people that get a chance to see what you have to offer. The more people who see your products, the more people there are to buy them.

No one puts up an E-commerce site and doesn’t expect a profit. We have startup capital that needs to be recouped. With consistent traffic, we at least have a fighting chance to achieve that probability. Monetizing your traffic would optimize your chances of making the best out of it.

Traffic Types

The Internet has proven to be a very reliable source in finding what was deemed to be non-existent. The Internet has made the world a smaller place; you can advertise a product from Asia and find a buyer from North America in an instant. This has made the Internet the most desirable place to do business, in my opinion.

Generating traffic, however, is not an easy task on the Internet. You have to contend with a great number of sites to generate decent traffic flow. However, if done successfully, this opens up a plethora of possibilities. Of course, one of those benefits is monetizing your traffic flow.

Therefore, to get to the core of it, the creating of more traffic, you need to understand the types of traffic available.

I break down traffic into two basic categories: Organic and Paid.

Organic traffic is homegrown, so to speak. It's the traffic that comes from non-paid sources. This is search engine traffic, or link traffic from sites to which you have reciprocal links. Search engine traffic, although free, is a time-consuming process for the patient and assiduous. Link traffic is an arduous task as well, but quite rewarding.

The best method of obtaining a good and constant flow of traffic is the organic method. The only issue is that it does take time to accomplish, but the rewards are great and, of course, inexpensive. The traffic itself is free; however, the time and energy expended and, perhaps, software used, may cost something. There are many different sources of organic traffic:

# Search engine listings
# Reciprocal links
# Writing and submitting articles
# Free classified ads
# Self promotion

All of these sources take time, but can be implemented for free.

Paid traffic comes in many forms. Pay-per-click is the most popular today, due to its instant results. Advertising takes on many forms and probably the best and most widely used is banner advertising. There are many that argue that banner advertising is a waste of time and money, as you will either pay for impressions (the number of times the banner is shown) or for clicks (the number of times someone clicks on your banner.)

Honestly, unless you have a good bankroll, don't jump into advertising as a first method of getting traffic to your site and product.

The argument for pay-per-click advertising is you will find out quickly if your product has a market; and, if it does, pay-per-click can be very rewarding. Do the math ahead of time by estimating your cost and the number of clicks on your ad and how many convert to sales. This is very important, as you may have a very decent click-through rate, but a poor conversion to sales rate. This equates to losing money over the long run.

The argument for organic traffic is strong, but not instantly rewarding. It's your call as how you will proceed.

About the Author

Rick Carbone, East Setauket NY United States
rcarbone@homebusinessresearch.com

Rick Carbone is the owner of several home business sites. In particular, http://HomeBusinessResearch.com has been on the Internet since 1998 helping many who wish to start their own home based business. In addition to the HBR site, he also owns and manages http://myarticlepro.com, http://payperclickknowhow.com and http://www.myownhomebiz.com , all providing information and products for online home businesses.

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by Phillip Davis

When Cingular decided to create a cellular phone for young children, they needed a name that would resonate with both them and with their parents. The result was Firefly – a name that not only fits the product (it lights up when in use), but also one that has deep meaning. Many parents can fondly recall summer nights spent chasing the elusive lights as they danced across a fresh cut lawn or meadow.

When a technology company needed a name for their new PDA a few years ago, they could have used Pocket Link (the code name for the device while it was in development). Instead, they went with a much more appetizing name … The Blackberry.

When United Parcel Service wanted to instill a deeper sense of their brand identity, they simply turned to their earthy corporate color . . . "What can Brown do for you?" Verizon named their newest phone Chocolate. And the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment shares its name with a friendly, wiggly little worm . . . Caterpillar.

What do these highly memorable names have in common? They are all richly grounded in human experience. As such, they are much more anchored in our brains. They trigger the areas of sight, sound, taste and touch. These types of names, then, provide a much bigger palette to paint a mental picture of our products and services. They allow us to borrow on the attributes inherit in the words themselves. That’s why Apple is much more approachable, consumable and human than Compaq. And that’s why we process Amazon on a whole different level than Books-A-Million.

So -- what keeps companies from using these great words to evoke deeper levels of meaning and greater connection with their brand? The answer usually comes down to fear. That fear may take many forms, such as, “No one else in our industry is doing that!” and, “No one will understand our product if we don’t explain it in the name.”

On a more practical level, the fear takes the form of trademark issues. Many car companies have simply given up on great names such as Cougar and Mustang in favor of alphanumeric solutions… i.e. Q45, E Class, XR7, etc. Rather than risk a fight, they take safe, coined, emotionless words and use massive marketing dollars in an attempt to instill the very attributes that a great name can instantly provide at much less expense.

The fear also takes the form of limited thinking … that all the great names are taken and gone. But, creativity knows no such limits. There are always new ways to create, invent and evoke. It may take time. It may take effort. But, the rewards are worth it. In the end, you will have a name and a brand that truly mean something. It will be a name rich in texture and ripe with meaning.

Above all, it will be human.

Is this the best and only way to name a business or product? Of course not. But, it’s one naming strategy that deserves more priority and consideration in the light of so many artificial names.

Do your customers crave meaning and experience in their lives? Do they want to connect at a deeper level? Then meet that need by creating names, tag lines and experiences that are great – great because they are genuine, grounded and organic.

That way, you’ll not only grow, you’ll thrive and prosper.

About the Author
Phillip Davis, Pisgah Forest, NC
Phil@PureTungsten.com

Phil Davis is President of Tungsten Brilliant Brand Marketing. Phil’s life goal of “creating environments where people thrive” reflects his desire to assist in personal, professional and business growth. Phil founded and ran a full service ad agency for over 17 years and now works full time as a business naming and branding consultant. Phil resides with wife Michelle and four energetic offspring outside Asheville, North Carolina Website: http://PureTungsten.com Email: Phil@PureTungsten.com

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by Brandon Hall

As Web 2.0 becomes less of just a buzzword and more of a reality, the types of sites webmasters need to publish will increasingly become more important. In other words, mini-sites are slowly dying and cookie-cutter article sites are on the way out as well.

Web surfers will become more value-focused and web companies will become larger.

Over the next few years, expect larger conglomerates to be buying up profitable websites in their chosen markets. Expect smaller sites to either be bought or driven out of business.

My intention is not to scare you, but this outcome is inevitable.

Large businesses have always taken two approaches to their desired markets. They either buy their competition, or they push them out of business.

You want to be prepared when this trend begins on the Internet.

Being a webmaster and online marketer, you should be preparing for one of two scenarios: To position yourself for a buyout to a larger company, or to become the larger company that dominates your chosen market.

Whichever route you choose is entirely up to you, but I would suggest that it would be in your best interest to begin focusing on authority sites. You can either start building them, or you can start turning your current sites into them. Whatever your approach may be, I assure you it will help you sleep better at night.

What Is the Definition of an Authority Site?

A fairly comprehensible authority site definition was put forward by Jason Dowdell, of Global Promoter. Jason defined it this way: ... "Authority sites are sites that have been linked to and referenced on other web sites covering the same subject matter and they also will have hundreds if not thousands of pages covering that subject matter and nearly every facet of it...."

That definition is one man’s opinion, albeit a good one -- but let us go directly to the source. Many search engine optimization and search engine marketing experts believe Google has derived their primary algorithm from a document titled, "Hilltop: A Search Engine based on Expert Documents."

The PageRank formula, as we know it today, was derived from this paper, and the authors -- Bharat and Mihaila -- define an authority site in the text below:

"We believe a page is an authority on the query topic if and only if some of the best experts on the query topic point to it. Of course in practice some expert pages may be experts on a broader or related topic. If so, only a subset of the hyperlinks on the expert page may be relevant.

"In such cases the links being considered have to be carefully chosen to ensure that their qualifying text matches the query. By combining relevant out-links from many experts on the query topic we can find the pages that are most highly regarded by the community of pages related to the query topic. This is the basis of the high relevance that our algorithm delivers."

What we have reprinted above is the foundation of the PageRank system and the determination for deciding which sites will be authorities. I highly recommend you read and re-read the full document until you understand every aspect of it.

What Are the Components of an Authority Site?

Allow me to present you with a diagram at: http://www.contentdesk.com/authoritymap that dissects your typical authority site. As you can tell from the diagram, a considerable number of components and systems must be in place for the authority site to function profitably and reap the benefits of the "Authority Site Formula."

The Authority Site Formula = Visitor Optimization (VO) + Content Optimization (CO) * Creative Marketing (CM)

A simple question must be asked. What do 99.9% of authority sites provide? In a sentence, an incredible amount of original content and a superb visitor experience. The search engines want you to succeed and they want you to make money, but you have to play by their rules. In the future, focus your efforts on visitor optimization and content optimization instead of search engine optimization.

What Is the Anatomy of an Authority Site?

About.com is the definition and was the original authority site. Their site has a generic domain name and hundreds of subdomains on different topics.

Your authority site should take the same approach, but not on such a general level. If you launch an authority site, it should be geared towards a well-defined and large market. After you launch the site and generate some traffic, you should create subdomains that cover specific areas inside that larger market.

For example, Diabetic-Resources.Com is not an active site; but if it were, then a typical authority site setup would be something like:

* http://supplies.diabetic-resoures.com
* http://diet.diabetic-resources.com
* http://insurance.diabetic-resources.com
* http://symptoms.diabetic-resources.com
* http://treatment.diabetic-resources.com

Using this approach, you are able to target your general market while generating more targeted traffic pertaining to related sub-markets.

As a rule of thumb, the index pages on your domains and subdomains should be more focused on content, but the article and commentary pages should be more focused on advertising. Just do not ever lose sight of the most important aspect of your site, which is visitor experience otherwise known as visitor optimization.

What Does It Take to Create an Authority Site?

You want to create a site that generates thousands of visitors a day mainly through the major search engines, and would ultimately be the one-stop source for information in that particular market.

Your site must employ three traits to become an authority site. Let’s discuss all three necessary aspects:

Dynamic: You should have as many RSS feeds as you can muster to incorporate throughout your site. Your visitors need to be able to receive RSS feeds for any keyword, category or archive as well as create their own. One feed is no longer enough to satisfy your visitors.

Interactive: You should be engaging the minds of your visitors at all times using surveys, commenting and feedback. Make these features easy for your visitors and your site will grow exponentially. Why? Because they feel like you actually care about them. Interaction is a powerful tool and creates a sense of community on your site.

Consistent: You should post to your blog often, and you should always provide quality and original content. That doesn't mean you need to produce 800-word articles three times a week. Your goal should be to become a news master. You need to be an ..."authority..." on the news happening in your niche.

If you follow the steps and guidelines listed above, then you will be on your way to being the owner of an authority site.

About the Author
Brandon Hall, Johnson City, TN, USA
brandon@contentdesk.com

Brandon is a staff writer for Content Desk Publishing Group. Content Desk is teaching people how to build authority sites that will dominate their niche. For a 21-page free guide on creating authority sites visit: http://www.contentdesk.com/freeguide/.

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by Josh Neumann

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So you've heard the rumors-you can make a fortune with an online business. You've also heard you can just sit on the beach, sip your lemonade and watch the money come pouring in. For those of you, I've got some good news and bad news.
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Now, I have to admit, I was VERY hesitant to share this information with you. After all, I don’t want to give away my biggest secrets for the whole world to see! However, after giving it some thought, I decided everyone should have the same chance that I do. I’ve got to tell you, though -- very few, if any of the top marketers I’ve listened to have revealed this information. If you’re ready for a breakthrough with your online business, than you MUST read this!

So -- you want to make money with an Internet business. You've searched the Web, looking for that perfect product. You've heard the rumors -- you can earn a fortune on the Internet, without spending a penny, and without lifting a finger.

I got some good news and some bad news. The good news is, you can earn a fortune. The bad news is, it’s not easy. In fact, in the beginning, it can be downright gruesome!

You'll spend long hours optimizing your site, reading manuals, and just plain learning your way through the Web. (It’s called the Web for a reason). There is nobody out there, despite the outrageous claims, that has earned a fortune without spending a dime and without lifting a finger! I got some more news for you -- you're not going to be the first, either!

You see, the Internet, like life in general, rewards the diligent. If you study hard, apply yourself, and get to work, you can and likely will make a killing with your Web business. I'm just warning you in advance -- it’s not going to be easy.

This information is not for the faint of heart. Most on the road to Internet riches fall by the wayside within the first few months, if not earlier. They get lost in a sea of information. Where should they start? What should they market? Where should they advertise? What kind of Website do they need?

The list goes on and on and on.

Now, I'm not going to cover everything here (I wouldn't be able to if I had a thousand pages!) but I will try to give you the most important pieces of information you'll ever hear in Internet marketing. It took me hundreds of E-books and pages and pages of information before I found this out, so this will save you some serious time on your learning curve.

There are two keys to making money on the internet:

Key #1) The money is in the E-mail list.

Quite simply, your income is generally as big as your opt-in E-mail list. Most Websites don't have a place to capture their visitor’s names and E-mails. This is HUGE! Think about it. If you're selling a high-ticket item (which I highly recommend) for, say, $1,000 or more, and you had an opt-in list of 10,000 people, even if only 100 ended up signing up (1%), you'd still make some SERIOUS CASH.

The list is huge -- it is the difference between success and failure on the Internet. And, yet, so few marketers understand the importance of this! They view success or failure based on whether a visitor buys the product or not.

Studies have shown that it takes the average consumer about 7 or 8 exposures to you before they are ready to buy. Very, very few ever buy on their first visit to your site -- particularly with a high-ticket item.

Key #2) If you want to generate a HUGE E-MAIL LIST, then you need to learn search engine optimization