Home Business The Easy Way - AKo Update http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com en-us EasyRSS
By Joel Walsh

Think you know how to write a business Website homepage? Keep reading, to make sure.

You probably think you already know what a homepage is. But, if you’re like many business Website owners, you really don’t.

The homepages of many business Websites are suffering an identity crisis. They're trying to do the job of several Web pages, and doing none of those jobs well.

What a Business Website Homepage is Not:

* A homepage is not the place to dump a long description of your business. That’s for the "about us" or the "company information" page. On the homepage, this information will just bore most people.

* A homepage is not the place where you list and sell all your products (unless you only have one or two). You should have a special "products and services" page for that, and preferably a shopping cart or catalog. Trying to make people buy right on your homepage is a little pushy. The homepage will also get over-crowded as your offerings expand. Instead, just include a list of product categories with links to inside pages, along with direct links to your biggest sellers.

* A homepage is not the place to include the full text of your announcements and press releases. Just include a teaser paragraph of each article on the homepage, with a link to the Web page with the full text. If people want to read the full text, they can. If they don’t, you haven’t bored them to tears.

* A homepage is not your company president’s or owner’s personal blog. It’s OK to rant, rave, or preach the need for world peace. Just don’t do it on wesellwidgets.com .

As you’ve probably noticed, a good Website has multiple pages. You should have special Web pages for special topics: an "about us" page for company information, a "products and services catalog," "the president’s blog," etc. When you advertise or send out links to your site, you should link directly to the most appropriate page, rather than just the homepage.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you don’t need a homepage, just that you don’t need it to do every single thing you want your Website to accomplish.

Important Points to Consider

Target audience

Your business Website’s homepage must be all things to all the people who type your URL in their navigation bar, whether it’s their six-hundredth visit or they just happened to catch your Web address painted on the back of your car.

Content

For the benefit of new visitors, a homepage must provide a snapshot of who you are and what visitors can do on your Website. Your first one to three paragraphs should give a quick overview of what visitors can do on your site. For example, you could include a short paragraph each on "buy widgets," "learn more about widgets," and "meet other widget enthusiasts," with links to your shopping cart, informational articles, and message board, respectively.

For returning visitors, the homepage must serve as a touchstone for navigating the site, announcing new developments and pointing out especially popular or useful pages. For these visitors, you don’t have to write anything new especially for your homepage. Anyone who's coming back to your site is already interested and is going to want to jump right into the deeper pages of your site, rather than linger on the homepage, wondering whether it's worth their time.

That's why your homepage should include teasers for the inside pages of your site. For instance, you could have a tip of the week, linked to a Web page on your site with an article explaining it. Good navigation (list of links to the four to eight most essential web pages on your site) is also a must.

For both new and returning visitors, always give a prominent place to a featured product or service (or two or three), with a picture, one- or two-sentence description, and a link to its own Web page, or to its place in your "products and services page," catalog or shopping cart.

You should also always feature a satisfied customer. It's great if the satisfied customer can send you a picture of himself or herself. But, no matter what, always include a testimonial quotation, and a link to a case study or customer story on its own separate Web page, which you should definitely find time to write or have written for you by a Website content provider.

Title

Don’t title your homepage "Welcome to [name of your site]." Don’t include that message anywhere on your homepage, in fact. It’s a waste of space. This was normal in 1996, but it’s pretty passé now. Everyone already knows they’re on your site. What you need to tell them is what they can do there. Try something like "Buy, Study, and Discuss Widgets," instead.

Also make sure your title incorporates any keywords you think people might use to search for your product or service on the Internet. Search engines decide how to categorize pages largely based on the homepage title and first heading text.

Length

Ideally, the first few paragraphs of the homepage (the ones aimed at new visitors) should not be more than 100-350 words total. The teasers for inside pages targeted to returning visitors should not be more than about 100 words each.

Making Sure Your Website Has the Best Homepage Possible

Before your homepage goes live, test it out on a few people. Don’t just ask your volunteers how they like your homepage. Courtesy may prevent you from getting an honest response. Instead, ask them to find how to buy your latest product or if they understand what’s the most important development in your company recently. If they can navigate to the correct page within about eight seconds (the average human attention span on the Web), you’ve done well.

You may just want to hire a Website copywriter, online copywriting firm, or Website content provider to create your homepage for you. After all, you wouldn’t build your own office building, would you? Of course, that’s not an entirely fair comparison — more people will see your business Website homepage than will ever see your office building!

About the author:

Joel Walsh is the head writer for UpMarket Content (http://upmarketcontent.com), a Website content firm serving business sites. You can find more information on writing a homepage, including a template, along with the rest of the seven essential Web pages for business Websites, such as the "about us" and "product and services" as well.

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By Paul Levesque

Some businesses remain that manage to consistently deliver superior customer service year in and year out, while howls of protest over poor customer service continue to fill the air. These are the places where turbo-charged employees pursue customer delight with a passion, places that ignite a flash point of contagious enthusiasm in employees and customers alike. Foremost, to be learned from such flash point businesses are the ‘blunders’ to avoid—fatal mistakes that trip up just about everybody else.

First Blunder: Making Customer Service a Training Issue.

Businesses of all kinds invest huge amounts in training programs that do not—and simply cannot—work. The function of this training is to identify the behaviors workers are engaging in, and then coax, bully, or legislate these behaviors into the workplace. At best, this is almost always a recipe for conduct that feels mechanized and insincere; at worst, it intensifies worker resentment and cynicism.

The better approach is to give workers opportunities to brainstorm their own ideas for delivering delight, instead of dictating what workers should be doing to delight customers. Management’s role then becomes to help employees implement these ideas, and to allow workers to savor the motivational effect of the positive feedback that ensues from delighted customers. This level of employee ownership and involvement is a ‘key’ cultural characteristic of virtually all flashpoint businesses.

Second Blunder: Blaming Poor Service on Employee De-motivation.

Businesses looking for ways to motivate their workers almost always are looking in the wrong places. Employee cynicism is the direct product of an organization’s visible preoccupation with self-interest above all else—a purely internal focus. The focus in flashpoint businesses is directed outward, toward the interests of customers and the community at large. This shift in cultural focus changes the way the business operates at all levels.

The reality is that employees are de-motivated because they can’t deliver delight in most business settings. The existing policies and procedures make it impossible. Instead of “fixing” their employees, flashpoint business set out to build a culture that unblocks them. Workers are encouraged to identify operational obstacles to customer delight, and participate in finding ways around them.

Third Blunder: Using Customer Feedback to Uncover What’s Wrong.

Surveys and other feedback mechanisms are used by businesses to get to the causes of customer problems and complaints. Employees come to dread these measurements and data-gathering efforts, which often lead to what feels like witch-hunts for employee scapegoats, formal exercises in finger pointing and the assigning of blame. Flashpoint businesses use customer feedback very differently. In these organizations, the object is to uncover everything that’s going right. Managers are forever on the lookout for "hero stories" - examples of employees going the extra mile to deliver delight. Such feedback becomes the basis for ongoing recognition and celebration. Employees see themselves as winners on a winning team. In this type of workplace, there is always some new "win" being celebrated.

Fourth Blunder: Reserving Top Recognition for Splashy Recoveries.

It happens all the time; something goes terribly wrong with a customer order or transaction. The dedicated employee goes to tremendous lengths to make things right. The delighted customer brings this employee’s wonderful recovery to management’s attention. The employee receives special recognition for his or her efforts. This is a blunder?

It is when such recoveries are the primary—if not the only—catalysts for employee recognition. In such a culture, foul-ups become ‘almost a good thing’ from the workers’ point of view. By creating opportunities for splashy recoveries, foul-ups represent the only chance employees have to feel appreciated on the job. Attempts to correct operational problems won’t win much support if employees see these problems as their only opportunity to shine.

Flashpoint businesses celebrate splashy recoveries, of course—but they’re also careful to uncover and celebrate employee efforts to delight customers where no mistakes or problems were involved. This makes it easier to get workers participating in efforts to permanently eliminate the sources of problems at the systems level.

Fifth Blunder: Competing on Price.

It is one of the most common (and most costly) mistakes in business. Price becomes the deciding factor in purchasing decisions only when everything else is equal—and everything else is almost never equal! Businesses compete on the perception of value, which includes more than price. The total customer experience—and aspects such as “helpfulness,” “friendliness,” shapes it and “the personal touch” often gives the competitive advantage to businesses that actually charge slightly more for their basic goods and services.

Businesses that deliver a superior total experience from the inside out (that is, as a product of a strongly customer-focused culture) are those that enjoy a long-term competitive advantage—along with virtual immunity from the kinds of headaches that plague everybody else.

Customer-focus consultant Paul Levesque’s latest book is Customer Service From The Inside Out Made Easy (Entrepreneur Press, 2006).

Copyright Paul Levesque. All Rights Reserved.

Paul Levesque is available for speaking engagements through http://www.keynoteresource.com 1-800-420-4155. Paul Levesque has more than 20 years' experience as an international customer-service consultant. He has helped hundreds of corporate and small business clients become more customer-focused.
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Last time, I talked about one of the first steps involved in setting up your email newsletter: Getting an Email Newsletter Service. Another commonly-asked question is how to design the newsletter to make it the most effective. This breaks down into several questions and considerations:

Should you send a text-only newsletter or design it in HTML? Both options have benefits and drawbacks.

I recommend that most small businesses use an HTML newsletter because it's much more effective to use graphics to extend your brand. Also, graphics are more memorable and can help you to communicate your business' message in a way that's, well, worth the proverbial 1000 words.

Some of the ways to make this already-effective tool even more effective include:

- Use a customized design and not a template. One of the main jobs of a newsletter is to extend your business' brand. If you use a template the design will not be related to your company's brand definition or brand identity. This mismatch will make your business look inconsistent and less professional. Make sure that your customized design includes not only your logo but also elements of your Visual Vocabulary. This will further distinguish your newsletter from your competitions'.

If you do have to use a template for a short time while you work the cost of a customized design into your budget, use the simplest template available on your service - even a blank page with your logo on it will work as a temporary measure!

- Use branding as bookends for your newsletter. Designing every square inch of your newsletter is overkill. You don't need to include graphics and illustration through the whole thing to get the benefit of using graphics. Designing each element of the newsletter will also make it more difficult to use your newsletter as a template. If you design in an article space that's a few paragraphs long and then write an article that's bigger than the allowed space you're going to have to spend time customizing your newsletter design to fit in the longer article. Or what if you decide to change the sections in your newsletter around. Or you decide to promote different things or include different types of information and your newsletter design has very specific structured areas. Instead, you can design a header and footer to "bookend" the content of your newsletter. You can then code the rest in plain HTML. This will create a branded newsletter that looks great and is flexible enough for you to use as needed each time you send it out.

- Don't make your newsletter code complicated. Most email programs can only read the simplest of HTML code. So design your newsletter with this in mind and code the newsletter using very basic HTML. This means you should use a table format, regular font tags, bold and italic tags, and image tags. CSS and more complicated kinds of code won't display properly for all of your readers. Use photos and promotional illustrations to add visual interest. An all-text newsletter can look very boring - even if you have a branded header and footer. But you can use image tags to insert images throughout your newsletter to spice things up. Use highlight boxes to call attention to offers and promotions. You can use a colored background on a text box to differentiate important copy from the rest of your text. This can make those calls to action and promotional boxes more noticeable. Once a reader notices them they're more likely to read them and react! Taking these tips into account will help you to create a HTML newsletter that represents your brand well. It will also look memorable and help you to stay in touch with your prospects and clients - and sell your products and services.

Erin Ferree is a brand identity designer who creates big visibility for small businesses. Her ebook, "All The News About Email Newsletters" will tell you everything you need to know about desiging, writing, and sending out an email newsletter to stay in touch with your clients and prospects. http://www.elf-design.com/products-mini-newsletter.html]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_AKo_313/user/index.php
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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Let’s face it, the internet has grown and moved away from being just a place to surf the web for interesting factoids, run tax software or play games. Now it is a vital communication link for both businesses and family. Internet video technology is the next the next major shift in communication. These are the Internet Video tools you will soon be using. Video mail and instant messaging will be used daily by most for both business and family conversations. Think about it. Wouldn’t you rather have a face-to-face chat with your customer without leaving your office? Wouldn’t you rather smile and talk then type another email? Don’t you think your customer will be happier to see a brief video from you than read yet another email? Yes, yes and of course.

Video-mails, (emails with video in addition to text) and Video Instant Messaging are the Internet video technology tools that will soon be part of your daily life. If you weren’t born with “IT blood” running in your veins or if are over 25, can you learn to use these tools to stay connected on the internet and expand your business? The answer is Yes. Let me explain exactly what these Internet video technology tools are and how you can use them.

Video mail is an email with a film strip that, once it is clicked on, plays a short 2-4 minute message. All of your facial expressions are displayed, which alone increases the retention of information from 10% to 50%. Your words, when delivered directly face-to-face, have a much greater impact than reading a traditional written email. Here is where you set yourself apart from the others that are offering similar services. You become known by your potential customer.

Next: Instant Messaging. You might be familiar with the traditional style. When you log onto the computer, a business associate would be notified that you are available and you begin communicating. However the process is awkward and time-consuming... you type, and you wait while they read your message and type a response. Meanwhile, your business associate has to wait until you read and respond.

Upgrade this IM with a video IM. Simply have an IM appointment to meet on the computer. Now you can have a “virtual meeting”, a true face-to-face and real -time communication with one or more colleagues. Imagine saving you and your company the hassle and the expense of battling the local traffic, the weather and airport delays, as well as disruption of spending time with your family. With a Video Instant Message you can do presentations or discuss any business situation. Now with the tool of video instant messaging, you can maintain face-to-face connection to your satellite offices, co-workers or sales staff. Your Video IM could include associates from different offices or even different countries all talking together while each staying in their own office.

Using this same technology, the Video Instant Message tool will allow you to schedule a weekly family chat with your children and grandkids. Let the cousins grow together, sharing their lives even if they live thousands of miles apart. It is a Grandparent's dream! The use of Video Instant Messaging will keep the family connected regardless of where ever individual resides.

These are the internet video tools that everyone will be using in the next year. Relax, they can be point-and-click easy. So get ready to show your face to your colleagues and friends via your computer.

If you would like more information on Internet Video technology, try [http://www.dranney2.info]Dr Anney’s Technology

To read a few chapters of my book, Money From the Inside Out, visit my website at [http://www.dranney3.info]Dr Anney.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_AKo_313/user/index.php
By Patrick A Chan

Why do we want to start a Home Based Business, not only a home-based business, but via the internet? The Internet has indeed allowed us to do many things from the comfort of our own home or anywhere in the world with internet access!

Thus, more and more people are asking themselves what they should not do at all if they ever get involved in a home based internet business! Why do they ask? Like any science experiment, we would all want to know the certain precautions we need to take in order to do them safely and correctly... Who decides on the precautions to take? Well, it would be someone who cares enough to ensure that the experiment would yield the expected results!

Being an ex-teacher, I understand the value of taking precautions... Usually precautions are given in the Teacher's Guide by the relevant authorities. However, there will be times when extra precautions not mentioned in the guides need to be raised by the teachers themselves so that the students are aware of any potential hazards or self-sabotages...

Now, here is a list, not an exhaustive one, which according to me needs to be observed by anyone who is serious about starting a home based business online. There are apparently much more that cannot be sufficiently covered because the Internet serves a Global community... Anyway, I just hope that this basic list would set you thinking and headed on the right path towards success!

1. Do not pretend to be an expert in every area! There are so many aspects to be taken into consideration when it comes to running an internet business. We seriously need to be humble about the things we do not understand or know and employ the assistance of those who have the expertise!

2. Do not jump into any business opportunity without first doing a thorough check on the company's profile. This is not an easy step to take, especially so, when even legitimate companies may be misrepresented or abused by scammers! I have received many emails offering me opportunities by "myself" too! LOL Get yourself a well-informed mentor/advisor to guide you.

3. Do not be distracted and mind your own business! There are so many opportunities offered online! Many people will Try This and Try That... Have you heard of Jack who is into all trades? Yes, he is no master... Just a slave in the making! Distractions offer you chains unseen by the naked eye if you are not careful... Decide on your primary business! Look after your own business and you will prosper! Are you thinking of multiple sources of income? Sure, if you are ready and have built yourself a good foundation! If not, be wise about things and do one thing well at any one time =)

Replying to anonymous spam emails can be a distraction. Well, most scammers just need a response from you to start a whole army of emails marching your way until your inbox needs changing! These test emails are usually not addressed to anyone in particular or are addressed to a hidden list that has been collected using "spydees" etc. You will probably not be able to find your email address in the recipient's field. So, why reply and invite distraction?

When you are doing anything that is not helping you market and grow your business... it is a distraction!

4. Do not send an email when your computer is infected by a virus, trojan, spyware, adware and the like. You would not want your sensitive information to land in the wrong hands. Get yourself protected using an antivirus/internet security software!

5. Do not forget to track what you are doing. This is especially vital prior to each marketing campaign you run... This will ensure that you know where to spend the best dollar and where not to spend at all!

6. Do not be discouraged! There will be people who will try to steal your dreams or trample upon them! Your loved ones especially! You need to be focused in what you do. Every setback sets you up for more success! To know what works and what does not is the key to doing only what works for success! Simple enough?

7. Do not limit your mindset! I chose this to be seventh on this list because it is very important! A mindset limited by any situation, opinion, or anything is going to generate limited or no success... E.g. if you are desperate to earn an income and all your bills are piling up... being desperate stems from a limited mindset. Learn to see new possibilities out of your situation instead of allowing yourself to be depressed and defeated! Overcoming negative emotions is not easy, but it is possible! Anyway, entertaining negative emotions will not move you in any positive direction! Manage your emotions and a better mindset can emerge to help pull you through any tough spots!

Another area of a limited mindset is often manifested in the amount of time, energy, or money we are willing to commit in order to succeed. Sometimes, the opportunity of a lifetime does not come "cheap"! A limited mindset would view a golden opportunity as time-consuming, energy draining, and "expensive"... It does not allow us to see beyond those limiting factors into a future that will reward us with success unlimited! Thus, we have people that regret during their dying moments not taking enough risk in their life... most people statistically regret that!

8. Do not give up on yourself! You are your own worst enemy... When you quit on yourself, you quit on everything! Sometimes, we cannot see any fruit of our labor being produced... Be patient! Persevere! People may give up on us, but we must never let what they think of us become our reality! We create our own future! We just need to fix our vision, work consistently towards fulfilling it, and never give up! Having said all that, we need to recognize what we need to quit thinking, doing, or saying anything that works against our vision and core desire!

9. Do not reinvent the wheel especially when you are new. Reinventing systems takes time, energy, and money... It is wiser to stick with proven systems especially when you are just starting out fresh. Sometimes, having a lousy looking website up quickly can profit you more than having a painstakingly reinvented website up after a long time! Use existing systems that work! Simplicity is the key!

10. Do not be ill prepared. This is the last on this list, but it is definitely not the least! Do your due researches first and always check your business processes before you implement it... Doing research and checks before implementation helps to minimize a lot of headaches! If you like headaches, then ignore this last item. ;-)

Well, I hope this list will help you move quickly in the right direction! Remember this: Only you can slow yourself down...

Patrick Chan who has been making money online since 2002 is willing to help anyone who finally wants to succeed in every aspect of life. Join his successful Singapore team in the quest for success from the comfort of your home via the internet (http://success.homelysuccess.com/). Also, check out his buddy Ewen Chia's Autopilot Profits System In A Box (http://auto.homelysuccess.com/) that can definitely enhance anyone's online business!

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Having a website is an important element of your public relations mix but it needs to be working for you. What else can you do to get people to click on your site? Well, you could incorporate some PR activities around your site. Public relations is essentially communication, letting people know what your do, why you do it and how you make a difference.

One aspect of PR is publicity. Creating word of mouth interest in your business by getting free editorial coverage of your business in the media.

Publicity stories in the media are very effective but you won't get one for your website unless you have a new idea, controversial story, sensational aspect to your website, something unusual or completely different. Get the idea? Some story ideas: are you the first to use this technology? Have you made a huge sale through your website? Does your website help or benefit people in any way? Are you running a unique online competition or survey? Have you a heart-warming personal story to tell? My point is this; you need to have a point.

Let me give you an example of publicity that was designed specifically to attract people to a particular website.

An online travel company, Zuji.com.au, implemented a publicity campaign to drive traffic to their website. It was a simple idea. They put together
an online competition asking people to write in their travel secrets of their favourite destinations throughout the world and they could win a valuable travel prize. They told the media about it and, although a simple idea, it captured the attention of the travel media.

Consequently, the media promoted the competition quite heavily, resulting in heaps of visitors to the Zuji website. And, of course, it involved real people telling their own stories so the human interest element worked. It worked brilliantly for the company. First, they were successful in getting lots of free publicity from the competition. They also collected the email addresses of all of the people that visited their website. Plus, they captured some really interesting stories and content to put on their site. So an online competition works well, but you do need tell the media about it. Once you've developed a good newsworthy story you'll need to contact the relevant journalists who will help you reach your target market. Don't contact everyone, just the media that are appropriate to you and your product.

Contact them by sending a media release (including your website address) or telephone them. Research your target media by checking out the newspapers, magazines and wherever else your competitors are being featured. You can buy media directories to find these media sources if necessary.

Don't forget to let journalists know there is a media room on your website where they can obtain further information.

Another way to publicise your website is to put your domain address everywhere. Anytime you send out a media release or newsletter, write a letter to a potential client or sponsor an event, not only is it really important to put your name on everything, but put your website address there as well. Every where that you communicate, put your web address. Include it on your voicemail, stickers, business cards, your car, caps, t-shirts...on everything!

Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace - your inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business educator and speaker on personal branding through image and media. Sign up for free monthly tips on personal and professional PR at http://www.shinecomms.com.au/contactmanager/default.cfm and learn more about how you can achieve recognition, enhance your image and shine.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_AKo_313/user/index.php
by Bea Fields and Carol Dickson Carr

As a business owner, is your enterprise truly thriving, or are you feeling the pressure from your competitors, who are breathing down your neck? If your business is not what you want it to be, what do you think is really going on? Being a business owner is probably one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of life. At this time of year, we all need a quick business reality check.

Here is a quick assessment of the business behaviors which are contributing to your success or to those which might be triggering failure. As you are reading each statement, perform a quick self assessment. Can you answer "yes" to each statement? If not, your business might be under fire, and it’s time to turn it around.

1) I know exactly why I’m in this business to begin with.

Whether it’s a sense of freedom that’s driving you or a need to connect to your customers in a special way with what you have to offer, your business "why" needs to be clear. By knowing the why, your business can gain momentum by having a clear direction and specific measurable outcomes.

2)I understand and have implemented the fundamental principles of business.

This means you have a good working knowledge of business strategy (business planning and marketing) and the systems necessary for business success, such as bookkeeping/accounting, legal issues, database management, and entity structuring. Once you have educated yourself about these fundamental principles, the next step is to implement and carefully monitor the systems that will keep your business moving forward.

3)I am taking reasonable risks.

Contrary to popular belief, savvy entrepreneurs do not take wild risks. They balance their sense of adventure and out-of-the-box thinking with common sense, due diligence and research. Taking ongoing reasonable risks will infuse energy and life into your business and will actually challenge you to stretch and grow as both a business owner and a person.

4)I know how to mitigate risk.

Do you have liability insurance, a back-up system for your paper and electronic documents, proper contracts and agreements? If not, you may be setting yourself up for risky business. Get your business in order, and make sure that your goals, methods and protocol are clearly spelled out and that your team is aligned with where you are going.

5)I know how to make decisions quickly.

You’ve heard the cliche "time is money." There’s definitely some truth to that. As a savvy business owner, you will be called to combine your knowledge and your intuition to make decisions that are quick and smart. In today’s fast-moving, high tech world, the name of the game is "speed to market," and your ability to make good choices without dragging your feet is critical to your ability to create the momentum necessary to pull your business forward and to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

6)I am developing networks and strong working relationships both inside and outside my industry.

Collaboration is powerful and synergistic, and the possibilities and solutions for your business increase exponentially by having a strong network. Building a network inside your industry will strengthen your expertise, but the real juice in networking happens when you begin to reach out beyond the bound aires of your profession to people who can bring fresh ideas and creative perspectives to your business.

7)I understand that implementing a great strategy is critical to my success.

Having a great strategy is key to creating a sustainable competitive advantage in your industry, and knowing which strategies to implement can be a formidable task. Choosing a strategy is simple, yet the execution of the strategy is where most business owners fall short. With a careful, planned approach to execution, your strategic goals can be attained. Working with a coach who specializes in strategy and execution can support you in moving through the obstacles which will pop up along the way.

8)I effectively implement sales, marketing and customer service strategies which are contributing to my growth and bottom line profits.

You have the avenues in place to let everyone know you’re open. You know your target market inside and out, and you are dedicated to finding new ways to reach them and provide ongoing value each and every day. You fully understand that if you are a business owner, you are not just a technician, you are now fully committed to the business of sales, marketing and delivering outstanding customer service.

9)I stay current with technologies, trends and developments in business.

If your thinking is back in the 70s or 80s, you’re going to get left behind, and you better keep up, or you’re going to get thumped by the competition. Keeping up with technology—particularly as it ties to the information age--is not optional…in today’s fast forward world, it’s a requirement to stay in the game of business.

10)I foster an environment that encourages creativity and development of new ideas.

This means that you’re open to "coincidences," you listen to feedback, you’re patient and collaborative and you embrace change… Fresh ... dynamic is what it’s all about! You are someone who welcomes all ideas—the radical, off-the-beaten-path, the controversial, and the seemingly benign. You suspend all judgment and allow your playful side to participate. Solo or in groups, this is important. Break the rules! Start with a multitude of ideas and then focus on the best solutions for your business.

So how did you do? If you didn't get 100%, there is a way to get you there by joining the Business Under Fire Program for 2007. For more information, visit us today online at http://www.BusinessUnderFire.com.

Bea Fields and Carol Dickson-Carr are Executive coaches and principles for Business Under Fire and the 360 Degree Challenge. Visit them today online at http://www.BusinessUnderFire.com and http://www.360degreechallenge.com.

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By Graham and Julie

How do you measure how successful you are? The size of your home, or your car? Is it about the amount of money you have in the bank? How many friends do you have, the size of your wardrobe, wearing designer brands, eating regularly at the best restaurants, staying in the best hotels, or holidays in exotic places? Alternatively, is it the number of homes you have? Perhaps it is the amount of free time you have, or the time you can use on whatever you want.

In our experience, the best way to measure how successful you are is by looking at how many people rubbish you. How many people criticize what you stand for? How many people go out of their way to ridicule you?

The more people who criticize what you do, and complain about the hours you work, the way you earned your success, the way you spend your money, the way you run your life, the more you can say I have made it. I am a success.

This is a sad but true reflection of the world we live in. The more successful you are the more people want to bring you down. It does not matter to them that you have spent years learning and practicing before gaining the fruits of your efforts.

Given the same opportunity that you grasped and worked for, they would have let it pass as being too difficult. The point is they just cannot resist complaining and criticizing.

It seems they do not intend to face their own demons. They have no intention of standing out from the crowd. They just want everything to be the same.

The last thing they want is you and people like you being different. The last thing they want is you and people like you showing them that there is another way to live your life, a more successful way. They do not need you and people like you to show them that to be successful you have to change your thoughts, the way you see the world.

They want to go through life on minimum effort so the last thing they need is you showing them that by making the effort, you can succeed. To them the fruits of their labors are simple and regular, they do not need you and people like you showing that with a little know how and commitment the fruits of your labor can be enormous. They do not need people like you showing the world what is possible.

The last thing they need is someone who has the courage to believe in himself or herself and work towards what they want and become successful.

If it is any consolation to you, the more successful you get the more critics and complainers you collect.

You just have to accept that when they start on you in your office, in your town, in your professions then you are on the verge of being successful. You have done what they are frightened of doing: you have conquered your fear of the unknown and gone for your dreams.

You have the courage. You have the desire. You have the willingness and ability to focus on your dreams. In the end:

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again, and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." Quoted by, -President Teddy Roosevelt-

Good Luck

Graham and Julie.
www.desktop-meditation.com

To improve your intuition, initiative, and energy levels please go to:
www.desktop-meditation.com. It is free.

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By Steven Gerber

Sometimes staying at home has its own advantages. Not going to work on the other hand may pose other problems. For instance, where will you get the money to finance your daily expenses? Some people may just laugh about this fact, but staying at home does not necessarily mean that you cannot earn money.

Yes, you heard it right. You can actually make money even if you do not leave the house. How you might ask, it is through reseller programs. Many people are attracted to take part in many forums on the net, and most people are into affiliate marketing. Why not participate in a different venture like reseller programs.

If you have second thoughts, then first familiarize yourself with what reseller programs are. It is simple; a reseller program means that you will be a retailer for a certain company. So how do you do this? Start by signing up for a reselling program. The company, which supports the program, will tell you what products you are going to sell, and the equal charge for each item sold. In most cases, you will need your own website, and this is where you are going to sell your products. If a certain customer is interested, put all his/her personal information in your control panel, and the hosting company will be the one to set them up for a particular program.

There are also companies that provide a website, and you will just build it according to your preferences and set the prices. This is much better because the website is already there, and you just need to make little improvements so the site will suit your preference.

There are free programs, while others require you to pay membership fees or set up fees. Do a bit of research on the different reseller programs. You can find one that will work for you.

Reseller programs are potential income generators, especially for those who want to conduct a living in their homes. Although this is less popular compared to the affiliates, it also offers opportunities for earning income. You just need to get things done in the proper manner. It requires low maintenance but produces high profit for financial independence.

Being a reseller does not make you an employee of a certain company. You act independently. You will be paid based on the sign ups made and this will done on a recurring basis. This means you can do the work at your most preferred time.

Before signing up for any reseller program, there are certain things to consider.

First, identify what you want to resell. Almost all hosting companies prefer outsourcing so they can focus more on running their business.

Then choose among the programs available on the internet. Make sure you choose one having a positive record and already well established. Do not jump at offerings, which promises high yields, yet is not well experienced or established.

After choosing the program, its time to attract prospects Psychology Articles, and the best way is to look for smaller firms or individuals.

Hosting companies prefer reseller programs because they are able to cut down costs on staffing and/or equipments. They only need to pay a minimal amount in exchange for your services. It would be best to find a particular situation in which you will be comfortable to resell in order to be successful in this venture.

Steven Gerber is a professional copywriter & marketing consultant. He is a student of Dan Lok, the World's #1 Website Conversion Expert, & in Steven's totally biased opinion simply THE BEST. You will find the latest internet marketing techniques & tricks at: http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com .

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By Stuart Elliott

"If You Are Going to be in Business, You Must Know How to Sell"

In his book, Automatic Wealth, Michael Masterson states that in order to achieve Financial Independence you need to master a financially valuable skill.

Selling is the number one skill you MUST learn if you are going to be in business. This applies offline too. If you do not know how to sell, you and your business will struggle financially.

Now, before you give me that stock answer "I don't know how to sell..." think about this: we are selling everyday, whether we sell ourselves, our friends, or the latest film we've just watched.

Look at this common everyday phrase: - "have you seen x?x?x. I saw it last night and I..."

Sound familiar?

Well, that is selling in a nutshell! Some people do it better than others, but we all do it. With a little bit of training and practice you can soon become a master at it.

If you do not know how to sell or HATE selling, how can you tell people about your product in a way that makes them want to buy it from you? If they don't buy from you - HOW can you make money?

Today, the Internet marketplace is jam-packed with plenty of fantastic ideas and wonderful products. Chances are that you have already located:

* A great idea that you think you can make money from

* A product that solves a specific problem, and/or

* An income opportunity to provide to people online

But the fact is:

"If you do not know how to sell your products, you cannot turn them into money-producing assets, no matter how great the demand or high in quality they actually are"

You can't – period!

Whether you are selling your intellectual asset, service, tangible goods, yourself, or whatever kind of product or solution you have, unless you have the ability to sell, your product or asset is worth absolutely nothing.

This may sound a little harsh but it is the cold hard reality. Sure, you may get lucky once in a while but to really become successful…well, you have to be able to sell.

Good News.

All you need for the selling to be done on your behalf is powerful sales copy.

Take another look at that last statement again because...

"Your Sales Letter is Your Sales Person"

Yes, your sales letter is your virtual sales person. Your sales letter does all the selling to your prospects on your behalf.

Unlike in conventional and direct response marketing businesses, there is no need for you to train and recruit multiple sales people. Instead, all of your efforts should be focused on creating a powerful sales letter that produces a minimum 2 to 4 percent conversion rate, then fine-tuning that letter to improve the conversion rate as you go.

In other words, for every 100 prospects you refer or who visit your web page, you are aiming for a minimum of 2 to 4 of them to be your customers. Once you achieve that (and you will!), all you need to do is introduce targeted prospects to your sales letter, confident that it will do all the selling for you, day after day.

Your sales letter is like a personal letter from you to your prospect, in it you tell him why he needs your service/product. You remind him of his problems and why you have the solution to those problems, thus convincing your prospect to buy your product or the access to a service from you.

What You Need

You have probably already got a great idea, or a product, and some basic selling skills (remember the film you saw the other day?)

Now all you need to do is develop and hone those skills in order to formulate a sensational sales letter. A sales letter that arouses a deep primal need in your prospects and makes them bolt frantically to your order button, desperate to buy your products, every time.

This means that you have to:

1. Improve your writing skills

Since you will be writing your own sales copy, you will need to have good writing skills and a good command of English. Even if English is not your mother tongue, with a little work you can develop this skill.

Note however, that you do not need to be a master of English to write a successful sales letter. As long as your letter carries emotion and personality it will work. Forget all the grammar lessons you learned at school - just copy what works and learn from the masters.

2. Inject your personality into your letter

Yes, you must inject your personality. You will be writing a somewhat personal or emotional letter to your prospects. A letter, which needs to move and arouse them to take action, so be friendly and approachable with your words. You need to write from the heart. Don't write a stiff letter, not only is it boring to read but it will turn people away from your web page faster than you can blink.

NB. Mix your writing skills with your personality, write from your heart with truth and sincerity and you will compose the perfect sales letter.

And last but not least, you need:

3. To take action

There is a wealth of information on how you can write your own killer sales copy staring right at you, don't waste it by not doing anything with it. If English is not your first language - no problem. Print out a couple of great sales letters that move you and copy their structure and grammar (Learn as You Earn) Don't just copy the letter wholesale though that's plain old theft. Your letter must come from your heart.

Got it? Good, now go and get started.

Copyright (c) 2006 Stuart Elliott

Stuart Elliott is a world-class copywriter who has written numerous articles on sales letters and copywriting. Drop by: http://howtowritekickbuttcopy.com/why.html to pick up a free copywriting power guide.
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By Kristy Breen

Are you tired of working for someone else, always working more but never getting paid more? Are you tired of never being able to show up for your child's school events, because you have a boss breathing down your neck?

Millions of Americans are starting their own home-based business. It doesn't matter if you are young or old, have a masters degree or a high school diploma. You can start your own home-based business with very little start up cost. I'm going to give you a few reasons why you should do this.

1. More time with family-something we all want. Think about this. You work 9-5; an eight-hour day spent with the boss and coworkers, plus the hour compute to and from work. Arriving home at 6 p.m., the kids are excited to see you, wanting to tell you all about their day at school. You try to listen attentively while cooking dinner. After eating and maybe watching a television program together, it's time to put the kids to bed. It's now 8:30 pm., you read the kids a short bedtime story. You look at their precious little faces as they drift off to sleep, and your heart aches that you don't get to spend more quality time with your family. Why should you have to give your boss and coworkers the best part of you?

If you're a parent with a traditional 9-5 job, this is probably something you deal with everyday. You go to work day in and day out, spending the best part of the day with the boss and coworkers. You are left with just a few short hours when arriving home to spend time with your kids and husband and juggle dinner preparation. This isn't how it should be, but you ask yourself, what else can you do? You’re stuck in the daily grind of your job. You still have bills to pay and groceries to buy. Why not think about starting your own home-based business?

You don't have to quit your current job to do this. Get on the Internet and start looking. You will be overwhelmed at first. A home-based business can offer you the quality time with your family you truly deserve.

2. Flexibility- How many people can honestly say they go to work in their PJ's every morning, take a break when they feel like it, and run errands whenever they want to? A home-based business can offer you this kind of flexibility. Most people can't afford to quit their day job to start a new business, but it's ok. Here's where the flexibility part begins to play in.

Most home-based businesses can be started on a part time basis. You may only work your business a few hours a week. It's not the quantity of time; it's the quality of time you put into it that matters. Work your business whenever it fits into your schedule. It may be late after the kids go to bed or it may be early before anyone gets up. You decide!

3.NO Boss- Do you get tired of punching a time clock, someone constantly looking over your shoulder, telling you when and where to take a break? With your own home-based business, you're the captain of the ship. You are the boss. This means you’re going to have to be disciplined. No one is going to do it for you. Being at home doesn't mean you can spend 6 hours a day watching your favorite soap opera.

Write down some goals. This will keep you focused as you grow your new business. Always know your "why". This is very important, as this is the reason you started your new business. When things get tough and you get frustrated, remind yourself of your "why".

4. NO Commuting- how would you like to save the money spent every week on gas and put it towards a vacation. The average American is spending anywhere between $2.15-$3.00 per gallon of gas. What if you are driving sixty to a hundred miles round trip to work? Look at the money saved in gas alone, if you do not have to commute.

Plug in the numbers; see for yourself what kind of savings you’ll have. You’ll save gas, plus the wear and tear on your car. This all adds up quickly.

5. Financial Stability- Do you avoid checking the mail like the plague because you’re afraid of what is inside. Does your phone ring off the hook because creditors are hounding you? If this sounds like your life, you may want to think about starting your own home based business. Starting your own business can give you that extra income you need to pay off those bills without quitting your current job. Once you get your feet on the ground, if you are willing to give your business 1-3 years for growth, you could surpass your current income while saving in other areas.

Most Americans carry an average of $8-$10,000 worth of credit card debt. Almost anyone can get a credit card these days. Most people should have only one credit card for emergencies. Think about getting one with a small credit line. If you only have a $1,500 credit limit, you can probably handle this. If you have one with a $5-$10,000 credit limit, you can get in over your head before you know it. I say this from experience. The smaller credit balances are better.

Financial freedom is something we all dream about, but for most of us it's not going to happen with our current jobs. The right home-based business has the ability to offer you and your family the financial freedom we all long for.

6. NO Daycare- wouldn’t it be a great feeling each morning to wake up, and know your children are going to be with you all day and not some stranger? One of the hardest decisions we as parents have to make after having children is childcare. Having a home-based business allows you to stay at home with your children full time. You will be the one to hold them when they are sick, see their first steps, and hear their first words.

Are you a lucky, fortunate parent who have friends or family who can watch your children when you’re at work? Great, most aren't that lucky. You have to rely on daycare to take care of your children. You tell yourself, ok, these are licensed staff members I’m leaving my children with, but leaving them with strangers at all, makes you sick. Each day when you leave them, hearing them cry, makes for a long, guilt-ridden day at work. I have been there and know what it feels like.

Your kids are going to get sick from time to time. When they are home full time with you, the odds of them getting sick as often are reduced. You will not have to call work to tell the boss you can't come in because you have a sick child. You will be home with your child to comfort him or her when they are sick, play with them, and take care of them when they are hurt. This is priceless and no one can do it better than you.

7. Tax Advantages- many people don't realize the tax advantages offered with a home-based business. I definitely do not claim to be a tax expert, but there are many common things that can be deducted depending on what your business is.

Just to mentions a few, advertising, business miles, supplies, business building information, ex. Audiocassettes, DVDs, just to name a few. If you decide to be one of the millions of Americans to start a home-based business, talk with your tax advisor. He or she will be able to give you more information about what deductions are available to you.

Kristy Breen is a full time Network Marketer. To Learn more about starting your own Home Based business visit her website at http://www.lightacandlemakeaprofit.com.
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By Paul Levesque

All businesses that out perform their competitors have two key characteristics in common: a highly energized workforce, plus hordes of delighted customers that keep coming back. Two nice things to have - but of course everyone knows the reason so few businesses enjoy a clear competitive advantage is because these two things are so difficult to achieve. If it’s really that difficult, shouldn’t those few businesses that manage to pull it off be absolutely exhausted by the effort? When you take a closer look, (as I have), at those rare businesses that consistently achieve both objectives - flashpoint businesses, as I refer to them - what you invariably see is just the opposite. Employees at all levels seem perpetually fired up, as if every day they’re engaged in some kind of fun group activity. Is there some big secret about "energized workers" and "delighted customers" that these flashpoint businesses understand, and everyone else seems to have missed?

There most certainly is. It has to do with what most people consider the basic difference between "work" and "play". The first step on a shortcut to competitive advantage is to understand the specific elements that make play so much more satisfying than work.

Play Element 1: Challenge

Achieving better bowling scores would be easier if the bowling pins were closer. On the other hand, who would pay to go to a bowling alley where anyone could knock down all the pins every time with ease? Knocking them all down over and over again would quickly begin to feel like the kind of repetitive, pointless activity most bowlers experience at their jobs, and go bowling precisely to get away from it. To be fun, it has to be a real challenge—that’s key.

In most workplaces, there is not one single well-defined “mission” that takes precedence over everything else. Instead, there are all kinds of tasks, objectives, and deadlines that often make workers feel they’re being pulled in a dozen directions at once. For many, the only real challenge on the job is resisting the temptation to quit.

Contrast this with flashpoint businesses, where the one crystal-clear overriding mission is to draw business away from competitors by attempting to delight every customer every time. In these businesses, the reason it looks like workers are having fun is because in many ways their work feels like a game with a single, challenging, shared objective.

Shortcut to Competitive Advantage, Part One: Challenge everyone in your business to think of -outperforming the competition through superior “customer care” as the primary objective that overrides all others at all times.






Play Element 2: Rules

Every play activity has it own elaborate set of rules. In a new game, even before play begins, all the rules are carefully spelled out. These rules add to the challenge, and keep the game fair for all.

In the work setting, the rules are often vague and unclear. They may even seem to shift and change from time to time, based on different situations as they arise. Workers often feel reluctant to take initiatives, unsure if doing so will later earn them praise (for “thinking outside the box”) or rebukes (for “breaking the rules”). They tend to adopt a play-it-safe approach.

By comparison, most flashpoint businesses spell out their values and their priorities—the rules—over and over again. “Your goal is to delight the customer, but not by doing anything that harms the organization in any way.” “We want to pull business away from our competitors, but never in an unlawful or underhanded way.”

Shortcut to Competitive Advantage, Part Two: Ensure that your workers understand how the game is to be played—how, for example, you will be giving them opportunities to come up with their own ideas for enhancing the customer experience. Clarify what constitutes a “foul” or a violation of the rules.

Play Element 3: Scoring

In play activities of every kind, there exists some sort of scoring mechanism that lets the players know immediately how well they’re doing. This immediacy is critical. How popular would bowling be if the pins were in the dark, and players never found out their score, how well they played, until it arrived in the mail weeks later?

This is what it feels like for most workers on the job. They don’t find out how well they’re doing until the “quarterly reports” come out, or until their annual performance evaluation meeting.

Things are different in flashpoint businesses. There, spontaneous positive feedback from happy customers becomes the number-one scoring mechanism. At the same time it also serves as the number-one employee motivator, the basis for endless internal celebration and recognition.

Shortcut to Competitive Advantage, Part Three: Harvest immediate positive customer feedback by every means at your disposal, (especially informal face-to-face conversation), and direct as much of this feedback as possible to your workers.






Play Element 4: Satisfaction

Bowlers know before every game that they won’t succeed in knocking down every pin every time. Players in every kind of game know they’ll never achieve a perfect score—but this does nothing to diminish their attempts to do so. When their score tells them their performance has moved closer to the unachievable goal, their feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment is profound. There’s shouting, ‘high-fives’ and every kind of exuberant victory dance imaginable.

Flashpoint businesses also know they won’t succeed in delighting every customer every time. When the feedback indicates they’ve moved closer to that unattainable objective, the same kind of cheering and celebration erupt. It’s something that’s almost never experienced in the majority of workplaces, and it’s something that’s almost routine in flashpoint businesses. They once again have beaten the opposing team, once again the dance of victory unites all of them in their shared accomplishment—and in their shared determination to repeatedly play the game, and strive together to win another round.

Shortcut to Competitive Advantage, Part Four: Create a culture of celebration that maximizes workers’ sense of accomplishment with every “rave review” from delighted customers. This is the motivational fuel that quickly gains the most powerful competitive edge in any business—and helps sustain it over the long term.

Customer-focus consultant Paul Levesque’s latest book is, Customer Service From The Inside Out Made Easy (Entrepreneur Press, 2006).

Copyright Paul Levesque. All Rights Reserved.

Paul Levesque is available for speaking engagements through http://www.keynoteresource.com 1-800-420-4155. Paul Levesque has more than 20 years' experience as an international customer-service consultant. He has helped hundreds of corporate and small business clients become more customer-focused.
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By Roy Barker

You can search for hours and still not get the information you're seeking when you want to do something as important as starting a photography business. Keep in mind that some of the photography businesses that you can specialize in may have varying requirements. You would do well to remember this once you have read this article and want to learn a little more on each of the photographic areas. With this in mind, I have supplied a free report that you can access from my site later.

Almost anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills can set up a home business, marketing photography. You only need to convert a room of your house into an office, and then you can work immediately.

Because you have modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras, you do not even need the space for a dark room. You need only to have a personal computer and a photo-editing program. The standard is Adobe Photoshop.

Don't clutter yourself with equipment you do not need. You can hire equipment on a ‘when you need it’ basis. You have the freedom to work part time for a while until you can devote yourself full time to photography. All you need to be is a serious photographer. There are two types of photographers that make their living from photography, the serious photographer and the very serious photographer. You can always bookmark this link and then quickly access just about all you'll ever need from here.

Whilst the technical skills needed to make a successful photographer have never been easier, other aspects have changed the business. The market for photographs of virtually every type has widened. The world seems to have an insatiable appetite for photographs. However, the price has fallen as the marketing net has broadened. Photographers are needed in many more fields. For instance, many people use car web sites, which did not exist ten years ago, to sell their products as a result of photography. Cameras used by scuba diver’s are now an excellent quality, and while they are initially expensive, they have forged a new market. People celebrate special occasions more with photography, than previously. The travel and advertising markets have a greater need for landscape, travel, and nature shots.

It’s now easier to turn your dream into reality and create a worthwhile business out of an engrossing hobby. However, in today’s modern world there is more to it than simply pointing a camera, and shooting a picture. You need to be aware of marketing techniques. Marketing simply means transferring ownership of a product, in this case, an image from a buyer to seller. Be aware of any local gaps in the market in your local area. Try to be on top of your competitor’s prices, to undercut an existing photographer is one choice, but to neglect to value your skills and not charge enough to cover your overhead is another matter entirely. Remember this, it’s an important point.

Use your skills to the best advantage of the business and define what you want from it. Writing a business plan helps to keep you focused on the areas you specifically want to exploit. A business plan helps you to define your goals and strategies. It will
Need to be changed and updated, helping you to keep things in perspective. You have it to refer back to it when things become confusing or complicated. Everyone’s business plan will be different, and every objective will be different, but there are certain common factors that make up a good business plan that will help your business grow. It allows you to develop a professional attitude to your business, which not only helps you to increase your earnings, but also help you to finance your business.

For the photographer it should include, your business name, or your own, with full details of the proposed location of the business, a copy of your logo, as well as details of your copyright notices. What is the form of your proposed business (sole ownership, partnership, Limited Liability Company or Corporation)? This should be followed by a table of contents, which focuses on a logical order. There are resources that will give you further details on such as http://profitable-photography.com

Then in complete detail, list the type of business you intend to pursue, and it should contain the services you intend to offer. This section should include any future goals or avenues you would like to explore, stating your objectives clearly. This is so you can check at a later date whether your objectives are on course, or if you have got sidetracked.

If you envisage at any time you may need financial help, then you should include your personal business history.

Include a clear and concise marketing plan that ought to demonstrate how your business would differentiate from the businesses of your competitors. Establish whom your customers will be, as well as where your market will be, as in wholesale or retail, or a combination of both. Be able to determine how long this type of market will be available to you.

The next section should clearly define your opposition, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. This should include the ways you may be able to exploit any gaps in the market in the specific area where you live. A section should follow this on how you intend to market and promote your individual services.

Include a financial segment showing how you intend to manage the day-to-day bills of the business, how you intend to price your services, and what factors influence this pricing structure, which includes a section on your competitor’s financial structures. Invest the time to do your homework, research, and the detective work to see the payoff. Get your friends to ask quotes from the local competition, or try a direct approach. Tell your competitor’s that you intend to start a new business, and that you do not want to undercut them, as this reduces the cake for everyone. They may well offer to help you construct a pricing structure that ensures everyone’s livelihood. It’s in their best interests to help. Not everyone will be cooperative, but it can mean you’ll get a truer picture of the market factors that govern your area.

Make a list of all the equipment you will need in your first year, as well as how and where you intend to purchase. Note any difficulties that may arise in obtaining your supplies. Note whether the prices of your supplies have a seasonal fluctuation. This may influence when to buy. Make a note of any local licenses that will be necessary, as well as any zoning restrictions, restricting the growth of your business. Check whether neighbors can restrict your services, as they may not be thrilled at the procession of customers to your door. Make a study of all your business insurance requirements.

The final segment should be devoted to how you intend to finance the growth of your business, as well as isolating what your financial needs will be. This should include a projection on your future earnings, as well as an accurate assessment of your outgoings’. Assess this on a monthly basis for the first year, and on an annual basis for the following three years. An important aspect of the financial statement is an assessment of the break-even point of your business, in other words the minimum you will have to take to pay your expenses.

The purpose of this documentation is to allow you to enunciate what the core elements of your business will be. Doing this should help you be able to quickly evaluate the success of your business objectives. If you are not clear on your objectives, then you cannot possibly make a plan to bring about the success of those objectives.

Roy Barker often writes and works closely with Start A Photography Business. This site is dedicated to coaching you in starting your own photography business but places a strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. You can access photography resources (some free) from Digital Photography If you seek further guides, tips, articles and news, you can go to http://www.photography-business-tips.com that has a Photographers Forum for an exchange of views with other photographers.
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By People Building

I find it fascinating that as people, we are drawn to the idea of being part of something bigger than ourselves. We want to find unity and yet still be unique. We want to have similarities but not be the same.

For me, religion is a classic example of where people can find unity and common ground, or common beliefs. A couple of weeks ago, I tried out the whole religion thing. I've not been bought up in a religious family, nor was my school particularly religious- although we sang hymns such. Prayer time was more of an opportunity to sit with my eyes half shut whilst sneakily looking around to see who was genuinely into this praying malarkey, and then usually discovering that the rest of the school was doing the same.

So this was my experience. My boyfriend has been bought up in a very religious family and for him, popping off to church for the evening, was probably equated to the ease at which I could pop off to the pub. But church for me was quite an event, so I took the plunge one week and went with him.

We got fed (great!) and it was cheap (very great!), but I have to say I was quite surprised to see a bunch of Christian grandma's dishing out rice and vegetables, with a decent sized lump of chicken breast on each plate. “That's funny”, I thought, “They've managed to get God’s permission to eat his creatures. There must be some sort of arrangement, where they spread his love and he lets them know it's ok to eat chicken”. Still I know that Jesus ate fish and if it's good enough for him….

After the food, the vicar got up and did a presentation about Jesus and how we can know that he really existed. It was a good presentation. The vicar was quite charismatic and pretty funny, too. Afterwards, we sat at our tables having a chat about what the vicar had talked about. It seemed all the regulars were pretty sold on what the vicar had said. I felt like a troublemaker by throwing some new ideas into the agenda. It's not that I didn't believe that Jesus walked the earth, in my opinion, he probably did. But I don't think he was the only smart spiritual being to have ever set foot on our planet. There's a lot of convincing stuff about other religious folk from other religions. This concept wasn't welcomed I found. Now, don't get me wrong, they were a nice bunch and no one accused me of being in cahoots with the devil, when I told them that I'm a hypnotist (although that has happened since!) When they began to discuss the power of prayer, and I linked this to a higher consciousness rather than a higher being, I knew I was pushing my luck.

Life is filled with possibilities, all the time in everything that you ever do or say. You have an abundance of other possibilities you can take. How then, could anything you ever do, be wrong or sinful? Would someone so great, powerful and majestic as God really spend his time watching a DVD of each of us throughout our entire lives, ready to place judgment on us when our time is up, and tell us if we're spending the rest of eternity in his kingdom or in the fiery furnace of hell? That's a tough call. How would He ever decide? Some people have done some really bad stuff, but they might have done it with a positive intention.

You're probably guessing by now that I am in no way qualified to speak about religion. I don't claim to be, but bear with me.

My other concern for a long time has been that there are a lot of good people in the world. Surely then, heaven must be suffering from over crowding, not least from the vast array of rabbits, hamsters, and goldfish I've had over the years, that my nan told me had all gone to heaven when they'd popped their clogs. I guess there are dead architects up there, god must have gotten them to create a high rise building like they have in China. Especially since Jesus said that the entire kingdom of heaven is smaller than the mustard seed.

If you were married and your partner died, then you met someone else and got married again, which partner do you end up spending the rest of eternity with when you die?

In my confusion, I decided to relate what I'd learned to the presuppositions of NLP, since they have for me for the last few years, been my bible.

This is what I came up with.

Everyone has a unique model of the world. This could mean that what you absolutely believe to be true is true, (for you at least), so if one person has absolute belief in god, then he exists, and if someone else believes that he doesn't then, for that person, he doesn't.

The map is not the territory. In quantum physics, the whole contains the part and the part contains the whole. In the same way that an apple contains a part, which is just a seed, the seed contains all the information required growing into a tree and creating further apples. So I could be god (it has been said!) at the quantum level. When I die the tiniest quantum part of me that remains, could be god, who has the power to create further things.

The meaning of all behavior is dependent upon the context it exists in. This might means that there is no judgment at death.

All behavior has a positive intention and everyone one is doing the best that they can with the resources that they have available. No hell maybe?

Everyone has all the resources they need to succeed and to achieve their desired outcome. Knock and the door shall be opened unto you.

There is no failure only feedback. My flesh and my heart may fail, but god is my strength forever.

I'd never thought about NLP as a spiritual tool before, more as a series of change techniques, but this ever-evolving subject continually inspires me to take on new perspectives in my life. I'm thinking now about starting up a spiritual group- no not a cult! - Something where people can meet together and discuss their ideas about the meaning of life, etc. It will probably create more questions than answer, but what's the harm in that. When we think we know the answer to something, we become cut off from all of the other possible answers. When we have only questions, we also have the wealth of possible answers - you might like to call that confusion! Possibilities create many opportunities. I suppose the one thing that I discovered about my introduction to religion, is that sometimes religion is about stating what you can and can't do, say or believe, how you should or shouldn't behave, and this could limit life's opportunities. I'd like to be part of something that is open to limitless possibilities of being. I think that that's the way god would like me to be.

Welcome to People Building, a self-development company dedicated to inspiring growth, progression and better results in your life. The mind, body and human behaviour have fascinated us for many years now. It is our privilege to present to you authentic NLP and Hypnosis training for the betterment of your skills in Business, Education, Therapy and many other areas. Our unique trainings have been designed as one of the most innovative trainings available in the NLP field of learning. We will never cease to evolve, and it gives me great pleasure, to invite you with us on this epic adventure.

http://www.peoplebuilding.co.uk
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By Tim Sales

If you want to increase the profits in your MLM Business, a good starting place is to sell more products. There are hundreds of different "selling tactics" being taught, but I have always found this one specific approach to work like magic.

How in the world could ONE person sell a billion dollars worth of products? He knew his product...and he knew it well. The one thing that snagged my attention was ‘how well he knew his product’.

Which comes first; knowledge of your product...or selling a billion dollars worth of it? Obviously, knowledge of your product comes first.

This MLM training article is about the important Communication Quality called, "Know what you're talking about."

The MLM professional must possess a specific group of characteristics in order to truly have success in speaking with customers and selling products.

I call these characteristics the 10 Communication Qualities. Being knowledgeable about these qualities and having the proper and correct MLM training to learn them, you will be amazed at how many prospects and customers will be interested in your MLM business and/or products.

I watched a TV infomercial of a gentleman selling cutting knives. I was greatly impressed with the knowledge of the sales persons’ presentation. I could tell he knew everything one could know about his product.

I was listening intently, at the beginning, trying to find a hole in what he was talking about. The more I listened, the more I could see and hear; ‘this man knows about knives’!
He demonstrated to me why he was right. He discussed it clearly. Anyone could have understood it.

He presented several demonstrations with his knives; everything from cutting a can in half to cutting other knives in half with his knife. He did this without making me feel stupid for my lack of knowledge about knives. He was not too assertive, (Communication Quality #4). The more I watched this man, the more I realized he was using all 10 of the Communication Qualities.









Rarely have I seen all these qualities in one person. By the way he delivered his knowledge, I could tell he had researched everything about his knives. He explained what a good knife was, told where the largest cost is in a knife, and why you (the listener) didn't need to have that in your kitchen knives. He gave a "no questions asked, money back guarantee." That certainly sounded like he was "interested" in me. I bought the whole set of knives.

I was intrigued with his charisma; I started researching him, and guess what I found? He has sold over one billion dollars worth of goods! NOT through a downline of thousands of people...or a company with hundreds or thousands of stores... he personally has sold a billion dollars worth of goods!

His name is Ron Popeil. His mother and father split up when he was three. Neither parent wanted him or his brother. He grew up on the streets in the Bronx. At 16, he visited his dad in Chicago and got a job working in a small kitchen appliance factory. Walking home one day, he passed by a place in Chicago called Maxwell Street; which is the equivalent of a dirty flea market today.

The main things sold on Maxwell Street were stolen goods. As he watched the people selling their stolen goods and the people buying them, he got an idea. The next day he bought some of the items from the appliance factory where he worked at wholesale. He then went to Maxwell Street and sold them. As he describes it, "I had never been loved as a kid - I finally found love. It was with my customers. I made a connection with them."

He found out about state and county fairs...and mastered those. He volunteered to do live demonstrations inside of stores that carried the manufacturer's products. He mastered selling products ‘live’ in stores, and then graduated to live television networks that sold the products. His company’s name is Ronco. He's the man who came up with, "It slices and dices... but wait, that's not all...you'll also get..." and "If you order now you get absolutely FREE...” To date, he has personally sold over one billion dollars worth of products.

Because he was the one working in the factory making those knives, he KNEW HIS PRODUCT!

My whole interest in this was stimulated by his knowledge of knives. It was THIS quality of "know what you're talking about" that jumped out and grabbed my attention. When you know what you're talking about, prospects really admire it because your knowledge can help them get what they want.

Your downline will also greatly admire you if you know what you're talking about...and they will follow you. If you invent answers to their questions (instead of knowing what you're talking about); they quickly learn you will say anything (truth or not) to get them to buy the product or sign up in your downline...and they won't.

You do not have to work at a manufacturer to know all about the products you are selling in your MLM business. You don’t have to have a master's degree in nutrition to sell a nutrition product. The thing that impressed me the most was that Ron Popeil talked in such simple language that everyone could understand.

He never tried to impress his audience with big words. He would say things like, "The steel this knife is made out of is tough; look how tough it is", then he would demonstrate it. He didn't try to explain the difference between anodizing and case hardening.

Instead, he would demonstrate for you what he wanted to communicate. It's the sign of a true communicator, to know everything about something, and to communicate it simply. Make it very easy for the prospect to make a decision.

Be knowledgeable about your MLM business. Know everything there is to know about the products you sell. When you find people who can benefit from your business and/or your products, you can confidently help them get what they want. It's this kind of knowledge that really pays you in network marketing.

Tim Sales helps network marketers gain the confidence and skills to be an MLM success. Discover what you must know to become a true network marketing professional. Sign up for his free MLM training newsletter and listen to free training at http://www.brilliantexchange.com.
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By Angela Bailey

Bill finished college in May. It was a beautiful ceremony, and the culmination of many hard years of study. “So what are you going to do now?” I asked him, over a cup of coffee in a local cafe. “Get a resume together and start looking for jobs” he replied. That’s the reply of about 99% of the people graduating from college. It’s the way we are socially programmed to think. It’s the same thing everybody else does. This doesn’t necessarily make it the right thing to do. I believe if you have a reasonable amount of intelligence and an entrepreneurial spirit, there are far better ways to make a living. People have the attitude that I need to work hard to support my family. In my opinion, it’s all for nothing, if you can only enjoy time with your family a small portion of your life. When I am gone, I don’t want my kids to know me as a good provider, I want to be remembered as a good father. I cannot be a good father when I am a serving and making another person wealthy and I am never around to interact with them.

Goals

The first thing you need to accomplish is to set some goals for yourself, I can’t stress enough how important goals are in your life, set personal goals and spiritual goals. Goals will give you something to shoot for. Write them down and read them everyday. Don’t set unrealistic goals (i.e. I want to make 20,000 a month in three months). Start small young man and meet the reachable goal. Then set another one and meet that. Be specific in your goals and structure the steps to meet them; don’t write a goal like…I want to be a millionaire. We all want to be millionaires, but we have to be a thousandaires first. There are plenty of books and articles on writing goals. Your first assignment or goal will be to write down a set of goals, the steps to reach them, and read them everyday. It will be the motivation to keep you on track.

Your Passion

What is your passion? What do you have or what can you create that others will pay you for? Can you create art that people would love to have hanging in their home? Can you create music that others would love to listen to? Can you write computer programs that others just can’t live without? Can you make beautiful websites? Can you write informational articles? There are no limits, choose something that you are very passionate about that others will pay you for, and then monetize it. At first, you might have to get a job while you monetize your passion. Take baby steps to start a goal to make an additional $10.00 a month with your passion. Once you reach it, bump it up to $50.00, keep this momentum going until you are able to quit your regular job and do your passion full-time. Then you will be successful






Obstacles

Ponder these next seven words carefully, “As you think, so shall you be.” Thoughts are things, if you think you can, then you will. If you think you can’t, then you won’t. Get rid of the obstacles that you have conditioned yourself to believe. It drives me crazy when you hear people sabotage themselves by blaming things that have happened in the past for the reason they cannot succeed in the future…I’m not smart enough, I never had a chance, I was raised in the ghetto, I’m too poor, I’m too short, too old, too young… enough with the excuses. Quit using other people and other events for excuses why you can’t do something or are unable to succeed; it’s all too easy to do this. The other choice takes a little effort and in reality the person down deep inside really doesn’t want to change or improve themselves, they just want to use excuses. Think about this parable; imagine yourself in the back of a truck riding down a dirt road. You are now standing in the bed of this truck looking out the back seeing the trail in the dirt from the tires. These tracks in the dirt are your past. Now think about what is moving the truck forward, it’s the engine. Consider this engine as the driving force of YOU, to improve your life, to become successful. Now ask yourself, do the tracks the tires are leaving in the dirt make the truck go forward? The answer, of course, is NO; so enough with the excuses of things that have happened in the past. It is now time to start moving forward.

Residual or Passive Income

When another company owns you, in other words trading your time for money, you only get paid while you are working. Wouldn’t it be nice to make money all the time? This is the definition of passive or residual income. The simplest example of this is having money in a mutual fund drawing interest. It doesn’t matter if you’re sleeping, eating, playing with your kids, or whatever, you are always making money. This is what you must set in place to make a living and be able to do what you enjoy doing. Again, going back to your passion; write a software program and put it on a web site where people can pay for it and download it, so it will generate money at all times. Put some photographs on a site that people can buy, create a web site that generates a massive amount of visitors and sell your ad space. There are thousands of ways to create residual income, try them out to see which ones work for you. Generate multiple sites, put different items on them, and get rid of the ones that don’t work, and keep and duplicate the ones that do.

Success and Failure

“Before success comes in any man’s life he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps, some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do.” - Napoleon Hill

“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.”- Roger Crawford

“Defeat never comes to anyone until they admit it.”- Josephus Daniels

“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping-stones to success.”- Dale Carnegie

Keep in mind if you are not failing, then you are not moving forward, so don’t get discouraged, keep the ‘strong will’ going and you are destined to succeed. One of the biggest fears that will go through your mind is…I don’t have anything to offer others, maybe, getting a job is the best option for me. Don’t fall into this line of thinking; it is part of the social programming you are accustomed to. You already know that getting a job is not the option you want to take. Don’t listen to others who try and discourage you, “That is crazy talk, that won’t work, just get a job!” The reason so many people, including family members, try to discourage you, is that when you try to do something to better yourself, it makes others feel guilty. You’ve heard the old saying, ‘Misery Loves Company’; they try to discourage you. Learn to trust your Intuition, even if the whole world is telling you it can’t be done. Years from now, when you look back as a successful Work at Home entrepreneur, you will be grateful you had the intestinal fortitude to stay on the straight and narrow and become a success.

Angela Bailey lives in Houston, TX with her 4-year-old son. She does freelance writing and Internet Marketing for a living. Her hobbies include Yoga, Meditation, and Cooking. Angela's Blog lists legitimate work from home opportunities go to http://findworkfromhome.com.
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By Kelly Robbins

It's worth the effort spending some time and energy figuring out whom you work best with. Once you've figured that out, then what? You feel good; you've chosen a niche. How do you find the people in your niche and get your message across to them? How can you do that without feeling like you are selling to them?

Here are a few things for you to think about...

1. Does this group of people, this niche, have any outside interests in common? For example, a large group of engineers in the Midwest that enjoy hunting in their spare time, or graphic designers in the Rocky Mountains that are avid rock climbers. Is there a better way to share a common interest and get to know each other in a relaxed environment than to join them on their excursions? Establish trust, build new friendships - it all leads to enjoyable work opportunities for you.

2. Do you help out with your kid's soccer team or are you on the PTA at school? When you do things YOU enjoy, it will naturally lead to meeting new people with like interests. Your co-volunteers could work in the niche you've chosen or they may have friends that do. Doing things you enjoy, especially if it is involves getting out and meeting other people, will help YOU meet new people and make new contacts. Don't like the people you've been hanging around with? Try something new and totally different. Put your self in a very different environment, meet totally different people, and have a very different experience.

3. Get involved in local networking associations. Be more targeted than the chamber of commerce, if you can. To meet more people involved in naturopathic medicine, find out what they do. Perhaps they attend trade shows on natural health, or are interested in yoga, or vitamins, or the natural food stores in your area. How can you have a presence there? Are there groups meeting that are rock-climbing enthusiasts? Roller-blading groups?

4. Are there any small, local publications that your target market may read? For example, there are a few free magazines and newspapers in my area that are often looking for content for their readers. Classified ads are very inexpensive because the publications are small. I've also found that these smaller publications are very open to bartering to keep their pages full. One publisher offered to run ads for me for free if I delivered the free papers to 20 or so places around town once a month. I am too busy to do that of course, but the point is to be creative.

5. Look at where your strengths and weaknesses are. If you're comfortable writing and doing marketing related tasks on the Internet, you may be doing enough of that already. Get away from your computer and meet some people. The same can be said if you are an extrovert. You need to balance your marketing efforts both online and off. I do get a lot of business from my online marketing efforts, but I also know that it compliments anything I do outside my office. Meeting people and having them experience you and your energy can't be beat.

Have you seen a common thread here? All of the tips I gave you involved you getting out and meeting people. As a writer, I admit I like to stay home and do stuff on my computer. I have an awesome system in place for marketing myself online, publishing articles, and even coaching and working with people on the phone.

Getting out to meet people means taking off my favorite slippers and actually moving - not what I always want to do. Looking over the successes I've had the past few years, there's no doubt that when I do get out and speak to a group or get involved in an organization, my business gets busier. The people that I meet in person who have felt my energy and enthusiasm give me more referrals, and bring me more word of mouth marketing than the clients I have online. We are more likely to become friends.

Copyright (c) 2006 Kelly Robbins

Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed, Kelly Robbins is a healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection (http://www.healthcaremarketingconnection.com), a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, "5 critical things you must know when writing for the healthcare industry" - info@KellyRobbinsLLC.com or 303-460-0285.
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By Paul Speziale

What's the biggest bottleneck in any business? Besides sales, this often-overlooked feature of any business could be causing you lost sales and your long-term success. Use these tips to reduce the most costly (and annoying) bottleneck with businesses today.

Imagine for a moment that you have just spent a small fortune on marketing...you have a sale that you want to advertise and you have produced full page ads in the local newspaper setting you back $20,000 a day, sent out thousands of flyers, produced signs, sent out press releases and you even went on TV.

The big day arrives and floods of people enter your store. You look at the people clawing at each other to buy your goods, while you eagerly wait to count your profits.

Then something bad happens...

A cashier takes a break to talk to his girlfriend on his cell phone, and she breaks up with him. He returns 15 minutes later disgusted, not caring about anything, right into the heat of the crowded store. He starts being rude to the customers, taking his time and tells some of the customers off.

Appalled, your customers leave the store, and the profits you were counting in your head have vanished into the smoke they came from.

So what happened?

What happened is what many believe is one of the biggest problems of any business today...the people that interface with your customers.

Usually they are the most underpaid, under trained people in your business. They are relied upon to handle all customer inquiries, complaints, joys and questions and basically close the sales. It’s not just in retail either. Any business that has prospects phoning and asking questions or placing orders has this problem.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard a story from a disgruntled long-time customer of some business that was driven away because the customer service person couldn’t accommodate their request, I would have lots of nickels.

And you know, the people that represent your business, the ones that interface with the customer everyday ARE your business to the customer. If they are mad because of some “7 dollar an hour…can’t wait to get home to go drinking” customer service representative, they will lump you and your product right along into their mental state. If you receive a brick in the mail one day, you may be having this problem.

So how do you avoid this bottleneck?

First, isolate whomever is having any contact with your customers.

1. Who’s answering your phones?
2. Who is on the floor greeting your customers?
3. Who’s answering the emails?
4. Who is responding to your white mail?
5. Who is placing the order?
6. Who is making the sales?

Second, you need to be constantly educating them and training them as to your specials, new products, etc. Make sure you have a networked computer system to take notes for telephone operators. There is nothing more frustrating then phoning one-customer service person, only to have to retell your problem to another one 10 minutes later after they mistakenly hang up on you.

Third, educate them on how to deal with people. Once they know why certain customers behave the way they do, they might not be rude with them or they can adapt their behavior to build rapport and guarantee the sale.

Fourth, give them a little negotiating power. Some customers will try to negotiate. Give the person some room with that, just to appease the customer’s desire to “get a good deal”. Often people will warm up when there is some negotiating room.

Lastly, perhaps give the people that deal with customers a small reward for their excellent people handling skills (in other words, closing the sale). It doesn’t have to be money. In fact, chances are it will be material things, not money. Find out what your employees want the most. It can be an IPOD, or a trip, your own products, or something to encourage them. Use incentives so they make the special effort with your customers.

Paul Speziale is a direct marketing consultant / entrepreneur based out of Toronto, Ontario. He has served all industries from manufacturers to retailers, from entrepreneurs to professionals. Besides helping clients, he is working on his own projects. He also volunteers his time for several worthy causes both local and global. You can reach him at: http://www.AnelloSolutions.com: Growing Your Business Through Low-Risk, Optimized and Results Based Marketing
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By Antonio Thornton

Everyone has a hobby of some kind - most people have several. There are people who collect stamps; people who make scrapbooks or create graphic designs with their digital photos; people who love horseback riding, hiking or bicycling.

Perhaps you do something that you don't even know is considered a "hobby". Technically, anything that you engage in for fun that is outside of your occupational activities is considered a hobby- so chances are you have lots of hobbies.

Have you ever considered turning one of your hobbies into a business? You may be surprised at how virtually any hobby can be converted to profits, and without tremendous overhead or ridiculously high start up costs.

What's even better, you aren't required to have a specific product to sell! In fact, you can make your knowledge your product to sell.

If you participate regularly in some sort of hobby, you are bound to know quite a bit about it. If you make scrapbooks of your family and friends, then you probably have extensive knowledge about where to get the best deals on your scrapbooking supplies, and how to create special effects on your photo album pages.

You refer to magazines and websites for inspiration. You have the personal knowledge of what it took to get started in the hobby. For example, scrapbooking requires that you have access to supplies like paper, stickers, glue, photo albums and scrapbooking tools.

Someone who has just learned about scrapbooking and thinks they want to start the hobby will need to figure out what you need to get started. You could offer this knowledge as your product to sell. Think people won't buy it? Think again.

Have you used a search engine to look up information? You know that it's time consuming to sort through all the data to find exactly what you're looking for. Often, you're given tons of information that does not seem all that reliable. You have to determine what you can use and what you need to avoid.

When you make your personal knowledge of a hobby your product to sell- you're helping everyone who wants to find that information without spending hours searching for it.

You do not need to have a physical product to sell in order to make a profit. In fact, having an inventory or having to create physical items from materials offers a lower profit margin than selling information.

Information products are among the top items to sell for a variety of reasons. They offer a low cost to get started, meaning you start earning a profit after just a couple sales. Informational products include eBooks, online courses or email courses, software, audio files, web sites- basically anything that can be downloaded from the Internet.

You aren't required to have an inventory. You can set up your business model to allow you to earn money by the work other people do for you.

Maybe you're thinking that this is all well and good- but you still don't have a product to sell! You haven't written an eBook, and maybe your writing skills are weak. Creating online or email courses are time consuming, and to create software you need special training. You can still sell your knowledge. Create a "package" of items that someone would need in order to get started in a particular hobby, and promote it as the "everything you need to know" about starting the hobby.

Contact someone who has written an informative eBook on the topic; find someone else who has made an online video or radio show regarding it, and request permission to sell the items in your package. If they have affiliate programs, you can probably sign up for the affiliate programs and earn commission that way. Include your list of great providers for supplies or information that you refer to regularly, and anything else you know a person needs in order to get started in the hobby. This is a product to sell: selling your knowledge.

Once you've earned money from this type of information product business, you can invest in the creation of your own products if you want, or start offering more informational products that allow you to sell your knowledge.

Copyright (c) 2006 www.hobby4profit.com

Antonio Thornton started with $37 and turned his "nerdy" computer hobby into a $500,000.00 per year business. Get the free Hobby For Profit Audio Report and discover how to turn your hobby into profit today! http://www.hobby4profit.com/freeh4p.
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By David Jacobsen

If someone is about to lose their home to foreclosure, you can guarantee they're feeling stressed. They're probably being bombarded by calls and letters from creditors, and for many people it all becomes too much to handle. They close their eyes and hope it will all just go away.

Reality is that it won't. As an investor interested in buying foreclosures, the hardest part can be convincing the homeowner that they really are going to lose their house unless they do something about it. It is also difficult to convince them that you are really trying to help them, even though you are helping yourself make a profit at the same time.

When you're dealing with foreclosures, time is of the utmost importance. You need to have enough time to bail out the homeowner and take over the property before it's too late. It can be a good idea to subscribe to a foreclosure listing service. You gain access to listings at the earliest possible time, and don't have to use your valuable time looking for potential foreclosure properties from other sources.

Many people facing foreclosure have spoken to an attorney. They are convinced that bankruptcy is their only option; in most cases this isn't true. Attorneys tend to stick to what they're familiar with, which is bankruptcy, rather than mentioning other possibilities such as:

- Sale by assumption
- Deed in lieu
- Straight sale
- Foreclosure presale
- Compromise sale
- Short payoff
- Workouts
- Assignment
- Injunctions

There are still more options available, than these, which show that bankruptcy definitely isn't the only choice for the homeowner. When you're dealing with a homeowner in foreclosure, make it clear that you are offering an alternative to bankruptcy. Find out whether they really understand what bankruptcy will do to their credit history and how it will affect their future.

If you're serious about buying foreclosure properties, then you need to become familiar with everything that's required in the process. Check out everything for every property you consider. These items include:

- Loan and mortgage documents
- Loan amount, monthly payment, and interest rate
- Any outstanding taxes
- Existing insurance policies
- Any other liens or judgments

Make sure you have enough information to complete all the necessary tasks before the foreclosure occurs. If there is not enough time, don't even bother starting. Having said that, learn as much as you can about ways to delay foreclosure, and help the homeowner to implement them all. It may just give you enough time to take over the property before the foreclosure auction.

Above all, focus on creating a solution where everybody wins. It's never an easy time for the homeowner, so be prepared for plenty of anger, frustration and resentment; some of which may be directed at you. Walk away if it's obvious the person doesn't want to work with you. Find someone who is interested in finding a solution, show empathy for their situation, put together a strategy to get the best possible result for them, and before long you'll find yourself with a good portfolio of investment properties.

If you want to read more about foreclosures, click over to David's site at http://www.foreclosuresonlinecentral.com . You can also access lists of seized real estate at http://www.buyingcheaphouses.info]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_AKo_313/user/index.php
By Tim Sales

It is very difficult to achieve real MLM success if you are afraid of talking to people about your business. Use these four guidelines to achieve confidence when talking with prospects. They've worked for thousands in my own MLM business. I know they will work for you.

Why do you have a "chicken list?" Because you fear you don't communicate easily or well.

A "chicken list" is the list of prospects that you're afraid to call. Often people think they will call their "chicken list" after they get successful. But, they need these people in their MLM business to create the success.

This is a "Catch 22."

The phrase "Catch 22" is from a novel by Joseph Heller, written in 1961. The pilot was afraid to fight in World War II. He feigned insanity. But the doctor said that if he were truly insane, then he wouldn't mind endangering his life by going into the war.

If he were sane, then he would be capable of following orders to fight the war. Thus the phrase "catch 22" came to mean, "a situation that trips one up no matter which way one turns."

You need the people on your chicken list to create the success you need in order to contact your chicken list. How do you get around this catch-22?

Your fear of the chicken list is based on your feelings that somehow, people are above you because of their status. If you were to examine this more closely, you would discover it is not that the people are any better than you; it's lack of confidence in your ability to communicate easily.

If you knew you could communicate easily and effectively without making any mistakes, you could...and would...call anyone without hesitation. You would have confidence. You would have certainty. And there's NOTHING more rewarding than having that feeling.

Communicate means: a. To convey information about; make known. b. To reveal clearly.

Easily means: a. Free from worry, anxiety, trouble, or pain. b. Requiring or exhibiting little effort.

The reason I bring this up is there are a group of characteristics an MLM business professional must have in order to truly have success in speaking with prospects. I call these characteristics the 10 Communication Qualities.

Having full knowledge of these qualities and having the proper and correct MLM training to learn them, you will be amazed at how much smoother conversations will go with your prospects.

The fifth communication quality on my list is to, "Communicate easily - no tension, strain, fakeness, sounding rehearsed, stuttering or hesitating."

Let's look at each one of these issues:

Tension & Strain: (The definition for tension and strain is very similar so they are
combined here.)

a. To be subjected to great stress. b. A great or excessive pressure, demand, or
stress on one's body, mind, or resources.

When communicating, tension and strain are stress created by the mental activity of feeling unprepared, or fear that you will sound "stupid" to others. If you've ever been asked to suddenly speak in public, you know what this mental activity feels like.

It creates a very uncomfortable feeling, of "being on the spot", and not knowing what to say. It’s the reason someone's voice "squeaks and quivers" when talking. This communicates an unprofessional, “new to the subject”, uncertainty to the prospect.

The solution to tension and strain is to familiarize oneself with all situations that can arise on a call when talking to prospects. Be familiar with all situations regarding your MLM business opportunity and also the products you sell.

Know what you are going to ask the prospect to do; invite for product, invite for business, send to a website, or get on a conference call, etc. When you are clear about what you're going to do and say, you will greatly reduce tension and strain.

Fakeness: a. To represent falsely; pretend to. b. To fabricate.

People sound fake when they use a lot of fluff words like, awesome, incredible, unbelievable, fabulous, wonderful, special, state-of-the-art, etc. These types of adjectives demonstrate a clear bias on your part. I'm not suggesting you be a boring communicator; by all means, be excited. You don't have to use fluff or puff words to describe your excitement. This normally indicates a cover-up of real content.

Sounding rehearsed: a. One that is not authentic or genuine.

Rehearsing what you're going to say is NOT WRONG. However, if you talk with a prospect before you've rehearsed enough - you will sound rehearsed; which IS UNPROFESSIONAL. When you've received a phone call from a telemarketer, you could tell he was reading from a script. It didn't sound very genuine and when you detected that he was reading from a script. You wanted off the phone. That's what you want to avoid with your prospects.

Stuttering and hesitating: a. If you hesitate, you do not speak or act for a short time, usually because you are uncertain, embarrassed, or worried about what you are going to say or do.

Stuttering and hesitating loops us back to the first issue I discussed above which is Tension and Strain. It is the fear of saying or doing something the prospect won't agree with that causes us to hesitate and stutter. The solution for stuttering and hesitating is similar to the solution for tension and strain; is very familiar with all the situations that can come up on your invite call.

Have you realized the simplicity of this yet? Your willingness to talk to your “chicken list”, or lack of, is based on your ability to communicate easily. You need to become familiar with all aspects of your MLM business and company to communicate easily.
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