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

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

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

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

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

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

Jim Mack is a home business professional that is dedicated to help his team succeed http://www.giantcashcow.com, the BEST home business out there today. To find out more about Jim go to http://www.giantcashcow.com ]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_CSC_185/user/index.php
By Denise Landers

On a recent airplane flight, I thought of all the systems that are in place to get us from one destination to another as efficiently as possible.

Boarding

Consider the rapid turnaround of planes these days. When the arriving passengers disembark, their luggage is taken off, the plane is refueled, a maintenance check is done, the interior is cleaned, a new crew boards, luggage is loaded, food and drinks placed on board, and the new passengers settle in – often all within 30 minutes. Then we’re soaring to our next destination.

Taking Off

We don't buckle up in our seats and then wait while the pilot rummages through stacks of papers, old charts, unread magazines, and empty food containers, trying to figure out what the present destination will be and then where the directions are for that destination.

We expect these procedures to go smoothly and rarely give the process any thought. The pilot boards knowing exactly what he is going to do. There is nothing in that cockpit that is not specific to the job at hand. He has a set of procedures that he follows, in a set order, to make sure nothing is skipped. We count on that, for both punctuality and safety. When something does goes awry and we are delayed for any reason, we're disappointed. If a plane has an accident, we're shocked.

Yet, do we expect the same of ourselves in our business endeavors? Consider your desk or your work area as the cockpit, driving the segment of the business for which you are responsible. Take a look around you. Is everything as streamlined as it could be? Are there any extraneous materials that do not pertain to the job at hand? When you come to work in the morning, do you know immediately where to begin, or are you shifting through papers and clutter to determine where to focus first?

With a good system in place, your work has been prioritized the night before. When you come in, you know what your schedule is and what you want to accomplish this day – your destination. Nothing will fall through the cracks because you have a procedure to record every task and follow-up that has to happen.

The Crew

You also should expect those around you to be handling their workspaces with the same efficiency. Consider what would happen to our flight if everyone were following the systems needed to get the plane turned around except for one group.

Suppose the cleaning crew didn’t pay much attention to the exact timing on their schedule. They knew they were going to clean planes today, but some friends from another unit stopped by so they had a brief visit and chat. Then someone had to make a personal telephone call. When they got to the plane, they found they didn't bring all the supplies they needed, so someone had to go borrow materials from another cleaning crew. Meanwhile the boarding and subsequent take-off is delayed.

Even though everyone else did their jobs, following procedures and schedules, the repercussions of this one group's delay trickle on down to all of the planes following after.

This may sound far-fetched, but it occurs in some form every day in offices everywhere. We may be efficient ourselves, but there’s often one person whose desk is stacked, who has to constantly ask for duplicates because they can't find what they need, who is easily distracted, and who forgets to follow up. We tolerate that and make jokes about it, but ultimately it’s not just that one person in the organization that's affected, it's everyone around that person. If you are working with someone like that, you are subjected to disarray, interruptions from him or her, and not being able to count on him or her to be as efficient as they could be in doing their share of the work. All of these results impact on the rest of the team.

Each of us needs to be working like the pilot. Know what your schedule is, establish a prioritized plan of action, have the materials you need on hand, and get rid of any unnecessary matter around you that does not pertain to the job at hand so that you can focus on what needs to be done now.

We count on that when we do business with other companies. Shouldn't they be able to expect the same from us? If you want to get your business off the ground, set up systems that will help you soar!

©2006, Key Organization Systems, Inc., All Rights Reserved

As the owner of Key Organization Systems, time management expert Denise Landers shows businesses, governments, and educational institutions how to manage daily workflow for maximum productivity and minimum stress. Learn how your business can benefit immediately at http://www.keyorganization.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_CSC_185/user/index.php
By Jessica VanderHaar

Deciding to start your own Internet Home Based Business can be an exciting and scary time. There are many opportunities offered on the Internet. Many are legitimate from reputable and honest work at home Internet business vendors. Unfortunately, there are also some fraudulent schemes.

A popular home business opportunity being advertised on the Internet is Medical Billing. While being a medical biller is a legitimate home based business, one must be careful of the schemers who are just out for your money and leave you to fend for yourself in an industry where you have little chance of succeeding.

It starts by you responding to the ad for the medical billing work at home business. You will receive a phone call pitch telling you about the burgeoning health care system crisis. Typically, the pitch includes statements about claims piling up and just waiting to be processed. Your opportunity lies in processing these claims electronically, which is not being done often. This is where you make your money.

Doctors, they say, outsource their billing to you. You can work in Accounts Receivable, Insurance Claims, Physician/Dentist practice management. They claim that you do not need experience as training is included and you get the added bonus that their sales staff will put you together with health care clients to get you started. The sad truth is that your investment - $2500-$9000 is seldom recouped. In order to come close to recouping your investment and/or make a profit, you will need to find your own clients. The training you receive is sub-par. The problem with Medical Billing, as it can be a legitimate business, is that the market is saturated and the competition is fierce.

Make careful considerations when choosing a Medical Billing company to partner with. It is best to locate a company in your area, get hired on as a medical biller, receive their training, and then work towards moving to a home based operation.

Another legitimate work at home business opportunity commonly distorted by schemers is Surveys for cash. There are many survey companies you can join that give you the opportunity to get paid for taking surveys. What you must be mindful of are the websites that say they offer you a home internet survey business opportunity but really only offer you the opportunity to pay upfront money for a listing of those survey sites that will pay you to take their surveys.

Most of the firms they provide for you in their list are firms you could have found for yourself by doing your own search on the Internet. Often, the firms on their list aren't current. The fees charged for the initial directories can be up to $100. What you get for your investment are out of date lists, with incorrect information, poor navigation, inadequate contacts and pages that don't work.

There are some websites that the consumer advocate agency recommended as legitimate paid survey work at home Internet business opportunity firms. These sites do charge upfront fees of up to $60.00. The difference between these firms and the schemers are these firms actually have staff dedicated to helping you find survey clients and assignments. These firms offer a 100% money back guarantee and actually honor that guarantee.

Will paid survey sites make you rich? Probably not, but you can earn a decent income. Most survey sites offer payment for surveys taken anywhere between $15-$25 and some even offer payment of $75 for a completed survey. Time to complete a survey can range from 5-30 minutes per survey. Income potential is up to you. It depends on the amount of time and effort you wish to put forth. A 20-hour week could provide you with a median monthly income of $1600. Again, this won't make you rich but is definitely a good income for something with so many benefits - little to no overhead, no dress code, no rush hour traffic, no training or experience required and hours you determine yourself.

One of the major points of having an Internet home work income business is to be in charge of your life. An Internet home work income business is about working the schedule you want to work, wearing the wardrobe you want to wear, setting up the home office you want to have, and being your own boss. While no one (or at least no one legitimate) would ever tell you that an Internet home work income business is a breeze to start and make a lot of money at, those who have been there and done that and succeeded will tell you it’s wonderfully stimulating and satisfying – no matter what the financial outcome.

Jessica VanderHaar is the Webmaster / Owner of the Best Internet Home Business Website: www.affiliatehomepro.com

To Join Her Newsletter "The Home Pro Digest - All About Making Money Online" send a Blank Email to affiliatehomepro@getresponse.com

View their website at: http://www.affiliatehomepro.com
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by Paul Speziale

“There is no harder job in the world than copywriting, yet there is none more rewarding...both financially and emotionally. It truly is the world’s best kept secret job.”

First of all, there is some confusion about copywriting...let me dispel the most common myth:

What Copywriting is NOT

“Copywriting” is not “Copyrighting”. Copyrighting is the act of securing the copyright on a piece of work. A copyright is just the legal right to reproduce the work.

What Copywriting IS...

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, defines copywriting or the act of writing copy as:

Copywriting is the process of writing the words that promote a person, business, opinion, or idea. It may be used as plain text, as a radio or television advertisement, or in a variety of other media.

I agree with this definition, but copywriting goes much deeper than that...It is both a science and an art.

Where You Can Find Examples of Copy

It’s generally used in advertising and marketing and is primarily used to sell goods and services, but it is also used to communicate with people.

You can find it in all ads that you see everyday...

That includes: the Internet, newspapers, magazines, billboards and radio...on the package of things you buy, on the back of your milk cartons, and even the bible! More on that later...

The Problem With Copywriting and Why It’s So Important

The act of copywriting is the most mis-understood skill in any business, yet at the same time it’s the most important.

Here’s why:

It’s really just words on a piece of paper.

It makes it even more mis-understood when a copywriter asks for thousands of dollars and it only took them a week to prepare it.

But, when written correctly and sent to the right people, it has been known to turn a mediocre business into an industry giant very rapidly.

Your words, reproduced thousands of times, leverage your message to thousands of people...and it costs only fractions of a dollar per letter to distribute it.

A well-crafted, persuasive letter is one of the most powerful forces in the world today.

You know, while the National Enquirer won’t even win the Nobel Prize in Literature, they write with simple language and very effectively target their audience...they have over 15 million readers after all. With all the complaints they get, no one has ever complained they write too clearly.

Words on a piece of paper have been known to create wars (or prevent them), to sell millions of dollars in goods, to express emotions and so on...

I said earlier that copywriting was in the bible...St. Paul, the Catholic saint, used copywriting to communicate the word of God to other people. He spread the message without ever having to be there personally. He was one of the earliest copywriters.

The president’s speechwriter is a copywriter...he or she has to be very careful about the words they use.

The Role of a Copywriter

The role of the Copywriter is to write copy. Simple.

To write copy, a copywriter must research their a) intended audience and b) their subject matter. Then they must put pen to paper and create a message that will communicate their subject matter to their intended audience.

The copywriter must also pay attention to how the copy

a) Looks: if the copy looks too overwhelming, no one will read it.
b) Flows: if the ideas and words in the copy connect together properly.

In the end, what does a copywriter produce? The length and type of copy can vary...they can produce letters 30 pages long or as short as one sentence (or a word or two).

Writing 30 pages is definitely a skill, where if you want to sell something, it has to be extremely interesting so that someone will read it...

What about writing a sentence? Sometimes that can take months of digging into volume after volume of dry product data and material to uncover the one phrase that can best describe the product.

Every word counts and is worth its weight in gold

In both cases, every word counts...the copywriter must agonize over every word because not only are you paying for the space you use (in a magazine for example) to distribute the copy, but the very words themselves can either persuade your audience to listen to you and buy your products...or completely turn them off.

Because of the complexities and the needs for copywriters...there has emerged a wide range of copywriters...they range from artists and English majors to people in sales.

The difference between the two, I will discuss in my next article: “The difference between your “everyday copy” and “copy that sells”

Conclusion

Copywriting has been around for hundreds of years in various forms. Only in the last 100 years or so has it been used so widely to sell goods and services. Yet, despite all this, it still remains one of the most mis-understood, but important aspects of any business.

Everyone should know the basics of it and use that skill in their business.

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 Laura Koehne

Usual advice to entrepreneurs focuses on practicalities like learning to evaluate the market, write a business plan or raise money. But this assumption that we’ve already found the perfect idea or business opportunity is just plain wrong!

As a kid I dreamed that someday I would have my own business. In my 20’s I kept my eyes open, freelanced a bit and even had a little web start up with a friend that turned out to be more of a hobby than a sustainable venture. I completed an MBA and studied entrepreneurship, and along the way I wrote a number of appealing business plans. Unfortunately, none of those businesses were appealing to me.

Truth was I didn’t know what my dream looked like. I was surrounded by great opportunity but I hadn’t spent enough time honing my receptors to know which opportunity was right for me.

What was missing was the atypical business advice: To find my perfect business opportunity, I had to find myself first. I needed to assess ME before I could even look at the market!

How will you recognize the idea or business opportunity that is the perfect fit for you? Do you know what gives you the passion and energy that you’ll need to start a business? Steel your courage and get ready to dive in: knowing yourself objectively, good and bad, inside and out, is essential for recognizing your perfect opportunities.

Here are some unconventional ideas to help you prime your entrepreneurial pump:

1. Specialize – in Yourself

Take the time to inventory your most important values and goals. Evaluate your strengths as well as your blind spots. Remember that it’s not easy to read the label when you’re inside the bottle, so solicit help from friends you respect and who know you well. My friend, Jim, was stunned to realize that not everyone loved talking to people the way he does. He had discounted his talent for networking because for him it’s as natural as breathing and he assumed everyone could do it. These overlooked gifts are often our easiest, most energizing and valuable skills.

2. Generalize – in the World

You’re an expert in your field, no doubt, but don’t forget that there is a whole world out there. Be curious and pay attention to different industries, trends and patterns. Many of the biggest breakthroughs come from making connections between previously unrelated needs. Visit the newsstand once a week to pick up a publication you would otherwise never read. Watch the ideas start flowing. Collect the ideas that are most intriguing to you. Are there any patterns?

3. Take a Vacation

Taking a break from your routine is needed to reconnect with your creativity, insights and passions. Have you ever been driving a car or daydreaming in the shower when suddenly an amazing revelation pops into your head? A relaxing vacation can have the same effect on a grander scale. Give yourself time to dream.

4. Prepare Your Financial Attitudes

You’ve heard all the advice about preparing your bank account for the big leap, but you must also tune up your money attitudes. An off-kilter relationship with money can derail your entrepreneurial dream. My client Lori, whose business was slipping, examined her beliefs and found she wanted to protect money, and thus failed to take needed risk. Now that she’s more comfortable with money, and bolder, her business is thriving! Appreciate money as you would a business partner and create a good relationship with it, before you start the company.

5. Kick Butt at Work

While you develop your entrepreneurial dreams, redouble your commitment to your current job. Do great work for co-workers and clients. Develop relationships and a sterling reputation. So what if these people are not among your first customers, they can become your greatest advocates! Do your day job to the best of your ability and be someone that others are proud to refer.

6. Befriend Your Fears

We all have them – big, tummy-knotting fears or little nagging, “I’m not good enough” worries. Learn to recognize the limiting perceptions or attitudes that may become speed bumps on your way to success. When acknowledged, these fears become allies that will actually make you more successful: Business owner, Lisa, is a creative visionary who shivers at the thought of implementation. For sure, she will want to hire a crackerjack implementer for her team. Seek opportunities that minimize the effects of your fears, or consciously prepare to accommodate them with additional training, specific people in your team or advantageous alliances.

7. Discover – and Live -- Your Personal Brand

When people’s perception of you is in sync with the real you, life gets a whole lot easier. Act consistently on your values and beliefs, and people will recognize what you stand for, what you can be counted on to do, and how you will do it. This makes it easy for others to introduce you to the perfect people, the perfect companies, and perfect ideas. An authentic personal brand gives you a high likelihood of finding the perfect opportunity. After all, your unique dream comes from who you really are.

Laura Koehne, founder of THRIVE Against the Grain, coaches you to take the road less traveled with complete confidence. She holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship from University of Maryland and has realized her entrepreneurial dream by helping others find theirs. For coaching, guidance and additional exercises to help you prepare for your chance of a lifetime, visit her website at http://www.ThriveAgainstTheGrain.com and subscribe to Laura’s DoWhat!? monthly eZine.
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By Mario Churchill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you are a book author, expert, or wish to brand yourself to the media and are in pursuit of media placements, Annie Jennings PR recommends you develop a media site, or author/expert showcase site developed especially for the media.

Choose a website name that is easy to type and contains no unusual spellings. You want to keep the site simple and easy to use. Limit or eliminate any challenges the media might have. The first step is to name the site in a way that makes it easy and obvious.

The name of your media website, for example, could be: www.YourName.com, www.YourNameCredentials.com, www.yournamePHD.com, or if www.yourname.com is not available, buy the .TV extension meaning you would buy the www.yourname.tv.
By naming your website after yourself, the media assumes they are going to the site to find out about you, the expert or author, and of course, they are right.

It is certainly OK to have more than one website; in fact, I recommend it. Each site should have a specific strategy, that is, what do you want the visitor to do? This is also called a conversion strategy.

With a media site, you want the media to be able to obtain all the information they need to book you for the media opportunity.

With a business site, you want the visitor to find out all about your business and hire your business.

With an e-commerce site, you want the visitor to find out all about your products or services and buy them.

Observe, all three types of sites have a unique strategy. The media website should not be combined with any other type of site; especially, with an e-commerce or sales site. It seems odd that you would want the media to buy your products or services, right?

CONTACT INFO

Each page should have a header area containing the essential information about you. This should include a short list of topics or a broad category name such as "Relationships" and your contact information.

I advise against using email as the only way to get in touch with you. Why? It is not instant and does not leave the media with certainty that you will respond. How do they know you will even get the email? So they must continue their search for the perfect expert and you will most likely lose the media placement.

Certainly, never use info@, as that seems like it goes to an unmanned inbox. You can use your real email address. It will sound more convincing. Be sure the email goes directly to your blackberry. You can even let the media know that the email goes directly to your blackberry and you will respond shortly.

But ALWAYS give out a telephone number if you want media placements. You can use a cell phone or even an answering service that contacts you the second the media calls them. The best choice is the most direct route to you!

YOUR BIO PAGE

If you have credentials, let the media know right away. The more credentials and accomplishments you have in your area of expertise, the better your chances are of being chosen by the media for the placement.

Also include all of the topics you can discuss, as well.

Be sure to lead with a great color picture of you – one that is engaging, well groomed, and offers the viewers a glimpse of your personality.

Do not use your driver's license picture!

Your bio page should be conversational in nature and not a copy and paste of your C.V. or resume. The idea is that you want you bio to tell a story about you, your expertise, who you are, and in the end, answer the one question the media has, which is, are you the perfect expert for them?

YOUR MEDIA APPEARANCES PAGE

A Demo: Short video of previous author or expert media appearances. Sending your demo DVD overnight just takes too long! No kidding. Create a short DVD as a starter demo with clips of your BEST MOMENTS. Don't have the long version of each segment as the first demo the media sees. They can always look at the rest if they like the first starter demo enough to want to know more about you.

An Audio Clip: Let the media hear you in action, but first, be sure to map out what they are going to hear. Start fast, engage fast and deliver some awesome talking points.

I highly recommend hiring a pro to help you develop and record a high-powered, blockbuster, short audio; especially for the media, packed with what they need to hear to choose you from a great engaging personality, to an action-packed pace, to lots of great information.

Your Print And Online Placements: Include a list of your most prestigious placements; including, the month and issue date of the article. If the original article is online, then by all means, link to the article.

Your Topics & Areas Of Expertise Page

Your topic page should include a list of the topics you can discuss along with titles of tips, sheets, or links to tips, sheets, or articles you have written.

The reason why you want to actually link to tips, sheets, and articles (such as Ten Smart Career Moves or Why You Should Never Ask Your Boss For A Raise On A Business Trip) is because this gives you the chance to showcase your knowledge in a variety of areas.

The idea is to present yourself and your experience in the most powerful way possible, creating certainty for the media that they are making an excellent choice in choosing you!

Annie Jennings PR has booked thousands of media placements with over 20,000 authors and experts. Annie is the creator of advanced publicity strategy, media websites, online press kits, platforms, advanced branding, HOT 35! BIG CITY & national shows radio campaigns. Free "How To Create An Online Media Kit" at http://www.anniejenningspr.com/onlinemediakit.htm Free Website Consults Audio at http://www.anniejenningspr.com/publicitypro.htm.
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By Evan Carmichael

"There is only one boss - the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."

Growing Up

Sam Walton's career in retail began in 1940 when he became a sales trainee in Des Moines, Iowa at a J.C. Penney store. Despite his enthusiasm to serve the customers, Walton was not a model employee. His desire to make his customers happy was so great that he often let other responsibilities like paperwork and keeping the books fall by the wayside. He was almost fired by his boss who told him that he was not cut out for a career in retail. Walton kept his job, however, because of his ability as a great salesman.

In 1942, Walton was drafted into the United States Army. He worked in the communications division of the Army Intelligence Corps and remained on home soil throughout the Second World War. When he left the army three years later, Walton was married, had a child, and decided to start his own business to support his new family. With the $5,000 that he had saved along with a $20,000 loan from his wife's father, he purchased a Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas. Walton was 27 years old.

Starting The Business

By putting in many hours at the store and implementing a pricing strategy far below what his competitors were charging, Walton's new business took off. By 1950 he had the top performing Ben Franklin store in the area. Walton's landlord, seeing his success, decided that he wanted Walton to sell the store to his son. When Walton refused, the landlord decided not to renew Walton's lease and he was forced to shut down.

Walton's 10 commandments for business success were: 1) Commit to your business.
2) Share your profits with your associates and treat them like your partners. 3) Energize your colleagues. 4) Communicate everything you possibly can to your partners.
5) Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. 6) Celebrate your success. 7) Listen to everyone in your company. 8) Exceed your customers' expectations.
9) Control your expenses better than your competition. 10) Blaze your own path.

Determined as ever to succeed in his venture, Walton looked for other rural Arkansas towns for a new place to set up shop. He came across a small village called Bentonville and opened the Walton's Five and Dime in 1950. He made sure to get a 99-year lease this time on the property. The two local competitors in Bentonville did not want to discount their prices and Walton's business began to flourish.

Realizing he had a recipe for success, Walton began looking for other areas of expansion. He borrowed money and used the profits from his first stores to acquire more. By 1960, he owned 15 stores but he was not getting the kind of return on investment that he thought he would be making. He then made the decision to follow a heavy price cutting strategy and hope to get much higher volume to turn a larger profit. This was not a new idea. The problem at the time was that most discount stores were small, located in urban areas, and focused on specialty items. Walton's plan was to change the way retailing was done across the country.

Building An Empire

Walton's revolutionary plan was to have large superstores in rural towns that discounted a wide variety of products. His initial approach was to Ben Franklin. They turned him down, as they did not like the idea of operating with lower margins. Without a large company behind him, Walton opted to go it alone. In 1962, he mortgaged his home and borrowed against everything he owned to open his first Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas, and a neighboring town of Bentonville.

Excited about the prospects of getting discounts and selection that were previously only obtainable in the cities, rural customers came out in droves to his store. The success of his first store allowed him to expand and by 1969 he had 18 Wal-Marts in Arkansas and Missouri.

Funded solely through debt and reinvested profits, Walton decided that in 1970 he would take the company public. The IPO raised $5 million and Walton retained 61 percent of the company. The money was used to settle the company's debts and fuel further expansion. By 1980, 276 Wal-Marts were operating.

An integral component of Wal-Mart's success was it’s leveraging of new technologies to improve efficiencies and save costs. Walton knew that the key to success in a low margin business was to rigidly control his costs. Wal-Mart was, for example, one of the first major retailers to use electronic scanners at the registers which tied to an inventory control system so they could know immediately which items were selling well and needed to be re-ordered.

The success of his Wal-Mart stores led Sam to another idea - Sam's Wholesale Clubs. These would be discount stores that sold to small business owners in bulk. The idea was another big hit for Walton and by 1985 he was considered by Forbes magazine to be the richest man in America with an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion.

Similar to Ray Kroc, Sam Walton did not invent retailing, he simply changed the business model and way of doing business to make it a much more profitable venture.

Evan is an entrepreneur and international speaker. At the age of 19, he became an owner and Chief Operating Officer in Redasoft, a biotechnology software company. The company quickly grew to over 300 organizations as clients, including NASA and Johnson & Johnson, in 30 countries. He started Evan Carmichael & Associates with the goal to give entrepreneurs the Inspiration to follow their passion and the strategies they need to succeed. Evan has delivered over 100 keynote presentations to entrepreneurs in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has been interviewed by newspapers, radio stations, and television stations including The Globe and Mail, CHUM FM, CityTV, Global TV, OMNI TV, Enterprise, and the Toronto Sun. Evan's website, http://www.evancarmichael.com, is the world's #1 website for small business inspiration and strategies.
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By Paul Taylor

The title of this article is not just the newest TV show staring William Shatner, or a great line from a Tom Cruise movie. These four words should be the motto of small business owners everywhere. Without money, your business has very little chance of succeeding. This statement can be taken several ways.

First and foremost, is finding financing for your business idea. Each business owner has to decide where to find financing. The obvious choices include banks, finance companies, money brokers, etc. Another place to look for funding is friends and family members. That is not what this article is really about.

Second, is to price the items in your business so that it insures that your business endeavor is a success. You want your prices to be in line with your competition. Price is usually a consideration with most people. However, you do not have to have lower prices on every item; you must, however, be in the same ballpark with the competition. There are other items that customers consider when purchasing an item from you, but price is the main one.

And finally, the reason for this article is start–up costs.

What are start-up costs? Start-up costs, as the name implies, include all the expenses that you have during the process of opening your business. Simple enough. But many times, entrepreneurs underestimate the amount that it will take to open the doors. Each business start-up costs vary, depending on the type of business that you plan to open.

Many of the costs associated with opening a business are obvious, however, I will list many of them so that when you are planning your budget, it may refresh your memory.

· Location for your business. Of course, this is the most obvious. Initial maintenance problems or remodeling should consider a start-up cost.

· Advertising is often overlooked or underestimated. You should check with various media about prices to advertise. This can be a major expense. Having a sign made for your building is also necessary for your business.

· Insurance is a necessary evil. Do not open the doors without it.

· Office equipment such as computer, printer, scanner, copier, fax, adding machine, calculators, filing cabinet, desk, and a bookcase are all necessary in an office.

· Office supplies are also overlooked; these include paper, pens, computer disks, notebooks, file folders, tape, stapler, and so on.

· Business licenses are required and should not be forgotten, although the cost is usually minimal.

· Utilities such as electricity, water, and phone; also an Internet connection and mobile phone should be considered.

There may be other costs that can be associated with start-up that are not listed here. This is only designed to get you to think about what it really costs to open a business. Many start-up costs are one time costs such as a deposit on a utility connection or having a sign designed and placed on the building or marquee. However, many are recurring such as insurance premiums and monthly utility expenses.

One business owner that I know said this about start-up costs “you should add up everything that you think it will cost to get open and then at least double it, and you will come close to what it costs.” The lesson here is do not underestimate your initial expenses. It costs more than you think.

Paul Taylor is a business owner that helps other business owners and entrepreneurs locate wholesale distributors and drop shippers. Visit his website http://www.WholesaleMap.com for information about wholesale sources or opening a business.
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By Joseph Kennedy

The vast majority of people in business really do not like numbers. They remember Math as being one of the hardest subjects in school. They never got interested in accounting.

Most of us go into business, because we like the thrill of designing a new product, the joy of making a sale, or simply the freedom of being your own boss; not because we love to pour through financial sheets.

When you look at how many businesses fail, and WHY they fail, you have to step back and rethink things. A venture can have the most exciting products or services ever devised and plenty of customers and STILL not make a go of it.

Why? The answer is in the financial numbers.

Most businesses don't work out because their owners and managers don't fully understand the business' financial picture. When you have a complete and accurate view of your firm's finances, you know:

* How much money you are making
* How much money you're spending
* How much money you'll make or loose in the months ahead
* Know if your product is succeeding
* Know if your advertising is a waste of time
* Know if you need to order more product, or less, or even how to make money with your unused inventory

Your company's numbers quickly tell you all this and more. So how do you get access to these truths? Most small business experts will tell you to get a good accounting program like MS Money or QuickBooks. But that's not nearly enough.

Even though these programs are good, maybe even essential, you'll need to fully understand what is going on in your company. That's why a whole industry has sprung up to supply these much needed forms, databases, and software.

Big box stores and other large retail and service organizations have always had access to this kind of advanced accounting power. They either use their own teams of in-house MBAs or sign up for very expensive outsourced financial management services.

Today you can have that same kind of expert help simply by logging onto the Internet. Many of the forms you'll need are available free. And you can gain access to even more software and databases for a very small monthly fee.

Finally, BIG company financial power is readily in the hands of small and medium-sized businesses. Make sure you make full use of these resources. Your probability of success will be far higher and you may never have to worry about your company suffering serous setbacks.

Joseph Kennedy is a veteran of the banking industry and a former computer analyst. He is founder and CEO of http://www.businessbuilderonline.com, offering extensive financial, legal, and administrative forms you need to quickly succeed in business, plus much more. info@businessbuilderonline.com.
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By David Reske

Remember the days when it seemed as if every Web site began with a home page that featured some sort of animated flash, with the “skip intro” link as a way out? With all due respect to some highly creative interactive Web designers, today’s Web sites need to be highly focused, content-rich, and finely tuned in order to achieve maximum impact, visibility, and usability. In my own experience working with our clients at Nowspeed Marketing, we have found that most companies can take their existing corporate Web site and optimize it for effective lead generation.

Below are five best-practice tips you can use to help turn your Web site in to a lean, mean, lead generation machine.

Tip #1: See your Web site through the eyes of the visitor

Visitors to your Web site want to understand immediately who you are, what you do, and, most of all, what you can do for them. They want clear, logical paths for navigating through the site to get more information. This means you must design content and offers that speak directly to different target audiences, in terms of their demographics and job functions, and that also work well across the buying cycle (“tryers” vs. “buyers”.) Start with your home page, but don’t stop there. Make your interior pages content-rich and offer-specific as well.

Tip #2: Keep it clean, clear and concise

A common mistake is to put so much information and so many links on the home page or interior pages, that they quickly become cluttered. Think of the page in terms of valuable, limited real estate. Utilize it wisely. For the home page, include a SEO-optimized description of who you are and what you do. Provide short blocks of text and clear click-through paths for different types of visitors (customers/prospects/info seekers). Place high-performing, relevant offers where the eye can see them without much effort. Whenever you can, avoid making the user scroll down the page.

Tip #3: Balance search with simplicity

Optimizing your site for organic search is critical. Jupiter Research estimates that organic indexes generate 87% of commercial referrals from search engines. However, you need to weigh the benefits of high keyword placement with simplicity and usability from the visitor’s perspective. Don’t go SEO-overboard. Our advice is to SEO-optimize your copy and tags around keywords that have the following characteristics: high traffic, low competition, and are a good fit with your business. For example, the keyword phrase “B2b lead generation agency” works better for our marketing agency than “interactive agency.” Keep copy targeted around these parameters. You will not only connect well with your audience, but you will also rank high in organic search.

Tip #4: Evaluate traffic patterns for best offer and content placement

Use a Web analytics tool to see where people are clicking through from your home page, and which interior pages are receiving the most click-throughs and/or longest retention. Then, place your best offers there. You may be surprised to find that what you think is important, such company news links on the home page, is in reality a low traffic area. If that is the case, consider replacing that link with one to a page that is more relevant. Or, if your “About Us” page is getting a lot of traffic, place more links and offers on that page to encourage them to explore other areas of your site and request information.

Tip #5: Test, update, and fine-tune

Once you’ve got a solid, lead-based architecture in place, monitor visitor behavior and fine-tune various elements of the site until it is performing at the highest possible level of effectiveness. Utilize Web analytics to perform offer and message testing. Remember that, like content, offers can become outdated fairly quickly. As their popularity begins to wane, refresh your site with new offers.

David Reske
Partner and CEO
Nowspeed Marketing (http://www.nowspeed.com)

In 2003 Dave Reske co-founded Nowspeed Marketing, a direct marketing firm that delivers world-class lead generation solutions for leading business-to-business marketers in the U.S.

Before founding Nowspeed, David was founder and CEO of Onward Technologies, a web marketing and systems integration firm, where he led the company to significant growth. Founded in 1994, Onward Technologies was an early provider of Internet marketing and business-critical web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies.

As CEO of Onward Technologies, Dave provided highly successful Internet, intranet and communications solutions for hundreds of business clients. In 1998, Onward Technologies was acquired by CSC Consulting Group, a division of CSC Corporation that provides information technology consulting services to commercial and government markets. Dave served as Senior Partner at CSC Consulting until 1999.

Dave is a veteran industry speaker at Internet and e-commerce conferences nationwide. Now his leadership, vision and expertise are enabling Nowspeed Marketing clients to lower their marketing costs and increase response rates through innovative online direct marketing programs.
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By Casey Gollan

You know what I find funny?

Most people start a business so they can enjoy the benefits of the ‘extra’ money and wealth that owning a business can create.

Yet many business owners have no idea about understanding their own financial statements, and that’s where their money is!

To me, it’s such an irony.

And it’s something that I definitely rectify with every client I work one-on-one with.

By the time they’ve finished with me – they know their financials like the back of their hand… in fact they showing their accountants a thing or two…

Over the years I have noticed that most small business owners don’t look at or understand their financial statements.

This can be for any number of reasons.

Maybe your accountant hasn’t taken the time to explain it to you.

Maybe you don’t want to learn them; after all, who understand Math at school, or enjoyed doing it?

In my experience I have found that the typical business owner starts a business because they have the drive and the personality to influence and convince people.

I have found that on most occasions, not all, that this type of a personality doesn’t enjoy doing paperwork and financials.

And that’s okay… but to make it as a successful business owner, and add another million or so to your business - I suggest that you really become excellent at reading and understanding financial statements.

Because the best and wealthiest business owners do.

As with any area of your business – you should know what you’re doing – but it doesn’t mean you have to do it.

So employ people to do your financials – but you’ve got to have the knowledge and the experience to know that the people you are employing are doing it properly.

And this is certainly the case with your businesses and your personal financials.

If you don’t know how to read and understand them, you’ll wind up in big trouble with them at some point in your career… be assured of that.

So start now.

Don’t fall into the trap of LEAVING it to your accountant. It’s the biggest mistake you can make. You should be doing it WITH your accountant.

If you have an accountant now that you have started with, chances are that your business is heading into areas that they are not as competent in. When you started your business –it was small and you probably weren’t making great money. For this reason, you probably hired a ‘lower end’ accountant at that time.

And that’s fine. You just need to know that as your business grows this ‘lower end – accountant’ may not have the skill-set to cope with your growth.

It’s like different levels of sport.

Take football for example.

There’s local football, inter-district football, state level football, and National Level football.

As the level increases – so does the expertise needed by the players, the coaches, and the administrators.

And so it is with Businesses.

It’s the same with me.

My skill-set is excellent with taking $1 million businesses up to $2 to $5 million. I can work with businesses that are smaller than that, or that are bigger than that – but I’m perfectly suited to the niche of taking $1 million business to $2 to $5 million.

So I concentrate on businesses in that niche.

Above this mark, or below it comes a whole new set of skills that I don’t particularly want to be involved in.

Now back to you…

You’ve got to take an active role in creating your financials.

Ideally, you should know all your expense categories so that for any payment made in your business you know which category it should go into.

You should know all your allowable tax deductions; like the back of your hand.

It’s your business, your money, and your life – so control them.

You should also have up to date and accurate financial statements.

Some of these statements you should be looking at daily. Some weekly. Some monthly. Some quarterly.

You should be actively involving your bookkeeper and your accountant in this analysis. Then you are all up to date and focused on growing the business.

It’s what all top business owners do, and it’s what helps them to continue to grow and prosper – so that they can not only grow their business – but also enjoy the rewards that only a well-controlled and profitable business can provide.

On my ‘1-on-1 Business Coach Program’, I’ll take you through a process that will have your head spinning with how easy it is for you to understand your accounting reports. And how easy it will be for you to understand your financial position.

I’ll also take you through the best ways to work with your accountants so that you are kept up to date and accurate and so you know exactly what’s going on in your business at all times.

It’s such a refreshingly simple ‘demystifying’ process. All of my clients love it once they’ve learned it because they really know where every cent of their money goes. It gives them more control and understanding of their business.

They all realize just how important knowing their financials is for their business growth and success.

Know your financials like the back of your hand.

Copyright © 2006 by Casey Gollan. All Rights Reserved

http://www.caseygollan.com.au - Business Coach, Mentor And Growth Specialist - Casey Gollan, Business Coach, Mentor And Growth Specialist. Grows $1 Million p.a. Small Businesses Into $2 to $5 Million p.a. Businesses Over a 2 to 3 Year Period.
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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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By Wil Schroter

Business Start Up Funding

Startup companies often get frustrated when they are unable to find investors willing to fund their new idea. They don’t realize, that in order to get an investment, they need more than just a good idea and the promise of future profits. What investors are looking for is a “silver bullet” in the business that ensures their small investment will yield a huge return.

Business Start Up Funding - You Need a Silver Bullet

The silver bullet is the aspect of your business plan that proves your company is able to grow quickly. For example, you’ve proven that 100 customers are willing to pay $99 for your newly developed product. To sell more at that price, you’ve got a silver bullet, if all you need is additional cash to build 1,000 more items.

Investors are compelled to make investments in startup companies that have proven some aspect of their business model “works” and that what they really need is more capital to make it work better, or to sell more products.

When entrepreneurs wander around in search of business start up funding to find the silver bullet in their business plan that becomes an unattractive proposition. In this scenario, you’re asking an investor to put money into a treasure hunt, not into a business. Until you demonstrate you can sell something (at a profit), you do not have a business worthy of investment. Therefore, you need to re-focus your efforts on finding your silver bullet.

Investors Love Paying Customers

Every business model is different, and as a consequence, the silver bullet of one business may look somewhat different than another. The common thread, however, is that each of them shows your investors, you have found a facet of your business that works well and simply needs business start up funding to be exploited.

A great place to start is with paying customers. Even a few customers create proof that there is an active buying market for your product that could be even bigger, if you had the capital to reach more of them.

Notice, you’re not telling an investor, “if we build it, they (customers) will come”. What you want to say here is “we built it, and they already came”. This puts you in a much stronger position to suggest that if you are capable of repeating the process provided, you will have more business start up funding.



Understanding Conversion Works, Too

Maybe you don’t have 10,000 paying customers but have found, on a more modest scale, that for every $1 you spend in marketing, you can earn $2 back. This information is a silver bullet, too. In this case, you’ve proven that you understand how to acquire a customer for less than they are spending, which is a big deal!

This may seem like an obvious necessity for any successful business (let alone one looking for business start up funding), but there are plenty of companies that overlook this point. If you haven’t proven that you can profitably acquire a customer, perhaps this is a good place to start.

Analyze the costs involved in acquiring your first batch of customers. Try to project this cost out to the next round of new customers and the round after that. Try this for those next customers and see if your results match up with your predictions. Once you feel comfortable that you understand your cost to acquire customers, you can begin to identify specific capital needs to accelerate that process.

Speed Things Up

Speeding up time can also be a good reason to ask for business start up funding. If you find that it takes you two months to service a customer now, but with additional capital you could service a customer in two weeks, (and therefore earn revenue in a shorter time) you’ve found another silver bullet.

Investors are always hungry for businesses that could be even more profitably, or grow faster, if just a little more capital was applied. Creating a strong case for this use of capital will make it easy for investors to understand your needs.

Read, Aim, Fire!

Perhaps you only have one of these silver bullets ready to present to investors. That’s fine, as long as you have prepared a strong argument for why this one single factor will have such a great influence in your growth.

Presenting your case to investors isn’t about coming up with as many reasons for investment as possible. It is not about quantity. It’s about quality. What you need to demonstrate is that you have key factors in your business that have a demonstrated track record for growth, but you need capital to accelerate that growth.

If you’re in the process of raising business start-up funding right now, step back and take a second look at your PowerPoint presentation. Does it clearly articulate the fact that you know how this investment is going to ramp up the value of your startup? If not, try taking another pass with the focus on finding your silver bullet. That’s the type of ammunition your investors are really looking for.

About The Author
Wil Schroter is the Founder and CEO of the Go BIG Network, the largest network of startup companies and entrepreneurs. He is also the author of the new book “Go BIG or Go HOME”, download it for FREE at http://www.GoBIGnetwork.com.

Get your business start up funding at: http://www.GoBIGnetwork.com.
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By Stuart Elliott

Interestingly enough, the majority of people who ask me if their sales letter is too long have missed the boat somewhat.

Their mind is focused on the length of their sales letter rather than the job the sales letter has to do. When they do that, it is impossible to write in a manner that will convince the reader to take action and buy their product.

No, your main focus when writing a sales letter must be on the job it has to do and that, in a nutshell, is to convince the reader that he or she needs to buy your product.

Pay special attention to the word 'need' here. You must focus upon the emotional need of the reader - this could be nothing more than simple 'one-upmanship' over a neighbor instead of a logical need.

For it is a fact that man…

"Buys based upon emotion and justifies that decision with logic."

Just think about that statement for a second. When was the last time you bought something based purely upon cold hard logic? Probably never, right? It was your emotions that directed you toward the purchase and the logic that justified it.

Take a shiny new car as an example. (And by the way, 'shiny new' is a subtle emotional trigger...)

If you were to look at the purpose of a car through the eyes of cold hard logic, there would be very little reason to buy one with all the latest gizmos that are designed to pamper you. (And cost you more.)

All a car has to do is get you from A to B safely, dryly and quickly. Given that logical explanation, who has need of a radio, electric windows, self-adjusting vibrating seats, automatic distance sensor for reversing, and so on?

They don't help you in the primary purpose of getting from A to B, do they? No, rather they serve to pamper you at an emotional level.

So going back to your sales letter, you need to identify these emotional triggers inside your prospect and write about them in an exciting way that is sure to trigger those emotional needs further.

If this means that you have to write 30 pages of copy to do so then do it!

The more you have to write, the better the chances you will have of getting the sale.

However...

Don't just go and write thirty pages of waffle or repetition. You should ensure that your pages are full of emotional excitement, not just page after page of boring old features.

Also, prove how your product has helped others. Social proof in the form of testimonials from other satisfied customers is a powerful addition to your sales copy. They are usually written in a persuasive, emotional way. The testimonial writer has bought your product and it has helped him or her; often, it is all that needs to be added to your copy to convince your reader to buy.

Going back to the car again...

Here are a couple of features that will do nothing to add excitement to your sales letter:

Auto reversing distance sensor...

It has the latest auto-reversing, distance sensing device.

"So What?" You say, " What use is that to me?"

--------------------

Vibrating Seats:

The seats vibrate as you drive.

"Err... Excuse me?" You think, " Why do I need a car that has seats that shake about when I drive? I mean, if I drive over a bumpy road, I'll get the same effect won't I?"

--------------------

Blah, blah, blah... What is this doing for your prospects emotional needs? Nothing! It's just another page full of boring old words, Goodbye!

Now, if you change the above sentences to something like...

For the auto reversing sensor:

Save Money On Your Insurance Premiums...

The truth about sky rocketing premiums is out. Major insurance companies have admitted that 60% of all claims for minor bumps on vehicles they insure is due to parking bay mishaps.

"Many people just don't know how big their car is and accidentally bump into another one when maneuvering around in busy parking lots..." Quoted an Insurance company spokesperson.

The shocking truth is, your premiums are being loaded due to others carelessness, but...

Now you need never worry about those fools or how big your car is again, because XYZ model will actually tell you when you are getting too close to another car. This means you have the pleasure of driving and saving on your insurance premiums at the same time.

--------------------

For the vibrating seats:

Personal Masseuse, Yours Absolutely Free With Every Car...

Imagine your very own personal masseuse... yours to pamper you as you drive... takes away the stiffness in your back and legs in an instant... You stay fresh and alert while you drive, arriving safely at your destination - No other car has massaging seats that will pamper you like a king.

--------------------

Don't these two paragraphs create a little more excitement in your mind?

All you have to do when you write your sales letter is keep building more excitement with every word until your prospect suddenly says "Wow! I gotta have one of those!"

It doesn't matter if you have to write 50 pages of copy to create that feeling, as long as you keep the excitement building up, your copy won't ever be too long.

Remember that your sales letter has to be exciting and long enough to do its job otherwise you won't get the sale.

Copyright (c) 2006 Stuart Elliott

Stuart Elliott is a world-class copywriter who has written numerous articles about sales letters and copywriting. Drop by: http://howtowritekickbuttcopy.com to pick up your Free Copywriting Power Guide.
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By Tim Sales

I've made millions in network marketing, I've made millions through investments, and I've also lost a lot of money too. Profit from my mistakes and learn how to best invest the money you make in your MLM business.

Network Marketing professionals often ask me how to manage the profits earned from their MLM income.

Can you make more money by diversifying into investments such as stocks, bonds, real estate, etc., and have your money working for you in other areas besides an MLM business? Or would you make more money by really focusing and investing your money back into your MLM business?

There are three items to think about when answering this question for yourself.

A. What else would you do with your time?

B. What else would you do with your money?

C. What else would you do with your attention (definition: the ability or power to concentrate mentally)?

Every investment (stocks, bonds, real estate, your sister's business) requires that you learn about it. Just the learning costs time and attention. It is the using up of your attention that rarely gets factored into the "diversify your money" advice.

Probably what's most important here is, the greatest amount of money you will ever lose is that amount you will never make because of misuse of A, B, and C from above.

When listening to a radio talk show 10 years ago, the advice given to me was, "Select the top three stock market sectors based on trends. Put one-third of your investment capital in each. Wait 10 years and you should be wealthy off your passive investments." I was making about 50 thousand dollars a month above my expenses - so I thought, "Why not?"

I chose the following sectors: Health Care, Technology, and Telecommunications. After losing about half of my investment, I changed to three different sectors. I look at my portfolio today and I have lost another $11,848.78.

Don't get me wrong; there have been times I've made over $50,000 dollars in the stock market in a day. Fun! And there have been times I've lost $150,000 dollars in a day. Not fun.

In addition to that, I've spent an enormous amount of time on my "passive" investments. Many hours (per week) have gone into "pondering" (wasting item C from above) what the stock market is going to do next. Reading newsletters, magazines, newspapers, watching the stock market news and commentaries on TV. Still, my return has been negative.

The only thing that has remained very stable and predictable is my network marketing income. Had I taken the same amount of money, roughly $500,000 and invested it into promoting my MLM home-based business would I have had a greater return? Yes.

So what about the "Rich Dad Poor Dad" philosophy of "Buy assets that produce more income?" Or more commonly stated, "Create multiple streams of income?"

As you may know, I created a prospecting tool based on that philosophy where I explain to prospects how wealth is created by investing in assets. (www.mlmbrilliance.com) So I'm very close to this subject.

However, if you listen closely to the way I stated it in the online movie, I say, "So what are assets? Well the most obvious ones are: stocks, bonds, real estate..." Then I say, "...education and businesses." I'm referring to educating yourself about businesses; whether that is your MLM home-based business or your pinball machine business.

Two common mistakes in making decisions on A, B, and C from above are:

1. Making decisions based on now vs. decisions based on future. Of course, you need to pay your bills now. They're screaming at you! Keep in mind what I talk about in Brilliant Compensation - it's not faster, (in the long run), to tie your young son's shoes than teaching him how to do it himself. If you tie his shoes for him, you silence the screaming urgency, but you're still stuck with the job, UNTIL, you teach him to tie his own shoes. When you make financial decisions, make sure you're looking at the long-term. Residual income that can be generated from an MLM business is sweet.

2. Making decisions based on "could you" instead of what "will you" do with your time, money, or attention. Example: A guy determines that it's a poor use of his time and attention to mow his own yard, so he hires the boy down the street to cut his grass. Now, what does he do with that extra time (A), and the extra attention (B)? He watches TV. Bad choice. When he was making the decision to hire the lawn boy he thought, "It's a waste of my time to mow the grass when I could be doing more important things like building my MLM business." Make sure when you free up any of the three resources you use them wisely.

Summary: My personal opinion is; invest your time, money and attention into KNOWING your MLM home-based business and become really good and profitable at it. Find and study MLM training that is proven and effective, and master it.

Continually reinvest your profit back into your network marketing business by promoting it more, that’s where the high return is. When you have a surplus of income, buy a secure investment like Treasury Bills http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/of/ofbasics.htm, until you're ready to learn another business FULLY. By business, I'm including all investment activities as well. Then focus your time, money, and attention (from the surplus only) on knowing THAT business.

From my experience, diversifying my money has done nothing more than dissipated my focus, which has in turn lost a lot of money, time, and attention.

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 Biba Pedron

Networking is my favorite, low-cost marketing tool. However, a large number of people often find it a challenge to get results and turn prospects into clients, by networking.

Here is another very effective marketing tool requiring no skills. It can be applied to your business immediately, and will help you to gain new clients.

Simply get testimonials from your current clients!

Testimonials from satisfied customers are the best way to promote your business. It doesn’t cost you a thing. Stop selling; let your clients and raving fans do it for you.

Contact your best clients, who know and appreciate you and the value your products and services. They will be happy to help you; providing you with testimonials that praise your products and services.

Be sure to obtain their permission before using their information in your brochure and on your website.

Use their testimonials on your website. This way your clients will make the sales for you. When people see the results and the benefits your clients reaped from using your products and services, they will want the same results for themselves or their businesses.

Don’t use a testimonial like “Mary it was great working with you” John S., NY. This is useless.

Use effective testimonials where your clients mention the benefits of working with you. What was their experience and results in their businesses after they bought your product/service or program? Make sure that you mention their name, website, and eventually their email and phone number. Give your prospects the opportunity to see that there are real people like them, who can be contacted or websites to check out to verify who they are and what they do. The new clientel will probably never contact them to ask about the experience they had with you, but they will feel more comfortable if they can identify themselves with your current clients.

When it comes to testimonials, I always mention one of my businesses, my French consulting business, www.focusoncareer.com, I don’t have to promote it. Because I am working within a specific niche - French solo-entrepreneurs who want to start their own businesses in the US -, and my website has a very rich content providing a great deal of free information, including some very powerful testimonials from clients. I have at least 3 to 4 people weekly, who contact me for consultation. I don’t have to chase them; they just come to me. When I ask them why they decided to contact me, they always mention the testimonials. They say, “You did so much for so many people that I imagine you can do the same for me”. Because my clients did the sell for me, after the first consultation, 50% decide to work with me immediately. Others may need to talk further or find out a little more about my services and me.

Have a complete page with all of your testimonials on your brochure or website.

If you promote a special product or program, insert your testimonials, along with the description and benefits of your program.

As an example see my program at http://www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com

I work with lots of people who are just starting their businesses, so their question is always, “But I don’t have clients yet. How can I get testimonials?” Well, offer to trade your services with a couple of people who really need your services but who perhaps cannot afford them, in exchange for a testimonial. That is a good way to start.

Don’t hesitate to contact your best clients now. Ask them for a testimonial. Make a list of clients you could contact today; those raving fans that enjoyed working with you and for whom your products made a significant impact on their businesses. You will see they will be more than happy to help you in return for what you did for them.

When asking for testimonials, don’t forget to ask for referrals: friends, colleagues, or family who would benefit from your products or programs also.

Another way to use your testimonials is to prepare a direct mail campaign, and send it to the list of referrals your clients just gave you.

Don’t you think that when the targets see their friends’ names in your brochure or mailing campaign, they will trust you and be keen to work with you also? You will get a better response to your campaign than advertising in a magazine, where nobody knows you and most readers won’t even notice your ad.

Need more techniques and strategies to boost your business and turn more prospects into clients? Then learn more about “The Power of Networking”. In this 5 step program, you will find everything you need on how to maximize your networking results.

You will learn: how to create an outstanding business card – how to polish an elevator pitch, which will hook your audience so that people will remember you – how to create a 7 step follow-up system to turn more prospects into clients – how to use testimonials - how to use your newsletter to promote your products or services without hard selling – how to create strategic alliances to grow our business faster. For complete details of the program “The Power of Networking” visit http://www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com

(c) 2006 Biba F. Pédron

Biba F. Pédron, also known as The Connection Queen, is a marketing consultant, founder of Biba4Network, that specializes in networking for small business owners in the greater New York area. Biba helps entrepreneurs to maximize their networking results so that they can grow their businesses faster.

Biba is the author of “Start Your Dream Business Today! The Proven 11 Steps to Start and Grow Your Own Business”. http://www.startyourdreambusinesstoday.com.

For more information or to receive free tips like this one, please visit http://www.theconnectionqueen.com
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By Lynette Chandler

Just when you think you understand the content publishing trend of the day, here comes another one to mess up your plans. If you're frustrated, confused and don't know how to fit everything or if you even should. It's not easy coming up with a web content publishing management strategy. It's something I struggle with from time to time, as well.

I believe it's a personal choice. All these are just different methods of publishing your content. There are some key questions you might want to consider.

What is your audience most predisposed to?

The reason we publish web content is so people will find it, read it, use it, and hopefully generate a sale for your products. It doesn't matter which is the best format but what is best for your audience. Which content format do they respond to most? Are they highly mobile people, always on the road? Do they prefer reading to listening? Are they technically savvy enough to understand how to use an RSS reader? If you don't know, ask them.

You'll naturally have a hodge-podge of answers. Sometimes even after asking, the result is not always clear. Overall, written content still triumphs over multimedia for several reasons. People cannot scan an audio or video file. If they want just one piece of information from that hour-long recording, they are forced to find an hour of their time that they may not be willing to give.

Why are you building that site?

How do you picture your website? For example, if you start a site answering 'questions about coaching' then a Blog would be an ideal type of publishing to use, and you can easily publish the questions and answers. Blogs are perfect for sites like product reviews; launch updates, deal of the day, news and event reporting and FAQ's. You can always use a Blog and articles as a compliment to existing sites.

Other sites, especially those built for educating and dispensing information, would be better off with a regular article based site. While you can use a Blog as a content management tool for your articles, a regular website offers much more control when you're trying to optimize each web page individually. True, you can optimize a Blog, however, overall I find it's easier to optimize a website.

Relevance

This is where a good long look at your overall business helps. Some people build sites in all kinds of niches, from gadgets to babies. Others find their niche and build upon it by creating different sites related to that niche. Example: the main business is coaching. They have one site on coaching FAQ's, one for coaches, one for life and balance articles for a working mother, and so on. If your business is structured like the latter, it's going to be easier for you to figure out which approach you should opt for.

This is because all of these sites are working in tandem to support your main business. It doesn't matter which you use, in the end, the focus is on your business, you are promoting your services no matter where people go and you'll reap the rewards. Each of these sites also becomes a network of content. Doing so also means you could keep only one Blog and use it to direct people to new articles, highlight special articles or alert people about a teleseminar call, kind of like a news hub just for your business. Another nice plus to this is, you don't have to build so many Blogs that you’re unable to keep up with.

An example is this page you're on. Some of you are directed here because I mentioned the article on my Blog. Some of you come here from my newsletter, and some from reading the Blog's RSS feed.

When to pod cast

There are many benefits to pod casting. It can take up an awful lot of time. It's hard work publishing a show every week or every other week for that matter. So, make sure you can commit that kind of time before doing so. That doesn't mean you can't publish audio your Blog when you have an audio to publish.

Many people misunderstand pod casts; they look at it like they see radio and magazine, which are totally different things. Fact is, many pod casts are Blogs and vice versa.

If you think pod casts are just a little too much to handle right now, here's one way you can leverage them without committing yourself to it. Become a guest on someone else's pod cast who’s reaching the same niche as you. Pod cast publishers are always looking for great content and people to interview so, fill their need. Why create your own when you can piggyback?

There are many things to consider, it could go on forever, but given this time slot I'll make it quick and point out a few key areas.

Some sites are just made for Blogs – reviews, FAQs, deals, news and updates.

Look for synergy. I'll usually start off with a regular articles based website. I think you can’t go wrong with it. It's the basis of the Internet and will be for a long time; just like books are still in publication today, it's not going anywhere. However, also try to see if an existing Blog can help drive traffic to this site simply by highlighting articles or mentioning certain things about the content.

Sometimes time itself is of the essence and we just do not have enough of it. If you find this to be true you can still create an influence of a pod cast by being a guest on a show or by contributing recorded segments. You could create an audio of an article that you've already got written so that it doesn't take up much of your time. This could also apply to Blogs. If you find you don't have time to write a Blog, or another Blog, then see if you can be a contributor to a relevant Blog. You could even set up a 'Community Blog' where three or four people will add there posts; so that it is busy without one person having to do all the work.

Lynette Chandler helps entrepreneurs recognize and apply the power of technology to their marketing. Discover how web conferencing can work for your business today at http://www.webconferencingworks.com.
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By Todd Brabender

When starting a successful business venture or launching a new product, most entrepreneurs or business owners conduct some type of marketing research to determine the extent of their prospective customer base. When getting the word out to that customer base, many entrepreneurs may turn to the media to help generate a buzz for them. However, as detailed as their marketing research might have been, very few business owners are as meticulous at determining their proper "media market" – that is, all those media outlets whose editorial profiles are a match to a product/business profile and would be appropriate for generating media exposure and publicity.

One of my favorite things to do is educate my clients about their "media market." Consider this, in North America there are more than 75,000 media outlets and almost one million reporters, editors & producers in the entire media market. However, only a small percentage of those may be appropriate and applicable to your business/product. Which ones are they? Unfortunately, too many well-intentioned entrepreneurs are either uninformed or misinformed regarding what it takes to attract media attention for their business. I recently surveyed 100 business owners and entrepreneurs who contacted my business about a publicity/media exposure campaign. Here's what I found:

11% - "Are Admittedly Media Market Clueless"
19% - "Have Unrealistic Media Market Perceptions"
29% - "Think Local & Large Media Are The ONLY Media"
41% - "Have A Good Grasp On Their Potential Media Market And Its Benefits"

Here are the descriptions of these categories and the lessons I try to teach those who fall into each category:
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11% - "Are Admittedly Media Market Clueless" These are the business owners who know their product and market inside and out, BUT they have never thought about launching a publicity/media exposure campaign before now. They know very little about their potential media market or how to generate publicity therein.

The Lesson: For these types of business owners I recommend asking for help from a smaller PR agency or publicity specialist who is willing to "hand hold" to get the client educated. Research to find one who doesn't mind spending the time to educate you about what should be included in your specific media market and the pitch. Make sure the agency or publicist understands the product/business as well as you do and can in turn educate you about your media market – one that will be able to benefit your business for years to come.
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19% - "Have Unrealistic Media Perceptions" These are the business owners who are CONVINCED that EVERY newspaper, consumer interest magazine and TV show will run a feature on their new products when they launch a publicity campaign.

The Lesson: No product or business, no matter how big or great can be assured media coverage in every outlet in a media market. But you can get coverage in a good number of them given the right media tending. Every media pitch will be weighed against the media outlet's editorial lead-time, its available editorial space, and availability of an editorial staff member to cover your pitch. It is totally up to the discretion of each media outlet as to whether your pitch makes it to the pages or on air. It can be an uphill battle if you target the wrong media with the wrong message. With a little expertise and media market know-how, you can greatly increase the chances generating those media placements.
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29% - "Think Local & Large Media Are The ONLY Media" These are the ones who think of their media market in two simple terms: LOCAL & LARGE LOCAL, as you might imagine, means the media outlets in their city or surrounding geographic region -- the local newspaper, a regional business magazine or two, a few shows at local radio/TV stations. LARGE, on the other hand, are media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Good Morning America, Oprah or your other favorite large circulation, trade specific media outlet.

The Lesson: The reality is local and large are indeed part of your media market, but not the only ones. The best media market opportunities may well be the dozens of other smaller scale papers, magazines, newsletters or TV/radio/cable shows that may generate more customer interest and sales than a placement in the big media might. Because of a lack of media market knowledge, many business owners don't even know these smaller, more targeted media outlets exist. This is where a PR agency or publicity specialist can be integral in your publicity campaign. They know the media market very well and will be able to find those media members who will be the best for generating editorial features on your business or product. They also have great media contacts that can turn one feature into a syndicated story that runs in multiple media outlets nationwide.
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41% - "Have A Good Grasp On Their Potential Media Market And Its Benefits" These are media-savvy entrepreneurs and business owners who are realistic and knowledgeable about how the media can benefit their business. They know that they have to narrowcast their media pitch to a select segment of the media in order to get coverage that will increase exposure for the business.

The Lesson: Don't let a PR agency or publicity specialist tell you they will send your pitch to 20,000, 30,000 or 50,000 media outlets. The reality is, of the 8,000 daily & weekly newspapers, 11,000 magazines & newsletters, 15,000 radio/TV/cable stations and 7,000 Internet news sites in North America, only about 25% of those accept press releases from outside their geographic area. They cover only LOCAL issues, businesses and products, and it is a waste of time to target them. The key is researching to discover which media outlets will be receptive to your pitch and knowing how to parlay those media contacts into positive consumer interest features that will educate and entice customers about your product or business.
--

Just like marketing to find the right customers, one should be equally diligent about finding and pitching the right media market. Bottom line – whether you have a general interest product that has widespread consumer appeal or a trade specific business with a very narrow customer base, knowing your appropriate media market can mean the difference between product/business publicity and product/business obscurity.

Copyright (c) 2006 Todd Brabender

Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc. His business specializes in generating media exposure and publicity for innovative products, businesses, experts and inventions.
http://www.spreadthenewspr.com
mailto:todd@spreadthenewspr.com
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By Wiley Long

The year 2007 is here. There are several issues to consider if you currently have a Health Savings Account (HSA), or are planning on getting one in the near future.

The deposit you place in your HSA is 100% deductible on your federal income taxes. HSA contributions are tax-deductible on state income taxes, except in four states. If you’re looking to reduce your 2006 tax burden and put more money away for retirement, your HSA is the first place to consider putting your money if you have not yet maximized your contribution.

The maximum that can be contributed to your HSA in 2006 is the lesser amount of your deductible, or $2,700 for single persons, and $5,450 for families. Individuals, who are age 55 or older, may contribute an additional $700. Be aware, the contribution limits are pro-rated, based on the number of complete months during the year in which you have a qualifying HSA health insurance plan.

The deadline is April 15, (or later if you file for an extension), to make your 2006 contribution. If you do not fully fund your account for the current year, you can’t make a “catch-up” contribution for 2006 after this deadline. However, you can reimburse yourself in later years for qualified expenses incurred in 2006, even if you don’t have the funds in your account to reimburse yourself at this time.

In 2007, the maximum annual HSA contribution will go up to $2,850 for individuals and $5,650 for families. Individuals 55 or older will be allowed to contribute an additional $800.

It is also important to have your HSA-qualified health coverage in place no later than January 1, to maximize your tax benefit for 2007

To pay for a medical expense from your HSA, it must be a qualified expense. Some of these qualified expenses include: dental expenses, eyeglasses, chiropractic visits, over-the-counter medications, and sometimes even nutritional supplements.

Make sure you have an accurate record of your medical expenses for the year. Separate the expenses for which you have reimbursed yourself from your HSA from those that you have paid for out-of-pocket. Keep receipts for all medical expenditures paid from your HSA with your 2006 tax records. Place the "non-reimbursed medical expenses" in a separate file, and keep these receipts with the concurrent year's tax records with the year you decide to reimburse yourself.

There is a 6% penalty for over-funding your HAS. You have until April 15, 2007 to withdraw excess funds for the 2006 tax year to avoid this penalty. Your HSA administrator may notify you of any over-funding, however, they are under no obligation to do so. It is your responsibility! Make sure you check into this if you think your may have over-funded you account.

The minimum deductibles for HSA-compatible health insurance plans in 2006 were $1,050 for individuals, and $2,100 for families. This amount will increase to $1,100 for individuals, and $2,200 for families in 2007. If you currently have an HSA-qualified plan with the lowest eligible 2006 deductible, this deductible will automatically go up on January 1 to the new minimum.

Strategies to Maximize Your Tax Benefits

There are basically three different strategies you can take to decide how to fund your health savings account:

1. Put no money in the account, except when you incur a medical expense. This strategy allows you to legally "launder" any money used to pay medical expenses. By depositing money into your HSA, then immediately withdrawing it to reimburse yourself for medical expenses, you’re making all your medical expenses tax-deductible. Use this strategy if you are on a tight budget and need to keep your cash outlay as low as possible.

2. Fully fund the account, or put in as much as possible, based on your budget. When medical expenses are incurred, take money out of the account to cover your costs. Then let the rest grow tax-deferred. This strategy will maximize your tax deduction, while making your HSA funds available to pay any non-covered medical expenses before your deductible is met.

3. Fully fund the account, but pay all medical expenses from a non-HSA account. Reimburse yourself for medical expenses at a later date. This strategy will allow you to maximize your tax deduction, and also allow you to maximize the tax-deferred growth of your HSA. You can reimburse yourself, tax-free, at any time in the future for medical expenses incurred over the ensuing years.

To maximize the potential growth of your funds, you may want to make your 2007 deposits as early in the year as possible. Any growth in your account is tax-deferred, like an IRA. If possible, plan to make your deposits the first week in January.


Wiley Long - President, HSA for America (http://www.health--savings--accounts.com) - The nation's leading independent health insurance firm specializing in Health Savings Plans that works with Health Savings Accounts.
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By Joe Leech

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See if this applies to you or the team members in your organization: You've been working in your industry for several years. Your responses to requests from customers, prospects and co-workers are fast and accurate. You know your stuff and your product knowledge is one of your greatest strengths. If this is the case, then the bad news is that your extensive knowledge may also be one of your greatest weaknesses. The reason…you may inadvertently be coming across as being arrogant and insensitive.

This is not suggesting that you have a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude or that you are unfriendly. Because you are quick with your answers and recommendations, others feel you have not really been listening to their needs (even though you have). The greater your expertise, the more likely it is that you are unintentionally rubbing people the wrong way. The good news is that there is an easy way to prevent this misconception that I call The Humility Advantage©.

Working with over a hundred sales and service teams over the years, I've found there are at least seven key opportunities where a little employee humility pays-off substantially. Here are three that I often share in my Influence with Ease® speeches and seminars.

1. Mention your Homework

Several years ago, a couple of branding consultants approached me about enlisting their services. My first thought was these folks knew nothing about my company or my industry, so why should I pay their sizable fees. I only agreed to meet with them because a colleague said they had done good work for his firm.

When I sat down with the consultants, they did not start asking me lots of questions about my industry and me. (This would have confirmed to me they really didn't know my business world and it would have ended their chances of selling me their services). By way of preparation, they began the meeting explaining, they'd been chatting with some of my colleagues and customers to find out their impressions of my company's services. Then, they asked if I would like to hear the ‘word-on-the-street’. That got my attention! The ensuing conversation led me to engage their services.

When talking with potential customers, do you begin the conversation by mentioning the homework you've done on their company? If not, you are missing the opportunity to let them know you are truly interested in them.

Try commenting on something you saw on their website or read about them in an industry journal, rather than starting a sales conversation by asking about their needs. It's a powerful way to confirm to others that you are knowledgeable without coming across as one who brags. It is one of the first steps in applying the ‘humility advantage’.

2. Confirm your Understanding

As an audience member participant at one of my live presentations, you may have seen me step off the stage pretending to be a restaurant waiter taking food orders from several audience members. During this skit, rather than order directly from a menu, each patron has a special request such as, “I'll have the salad with the meal.” or “I'd like to have fruit instead of fries,” etc. As the waiter, I don't write anything down, and when I walk away, the patrons assume that there is no way I'm going to get all the orders straight.

There's the problem! I may have listened accurately to each request, but the emotions I left with my customers are worry and lack of confidence in my service.

As an experienced professional in your industry, you may be a great listener, but are you perceived as such? Being regarded as a poor listener is a surefire way to kill a sale or curtail your career. Fortunately, by using a little humility, this is easy to correct. In the waiter demonstration, I redo the same order-taking scenario, except the second time after taking the orders, I say, “Let me make sure I've got this straight. You would like yours with fruit instead of fries...” (I then confirm everyone's special request accurately).

Suddenly, the restaurant patrons feel good about the quality of my service. Here's the KEY; I repeat my understanding of their needs with the phrase, “Let me make sure I've got this straight.” Fact is, I knew I had it straight, but the customer didn't. The catch is, if my ego were running my life I'd never say, “Let me make sure I've got this straight.” Hence the Humility Advantage.

Here's one more application:

3. Ask Permission to Present

Have you heard the expression that ‘people don't like to be sold-to, but they love to buy’? Before you present the benefits of your products or services, remember to ask for permission. When threading these techniques together, sales conversation might start by pointing out the homework you've done on the other person. Then ask about their needs, confirming your understanding with, “Let me make sure I've got this straight…” Later, ask permission to present with, “Based on what you'v