Home Business The Easy Way - DPe Update http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com en-us EasyRSS
by David Riewe

Creating a MySpace website may seem overly complicated to those who have never done any HTML design in the past but it is really quite simple. Members who have advanced HTML knowledge can obviously incorporate more advanced features into their design but even those with no HTML knowledge may be able to create an attractive and functional MySpace website. This is possible because much of the design can be done through the use of templates. This article will focus on some of the most basic design features of MySpace to give beginners a basic understanding of the features they can incorporate into a new MySpace website and the types of changes which can be made to an existing website. This article will include information on changing the background, importing images, adding music to the website and posting quizzes for other users.

Adding or Changing the Background

The background color of a MySpace website is very important because it is one of the first things visitors notice when the website loads. If the background is garish and makes the website difficult to read, visitors may exit the page quickly. Conversely if the background is appealing it may make the entire website more appealing.

Basic HTML knowledge is required to add colors or background graphics to a MySpace profile. To add colors or background graphics go to the “Edit profile” section after logging into your account. Next enter the necessary code into the appropriate section. To get the background to appear on your profile you should include the code in the “About me” section of your account. If you are unsure of the code that is needed, there is a wealth of information available online for those who are learning HTML.

Importing Images

Many members of the MySpace community choose to post their picture on their website. Again the social aspects of the online community encourage this action because people who engage in online friendships often want to see what their new friends look like. Including pictures is the easiest way to let others know what you look like.

MySpace members are asked to upload a photo of themselves when they first sign up. This step can be skipped and done later. Photos which are uploaded to MySpace must be .gif or .jpg files. Additionally they must be smaller than 600k. The filename for photos should also not contain spaces or characters other than numbers or letters.

Adding Music to the Website

The addition of music to a MySpace website is a very common practice. This is used both by bands who want to promote their music as well as by individuals who want to let others know what type of music they like. The process of adding music to a MySpace website is incredibly easy. Members can visit the following web address to listen to music from MySpace artists: http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music. If the artist has granted permission for others to use the music, there will be a button that says “Add” next to the song. Clicking on this link, when you are logged into this account, will automatically add the music to the background of your MySpace website. You are only able to add one song at once to your profile but you can change the music as often as you like by adding a new song. If you already have one song and add another, the second song will replace the original song on your profile.

Posting Quizzes on the Website

Many MySpace members include fun personality quizzes on their website and publish their quiz results. These quizzes give visitors more information about the member. The members may also post a link to this quiz so other members can take the quiz and post their results in the comments page. Different types of personality quizzes can be found on the Internet and many of these quizzes give you the code necessary to add this quiz to your MySpace website or another websites. You can copy and paste the code into the “Interests” section of your MySpace profile.

David Riewe is the webmaster of http://www.daves-inforama.com and http://www.daves-inforama.com/myspace.
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by Scott F. Geld

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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by Adam Terebeckij

I have often mentioned the need for balance between your family life and your business. This is a little bit trickier proposition for work-at-home parents, particularly those who have little ones pattering about.

But, there is some also benefit to working around and along with the little ones. The first of these major benefits is the fact that they force you to take breaks, whether you think you want one or not.

For most of us, it is difficult to get into our work first thing in the morning and, if we don't have an outstanding amount of self-discipline, we often find ourselves hurrying later to catch up on things that we got behind on during the early morning hours.

In these situations, taking a break to put Polly Pocket's dress on for the thousandth time, or fixing yet another glass of juice, might seem like a profound interruption to your work flow. However, if you take a moment to think about why you wanted to work from home, wasn't there something about this in that thought?

More important, however, taking short breaks throughout the day provides a renewal of energy and purpose and gives your child special memories that other children aren't quite so fortunate to have.

Second, the little ones (believe it or not) will help drive your schedule. If you are planning around lunchtime, snack time, nap time, etc., and have set times for these each day, you are mentally preparing for those times and working according to what needs to be done before that time.

It's like a mental turbo boost for your productivity. I don't know about your children, but my children are very quick to let me know it's lunch time, snack time, and -- goodness knows -- it's obvious if I'm late for nap time!

Third, having little ones at home with you while you work can be the most motivation possible to succeed. Knowing that, while you are busy for a large chunk of the day, you are still the one that is there to change the diapers, kiss the boo-boos, and soothe the heartaches of your little one, and not some day care provider in your stead, is one of the most priceless things you can imagine.

I didn't know how much it was going to effect me or how much I was going to love it until I was actually able to do it for myself. And, to be completely honest, I wouldn't change it for the world.

The fourth and final reason that it is good to have little ones afoot during your workday is this: exercise. If you are getting up and down on occasion and chasing the crayon-wielding, lipstick-wearing, cookie bandit around the house, you are getting out of your seat and getting a quickie cardio kick-start.

These little moments of activity really are good for you. We work at home parents tend to not get nearly enough of those moments, since we aren't walking to our cars and offices or climbing stairs to get into and out of the parking garage. We are missing out on exercise that others don't even realize they are getting. So, it's a fair trade and worth every single calorie burned while we are chasing the little ones around the office, silently praying that they don't have the document we hope they don't in their grubby little paws.

Yes -- your little ones can be distracting and down right destructive, if you aren't carefully supervising -- even if you are, for that matter. They can also be terribly sweet and loving and perfectly delightful to watch and enjoy as they grow and learn so much each and every day.

I feel as if were I were to blink long and hard, I'd open my eyes and they would suddenly be grown and gone. Imagine how much I would miss if I were to leave them with others and go to an office each and every day?

Adam Terebeckij is a seasoned Internet Marketing Entrepreneur and Private Real Estate Investor. His insight and information has helped countless individuals around the world. For more information on the TOP Work From Home jobs and Work At Home Business Opportunities visit: http://www.LegitimateBusinessOpportunities.com

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by Adam Eason

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Just imagine if, before you use any techniques or strategies for improving your motivation, you had 4 main pillars installed in your life that underpinned your motivation and enhanced your capacity to be motivated throughout your life.
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I want to give you four wonderful pillars for motivation, four main themes to underpin a healthy sense of drive and inspiration.

- The first main pillar of motivation is to gain recognition from peers.

When soldiers in wartime give up their lives during combat, why do they do it? Is it because of patriotism, a belief in the cause they are fighting for, or a fear of court martial if they do otherwise?

Perhaps all these things play a part, but extensive research has shown that what really motivates a soldier to fight well in combat is the desire for the respect of the person who is fighting right beside him. This is much more important than medals or other forms of public recognition.

This is similar to what motivates salesmen on the floor of a car dealership, students in a classroom or a team of lawyers trying to win a case.

In the English Premier football league, all the players will tell you the best award that they want to receive is the acclaim of the others players and to receive the players player of the year award.

Think of ways that you can develop recognition from your peers to enhance your motivation. The apply them to your life.

- The second pillar of motivation is recognition from respected experts or authorities.

In my own life, I love the fact that a wonderful multi-selling author in the US has helped me, guided me and become my friend professionally and personally. I desperately wanted to earn his respect.

Has there been someone like that in your life? It is important to realise that a respected expert does not have to be someone who is known far and wide throughout the world. You are the one who establishes the qualifications, though very often people whom you find impressive will be equally impressive to others.

Once you've met such a person, or even if you have just seen them from a distance, or perhaps read an article about them, stop hesitating and politely approach them and introduce yourself. Unless you happen to catch them at a particularly difficult moment, most successful people are eager to help others and to pass on what they've learned.

The great thing about establishing a relationship with a mentor is that you eventually come close to that person and you can sometimes hear them advising you when they are not actually around.

Think about how you can get recognition from a respected expert or authority. You can really stretch this concept to be good parents, local teachers, councellors, as well as business people; interpret this in the best way for you.

- The third pillar of motivation is family.

Although the approval of peers and experts may be important to your career, in your life, nothing compares to the influence of your family.

Let me explain what I mean by this with an example of my own; when I had come off stage, speaking at an event in Dublin last year, a man approached me and asked me for some advice on the best way to stop smoking. He knew that I was the author of The Secrets of Self-Hypnosis, and wanted assistance.

My immediate response was to ask him what his reasons were for wanting to stop smoking and he said the following to me:

"My wife is pregnant with our first child and I want to have more after that. I want to be able to enjoy playing and having fun with my children and I want to be a healthy influence on their lives, too."

I spent some time talking to him about some specific techniques and strategies. I have not heard from that man, but I know that he was driven by his family and am sure of his success. Think about your wealth goals; so many of us want to be able to rpovide for our family and for them to have what they want.

So -- think about the ways in which you your fmaily can motivate you and get that lodged into your mind.

- The fourth pillar of motivation is something closely related to number three: sharing the wealth and wisdom for the good of your fellows.

To illustrate this pillar, I'd like to tell you a story I love about Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish immigrant who founded the United States Steel Company in the early nineteen hundreds.

When Carnegie died, a yellow sheet of paper was found in his desk on which he had written a note to himself when he was in his twenties. This note illustrated the main purpose of his life. It read:

"I am going to spend the first half of my life accumulating money, and I am going to spend the last half of my life giving it all away."

During his lifetime, Carnegie's fortune was estimated at four hundred and fifty million dollars -- the equivalent to four and a half billion dollars today. In addition to building Carnegie Hall in New York City, he founded libraries in hundreds of small towns all across America and participated in dozens of other philanthropic activities as well.

When we look at these four pillars of motivation, what do you really see?

The thing that I immediately notice is that they all involve other people, whether they are peers, mentors, family members, or simply fellows of the human race. Ironic isn't it?

To be successfully motivated, you need this very internal, very unique thing called your motivation. To acquire that innermost quality and set it to work, you need to recognise other people as reasons to believe.

Adam Eason is a UK based, renowned consultant, speaker and best-selling author. Please visit his Website for a vast range of personal development resources and to receive your amazing, free, instantly-downloadable hypnosis session for ultimate relaxation -- and the sensational free ebook 'The Happy Brain Manual,' filled with techniques, tips and strategies to make more of your brain: http://www.adam-eason.com .

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by Simon Davies

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

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

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

Grabbing the reader's attention...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turning attention into interest...

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

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

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

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

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

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

From interest to desire...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Desire becomes action...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Scribbling!

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

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By Grant D. Robinson

Are you on pace to accomplish your important sales and financial goals this year?

The truth is, a good majority of US Organizations have been unable to grow their businesses this year. They are not reaching their sales and financial goals. Many have all but given up.

Is this you? Are you now looking to next year to be the year you shatter previous productivity, sales and revenue records?

It is a great idea to start preparing for your best year ever, regardless of whether you are on pace to meet your goals or not. You will need to prepare!

You have realized that it takes more than just setting a goal to accomplish it. The mere act of putting the goal on paper, sharing it with your managers, and giving the extra effort to accomplish the goal is really secondary to the preparation required.

Before you begin to work toward an objective, you must insure all of the past barriers that stood in the way of prior goal accomplishment are eliminated. If they aren't, the unfortunate fact is, you will fail to meet the objective once again… for the same reasons as before.

The following are the three keys market-leading organizations have used to grow their businesses. Consider these in order to take your organization to the next level of success.

A. Operational Systems

There are two types of systems in your organization. The first is your operational systems, including:

1. Vision & Mission 2. Financial & Budgeting
3. Production, Manufacturing & Distribution 4. Sales & Marketing

All four of these systems are in place for one reason: to efficiently grow your business. They are the standards to how your organization operates from day to day. More importantly, they are the standards to how your workforce operates from day to day.

To improve productivity this quarter and prepare for your best year ever, it is vital to analyze your operational systems. In the next month, recognize what current productivity barriers must be eliminated, what operating expenses must be reduced, what unique cultural standards must be maintained, and what marketing promises must be upheld.


B. Managerial Systems

In answering the previous questions, most organizations realize an important fact: Changes to operational systems are almost always made to improve the productivity of their workforce. But the truth is; these changes alone rarely help.

Organizations failing to accomplish their goals tend to make irrational decisions. They feel if they rewrite a vision, increase spending on technology, reorganize production procedures, or alter their marketing messages, workforce performance and profits will magically improve.

However, the opposite is usually the case. The changes usually end up harming efficiency, production and morale. The usual outcome is, those employees who performed the job they were hired to do before the changes, still do. Those who failed to produce before the expensive operational modifications, still underachieve.

The second type of system in your organization is your managerial systems. The five most important processes of your managerial systems are: recruiting, hiring, training, developing and retaining (productive employees). When you create a successful managerial system, your hiring success rate, employee motivation, and the effectiveness of your leaders will naturally improve.

To prepare for your best year ever, there is only one question to ask yourself: Why haven't we been able to hire, develop and retain TOP-Performing employees in every position.

C. Focus on People

Market leading organizations realize "people" are the key to growing a business and meeting goals. The more productive their individuals are, the more productive their teams have become.

A recent study of over 2,200 managers, by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, in Human Resource Executive Magazine found, “Of the hundreds of management functions, ‘Selecting Staff’ and ‘Retention’ are the second and third most important management functions in business today.” Recruiting was ranked fifth.

Since three of the four new hires fail to meet our expectations within the first year, managers are forced to constantly replace underachievers. Recruiting is the number one management expense in business today. Although selecting staff and retention are rated very important, they rank 36th and 44th in management effort and spending respectively.

Although executives understand the importance of Top Performers in every position, their time, energy and financial priorities have become operational. With the amount of organizations failing to meet their goals or grow their businesses, it should be apparent that this strategy just doesn't work.

Hiring Top Performers for every position in your company, the first time, is the only way to insure your productivity and profits will improve. Traditionally, Top Performers are five to eight times more productive then their counterparts.

You've probably learned the hard way; that no modification to an operational system will ever increase your organization's performance five to eight times. If you are like the most effective executives, you'll understand this and will double or triple the productivity and profits of your organization by giving your managers the tools to hire, develop and retain your greatest asset; your people.

Great customer service, work ethic, motivation, productivity, and sales success comes from employees that fit your culture, their team, and the job they were hired to do. Whether it takes developing your underachievers or replacing them with someone who will naturally produce; now is the time to focus on your people to prepare for your best year ever.

Grant D. Robinson is the President of People Values and the Author of the Market Leadership System. To improve your “Hiring Success Rate” of TOP Performing Employees, watch a free, 5-minute, on-line video at: http://www.peoplevalues.com.
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By Hamish Hayward

One of the great things regarding the internet is things change so quickly. This is good; it allows new marketers to take advantage of novel trends and new developments. If you do not respond quickly to new market conditions, your business - and income - can be adversely affected.

That is why you need to have multiple streams of income - so that if your current top earner disappears off Google's radar or one of your many competitors introduces a new product that wipes the floor with your best offering, - you have other income streams to fall back on.

It is like buying stocks and shares - you want to have a diverse portfolio to avoid any sudden spikes and glitches in the market. Alternatively, put it another way - do not "put all your eggs in one basket."

Where are you going to find these multiple streams of income? Sometimes it can be difficult to find even one business opportunity worth investing your time, energy, and money in. The first logical place to look is the market.

It is not easy to get hold of hard data when it comes to marketing and often, when you do get some, they are well out of date. However, the figures below show the UK market percentages of directly sold goods for 2000, a year when the totals spent in this area was $2 billion. These figures were sourced from the UK Direct Selling Association and make for interesting reading.

SERVICES 32%
(telecoms, utilities)

PERSONAL 26%
(cosmetics, fragrances, skincare...)

FAMILY 17%
(Books, toys, games, business aids ...)

HOUSEHOLD 14%
(Security, water treatment, electrical...)

WELLNESS 7%
(Nutritional, diet plans, supplements)

FOOD 4%
(Frozen & other)

The size of the market may vary, and the relative positions may change - but the top five above will probably be able to provide consistently good income streams. The obvious omission from the above list would be online gaming, which is a relatively new phenomenon.

So how do you get started? Simple, pick one area and do some background research. Remember to use a logical approach when evaluating your options - the key areas to look at are; the company; the pay plan; the product; the level of administration; the sales methods available; and the cost - both start up and running.

If this is your first business, try to start with an opportunity that will provide you with residual income. Concentrate on only one business at a time. Work this until you get it to an acceptable level where it is growing without too much time input on your part. It doesn't need to be making thousands of dollars every month - it's easier to arrange for 5 businesses to return $1000 each, than it is to arrange that a single business will return $5000 a month (the law of diminishing returns).

When you are achieving consistent growth month after month, pick a business opportunity in a different sector and repeat the process. Then do it again - and again. Aim for at least three and preferably five solid businesses. Try to have at least 40% of your income as residual income - this is your baseline.

It will probably take at least 6 months, and possibly more, to get each business to the steady growth phase, but its well worth the effort. This will provide you with a diverse income, which will be stable and highly unlikely to be severely impacted by changes in market conditions.

If an opportunity arises in one particular area, you can focus on that for a period in order to maximize your profits. In addition, if there is a downturn in an , you can always use the income from the other sectors to weather the storm.

When you eventually have your multiple income streams online and they are all working well - always be on the lookout for any new opportunities to add to your business portfolio. You can never have too much of a good thing.

Hamish Hayward

Internet Business Tips ......

Discover the key criteria you must evaluate when starting your own online or offline business. Free e-books and newsletter packed full of hints and tips.

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By Tim Sales

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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









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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As someone who spends an obscene amount of time researching, playing and "working" on MySpace [and loving every minute of it I might add... ;-) ] I have made myself into an expert and an authority on the process of customizing or "pimping" profiles as my countless thousands on MySpace will vouch for me.

Before going deep on HOW to pimp MySpace, I'd first like to address WHY one should pimp his or her MySpace profile.

There are really two answers to this question...

The first is my expert opinion as a marketing specialist - "branding and differentiation."

As MySpace continues to grow at a frantic pace (there are currently over 108 million profiles on MySpace and growing at about 26,000 new ones daily) - it becomes increasingly difficult for an individual or an online business seeking to establish a presence on MySpace to "stand out from the crowd." A well pimped out profile allows for a unique user experience that separates and differentiates a profile from the millions of other "plain-vanilla", non-pimped profiles.

A customized profile allows for using corporate colors and logos as well as controlling the end-user experience to be consistent with one's overall brand identity.

Ok... having said that.

My second answer is more personal - simply "Because it looks cool and because you can."

So... having cleared that up.

The process of "pimping" or decorating and customizing a MySpace profile is part art/part science and consists of several key steps which should be addressed sequentially if you want to have a truly great looking profile.

In order, you must:

1. Choose the kind of look you are going for.

What will your profile be about? Is it about you? Is it for a business? Is there a specific atmosphere that you want your profile to have? You must be clear on what you want to portray and design in your profile prior to making any customizations.

This will help you save a lot of time and needless aggravation

2. Determine if you'll use a Pre-Made layout or create your own.

There are thousands of pre-made layouts available on the Internet. One need only to search in the search engines for the keywords "MySpace Layouts" to find page after page of web sites that offer pre-designed layouts for you to choose.

Another alternative, and my personal preference, is to design and develop your own profile look. By customizing your profile look and feel, you not only avoid the risk of using the exact same layout that somebody else is using but you also prevent any problems you may have with any copyrighted images in your layout that the original creator may not have secured and which may result in your profile being shut down by MySpace.

Should you choose instead to pimp your profile yourself, you will need to have a tool called a "MySpace Profile Editor" that will allow you to change most aspects of your profile including background images, colors, borders, fonts and a great number of other customizable options. You can do a search for "MySpace Profile Editor" to find one you can use.

Like in all software, there's the good, the bad and the ugly in profile editors and being tired of just finding "the bad", I personally chose to custom develop my very own easy to use, top of the line profile editor.

3. Customize your Contact table.

MySpace also allows you to customize a section of your profile called your "Contact Table." This is the small table underneath your default picture where you can select to Add as a Friend, Send a Message, Rate a Picture and other actions.

Once again, you can search on the web for "Pre-Made Contact Tables" that you can download and install but just like with pre-me profile layouts, you run into the same issues of not having a truly original profile and any potential copyright infringement issues.

My recommendation is, if you can develop your own contact table, by all means do so.

The general consensus on MySpace is that a profile is never truly pimped unless it has a custom table to go along with it...

So make sure that when you pimp your profile you choose a good looking contact table to go along with it.

4. Apply "hide codes" and "tweaks."

There are many other codes and so-called "hides and tweaks" that you can apply to your profile to make it hide specific information and change the look of many different elements including how pictures are displayed, if you want to center your profile and the order and number of how your friends are displayed. You can also apply effects to blur and reverse your images, add graphics that seem to "fall from the sky" and a great number of other options to embellish your profile.

In conclusion, pimping your MySpace profile is a very personal process and making your "Space" or profile be truly unique requires a combination of skills, patience and the willingness to try different things. Remember, in customizing your MySpace profile, there are no wrong answers and anything you create is yours to keep or discard (do overs are perfectly acceptable in MySpace... Unless of course you break any of MySpace's terms of service which can be accessed through a link at the bottom of every page on MySpace.)

Make sure you enjoy the process and don't be afraid to try new things - after all... it is YOUR MySpace profile, make it truly a reflection of who you are!

George Levy is an internationally recognized Internet marketing expert responsible for helping all types and sizes of businesses use the Internet to sell over $100 million dollars in the United States, Canada and 14 countries across Latin America. He is also commonly known as "His Mastership" on MySpace and is part of a select group of MySpace users commonly acknowledged as "Legends" and "VIPs" with thousands of friends worldwide and hundreds more added daily.

George is the expert author of the Internet Salesmanship newsletter and blog as well as the creator of best selling "MySpace Mastership" program with all the tools and video instructions necessary to Pimp your MySpace profile, make thousands of friends and become a well known celebrity on MySpace.

To find out more about George Levy, you may visit his blog at http://www.georgelevy.com and visit MySpace Mastership to receive his 5 day Free email course on achieving Mastership of MySpace at:

http://www.myspacemastership.com
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What is this mystical thing called Web 3.0 that everybody is waiting for? It's like the silhouette of a stranger through the dense fog. Man or Monster? Friend or Foe? That is the nature of predicting the future. From afar, everything looks good. From up close, it's a mess. The good news is we can affect the future, the future is not some inevitable result assigned to us.

What will Web 3.0 look like? Let's start with how the web has evolved and go from there.

What happened?

In the old days, you really needed to read a whole book to get all the nuggets of knowledge from an author. With search engines, you can get to what you need faster and faster. So more people can now publish more ideas. Referred to as Web 1.0, static websites have sprung from every corner of the world.

Fast forward to today. The core of Web 2.0 is the latest generation of user-contributed content.

The unit of communication has shrunk dramatically. Instead of publishing a book or article, we can publish a simple blog. Just a few words and we're done.

The speed of publishing has increased dramatically. It's now lightening fast, from the author's very first thought to the moment the reader understands it.

Multi-user collaboration has become massively parallel. Forums, chats-- people are communicating everywhere.

With Web 2.0 applications, anyone can easily set up a blog or a shop on eBay. Or even join the major Web 2.0 sites like Wikipedia, Facebook, and Digg. These sites provide dynamic user-contributed content. People now flock to Web 2.0 sites because they can find any idea, or any community.

What's Missing?

So if things are so good, what's wrong?

Well, Google often returns a whole bunch of garbage, because it can't read our minds. That's because search terms aren't expressive enough. Search terms are not sufficient to provide your meaning, your context. There are billions of pages out there now, with text that can only be understood after being read by humans. So with search results, we must wade through pages and pages before we get what we're looking for.

So to solve this problem, why not make these billions of pages contain the meaning, not just the words? Why not create an engine that understands your meaning, instead of just today's simple search terms? Will that work?

What's Not Happening?

Web 3.0 has been touted as the savior. So what is it?

It's been 6 years since the prediction of the Semantic Web evolution, with RDF, OWL, SPARQL, RIF, metawebs, and ontologies. It's a deep mess. You have to be either crazy or a genius to figure that stuff out. Another faction has Web 3.0 pegged as becoming a service, somehow transforming unstructured information into structured information. Somehow, if machines talk to each other more effectively, people can access the right information quicker. That's wishful thinking.

Why will this grand vision of Web 3.0 involving intelligent machines never happen? Because humans will never be surpassed by machines in judgmental intelligence. To be interested in certain things-- that is a uniquely human trait. To belong to groups-- that is another human trait. Because a machine-generated solution, regardless of how advanced, cannot replace humans. In the end, only humans can help other humans.

What's Next?

Web 3.0 is about ideas and knowledge. It's not about shopping or entertainment. Technology-wise, we're ready for the next generation of the web, the real Web 3.0. We have everything we need to create that vision. Let me describe that vision.

Different words have different meaning to different people. Different people are identified by different demographics. There's no need for the machine to understand all that meaning stuff. As long as people understand, and communicate with the smallest possible unit of related meaning: The question and answer.

By simply matching questions with other similar questions, and by grouping the answers from all the experts, users are given access to the best possible knowledge available from all perspectives. You can thus learn at a much faster rate, bypassing the uninteresting noise for the interesting nuggets of knowledge.

Are You Ready?

If you could benefit from a more accurate search by providing accurate demographics, wouldn't you?

If you could benefit from a more accurate search by asking what you're interested in, wouldn't you?

If you could benefit from a more accurate search by answering what you know, wouldn't you?

If you could benefit from a more accurate search by rating what you like, wouldn't you?

The next generation of the web will make use of what we like, what we know, and what we've done to give us what we need. Based on our recent search history. Based on our demographics. Based on our ratings, our questions and our answers.

Given your usage, the system should know what you're interested in, and should show you questions based on the community you naturally belong to. So you will not have to avoid people you find annoying ... the system will segregate you naturally. Also, other people similar to you will, through their ratings, constantly be finding things that are interesting to you. This system is adaptive, so that as your interests change, your search results change with you.

The good news is Web 3.0 is here. And it's simpler than anybody would have thought. The bad news? It's just not what anyone expected.

We are trying to start our vision of Web 3.0 at http://www.helpglobe.com. Come join us!]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_DPe_195/user/index.php
By Allison Thompson

People will find themselves in difficult financial situations, at times. It may be because their business has not worked out and is on the verge of becoming bankrupt or it could be for personal reasons (a divorce settlement is not what it should have been). At any time, the need for financial support is important. When faced with situations such as shown previously, a loan to help them recover is hard to find. There are many reasons why getting a loan could be difficult, it may be they have a poor credit rating or they have no equity to act as security on a loan that lenders will normally provide. However, now there are moneylenders around called ‘bad credit’ lenders who can assist these people when their state of financial affairs is so dire.

You will find that ‘bad credit’ lenders are institutions or organizations that are able to provide loans to people who are in desperate need of financial assistance. One type of option that these kinds of lenders provide is a private loan (also known as a hard money or ‘bad credit’ loan). This type of loan does not require the borrower to have any equity, and as a result, are able to provide such loans but at an increased rate of interest.

Different types of ‘bad credit’ lenders exist, and banks are one source. Should you need to arrange a ‘bad credit’ loan, you could first consult a bank. Many banks require some sort of equity against the loan that you are looking for. It is advisable that you seek assistance from a bank where you have been a customer from some time. This provides the bank with a guarantee of knowing who you are and they will have full details of your banking records.

If this does not work out, there are a number of companies around which also act as ‘bad credit’ lenders. Such companies will provide you with a loan proposal, but be aware that they will often charge much higher rates of interest than usual.

Many financial experts say that when looking for the right sort of ‘bad credit’ lender, it is wise to do as much research as possible. Obtain all the information you can on each lender. Make sure you are aware of what sort of loan programs these lenders have and what the interest rates are that they offer on their loans. After getting this information, it is wise to compare each one. See which ones suit you and the one you will not have difficulty in making repayments to.

Allison Thompson, an expert author, after becoming a work from home mum, runs a small real estate company in Spain. Due to her involvement in the property market she has carried out extensive research relating to all financial matters. If you would like to learn more, please visit http://www.centrallendingservices.com.
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By Wally Bock

For centuries people have debated whether leaders are born or made. Several decades ago researchers started trying to answer this question. The debate goes on, even though we know the answer.

It turns out to be a little of both. Leaders are ‘sort of’ born and they are always made. Knowing the details will help you develop effective leaders for your company.

Leaders are ‘Sort of’ Born

There's only one thing a person needs to actually be born with in order to be a leader later in life; that is intelligence. A leader needs to be smart.

Effective leaders are not necessarily the smartest people in the room, or the company, or even on the team. They have to be smart enough to do the job they are assigned.

The kind of person the potential leader is when he or she becomes an adult is very important. The person who emerges from adolescence into young adulthood has the psychological and character traits they'll demonstrate for the rest of their life. Some of those characteristics matter for leadership.

By the time a person reaches adulthood, we can tell if they know how to help other people achieve results. That, after all, is what we expect leaders to do. We expect them to achieve success through a group. We expect them to help their subordinates grow and develop.

When a person becomes an adult, we can tell if they want to achieve objectives or if they just want to go along and take it easy. We expect leaders to be responsible for achieving results. You can have a marvelous life without a results focus; however, if you're going to lead successfully, you have to have the drive and willingness to be measured by the results of your leadership.

Upon reaching adulthood, we can tell if they are willing to make decisions or not. Lots of people wake up every day and let the world happen to them. Leaders must be able and willing to make decisions that affect themselves and others.

When achieving adulthood, we can tell if they have the basic qualities that we expect leaders to have. We can determine if they're smart enough to do the job. We can tell if they are willing to help others to achieve results as a group. We can tell if they will make decisions.

Those things are essential. People who have those qualities can learn the multiple skills it takes for them to become effective leaders.
No one emerges from the womb or from adolescence with all the skills in place to be an effective leader, no matter how they measure up on the key essentials. Everybody has to learn the job. That's why leaders are always made.

Leaders are Always Made

Leadership can be learned by anyone with the basics. There is a lot to leadership that cannot be taught.

Leadership is an apprentice trade. Leaders learn about 80 percent of their craft on the job.

They learn from watching other leaders and emulating their behavior. They choose role models and seek out mentors. They ask other leaders how to handle situations.

Leaders improve by obtaining feedback and using it. The best leaders seek feedback from their boss, their peers, and their subordinates. They modify their behavior so they are able to obtain better results.

Leaders learn by trying things out and then critiquing their performance. The only failure they recognize is the ‘failure to learn from experience’.

In their book, Geeks and Geezers, Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas identify the special power of what they call "crucibles." These are trials that teach hard lessons which leaders use as the basis of their strength in later crises. Many of these events can be called "failures," but leaders turn the bad situation to good by learning from it.

Effective leaders take control of their own development. They seek out training opportunities that will make a difference in their performance.

Effective leaders look for training programs that will help them develop specific skills they can use on the job. Then, when they return to work, they devote specific, deliberate effort to mastering in real life what they have learned in the classroom.

Marshall Goldsmith and Howard Morgan studied the progress of 88,000 managers who had been to leadership development training. The people who returned from the training, talked about it, and did the deliberate learning applications, were judged as becoming more effective leaders. The ones, who didn't, showed no improvement.

If you're responsible for leadership development for your company, you should structure your support for your leaders to recognize that most leadership learning happens ‘on the job’. Help people develop leadership development plans. Help them select specific skills training. Then work on transferring skills from the training to the job. Help them find role models, mentors and peers to discuss leadership issues.

Help your leaders get feedback from their boss, peers and subordinates. Work to create the culture of candor that will make that feedback helpful and effective.

Don't stop there. Make sure you evaluate your leaders on their leadership work. Reward them. Hold them accountable for accomplishing the mission through the group. Hold them accountable for caring for their people and helping them grow and develop.

A Leader's Growth is Never Done

Leadership learning is a lifetime activity. You are never done. There's always more to learn. There are always skills you need to improve.

Effective leaders seek out development opportunities to help them learn new skills. These might be project assignments or job changes. This develops knowledge and skills that can be used elsewhere.

Effective leaders seek out opportunities that will increase their visibility. Great performances alone will not propel you to the top in your career. You also have to be visible to people who make decisions about promotions and assignments.

If you are responsible for developing leaders in your company, set up programs to give your leaders both kinds of development opportunities over the course of their careers.

There is no magic formula for developing quality leaders in your company. By selecting potential leaders with the essential traits, supporting them with training, feedback, on-the-job learning, developmental experiences, and holding them accountable for results, you will have the leaders you need to shape your company's future.

Wally Bock is an author, speaker, and coach who help leaders improve the performance and morale of their teams. Wally is the author of Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership (http://www.performancetalk.com/) and the Three Star Leadership Blog (http://blog.threestarleadership.com/).
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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 James MacArthur

Seller financing opens your home up to an entirely new segment of prospective buyers. The more buyers viewing your home, the quicker you will find that one qualified buyer. Specifically, you will attract more buyers who don't want to or would have a problem getting a bank loan, or those who want a quicker closing or more flexible payment plans than banks offer. Such buyers include the self-employed, who may be great candidates, but are not viewed as favorable by banks, as are W-2 employees. Also, those with credit blemishes, which may be going down the long road of credit repair. Real estate investors are another large group, since they may own many properties with mortgages, which make it difficult to get another mortgage from a bank.

Banks typically take 30 days to close a loan. With seller financing, YOU make the decision, and it can be done much quicker, thereby removing a buyers contingencies faster, and in effect, leading to a much faster home sale. Make sure you use "Seller Financing" in your marketing and advertising, be it in newspaper ads, flyers, or in the MLS description, regardless of whether you are selling FSBO (For Sale By Owner), or with a real estate agent.

Other Ideas to Sell Your Home Faster

Number 1: PRICE IT RIGHT! Not too high, not too low, check comparables and local agents to get the right number. If you are not getting any action after a week or two, you probably have it priced too high.

If you will be selling FSBO, use a flat rate MLS open listing. For under $500 you can get listed in MLS with no frills. Check the newspaper or call agents to find one who offers this. It will give you much broader exposure and is advertising well spent. Also, strongly consider offering a buyer agent commission of 2-4%, depending on how quick you want to sell and how hot your local market is.

Put up lots of signs around the neighborhood, especially on weekends. Hold regular open houses. Prepare your house for sale. Keep it neat & tidy. Remove the clutter.

Sell Your Home for Full Price

1. Normally a seller will accept a lower price (below market) for all cash, no contingency fast closing.

2. It will sell for market price if the buyer needs 30-60 days to close escrow, will need to qualify for a loan at a bank, and do a home inspection.

3. You as a seller should charge even more (above market) if you will be giving seller-financing terms, maybe 5-10% higher than Case 2, or more depending on the terms.

A Good Investment

Taking back a note can be a very good investment since you will be making interest on your money, which is usually better than CD's, or money market rates. In fact, you can select the interest rate you want! This is especially appealing if you have no need for the money right now.

In fact, it is such a good investment, that many investors buy seller carry-back notes. If you have no interest in holding a note, it is common for a home seller to carry-back a note and sell it at the same time as the home closing occurs. This is called a simultaneous closing.

We Buy Real Estate Notes and can facilitate simultaneous closings, call for more info on this. We can also assist in setting the terms of the note so you get the best price.

Tax Benefits

When selling a home, under current tax law, if you lived in your home for 2 of the last 5 years, your capital gains will be exempt up to $250,000 (twice that if married). Otherwise, your capital gains will be taxed in the year that you collect the capital gains. If you will have significant taxable capital gains on your home sale, it may be very good for your tax situation to take back a seller carry-back note and spread your sale proceeds over several years, or postpone it for several years. Talk to your tax adviser.

Steps for Successful Seller Financing

1. Pull the prospective buyers’ credit report. Their permission will be needed. Always review a credit report on each borrower. It is a small expense.

2. Can they afford the home, job, income? If they can’t afford it, or have a shaky job or income situation, a foreclosure will be much more likely.

3. Use a professional to draft the paperwork. Each state has various laws regarding real estate sales, contracts, and mortgages. Use an experienced attorney to draft the promissory note, mortgage, or deed of trust.

4. Down payment - Sellers usually ask for 10-30% down payment to protect themselves in case the buyer stops making payments and the seller has to foreclose on the loan, and take the property back. The larger the down payment, the more equity protection you, as the seller, have. The buyer will also consider how much money he has put down, if he is in foreclosure and can’t make the payments, and wants to walk away from the house. Zero down is very little encouragement for a buyer, should he hit a rough patch.

5. 1st position or 2nd position - A first position note is much safer for the seller than a second position note.

6. Set the interest rate above current bank rates. This will encourage the buyers to refinance down the road.

Also Read this Article: "Tips for Creating a Seller Carry-back Real Estate Note" at http://www.jmacfunding.com/articles.htm

Other Alternatives to Seller Financing

1. Land Contract / Contract to buy

2. Lease Option

Disclaimer:

I am not an attorney, nor a tax accountant, laws vary from state to state, and any advice implied by this paper should be checked with an attorney and/or tax adviser.

JMAC Funding
PO Box 91472, San Diego, CA 92169
jmac@jmacfunding.com
http://www.jmacfunding.com
(619) 846-1550

James MacArthur, http://www.jmacfunding.com, is a real estate broker-licensed in the State of California, as well as an investor of real estate and debt instruments. We buy real estate notes and real estate contracts nationwide and make private and hard money loans on real estate in California. Feel free to contact me with any feedback, or if you are contemplating selling a real estate note.
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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've told me, I do have some thoughts. Would you like to hear a couple of options that I think would fit for you?” Once the other person agrees, they will feel less like they are being forced, and more like they are being helped.

Business strategist and international speaker Jeff Mowatt base this article on the critically acclaimed book, Becoming a Service Icon in 90 Minutes a Month. To obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team, visit http://www.jeffmowatt.com or call 1-800-JMowatt (566-9288).
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By Vernon Anthony Johnson

Many people today are looking to own and run their own business. To do this they have three main choices.

1. Buy a franchise
2. Start from scratch to develop one’s own business.
3. Buy an existing business.

When speaking of capital to start or buy a conventional business, we are not talking peanuts. All these types of businesses will require a substantial sum of capital, perhaps in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

They usually require suitable staffing, computer expertise for accounts and wages, and also people skills are required in the workplace. There are always some problems with staff that can cause difficulties.

In a conventional business, you will require a building. If you have bought an existing business, then probably rates and maintenance are your two main expenses. If you need to rent a building, then you may require a refit for your purposes, which may cost tens of thousands of dollars. Depending on the type of business, it may require new machines or electronic devices that are very expensive. You would need computers and office furniture. Considerable costs are involved when starting a business. Some of these will be ongoing, which involves, interest on the loan, staff wages and rent, etc.

Look at what you might lose if the business fails. The equity that was used to finance the loan - most likely the property you own, because you couldn’t pay off the bank overdraft. The fixtures and fittings that you purchased which now would be of no use to you and any equipment you purchased which may have to be sold, invariably at a loss.

Everything was lost to try and pay off your debt. This wasn’t enough, so you have to leave the home you love and look for rented accommodations. Many years later, you might work your way back to where you were before the time of the crash. The statistics for new conventional type business successes are not good.

With a conventional business, if you need advice, you usually have to pay for it. Some advice is available free with a franchise. With a franchise, business mentoring is usually not included. So if it’s new to you, you may have to pay for that help. In MLM home based business with a good company, the marketing help comes as part of the deal.

Why you may ask?

Well, because the MLM I am recommending is structured so that the person who does the recruiting also helps the people they recruit. In making them successful, all will benefit financially. This team building is the essence of success in MLM marketing. People who have done this for a few years reap large rewards without having to take a huge gamble to raise equity.

When looking at a MLM business which costs less than $2000 initially and potentially enables you to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a few years down the road, why wouldn’t that be more attractive to you than risking your house?

There is a company that excels in all respects and is ideal for MLM people:

1. It is debt free
2. Publicly listed on the NASDAQ
3. Achieved 1.5 billion turnover in the first five years
4. Is a global business operating in ten countries and six more in 2007.
5. Ranked number 5 in the 200 Best Small companies by FORBES.

If we summarize the benefits, then we are talking about a business which:

1. Does not require a large amount of capital
2. Does not require you to hold stock.
3. Does not require staff.
4. Does not require you to rent or buy expensive property because you can work from home using one room as your office.
5. Enables you to make an income relative to your efforts that could be in the six-figure bracket after a few years.
6. Does not confine you to office hours - you can work at a time convenient to you and your family.
7. Will still function once established without loss of income if you decide to take a long holiday.

Why then would anyone wanting to start a business not want to take the least expensive option?

The MLM choice comes without all the financial risk and headaches.

You can have the same earning potential as the conventional business with total support as part of the deal.

For more information, contact Vernon Johnson, 11/134 Hill Road, Runcorn, Brisbane 4113 Australia, biohealth@aapt.net.au . Vernon Anthony Johnson is a former electronic engineer, professional actor. Interested in making movies and making money from home business.
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By Tim Sales

There is one very specific quality you must have, whether leading just a few or a few thousand people in your MLM business. Achieving MLM success will be A LOT easier when you develop this one quality, tell the truth.

If you do not tell the truth, your downline may be friendly to you...but they probably won't follow you.

Truth means: that which is factual based on observable data.

There has been much written about truth, a lot having to do with philosophy and religion. My only interest in the subject (as it pertains to the MLM industry) is that we, as a group, stop destroying our income and our reputation by not telling the truth.

Being truthful should go without saying, but I have to discuss it because it is one of the Ten Communication Qualities that make up a great communicator. It’s also a major problem in the network marketing community needing correction for the MLM industry to grow to its fullest potential.

My income dropped in 1991 - like a brick falling from the top of a building - from a monthly gross of $68,000 to $16,000 - just because people were not telling the truth.

A media member sneaked into my colleague's business meeting and recorded the dialogue that occurred. Although it was a painful experience for me, the biggest loss stems from the CONSTANT number of people we repel because of not telling the truth.

Every time we (I'm talking about me and you) don't tell the truth, we feel icky inside. Observe a dog that has done something wrong - do they come strutting into the room? Not at all! They actually hide under the couch. Their ears and tail hang low. They don't feel worthy. The same is true for us. That ickyness actually causes us to not feel worthy that others follow our advice...and so they don't.

Five broad categories of not telling the truth have gotten individuals and/or companies in trouble. It stopped them from growing to their fullest potential. They are listed below.

1. False income representation or suggesting others can earn a stated level of income.

2. Stating that a product or service can do something that has not been substantiated.

3. Promising someone (or yourself) something and not doing it.

4. Gossiping about others. Passing information to another that does not add value.

5. Building the business in a way that is not truthful...such as suggesting distributors create fictitious accounts or positions.

Let’s consider, category one, false income representation. If you don't know what your upline earns, don't say what you think it is. If through the grapevine you've heard its "X" amount, and you feel you must state it, say: "The rumor is that he/she earns $ amount; although I've not verified it."

Say nothing you don't know is absolutely true. This gives you tremendous credibility!

When you discuss income, discuss what the prospect wants - NOT what someone else is earning. If the prospect states an income they desire, tell them it's achievable, (provided it is). Then state, "Some people go to school and become the President. Some become billionaires, some sell illegal drugs and some draw a welfare check. It would be impossible to know what you're going to do with what I teach you, but there is the potential to earn a substantial income if you choose to fully apply what you're taught."

Category two from above is unsubstantiated product claims; which, in the past, have also gotten the network marketing industry into trouble. If you market a nutrition product, the current law (in the USA) is the DSHEA Act, (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act), which states you can discuss what a product does, provided THAT PRODUCT is what has been proven to get results.

Most often an INGREDIENT has had some studies done on it (such as vitamin C) but your company's product (that contains that ingredient) has NOT. Therefore, it is against the law to claim your product does ANYTHING!

Now, that doesn't mean you can't promote your product truthfully. You simply say something like, "The active ingredient (vitamin C) in Potent-C (an example of your company's product) has demonstrated to increase/decrease ________ by X amount." That way you're not claiming your product does anything.

Telling stories of your success or others' success with the product or the MLM business is also common. Just keep in mind that the common way people get in trouble is from questionable claims reported by the media after coming in with hidden recording devices and capturing what you say. Make sure you are not claiming anything that isn't the truth.

If a friend went on your company's product and stopped having migraine headaches, you honestly wouldn't know if the reason was the product or the fact that she increased her water intake to take your product! You can't determine what really helped her - so be very careful what you represent.

Category three is to keep your word once given. If you say you will be at a meeting at 6:45 - be there at 6:45. No excuses, just be there. If you say you're going to help someone, - help them. Keep your word! If you're unable to keep your word, make it up to the person. Do something that shows you want to help.

The most important person you must keep your word with is yourself. If you say you are going to bed at 11pm - go to bed at 11pm. If you say you will call five prospects a day, call five prospects a day!

When you're honest with yourself and with others, people will trust you. This trust is what helps your MLM business to grow and be successful. My experience is that people will not follow someone they cannot trust.

Tell the truth always and you will be on your way to experiencing passive income and time freedom in your MLM business.

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 Clarence Binayu

More and more people are lured into affiliate marketing. You might be one of them. Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective means of generating a full-time income through the Internet. It’s a fair deal between the merchandiser and his affiliates, as both benefit from each sale materialized. Like in other kinds of business, a great deal of the profits in affiliate marketing depends on the affiliate’s advertising, promoting and selling strategies. Everyday, as the affiliate marketing industry expands, competition heightens, also, so an affiliate marketer must be creative enough to employ unique and effective ways to convince potential buyers to purchase or avail themselves of the products and services offered.

Compared to traditional advertising practices, affiliate programs are more effective, risk-free, and cost-efficient. Why do many people still fail in affiliate marketing? There are many reasons and many areas in the program to look into. The most critical aspect in the affiliate program is advertising. Many affiliate marketers’ fail in this aspect because they lack hard work, which is the most important thing in affiliate marketing and in all other kinds of business. Although it pays to be lucky, you cannot merely rely on it. Affiliate marketing isn’t as simple as directing customers to the business site. If you want to earn big, you have to invest time and hard work in promoting the products. As earlier mentioned, the competition is very intense. Customers nowadays are very wise. After all, who doesn’t want to get the best purchase—that is, to pay less and get more in terms of quantity and quality?

Another reason why one fails in affiliate marketing is the lack of preparation, whether he is a merchandiser or an affiliate. Part of the preparation is researching. The merchant has to be highly selective in choosing the right affiliate websites for his affiliate program. To make the best choices, he must have exhausted his resources in looking for highly interested affiliates whose sites are a sure fit to his products and services. The affiliate sites must match his targeted customers. Also, the affiliate marketer must research on the good-paying merchandisers before he signs up for an affiliate program. He must ensure that the merchants’ products and services match his interests so he can give his full attention and dedication to the program. He can get valuable information by joining affiliate forums, comparing different affiliate programs, and reading articles on affiliate marketing where he can get tips from experienced affiliate marketers on how to choose the best merchants and products with high conversion rate.

The website is a very important tool in the whole affiliate program. As an affiliate marketer, you should plan how your site is going to look, from domain name, to the design, the layout, the content, and ads. Some users are particular about what they see at first glance. If they find your site ugly, they won’t read through the content even if your site has many things to say and offer. In contrast, there are those who want information more than anything else. Affiliate marketers with “rich-content” web sites are usually the ones who prosper in this business because the content improves traffic to the site. Websites with high quality contents—with relevant keywords and more importantly, right information about the product and not empty hyped-up advertisements—allow you to earn big in affiliate marketing even when you’re asleep. If you aren’t able to sustain the interest of your site visitor, you won’t be able to lead him to the merchants’ site. No click-through means no sale and thus, no income on your part.

Selecting a top-level domain name is also crucial to the success of the affiliate program. A lot of affiliate sites don’t appear in the search engine results because affiliate managers deem them as personal sites. Major search engines and directories would think of your site as transient ones and thus, they won’t list it in the directory. Before you decide on the domain name, know first what you are going to promote. Many fail because their sites are not appropriately named. When they feature the exact products the customer is looking for, the customer might think the site is not relevant and will not enter the site.

An affiliate marketer must be willing to learn more. Certainly, there are many things to learn and so an affiliate marketer must continue to educate himself so he can improve his marketing strategies. Many fail because they don’t grow in the business. They are merely concerned about earning money quickly. If you want long-term and highly satisfactory results, take time to learn the ins and outs of the business. Continue to improve your knowledge especially with the basics in affiliate marketing ranging from advertising to programming, web page development, and search engine optimization techniques. Study the needs and wants of your site users and how different merchandisers compete with each other.

Keep on trying!

Clarence B. is the founder and Webmaster for http://www.virtual-guides.com. Here you can find FREE information on many subjects including business, automobile, travel, vacation, affiliate marketing, advertising, internet, sports, entertainment, technology, communication, fashion, home improvement, culture, education, society, science, politics, fitness and health. http://www.virtual-guides.com provides you with helpful guidance, tips and news update, from basic to the latest skills, knowledge and information, about these subjects.
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By Colleen Kettenhofen

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." Conrad Hilton

1. Get rid of clutter. Too much "stuff" in your office and inside your home clutters your mind, creates confusion and exacerbates stress. Start by cleaning one area at a time. What items do you have that need to be donated, sold, or put back where they belong? As you're cleaning and putting things away, repeat to yourself, "Everything has a place." I often heard my dad repeat this phrase while we cleaned house. It still rings in my ears every time I clean.

What clothes do you own that you haven't worn in a year? Are you hoping to fit into them again? Donate these items to a local charity. What piles of paperwork are lying around that need to be filed? Studies show that 85% of everything that gets filed away never gets looked at again. Consider starting an archives file. You'll feel more energized, less stressed, and more self-confident when you eliminate clutter.

2. What's going on outside you is a result of what's going on inside you. What self-limiting beliefs do you have about your skills, aptitudes and abilities? Be honest with yourself. Write them down! You don't have to share them with anybody. The average person has 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts a day. When we talk to ourselves about ourselves, much of that self-talk is negative. As the saying goes, "How many times in a day do we ‘should of ' all over ourselves with everything that we should be doing?!" Get rid of the "should of' ." Become more aware of your thoughts, change them into positives, and you'll start achieving more success.

3. Enroll in a sunrise semester. First thing in the morning spend 30 to 60 minutes a day reading motivational, inspirational, or other pertinent information related to your chosen field. Your subconscious mind is most amenable to suggestion the FIRST hour upon arising, and that LAST hour before bedtime. As John Wooden once said, "If I am through learning I am through." Stay current and constantly upgrade your skills.

Learn more to earn more and to improve performance. Much of this is material we already know. Yet, often we need to hear it again because we don't "do" with what we know. Invest at least 3% of your income in personal and professional books, CD's, e-books, and teleseminars. When pressed for time, listen to CD's in your car on the way to work, picking up the kids, or driving to and from the supermarket. Attend seminars and conferences no matter what the distance. It is worth the investment in keeping you motivated.

4. Become more self-disciplined. The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people make themselves do things unsuccessful people don't want to do. It's that simple. Once you start an important task, discipline yourself to keep going. Focus on it single-mindedly until it's complete.

Be more aware of your every day habits and what distracts you. Make a list of the activities you engage in that are a waste of time. Resolve to eliminate them altogether or delegate them to someone else. Start by determining which activities only you can do. These are the ones you must do. Outsource everything else. The ability to determine where you should spend the majority of your time and then complete those tasks can have more impact on achieving your goals than anything else.

5. To improve performance and productivity work faster. Compete with yourself. Make it a game. Resolve to work more effectively and efficiently throughout your workday. Try arriving to work earlier and leaving a little later. Many business people in my speaking engagements tell me they get more work accomplished when they arrive to work at the crack of dawn. No one else is in the office and there aren't distractions. Try this at lunch as well. Everyone leaves from noon to one in the afternoon. Cut back on frivolous time wasters such as talking with co-workers around the water cooler and other idle chitchat. This will free up your time for the things you really enjoy, like spending time with your true friends, family and loved ones.

6. Review your values and priorities. Make sure your goals are consistent with what's important to you. Otherwise, no matter how much you think you want something, you won't work hard to achieve it if it's not in line with your core values. Write down each individual goal you think you want. Is it consistent with giving you greater peace of mind and happiness?

For example, values that are important to me in terms of work are helping others, freedom, creativity and flexible hours. A corporate job where I'd sit in an office all day would make me unhappy no matter how much it paid. So start by clarifying your values.

Success means many things to different people. In powering up your performance for greater success, first determine what you really want…and why. For example, do you really want a new car out of necessity, or is it to compete with the neighbors next door? No matter how much effort you put into achieving your goals, if they don't fit in with what's really important to you, you'll find ways to procrastinate or sabotage yourself. It's easier to be self-disciplined when you're passionate about something and it fits in with your core values.

"The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they most enjoy." Malcolm S. Forbes

Colleen Kettenhofen is a motivational speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of "The Masters of Success," as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. For free articles, e-newsletter, or to order the book visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, public speaking. Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions, seminars. (971)212-2412.
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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 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 Biba Ped