Home Business The Easy Way - GWi Update http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com en-us EasyRSS
By David McGimpsey

Everyone has a different reason for wanting a home based business. The most common reason is the immediate need for extra cash flow. Perhaps the cash is required for some unexpected bills. Whatever the problem, there is a solution.

At some stage or other, you have probably considered work at home jobs or a home business. Soon after, you have probably dismissed the idea. Wading through all the information on the web looks like a nightmare. It does not have to be a nightmare.

Here are some top home business cash flow ideas:

1. Creating ads

You can be paid for creating internet text ads for firms. Typing short ads and submitting them can earn a reasonable amount of cash. Creating ads from home allows you to refer people to companies. Any referrals, that complete a successful transaction, earn you money (sometimes up to $100 each).

2. Online Paid Surveys

These are fast becoming the backbone of the home business sector. This type of work, if done correctly, can earn you a reasonable income that you can then build on later.

3. Write

Yes, this is a way of making money from home. If you enjoy writing and have some favorite topics, start some web-logs. By writing about your passions on web-logs, you can earn some fantastic cash from people who enjoy reading your stuff.

4. Typing at home

Hiring secretarial and data-entry staff is becoming a huge cost to employers. More and more employers are seeing the benefits in outsourcing typing and data-entry to small home business operators. Payment is usually quite good because the employer does not need to worry about other costs that would normally be associated with a full-time employee.

5. Online Auctions

Using auction services like eBay, you can make a fortune buying and selling. Items that are marketed can come from government auctions, low-cost retail stores, and drop ship wholesalers, just about anywhere. Using auctions and the internet gives you a global market to retail goods.

These top opportunities offer huge potential-- seize the opportunities to realize a home business.

For further reading see our work at home and jobs finder reviews here (http://www.online-home-business-advisor.com/work-at-home-and-jobs.html).

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By Susan Friedmann

It is time for a visualization exercise. Are you ready?

Picture this:

You are standing, with your staff, in your exhibit booth at a large tradeshow. This is one of the best shows you regularly participate in. It attracts a sizeable number of your target audience. Your team is prepared. Your display looks terrific. You have interactive demonstrations. You have sponsored a speaker. Your giveaway items convey your marketing message, appealing to your target audience, and are in plentiful supply.

Looks good, right?

There is something in this scene, something I have not mentioned yet, that could make it all even better. Something that will not only boost your ROI, but will create that most vital of marketing tools.

What is it?

It is a secret weapon that is more than come of age. In fact, it has been around since the beginning of time, but only now is it realizing its full potential. This build up and suspense is all about “word of mouth marketing” and how you can use it to your advantage on the tradeshow floor.

I have recently read Seth Godin's “Flipping the Funnel", and it really brought home the concept of how underutilized tradeshow attendees are as a marketing tool. Attendees are more than prospects and contacts: they are a potential sales force, just waiting to tap on your behalf.

According to Godin, we should:

Turn strangers into friends.
Turn friends into customers.
Turn then ... do the most important job
Turn your customers into sales people.

Why?

Why would you want to recruit a whole bunch of amateur salespeople, you might ask, when you already have a perfectly competent, fully trained professional sales team? After all, you have spent considerable resources recruiting, training, and retaining your current team. Isn't that enough?

Frankly, no. Regardless of how big your sales force is, there's no way they are going to be able to connect with every person who might be interested in your products and services. Even working flat out, as Godin suggests, they are not selling as much as you would like.

This is where your friends and customers enter the picture. If you view them as assets, as allies in the world of sales, you have already expanded your potential marketplace. When more people are working on your behalf, you will reach more customers. It is simple mathematics.

There is another benefit as well. When your friends and customers recommend your products and services, their words carry far more weight than anything your sales team can say. People value the opinions of colleagues, peers, and relatives far more than they do the assurances of a salesperson. It is the difference between editorial speech and advertising, played out in a face-to-face setting.

So Now What?

Being convinced that recruiting tradeshow attendees to act on your behalf is one thing, convincing them to do it is another. According to Godin, we continually spend a tremendous amount of time and energy attempting to spread our marketing message to more and more people. This particularly holds true at tradeshows, where the focus is often on how to attract more people to your exhibit. As well, as talk to several people at once.

A slight shift in the priorities might be in order. While starting new business relationships will always be important, a new emphasis exists on strengthening and maintaining existing relationships.

Consider your current customers. Ask yourself -- or even better, ask them, how they feel about your products and services. How about your customer service? What makes doing business with your organization unique, enjoyable, and/or remarkable?

Whatever the answers, what are you doing to help your customers spread the word? Godin offers a number of technical solutions in his free e-book http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/files/flippingfunnelPRO.pdf which I highly recommend that you read, but here are a few more hands-on tools to implement at your next tradeshow:

Be Honest

Tell your best customers how much you appreciate them and how much you would value having more customers like them. It's no secret that you're in business to make money. No one thinks you are at the show as a philanthropic endeavor. Appealing to your customers to spread the word carries with it an implied compliment: You are reinforcing the fact that you think they are important, by extension, that other people think they are important, and that their opinion of you matters.

Encourage Referrals

Do you know how often your customer thinks about your company? It is probably less than 1% of their daily life -- after all, they have their own companies to worry about, and their own customer base, not to mention their own personal lives and world events. Sometimes people need a little prompting to spread the word -- otherwise, it might not occur to them.

Offer Incentives

If you want your customers to do something for you, you need to do something for them. Godin's idea is that by offering superior products and services, in a remarkable fashion, you will transform customers into fans.

Having strong advocates and supporters never hurts. Offering incentives for spreading the word can be a simple thing – an attractive discount on their next order, for example -- or something more elaborate. Remember, as tradeshow attendees skew younger, more than financial savings or benefits to their company may motivate them. Consider offering something more personal: a gift that would appeal to your target audience.

In Conclusion

Transforming customers into fans may not have been the top priority on your exhibiting list -- but it should be. Recruiting an all-volunteer sales force to augment your existing efforts is one of the most cost effective ways to get your marketing message out there.

Remember: people like to share stories about what they find good, interesting, or unique. By offering that at your next tradeshow, you are giving yourself a vital leg up on the competition -- those who are concentrating on the next new thing miss the value of what they might already have.

Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. For a free copy of “10 Common Mistakes Exhibitors Make”, e-mail: article4@thetradeshowcoach.com; website: http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com

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By Elias Georgi

Maybe you have just retired or perhaps you been laid off from your company. Now you have lots of time to pursue other activities and you are wondering if you should look for another job or try to develop something at home. Many people have difficulty coming up with ideas to work at home, and there are thousands of ideas to choose.

We cover a few approaches you can try in this article.

Anyone who has just retired or been laid off goes through a transition of emotions which can include shock at not having somewhere to go in the morning, to boredom, to significant concern about how they are going to pay the bills for themselves and their families. If you have decided to look for a job, there are specific approaches people use to find work, which include developing a resume, sorting through job openings, and most important, networking to let people know they are available, as well as, hear about openings that may be available.

Use these same skills and approaches in the quest for finding ideas to work from home. Although you will not need to have a resume, it is still important to develop an inventory of your skills, which you can use to assess any idea that you may consider. It is also useful to assist in deciding what additional skills you may need to make your work at home endeavor successful.

Networking with people who are already in the work at home area is very useful. You will obtain ideas, and pick up many useful hints and tips that may assist you in developing and starting a work from home business. Networking with people in person, and online, can be equally important. However, in both cases take care to protect your privacy and find legitimate ideas. There are many scams on the Internet. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is so consider each one carefully.

Successful entrepreneurs in every field usually start by asking what problem my solution will solve for the customer. Many people are willing to spend their money on solutions that solve problems for them and your trick is to find the one that does this for a large number of people. The key acid test for considering any work at home business idea is to ask yourself Science Articles, what problem I solve for my customer and how much is it worth to him.

Lastly, carry pen and paper with you at all times and jot down ideas as they come to you for consideration later. Sometimes the most amazing ideas will come to you as you are sitting enjoying coffee in your local coffee shop.

Elias Georgi is an experienced and successful sponsor, mentor and coach for many thriving, tested and proven home businesses. Elias offers proven Internet opportunities and strategies. Visit his Website: work at home business opportunities (http://www.eliasg.com/), he also runs the article directory (http://www.exclusive-article.com/).

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by Michael Kay

It's always easier to improve something than to imagine and create it from scratch. There's something about actually seeing it, complete, that affects the human mind, releases tension, and stimulates ideas for improvement.

We've all experienced it.

The cook who invents a new cake and instantly has everyone telling her how it could be better … if she only did this! The engineer who designs and builds a new bridge and has a hundred imitators (all with their own variants) within weeks.

In the world of regular business, this is the role of prototypes. To *show* everyone what can be. In the world of Japanese manufacturing, the concept of *kaizen* (that drove them to world manufacturing dominance) depends on the same phenomenon – invent a process then continually improve it.

If this is embedded in the human character why go against the flow? Yet, newbies to the web do it all the time! They either try to learn all the skills first (taking months and months to come to any income) or they hand over the bulk of the profits to some guy with a pre-packaged opportunity that promises to take away the pain – usually of technology.

Well, it may not suit everyone, but there is a third way.

Pre-packaged AdSense sites

AdSense is the Google advertising program that places those tiny, clickable advertisements on sites all over the web. AdSense is really the other side of the coin from AdWords. AdWords are the ads that appear in the top right of Google sales pages. Well, in AdSense the ads are placed on private sites and Google splits the proceeds with the owner.

AdSense is a well-established way to make a steady – mostly passive – income on the web. The idea is simple: you set up a site, stuff it with content (usually articles), optimize every page to its keywords, introduce it to the search engines and other drivers of traffic and then sit back and collect the checks!

There's a whole crowd of industrious e-book writers churning out instructions on how to do this. The most famous is John Reese, an internet guru's guru, who named these sites ‘virtual real estate'. Snappy!

The problem with VRE's is that the concept became too popular and Google became ticked off with the degradation of its search results from constantly repeated content. They have tried to strangle the concept, but that is frankly impossible. VRE sites are all about content and so is Google! Indeed, the bulk of Google's profits come from this source.

But, enough background. From the newbie point of view, pre-packaged AdSense Sites are a huge learning opportunity. The idea is simple.

You find a package. And install it. For an example of a site in its more or less raw form go to http://www.thememopad.com/adsense . You now publish the site – or a whole slew of them either under different domain names or in sub-directories of one domain. Your web host will tell you how to do that.

You now have a site with income potential and you start classic traffic building. So far, so typical…

But, you don't have to leave it there.

So far we have used some simple techniques – taking a bunch of web pages, uploading them, introducing them to the web site etc. But there are endless things you can do that may leave your site looking totally different in a short time - though it will never stop potentially earning money.

You are using the site as a prototype. Improve the graphics. Add your own content (Google will love you!). Change the layout. Add other providers – for example Yahoo! Publisher Network. Add Affiliate Links. Add all kinds of stuff.

As you play, you learn! In the teaching trade it is called "experiential learning" or "learning by doing", and it's the way the vast bulk of us learn – particularly adults.

The risk associated with this is small. You need a domain, a host, a package, and some web site creation software. Total cost a few hundred dollars, if you buy it all yourself.

But you get a huge amount for it.

A potential money-maker, a search engine optimized site, a learning opportunity and something else… a sense of accomplishment. Remember, the toughest thing in web home business is the loneliness. When you start from scratch you condemn yourself to months of lonely learning and frustration. Learning by doing - when the site is always potentially earning, and eternally *complete* - takes away a huge amount of the pressure and frustration.

AdSense pre-packaged sites make almost perfect learning tools. Try it, there's really nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Copyright (c) 2006 Michael Kay

About The Author
Michael Kay edits the * Insights Letter* and *The Home-Based Business Review*. These are FREE publications stuffed with ideas, access to resources and free gifts. Subscribe now at http://www.HBBResearch.com and get your free gift with the first issue. To find out more about AdSense Sites go to http://www.HBBResearch.com/AdSense_Business_In_A_Box.html

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By David McGimpsey

There are home based business opportunities everywhere. Some of them are worthwhile, while others... well, not so.

Before you consider anything, you need to ask yourself, what you are looking for. If you want overnight riches, then you would be safer buying a lottery ticket. If you are in the market for something that can start small and grow, then the opportunities are there for the taking.

Consider the top four home businesses.

Why only "top four" and not "top five"? This is a list of the best available, not the most round number. Check them out:

Online Paid Surveys

I know, I know-- you cannot make millions with paid surveys (please refer to the second paragraph).

Online Paid Surveys are as likely to make you rich as Antarctica is of winning all the gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. However, paid surveys are a great way to supplement an existing income or generate a small home based income to expand upon later.

Consider it a fraud if you think you will earn millions, consider it an opportunity if you want to earn a small, regular income. You can then grow the income later with other opportunities.

EBay for affiliates

EBay has to be the best affiliate program out there.

There are hundreds of ways of earning affiliate cash with eBay. One of those ways is simply to direct customers through to eBay to bid. Some of the eBay affiliates are earning in excess of $100,000 per month from eBay-- no joke. Go to eBay and read some affiliate case studies to find out how they are doing it.

If you are ready to move your home business to the next level, then this is definitely the way to do it.

EBay for e-tailers

The great thing about eBay is that there are customers out there now, just looking for products to buy. To make a fortune with eBay you just need to find out what they want and give it to them. There are some excellent software products out there that will help you identify what those customers are looking for.

If you want to get started in e-tailing then you can't go past eBay for security and fast business setup-- if you have a picture of what you want to sell you can be marketing in minutes.

General Affiliate Programs

Affiliate programs are another, great way to begin a home business. Why are they great? Because it is another business that requires no startup capital (and you can be up and running in minutes).

There are several excellent guides available. They will lead you systematically through setting up affiliate campaigns.

Overall, if you are just starting out, get your feet wet with online paid surveys. If you have already entered the world of home business and are looking to expand, you really need to look at how you can work with eBay.

Compare Online Paid Surveys here

Read about starting an online home business with eBay and eCommerce here (http://www.online-home-business-advisor.com/business-ebay-ecommerce-home-online.html).

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By Arindam C

Many people think that starting a home business is expensive. The amount of money you invest in your home business depends on the type of home business you choose. Depending on your choice, the capital you need to invest can range from zero to a few thousands of dollars. But the hardest part is finding a suitable and legitimate home business opportunity. So how do you find one?

Today, there are so many business opportunities in the form of eBay, multi-level-marketing, and affiliate marketing, that we are spoiled for choice. Or so, you would think. Actually, if you are searching for a legitimate work from home opportunity, then honestly, you have very few choices.

Therefore, before you spend your hard-earned cash on any business opportunity, I suggest you investigate the profits and risks associated with each business opportunity. Investigating each business opportunity will save you from potential perils. So, spend a good amount of time on it.

How do you judge the legitimacy of a program? If you are about to head to the Better Business Bureau, then you are just wasting your time. The BBB's database is quite old and is not updated regularly. Besides BBB is not available in every city and country. And BBB does not list a business opportunity, which is not registered with them, and not every legitimate business opportunity cares to register itself with BBB.

A better option is to head over to Google and perform a search there. You will not only find potential business opportunities in Google, but also if any business opportunity turns out to be a scam, Google will list that information too. Remember, online business opportunity seekers are very vocal about shady business practices. If a company scams them, they are quick to post the thing in their blog or forum so as to help others; and Google indexes all this information; which is why I always do a quick search on Google regarding any business opportunity before I sign up with them. While Google is not always foolproof, it is more or less a reliable source of information.

If you are unable to get much information about the business opportunity you have chosen, then the least you can do is contact the people who have participated in that business opportunity. Your best bet will be to email or call the participants to gain an insight on the business.

Finding a legitimate business opportunity is only half the work done. Even if you happen to find a legitimate business program, understand that each type of business opportunity has its own set of advantages and risks. Which type of business you want to choose depends on your inherent skills and experience level. If you have no business experience, don't worry- the Internet with its vast resource of information can provide you the training. Also each type of business opportunity has a different level of investment to be made. After you have chosen your business opportunity, create a business plan or a set of tasks and see how much you would have to spend on your business.

If you select affiliate marketing as your business, you can ask other affiliate marketers about what things they need to do in order to succeed. What tools they need, what books they buy, what strategies they use to be listed on the first pages of the search engines, etc.

Once you have gained this useful information, you will gain an insight about what you need to do to succeed in the business opportunity you have chosen for yourself. Ask yourself what things you would need to do to make your business work. If you are not able to answer this question then see what other successful affiliate marketers are doing, and duplicate their marketing tactics.

Finally, keep in mind that more than the financial investment you make, the ultimate success of your business will depend on the non-financial investments you make- your sweat, blood, toil, and tears. If you are ready for it, then go ahead and start your own business.

If you are unable to find a suitable business opportunity for yourself, we can make your task easier. If you do not know where and how you can find legitimate and lucrative home business opportunities, then simply visit our website.

Arindam is a home business expert. For more such Home Business tips please join his free e-course at:
http://jobs4all.biz

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You are just a click away from contact with your clients and prospects by e-newsletter. The savings in postage, printing and sorting by the post office is nothing short of wonderful. And by adding photos and images, your newsletter is a full-color, graphically-enhanced image of your business for only a fraction of the time that paper newsletters require.

Elegant graphics are great, but newsletters are all about NEWS. Make your newsletter a "must-read" in everyone's crowded email box by presenting exciting, interesting and boldly-presented information.

The Not-So-Hot Newsletter is filled with:

* boring product descriptions
* long, rambling paragraphs as dense as a forest
* poor quality photos without cropping or enhancements
* selling features instead of benefits
* grammar and spelling errors
* sloppy formatting
* "all-about-me" attitude that makes clients feel unimportant

The Must-Read Newsletter is known to contain:

* brief, dazzling product descriptions that leave the reader wanting to know more
* crisp writing in conversational style
* high-quality digital photos
* additional ideas that clients find interesting
* special offers that can only be found by reading the newsletter
* creative ways to use the product or service
* interaction with clients through question/answer column

From this comparison, you can see that an effective e-newsletter starts with planning. A tried and true place to start is to answer the classic news reporter’s questions: who, what, when, where, how and why. Who is your audience? Set up specific criteria for the gender, age, income, interest or other qualities that define your target reader. Knowing the demographics of your reader makes preparing the e-newsletter so much easier.

What is the purpose of your e-newsletter? Your newsletter can sell, inform, take a political or social stand, incite discussion, share hobbies or define you as an expert in your field.

When will you send the newsletter? Preparing a polished newsletter takes time, especially if this is new for you. Start with monthly. Before you take on a weekly newsletter, get in the flow of twice monthly and see if it meets the need. Whatever frequency you choose, let your readers know and be faithful to the promised dates.

Where will you find readers for your e-newsletter? You want to add to your client base by connecting with others online who have similar interests. That means advertising, blogging, sharing mail lists, affiliate links or any means possible to find new readers from other sources.

How can you get your newsletter prepared with the highest quality? Remember you can find writers, graphic designers and other support services locally or online. You don't need to be a Lone Ranger. Help is available at a wide range of prices.

Why do you need a newsletter? Maybe this needs to be the first question. Don't do it because your competition does. Make your e-newsletter an important communication tool that is as informative and comfortable as chatting with a friend over coffee.

Aurelius Tjin is The Publisher of The 'Unstoppable Profits Blog' With Over 22,000 Readers. Discover His Secret Strategies To Skyrocket Your Internet Marketing Business. To Get Free Internet Business Videos, Tips, and Strategies Go To http://www.aureliustjin.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_GWi_249/user/index.php
Here is one method that you can use to get traffic to your web site. It relies on choosing some niche keywords based on your web site theme. The process is fairly simple and can be expanded to get tons of traffic to your site. Here is how.

It is often tempting to chase after popular themes and then select the major keyword as your target. However, this is not a great move-- well, not in the beginning anyway. You first have to build your credibility with the search engines before they will place you near the top.

The key is to choose a keyword phrase that people are using in popular search engines (such as Google) but have very few web sites that cater to that keyword phrase. How do you find such valuable keyword phrases? Here’s how!

If you use a software tool such as Good Keywords or the Google AdSense tool, it will return you many different keyword phrases. Look for specific phrases that look a bit odd. One of the ones that I look for are those that are book titles. Sometimes the words are jumbled but after you have gone through a few of them you will easily recognize them because initially they seem to make no sense. This is often because the words in the title of the book have been sorted into alphabetic order.

If you choose this phrase and set up a web page targeting that phrase, you can then produce a few paragraphs on the book based on reviews at any of the popular online book- sellers, such as Amazon. You can then have affiliate links to the major booksellers and receive an affilaite commission from them.

I have used this technique to target books on Poker which have attracted traffic where I can offer either the book of their interest or to one of the gaming clubs or to my other web pages on Poker.

A book with a similar title is “Liar’s Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street”. The tools indicate that it was searched for in Overture (Yahoo) 12,043 times in one month, so probably 120,000 in Google. Yet depending on how it is entered, Google shows that there ar only 997 sites that cater to that phrase. That’s pretty good odds for you to get a high ranking in the search engines. You can then offer your new-found traffic links to products and services related to the finance industry – a high-paying industry.

If you can find other books related to this them, then you can aggregate the traffic through links to your home page. Eventually you will raise your page rank to a fairly high level.

This is a method that is easy to implement, yet can be refined on an ongoing basis to improve the natural search traffic to your web site.

Ron Skruzny is a webmaster at http://www.criticalmass.biz, a site devoted to Search Engine Optimization. Apart from more articles on SEO, the website also offers lessons and links to a whole range of SEO related resources. If you want to get an increasing level of sustainable web traffic then http://www.criticalmass.biz may have just the right information to help you.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_GWi_249/user/index.php
By Kevin Sinclair

You need an article for your newsletter, and you need it now. In fact, you can spare only forty minutes to get the article written, edited, and slotted into place.

Breaking it down, this means, you have to write the first draft in around 30 minutes. Not a lot of time - especially if you do not consider yourself much of a writer. The good news is that you can do it - and do it well. Here is how to generate a 400-500-word article in a short time.

1. Turbo-Outlining.

Give yourself 5-10 minutes for this part of the process. If you already have a topic in mind, you are in front. If not, you have exactly 90 seconds to decide. Presumably you understand where your readers are coming from (if not, you are in big trouble.) Use those 90 seconds to jot down words or phrases that summarize anything that is likely to be causing them a problem. Naturally, this needs to be a problem that YOU can help solve in your article.

From this list, choose the topic that appeals to you most. Now - in three and a half minutes - it is time to outline the article. Use these headers to guide you:

a. State the problem - and promise a solution. (Just jot down quick notes at this stage.)

b. Outline the process for solving the problem. Divide this into 3-5 logical steps. Label each step (this will become a sub-heading in your article).

c. Jot down points you want to make in your conclusion. This can be advice on how to ensure that the problem does not recur, or offer links to resources that can help. End on a positive note that leaves the reader feeling glad that he read your advice.

2. Speed-Writing Your First Draft.

Allow 20-25 minutes to write the first draft. Spend an extra few minutes on the first paragraph. This is where your reader will decide whether to continue reading. Your job is to show you understand exactly what the problem is and to sound confident that you can help them solve it. Do not use long-winded sentences or ramble on about how awful it is - just get to the point. By the end of the first half-dozen sentences, your reader needs to feel connected to read more and find out the solution.

Each of your 3-5 sub-headings should clearly indicate what the following paragraphs contain Remember, many readers skim-read an article to see if it is worth reading. Look at the words you have chosen - can you rephrase these headings to make the whole process sound simpler or faster?

Under each sub-heading, write two or three paragraphs pertaining to the problem-solving strategy you are outlining. Since you are writing this quickly, it is likely you will automatically adopt a forthright, casual tone. If you find yourself writing in overly formal language, stop, and reconsider. The best 'how to' articles use simple language and everyday terminology. Make it as easy as possible for your reader to follow.

The ending is just as important as the opening paragraph. It is vital not to let the article fizzle out in a weak conclusion. You need to leave your reader feeling inspired, energized, and confident that they can follow your advice and fix the problem.

You can:
- tell them how much time/energy/money they will save by following your advice
- Share a 'secret' of some kind that will help them move on to the next step (be more successful, save even more time, etc)
- point them to further helps or resources. (These can be provided by you and your web site, or by others who have a level of expertise.)

3. Tweak and Polish.

After thirty minutes, you should have an excellent basis for your article. If you can afford to take fifteen minutes out at this stage for a cup of coffee or a quick walk, do so. It is always better to take a break before editing your work. If not, just start reading it from the beginning. Check for these things:

a. Spelling and grammar. Your computer should do most of the work here, but a computer can miss typos or offer strange advice when it comes to grammar. You need to read it through yourself for flow and overall impact.

b. Wordy sentences or phrases. Weed them out!

c. Badly-phrased advice. If a sentence does not flow, write it again. Think of how you would explain to someone else in a casual conversation. Does your writing reflect this?

d. Missing steps. When you are familiar with a process, or trouble-shooting, it is all too easy to leave out a step or a small but vital piece of information. Run over the whole process in your mind to make sure you have not left anything out.

Now, you should have a finished article that will prove both interesting and helpful to many of your readers. At worst, it will be competent. At best, it will surprise you with what you can achieve in a short time!

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of http://besuccessfulnews.com, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

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by William Perkins

Most internet marketing professionals agree that if you don’t have a list, then you don’t really have a business. Building a lucrative list is essential to your success. A customer list is the greatest asset of any business. In internet marketing, your customer list is your personal gold mine.

After you solve the problem of generating traffic to your website, it then becomes necessary to capture the name and email address of your visitor so you can build your own customer list. If you fail to do this, your business will fail.

It’s amazing to me how many people spend a ton of effort and money on getting visitors to their site where they pitch a product in hopes of getting a sale and then fail to capture their visitor’s name and email address.

You must focus your attention on building your list instead of on trying to make your initial sale. Remember, only 1 in a 100 people is going to buy your product after arriving at your website. You must capture the other 99 people’s name and email address so that you can show your product(s) to them again in the future.

There are a few techniques you can use to capture your visitor’s information and build a lucrative list. Here are the three “biggies” which are the most effective:

1. The Squeeze Page
2. The Pop-Up, and
3. A Simple Opt-in Form

The best method to use of the three ways to build a list is the squeeze page. A regular opt-in form might get a 10% to 20% opt-in rate, while a squeeze page is more likely to produce a 20% to 40% opt-in rate of the total number of visitors who arrive at your website.

A squeeze page is a web page with only one purpose: to capture the information details of your visitor. The squeeze page is different from using a pop-up or normal opt-in form because you don’t allow your visitor access to your website unless they give you their name and email address, and/or other details.

Therefore, a squeeze page must “sell” the benefits of your website to your visitor. A good squeeze page must have a strong benefit driven headline to grab the reader’s attention, some bullet points outlining the benefits of your website, and a call to action.

The best squeeze pages are not long. Do not make your visitor scroll down the page to opt-in. Other best practices include placing your photo on the page, make bold every other bullet point, and put a box around your "call to action" which is merely your opt-in form. Tell the visitor exactly what to do in no uncertain terms.

You must provide enough information to entice your visitors to leave their name and email address. Use good copywriting and sales techniques to “squeeze” your customers into joining your list. To ensure that people opt-in, you usually have to bribe them.

Offer some kind of free gift to bribe your visitor. A short report, a mini-course, a subscription to your newsletter, or an audio or video file is usually enough to get your visitor to join your list. In your call to action, be sure to let your visitors know that they will be given their free gift immediately after clicking the “submit” button located on your form.

Just a note here: You will not be sending your customers to your web page immediately after they enter their information details. Instead, you will send them to your “One Time Offer” page which is the subject of one of my other articles in this series of articles on list building.

Newbies are often afraid to use a squeeze page. They think that not enough people will choose to opt-in to their list. It’s true that you will need to write convincing copy and you will have to offer a valuable gift to get your visitor to opt-in. But you need not worry about visitors who don’t choose to opt-in. If your visitors are not even interested enough to give you their email address, then they probably won’t be interested enough to buy from you either.

William Perkins writes about how to start an online business, affiliate marketing, and making money online. He has packaged what he knows into a new Affiliate Marketing Handbook. You can get the first 35 pages of the handbook for free when you opt-in at his website. http://www.BigWillySite.com.
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By Alicia Forest

Leverage the page your website visitors see after they sign up for your list or make a purchase. This article shares four ways to utilize this space to increase your marketing and sales without having to do more work.

I have a question for you: When people sign up to receive your ezine or other Free Taste of what it is you are offering, where do they end up? Do they see a polite thank you page from you? Do they see the default confirmation page from your list service? Do they see nothing? Are left wondering if the registration went through? People who are signing up for your list expect to see a page afterwards as a normal part of the transaction. On that page, it is important to thank them for signing up and make them feel good about their decision. Also, if you are using a double opt-in for your list, let them know they need to confirm their subscription before they will receive the information they requested from you.

There is more you can do with this page, so why not leverage it? Here are a few ideas on how to accomplish this:

1. Add, Tell-A-Friend. Most people are happy to refer you to someone else they know who might benefit from what you are offering, if you will just ask them.

You can do this easily by simply asking them to point others to your sign-up page, or by using a simple referral software program, like TAFPro, which creates a simple form to fill in with a name and email address of the person whom they are referring. Once they hit send, an email goes directly to the recipient and a copy comes to you. This is a great way to add new subscribers to your list without you having to do more work.

2. Make another offer. The best time to make an offer to someone is when interacting with you. Someone who just signed up to receive information from you is likely to be interested in something else you have to offer. Use this page to make an offer on one of your lower ticket items in your funnel. By doing so, you will gain sales you would not otherwise.

3. Ask a question. This is a prime time to gather a little market research from your readers. Ask a simple question, like "What's your biggest challenge with X?" (X represents your niche, what it is that you are offering). Add an email link where they can send their answer, and then use this information as you continue to develop offerings for your target market.

Doing this also helps in starting to build a relationship with your readers, and it keeps you up-to-date as to what they are struggling with right now so you can offer the solutions they want.

4. Refer them elsewhere. Hook up with a colleague to start trading some thank you page traffic. On your thank you page, say something like, "I know you'll also benefit from (name of ezine), published by (name of publisher)." Then give them instructions on how to sign up. Your colleague would do the same for you on their thank you page.

I implement all four of these strategies on various thank you pages, which are helping me build a stronger relationship with my readers, find out what it is that they want my help with, build my list faster and easier, (while helping a handful of colleagues build theirs), and make more sales by making more offers.

I encourage you to leverage your thank you pages this way in your own business. Making them work double-duty for you will absolutely create the same results for you that I'm enjoying, Computer Technology Articles, so pick one and start working it today.

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach™ and creator of "21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success System™, teaches coaches, consultants, and other solo professionals and online entrepreneurs how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit http://www.clientabundance.com/.

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By Alicia Forest

Did you know almost every person who visits your website would leave without buying? However, there are things you can do to get the most from your website visitors that can make a big difference in your bottom line. I share four of them in this article.

Did you know almost every person who visits your website would leave without buying? I know that sounds disheartening, but it is true. Just think of all the sites you have been on yourself and you have not bought from, right? However, do not be discouraged. There are things you can do to get the most from your website visitors, which can make a big difference in your bottom line. Here are four of them:

1. Use Pop-Ups...or use pop-unders…or use pop-up-tomorrow, or use whatever latest 'pop' technology is available today. Yes, they do annoy some people, but internet marketing stats tell us that they work. In addition, the one that works the best is the "exit pop", those ones that say, "wait! before you leave... take advantage of this...”

If you do decide to use pop-ups, use them sparingly so as not to annoy your visitor. You can also use pop-ups to implement any of the following strategies:

2. Invite them to be on your list...

Most people will not buy from you on the first pass. You need to build a relationship with your prospects in order for them to feel comfortable investing any of their hard-earned cash with you.

Give them an opportunity to join your list so you can build that relationship. Invite them to receive a free taste of what it is that you are offering - ezine, special report, checklist - so they get on your list. You then have the opportunity to market to them over time, which will build that relationship which will lead to more sales.

3. Find out why they are leaving...

Ask them why they are leaving your site. Not everyone will tell you, but the feedback you do receive is gold. You can then make any appropriate adjustments to your website to increase your sales and opt-in conversion rates.

4. Make another offer...

If they did not purchase on the first pass, make them another offer. Offer them another product or program of yours that's at a lower price point, or send them to someone else's site whose offering might benefit them instead, preferable one of which you highly recommend and are an affiliate of so you can earn a small commission for your referral.

Pick one of the aboveFree Web Content, test it, and see how it works for you. You are sure to increase your list numbers and your sales numbers if you start implementing even one of these strategies today.

Copyright 2007 Alicia M Forest and Client Abundance

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach™ and creator of "21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success System™, teaches coaches, consultants, and other solo professionals and online entrepreneurs how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit http://www.clientabundance.com/.

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By Titus Hoskins

Videos are playing an ever-increasing importance in the completely online marketing process. Using videos will increase brand recognition, create buzz, and help you promote and sell your products or services more effectively. So are you using videos?

Most perceptive Internet marketers did not need YouTube or the cover of Time magazine to tell them video is the next big thing. Most web marketers were already using and benefiting from online videos long before Time and other pundits declared video and self-generated content to be having a profound impact on our daily lives.

Many online marketers have been using videos for years to promote and sell their products, mainly because the use of video as a marketing tool is cost-effective, and a very simple way to market. No online marketer can ignore one marketing trend. It is playing a major role in online marketing and will play an even greater role in the future.

Just look at how video is used by, Brock Felt and Buck Rizvi, to roll out their PipeLine Profits venture. These relatively unknown marketers are using video from the recent StomperNet event to introduce and gather buzz for their PipeLine (Co-Registration) Profits (www.pipelineprofits.com). You should also note how effectively blogs and podcasts are being used in this marketing product rollout.

More and more well known Internet marketers are using videos to create buzz, to promote and sell their products. From John Reese promotional video, standing at the Great Wall of China announcing his upcoming 'online training courses' (www.income.com), to Joel Comm, plugging his latest AdSense Templates package on Google Video, to Michael Cheney's tongue- in-cheek CMN Cheney's Marketing News (www.cheneysmarketingnews.com). Note how Cheney is offering these videos for placement on any site around the web, building links and brand recognition in the process.

Online marketers are exploiting the immediate connection and effectiveness of using video in their marketing. Videos are used to inform potential customers on different products, services or promotions offered by the marketer. These seasoned marketers know building a solid relationship with your clients is a main key to boosting your sales. The use of video is an effective and simple way to make this connection.

Most marketers also use blogs to update and connect with potential clients. Blogs and RSS feeds are perhaps the more important marketing tools, which actually gives videos their unlimited potential. It is the real power behind the throne. With the advent of the next RSS empowered Windows (Vista), one would expect Blogs and RSS to play an even greater role in the Internet marketing arena. Video has truly arrived in the online marketing world.

What we will see is every website on the net becoming its own broadcasting system, its own television channel catering to a specific niche or a broad topic depending on the subject matter covered by the site. A billion channel Internet powered by RSS and video. One only has to look at how a prominent site like WebProNews.com is using videos to see how this scenario will play out.

However, what is truly revolutionary, you do not have to be major players to get in the marketing game, even the smallest marketer can use and benefit from implementing their own videos. A simple video or digital camera can produce an informational video within minutes. These can range from the so-called 'poor man' Camtasia videos, to elaborate infomercials, and commercials. You can then upload these videos to your blog or site and distribute them around the web within seconds. Those concerned with bandwidth costs can always upload their videos to YouTube or Google Video. This simple video marketing system is available to everyone.

Current well-informed online marketers are using these videos as effective marketing tools. No reason why you cannot follow their lead and use videos to:

1. Introduce yourself or your product

2. Create buzz during a product launch

3. Build your list by offering free videos

4. Create video content to enrich your site

5. Build a more personal relationship with subscribers

6. Keep in contact with your clients

7. Create a video sales letter/pitch to sell your product or service

Nothing beats the personal and direct connection video or TV makes with your potential customers and follow-up leads. It's the infomercial personalized for the web. Soon marketers will be using video software that automatically inserts their subscriber's name in their videos for a more personal touch. Similar to what we see done now with AutoResponders with the field {first_name) personalizing all correspondence with our subscribers. Expect this personalized video marketing to be a big trend in the coming years.

Your own name is still the sweetest word on the planet. Most perceptive marketers will take advantage of this fact by personalizing their messages and building a genuine relationship with their clients. Personalized videos will help cement this relationship and make it stronger - all contributing to more sales for the marketer, of course! From a marketing viewpoint: videos, podcasts, broadcatching, web casting, and video casting are all phrases for the same thing: they are all ways to get your message in front of your customers. Obviously, video will help you reach more customers. Video will make it easier for you to promote your products or services.

Perhaps, more importantly, videos will make it easier for you to sell your products and services. It is one more tool online marketers should have in their marketing arsenal. Video is already the future of online marketingFree Web Content; you should be taking full advantage of it right now.

The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous niche websites, including two sites on Internet marketing. For the latest and most effective web, marketing tools try: www.marketingtoolguide.com for the latest Internet Marketing Strategies go here: www.bizwaremagic.com 2007 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

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By Stephen Joyce

Many retail business owners feel pressure to set up shop online. However, is this realistic expectation or is it an exercise in futility. Some very important key questions need answered before considering the move to online sales.

1. Are your products conducive to mail, phone, or online sales? You think every product will sell online, to some degree, you would be correct. Should you sell every product online? The answer is no. Many products do not sell well online because they are not conducive to impulse purchases, the demand is low, or the product itself has a long sales cycle. Most people will make purchases online using a credit card, having a limit of $1,000 to $5,000, so that the products or combinations of products are easy to purchase.

2. Are you prepared to sell your products online? This may seem very basic, but it will validate your motivation to succeed online. If your motivation to sell online is driven by a belief that "everyone else is doing it and so should I”, then you should seriously consider the implications of selling online. Once you have made the mental decision to sell online, you can begin to formulate your strategy for doing so.

3. Do you have the resources to sell online? Are you prepared to handle five, ten, a hundred, five hundred orders a day? Do you have the staff to fulfill orders, manage online customer service, and make updates to the website? Do you plan to do this work yourself? If so, have you considered the impact this decision will have on the rest of your business? Create a plan that sets definitive goals for your online storefront, as you would for any business opportunity. Remember, managing a successful e-commerce website is a full-time job.

4. Who will build your site? One of the biggest myths about e-commerce is that anybody can build and run an online store. The truth of the matter is that anyone can build and run a store online, but only a select few can do it well. There are many online store builders, shopping cart programs, and hosted applications that let you build a site and start selling your products online, but realistically you get what you pay for with most of these services. Consider hiring a company who specializes in developing online commerce sites for you. The result will be superior to a homegrown site and will ultimately result in increased credibility and sales.

5. What is your budget? Get quotes from a variety of vendors. You will find that the quotes you get back will range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. A reasonable amount to budget for your new website is around $10,000 for a full build out including custom web design and software, and ongoing server and maintenance fees of about $300 to $500 per month. When you consider your budget, take into account that the more you spend upfront, the less likely you will be to change the site. On the Internet, keeping your website fresh and updated is crucial to your credibility.

Now that you have answered the fundamentals, you will want to ensure you take the following steps to get your online store set-up correctly and efficiently:

1. Set-up an Internet Merchant Account This is necessary. You may be tempted to use PayPal, 2Checkout, or some other low cost online payment solution, however, in the end, when your site becomes popular and you start generating significant revenue, you will find that the discount rate you pay with a true merchant account will be much less. Although there is a little more work involved in setting up an Internet capable merchant account, your credibility, not to mention your payment tracking, are simplified.

2. Purchase a Secure Certificate. This is also necessary. Securing your site is mandatory in order to avoid possible issues with credit card theft. All merchant account providers will require you have a secure certificate installed on your server before they issue you the account. Secure certificates range in cost from around $80 CAD to $500 CAD depending on the level of security and authentication you require. For the most part, a basic certificate is all that is required for online sales.

3. Organize your product data. When you have your product data organized in a spreadsheet, it will go a long way to speeding up the set-up of your store. It will also help you organize your store layout and determine what products will sell best online.

4. Take good product photos. Since your online customers will not be able to hold or touch your products, a good photo is your next best option. Your photographs should be bright, with good contrast, and show the product either alone or in combination with complimentary products. For example, when selling a pair of jeans, take a photo of a person (preferably someone who looks attractive in the jeans) actually wearing the jeans. Have the person wear other complimentary products from your store like a popular shirt, shoes, and a purse. Customers will be more inclined to buy the jeans if they can see the jeans in context with other products.

5. Set-up a newsletter. Permission based newsletters are an excellent way to keep your customers coming back to your store. Sending a monthly newsletter that highlights new products, sales, or promotions can be a great way to retain and attract new customers.

6. Visit stores that you like and make notes. Do your research. Look at the sites that are at the top of their game and find out what they do. How are their products displayed? How does their shopping cart work? How often do they update their site? The more information you can provide to your web designer and developer, the closer they will come to meeting your expectations.

In summary, do not rush into anything. Like all good things, a high quality revenue-generating website takes time, money and effort to build. There is nothing wrong with starting small Article Submission, but remember to re-invest in your online store. Make improvements whenever you can and keep it fresh. The days of "build it and they will come" have long been over. Talk to a marketing expert and plan your strategy accordingly.

Stephen Joyce is President of Sentias Software Corp, a software development company based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Sentias develops the Booking Server, a sophisticated hosted tour product management and distribution system. For more information about the Sentias Booking Server, please visit http://www.sentias-booking-server.com.

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By Steve Renner

A fast way to become successful is to Model Success. Find the person who you would like to be like and copy them. This is a secret to Internet Marketing Excellence.

I am on many mailing lists, and like to keep track of what is happening in the Internet Marketing scene. This keeps me in tune with what is going on.

The older, more experienced Marketers are teaching new people the business with their special Coaching and Mentoring Programs.

As part of their Coaching service, they will help these new marketers break into the business, by promoting them to their list. There is nothing wrong with this, and it is actually a great thing. This is how most of the great marketers get started.

Problem is, it seems more and more people who graduate from these Coaching Programs are getting into the business. They want to start giving their Marketing Advice.

One thing I can tell you is this, in the Internet Marketing world there is an incredible amount of different information floating around. It can be overwhelming. This is called Information Overload, and it happens to everyone.

Another problem is you do not always know if the information you are getting is reliable or not. Is this something someone has learned from someone else? Are they now passing themselves off as an expert? Is this coming from someone that has really done it?

It is essential you know the person from whom you are receiving the information.

A good marketer is always looking to learn new things, and looking to learn from someone. If you find just one golden nugget of information, it can make you a fortune in your business.

That's why it is critical that when you are looking to learn from someone, look for a person who is out there actively Marketing, someone who is actually in the trenches doing it on a daily basis.

If they are just learning as you are, then this is not the source example to follow.

Look for someone who has been in the business for a while and has a good track record of success.

This person can become your Mentor. When you find someone that you look up to and want to be like, then just look at what they are doing and copy them.

This is the easiest way to be successful in your business, Model Success! If it is working for them, Business Management Articles, then it can work for you too.

This is a Secret to Internet Marketing Excellence!

Steve Renner has been marketing online since 1998. He is the Director of Training and Marketing for The Affiliate Community, an Online Training and Resource Site for Affiliate Marketers of all Levels.He is a pioneer in the development of Hybrid Marketing and is an Expert in Internet Marketing and Marketing Affiliate. http://www.affiliatecommunity.netGet over $1,000 in Training and Resources FREE!

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By Michael Moshkovich

These are tips on what to avoid during the developing stages of your internet marketing business to give yourself the best chance at success.

You need to know several things before building a business in internet marketing. More important, several aspects need avoided when building an internet marketing business. Avoid overuse of keywords, and waiting to advertise your website. It can be detrimental toward the success of your internet marketing business.

All over the internet, search engine optimization and keyword optimization are one of the most important parts to internet marketing. What people do not realize is, this does not mean put your targeted keywords in every line of content. Overusing your keywords throughout your content makes it difficult to follow along with what you are saying. You have to learn to create a balance between the two extremes of not enough use and too much use of keywords.

Keywords are a vital part to the content you distribute in your internet marketing business. The content itself will either draw in readers or push them away. When you begin writing your content, it is easy to get off the subject and begin writing about nonsense. However, it is crucial you provide quality content related to your websites overall theme.

Aside from the content on your website, the information you provide in your emails and other internet marketing schemes is crucial to generating more sales. Because your internet marketing business is new, the logical thing to do is make your point clear and concise. Sometimes clear and concise is too long. It is difficult to learn when you first start out, but you will quickly realize the best email messages get your point across in a short message.

The last thing that is oh too common with newbies is waiting to begin marketing your website until it is more developed. The problem is you are wasting time to begin generating potential sales. Your website constantly needs developing, because in internet marketing, the best way to stay on top is to constantly be evolving and adding new content.

On top of the potential profit you could be missing, you have no idea whether your hard work is what the public is looking for until you give them a chance to look at it. The best way to build a people-friendly website is to get feedback and criticism, because this allows you to learn from your mistakes and build off what people are telling you.

Although you do want to put a lot of research into how you can build a promising internet marketing business, what not to do should be of equal importance to you. While there are several things you need to avoid, Business Management Articles, these are some of the worst mistakes you can make in the internet marketing business.

Michael Moshkovich is a web developer and internet marketer who has written over 50 articles on SEO, shopping cart software and PPC marketing. To find out more information about WebCart visit us here (http://www.webcart.net/). For eCommerce marketing tips, visit the WebCart Blog (http://www.webcart.net/shoppingcartsoftware).

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by Michael Moshkovich

One strategy that works, if you work at it, is forum marketing. Here is an internet marketing strategy you can work at to help you earn money on the internet.

Perhaps you have heard of the KISS method for doing Internet marketing; “Keep It Simple Stupid”. Internet marketing does not require you to be a rocket scientist, but it does require you to work. Here is an Internet marketing strategy you can work at to help you earn money on the internet.

When it comes to Internet marketing, think about the market you are targeting. These people can use the product that you sell. One strategy that works, if you work at it, is forum marketing. An Internet forum is an on-line discussion group where people exchange ideas about a common interest. There are thousands of discussion forums on the Internet on every imaginable topic

The Internet strategy you are using here is to join a forum that relates to the product you sell. As a member, you will be able to establish a profile that you can include your website. Many forums will let you create a signature file where you can create a short classified ad about yourself or your business. In that, again you want to include your website address.

To use forum marketing, you will have to spend time in the forum asking and answering questions. What you are really doing is beginning to establish relationships with people. If you create quality posts in the forum, you will start to establish yourself as an expert. The value of this is when people read your posts they will be curious to learn more about you. As they read your profile or signature file, they will see you website address and click on it. You have just created a visitor to your site.

This is probably the easiest thing you will ever do. This Internet marketing strategy can make you thousands of dollars for years to come. Why? Because most forums archive their posts and search engines spider these for useful content. One good forum post can be picked up by a search engine and bring you website traffic repeatedly.

For this reason, you want to try to include keywords in your post that relate to the content of your website. Do not spam-write the same keyword repeatedly, but just write as if you were talking, and be mindful of an opportunity to work in a keyword when possible.

You can derive one last benefit from a good forum. You can get many good ideas. This is free training for you. You will very quickly be able to spot people in the forum who post good content who can teach you things. Over time, you will go from student to teacher yourself.

As an Internet, marketing strategy, forum marketing is one of the easiest. It takes time and effortArticle Submission, but is a long-term way to get traffic to your website.

Michael Moshkovich is a web developer and internet marketer who have written over 50 articles on SEO, shopping cart software and PPC marketing. To find out more information about WebCart's seo friendly shopping cart software visit our website (http://www.webcart.net/).

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By Mal Keenan

Increase Your Google AdSense Income with Simple Two Minute and Highly Effective Changes...

I have been adding Google AdSense to my websites for a couple of years now with great success. It is amazing how AdSense earnings can turn into another significant monthly income stream with little effort on your part. Once the ads are added to your site, there is little or no maintenance.

Some internet marketers are earning $100s and even $1000s per day with AdSense. Although I have not reached that level, I have learned a little over the years to make the most profit from the AdSense ads on my pages.

Here are my five most effective ways to maximize your AdSense earnings:

1. Blend the Ads in with your Site - Create colors for your ads that will blend in with the colors on your website. The idea is to make the ads look less like ads and more like another part of your site. To do this, make the AdSense ad border and background the same color as your website background. Also, make the link text the same color as your website link text. This small change should significantly increase your AdSense click thru rate.

2. Place the Ads Correctly - Place the ads in a prominent position on your website, no point placing the ads where they will not be seen by the vast majority of your websites visitors. The most effective places to position your ads are at the top centre of your site and at the top right hand-side. Website visitor eyes tend to move from top centre to top right so anywhere in this area is good and of course, you can find the most appropriate ads to fit well in these areas.

3. Choose the Most Profitable Ad Format - Through testing it has been found that the most effective Google AdSense format is the (338x280) large rectangle. This ad will outperform all the others, but do not sacrifice the design of your website by squeezing one of these ads in where it will not look right. Placing a large rectangle in the centre of the page is more preferable to putting it in one of the side columns where the layout will be affected.

4. Wrap Your Content - Through proper formatting, you can wrap the content of your site around the ads. This is especially effective when wrapping a website article around a (338x280) ad. If you visit any of my sites that have articles on them, you can see how this looks. For instructions on how to do this, go to Google, and search-("wrap text around Google AdSense").

5. Maintain Relevant Content - Although Google's automatic script for targeting ads to the content of your site is often first class, there are times when it does not match the right ad to your content. The way to avoid this is to place good quality targeted content on your pages. If you are creating websites specifically to earn from Google, then make sure to focus the keywords around one topic. Placing various keywords on a variety of unrelated topics will result in untargeted ads on your site.

The most important point when placing Google AdSense on your websites is to stay within Google's terms of service, which you can find on their site. Many people have lost their AdSense accounts through flirting with dodgy practices in order to increase earnings. This may pay off in the short term, but Google will always catch you in the end.

Mal Keenan is editor and publisher of Home Business Tips Newsletter: Latest home based business ideas (http://www.home-business-tips-newsletter.com/). To Find Out What Was My Greatest Lucky Break in My 6 Years of Frustration, check out: Real home based internet business (http://www.freeadvertz.com/).

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By Jeff Smith

Packaging your own ebook, report, audio package, course, or manual to sell online is within everyone's reach and ability. Turn the knowledge, experience, and information you already have into your own information product. You can quickly be piloting your very own online business keeping 90% of the profits.

Building your own business around what you already know or have experienced is one of the easiest, fastest, and most proven methods of escaping the job market in search of your own profit- producing home-based business.

You may not believe it, but you already have a pot-of-gold within your reach right now - sitting, waiting to turn into products you can sell online.

By packing your knowledge, experiences and stories into digital ebooks, booklets, or even your own course or workshop, you have the foundation for a very profitable small venture.

What have you done or experienced in your life that has demanded you study, research, explore, or learn by working through it? What changes have you gone through that have made you stronger, and what challenges have you faced that have taught you what only someone who has been through your experience would know? At first, examples may not come flooding into your head, but think a little longer, and you should be able to come up with dozens.

SOME BRAIN TRIGGERS

Let us go back in time, at least for many of us to the time you came out of school and began your work life. What did you learn? What challenges did you have? Do you remember taking personality tests, working with counselors to help you find your aptitude? How can you research different kinds of careers to find a match? How easy was that experience? In my case, I had fully expected to work through a law degree after University and become a lawyer. I recall working with our career counselors - even in high school, who had some neat methods of discovering strengths.

Next, I remember having a very challenging time trying to understand, first-hand, what it meant to work as a lawyer - to even meet and talk with other lawyers in the field.

What could I learn from this? Moving from school to the workforce is a crucial time in a woman or man's life. Everyone wants you to succeed, many people want to help - but there are frustratingly few resources to help you.

Could you package some research on personality and aptitude testing with a range of first-hand profiles about many common careers? You could solicit a few pages from several career choices to give an "insider's" approach to particular fields of work.

How about other experiences you went through:

- Marriage advice: including whom to marry, advice on relationships leading up to marriage, how to organize your wedding, handling budget and family issues with weddings, etc...

- Raising children, you cannot tell me you did not learn a great deal for those of you who have raised children

- Changing careers or advancing in your career. It seems we all go through many life lessons as we work through career advancement. If you look back, what advice could you provide that would help make better career choices, if you had to do it again?

- How about health. Were you able to try to find methods of stress relief, ways to reduce pain or suffering from illness, methods of losing weight, or increasing overall fitness? You may think this field is highly competitive, and it is, but there is always room for added tips and strategies based on real experience

- Travel, do you have some hints or tips on traveling?

There are dozens upon dozens of examples where you can take life experiences and the research or knowledge you already have to launch your own information product publishing business.

You may begin slowly with a report, 40-page ebook, blog, newsletter, or you may jump right into seminars, workshops, and a manuscript for a published book.

However you choose to start, you will find you can build your knowledge into a hot business with some determination, persistence, and an action-oriented attitude.

TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

Does this excite you, the prospect that you have the basis of your own information publishing business within you right now? Most people do not even realize the value of the information they already have, thereby dismissing themselves as a legitimate information publisher.

That is too bad, because the financial and lifestyle rewards of operating your own info-publishing business are many.

So, when you consider your life experiences and hobbies, ask yourself these two very important questions:

1. Are there others going through the same experience or situation?

2. Would your information help them increase their pleasure or reduce their pain with this experience?

You do not have to have all the answers, only enough to improve the situation of others who will follow you through some of these life experiences.

Even the greatest books, courses, or workshops do not tell you everything about a given subject or even give you all of the answers to a given question.

By packaging your knowledge, experiences, tips, and techniques into your own information product (ebook, book, booklet, audio, or video) toward solving a specific problem for your market you will have improved your customer's life.

Discover How To Package Information For Profits in Jeff Smith's blockbuster "Ultimate Information Entrepreneur's Success Package (http://www.infoproductcreator.com/). Find out the exact techniques to use for developing "magnetic" ideas that attract customers to your products like crazy!

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By Elias Georgi

One of the fundamental choices many new successful home business operators must deal with is how to continue growing their income levels once they have found their way through the initial stages of start up and growth. Expansion of your operations usually involves more space and hiring people to assist in growing their business.

A decision to expand operations cannot be taken lightly. You have been very successful operating your home business out of your home and income has met your expectations, yet you feel there are more opportunities available. These are fundamental decisions every successful entrepreneur must make since it involves more responsibility.

One of the most significant items to consider is the increase in overhead costs; rental of space, additional equipment, additional supplies, and inventory, as well as employees to pay. These are a few of the items to consider as part of your decision to expand your work at home income level.

The increase in sales and revenue must be able to carry these expenses. The first step is to evaluate how much additional revenue must be generated to cover the increased cost. Margin levels may change, so it is important to assess this level as well. Many entrepreneurs fail to ensure there are sufficient levels of margin to cover their expenses and provide them with profit.

Leveraging your business with increased sales is definitely the way to go. With the proper levels of assessment and planning, entrepreneurs will be able to facilitate the success of their initial business to evolve into a large business operation. As you expand, there are items you overlooked that were not factored into the cost of operation.

For example, training of new employees or subcontractors is also considered overhead and missed by many. Training materials, as well as, time to learn the various tasks need to be allocated and paid for. Many employees are there to earn a living, not to build a business. When quitting time comes, they leave their jobs even though there may be customers waiting for service or work piling up. Entrepreneurs who are invested financially and emotionally often have a very difficult time adjusting to these attitudes.

Finally, you may decide to use a bank loan to leverage your business and grow it. Your bank may request income statements and you must be able to show progress financially month over month towards profitability, in addition to paying your loan. Neither the entrepreneur, nor the bank relishes this role as investor; they will sometimes become quite involved in daily operations from a financial perspective.

Managing these types of issues takes more and more time from daily operations and productionFind Article, which also must be accounted for as you expand your home business income levels.

Elias Georgi is an experienced and successful sponsor, mentor and coach for many thriving, tested and proven home businesses. Elias offers proven Internet opportunities and strategies. Visit his Website: work at home business opportunities (http://www.eliasg.com/), he also runs the article directory (http://www.exclusive-article.com/)

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By Steve Renner

One of the more important ways of increasing affiliate marketing bottom line and sales is with product recommendations. Many marketers know this is one of the most effective ways in promoting a certain product.

In affiliate marketing, you can increase your earnings in many ways. You can easily learn most of the techniques and tactics. No need to go anywhere, as everything you need to know, is available online, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

One of the more important ways of increasing affiliate marketing bottom line and sales is using product recommendations. Many marketers know this is one of the most effective ways in promoting a certain product.

When the customers or visitors trust you enough, then they will definitely trust your recommendations. Be very careful in using this approach. If you start promoting everything by recommendation, your credibility will actually wear thin. This is seen especially, when recommendations are seemingly exaggerated and without much merit.

Do not be afraid to mention things you do not like about a given product or service. Rather than lose any points for you, this will make your recommendation more realistic and will tend to increase your credibility.

Further, if your visitors are interested in what you are offering, they will be glad to learn what is good about the product, what is not so good, and how the product will benefit them. This is important; always mention the benefits.

When you are recommending a certain product, there are things to remember on how to make it work effectively and for your advantage.

Sound like the true and leading expert in your field. Remember this simple equation: Price resistance diminishes in direct proportion to trust. If your visitors feel and believe you are an expert in your niche, and trust you, they are more inclined to make that purchase.

On the other hand, if you do not show any confidence and self-assurance in endorsing your products, they will probably feel that same way and will go in search of another product or service, which is more believable.

How do you establish this aura of expertise? By offering unique and new solutions, they would not get anywhere else. Show proof that what you are promoting works as promised. Display prominent testimonials and endorsements from respected and known personalities, in related fields.

Avoid hype at all costs. It is better to sound low key and confident, than to scream and seek attention. Besides, you would not want to sound unprofessional and give your potential customers and clients, the wrong impression.

It is best to appear cool and self-assured. In addition, remember; prospects are not stupid. They are actually turning to experts and may already know the things that you know. If you back up your claims with facts and data, they would gladly spend hundreds, or even thousands of dollars on one of your promotions. However, if you do not, they may leave your site and look elsewhere. They may go to your competitors and see what they are offering.

While recommending a product at your site, it is also important that you give out a promotional item, like a free report. Most people are already familiar with the concept of offering freebies when promoting your own products, but very few people do this to promote affiliate products.

Before you give a recommendation to a product, it is a good idea to try to test the product and support yourself. Do not run the risk of promoting junk products and services. Just think how long it took you to build credibility and trust among your visitors. All it takes to destroy it is one big mistake on your part.

If possible, give recommendations of products that have your 100% confidence. Test the product support before you begin. Assure the people you are referring, when a problem suddenly arises, no one is left high and dry.

Have a look at your affiliate marketing and the strategies you are using. If you are not focusing using recommendations, you should be.

When developing your plan of action, consider using product recommendation and be among those successful affiliates who use this strategy to make a fortune.

Steve Renner (http://www.steverenner.com/) is a Best Selling Author and has been marketing online since 1998. He is the Director of Training and Marketing for The Affiliate Community, an Online Training and Resource Site for Affiliate Marketers of all Levels. He is a pioneer in the development of Hybrid Marketing and is an Expert in Internet Marketing and Affiliate Marketing. Sign up for a FREE Membership Today (http://join.affiliatecommunity.com/)! Get $1,000 in Training, and Resources.

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By Titus Hoskins

Here is my number one Internet Marketing Strategy for producing an online income. It is so simple it actually works! Discover how this one marketing technique can also help you succeed online and work from home...

I am often asked, "How does one start an Internet Income?"

"Where do you begin? What do you need to start?” In addition, these questions are often followed by, "How did you get started?” These questions are popping up more often now as my name and sites become better known. However, I still get some very skeptical looks whenever I mention I work full-time on the Internet. For many people the Net is still a place chock full of 'quick-rich-schemes' and 'con-artists', where someone is ready to rip you off at the very first opportunity.

Of course, the reality of working on the Internet could not be further removed from this unflattering image. In my case, I make it a point to only deal with top name companies such as Dell, Sony, Toshiba, Amazon, Apple, Google... or top web marketers with solid reputations such as Marlon Sanders, Neil Shearing, John Reese, Ken Evoy...

In addition, I quickly learned Money Talks! It does not matter who you are, where you are operating from or how small or big your online sites/activities are, if you can generate through your online marketing efforts monthly sales in the 100-200k range for any company - you will be noticed. And your sales don't have to be in that price range, if you can generate any sales through your web site or sites, you can start to build a business online and work from home.

I come from a background in art and education but nothing compares to working on the web from the comfort of your own home. The freedom is very liberating. Once you start earning a nice income here, there is no going back. Money talks in many ways! However, how do you get started? How do you begin? I believe my own very modest success comes from one simple strategy. It has to do with learning, more importantly; it has to do with HOW we learn.

One key strategy I have learned and it is quite simple: always learn from the inside. Get as close to the source as you possibly can. No matter the field or subject area, get as close to the real experts in that field as you can possibly get. It is something all artists do instinctively! This very simple strategy has proven to be very effective for me. There is no reason why it cannot also work for you.

Here is how it is done: instead of buying the latest marketer's info product/ebook/webcourse... you join their affiliate program first! You will receive marketing information, countless free audios/training materials on this marketer's products and methods. You will get the inside information on how these marketers operate and how they are working the Internet.

You will also probably receive great discounts for any products that you do buy. You will receive updates, invitations to web seminars, free promotional material, if you are well known, or are a valuable affiliate, you will receive free copies or products to review.

What is even nicer, once you start generating sales, this affiliate relationship often develops into a personal relationship with the owner or company. You get to know the owner or the affiliate manager on a personal level and this opens many doors for other business opportunities.

This simple strategy works great. I apply it almost every day in my own marketing and even in my own life. For example, around each New Year, everyone is talking about making resolutions and setting goals, both for their businesses and in their personal lives. It is an important topic. I wanted to learn more.

As I make it a point to seek out the top person or person in any field, I wish to learn about (in this case) goals or goal setting. The name that immediately came to mind was Gary Ryan Blair. He is known as the GoalGuy! What more can you ask for? Gary Blair has made goals his business.

He also has an excellent affiliate program, which you or anyone can join. In addition, by joining Gary Blair's affiliate program, you will receive valuable information on goal setting and strategic planning from the inside, if you really want to learn about Internet Marketing, how to build websites, how to earn money from the web... just find the Top Guy in that field.

My suggestion for the top person is Ken Evoy.

Ken Evoy, of SiteBuildIt and Make Your Site Sell fame, is the perfect person for learning about the whole web marketing game. One of the best ways to learn what Ken knows is to join his affiliate program first! You get tons of free marketing info and products. You will learn how his system works. You will also learn how Internet Marketing really works.

Perhaps the main reason I chose SBI is its great online community. If you want to succeed at something, you must 'hang-out' with people who are succeeding in that particular field. Might sound a bit simplistic but there is more truth in this philosophy than most people realize.

If you want to be a jackass, associate with other jackasses! If you want to be a millionaire, associate with other millionaires! If you want to be an Internet marketer, you must associate with other Internet marketers! It is kind of a no-brainer but many people do not do this. I repeat, if you want to be a web marketer Article Submission, you hangout with web marketers and learn from the inside.

A simple Internet marketing strategy works, one that has served me well as I continue to build my online business. This can also work for you.

The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous niche websites, including two sites on Internet marketing. For the latest and most effective web marketing tools try: www.marketingtoolguide.com For the latest Internet Marketing Strategies go here: www.bizwaremagic.com 2007 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

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By Steven Gerber

Computers are one of the most amazing inventions ever made by man. Because of this gadget, many improvements have been made. Moreover, it does not end there. The introduction of the internet enhanced the use of the computer. Communications were vastly improved, and different businesses are finding the net a very useful tool in conducting their business.

Affiliate programs are making their way in the internet world. It is a great business opportunity for any individual who desires to earn unlimited income. It does not matter if you have a present job, or if you are just staying at home. As long as you have an internet connection, you can be an affiliate.

Is there an exact way to master affiliate programs? There are many sources on the internet, which say they can teach you ways to master affiliate programs. However, do not believe in those deceptions, oftentimes they are too misleading. Look for a good source, one that is true, and already tested.

Affiliate programs are great because you do not need an initial investment to start such a venture. People with no business capital are easily attracted to this kind of business opportunity. You will be part of a particular company's sales force, and you will be working on a commission basis.

E-commerce sites run affiliate programs to enable them to increase sales figures. Affiliates usually have their own websites where they place banner/button ads and text ads on email messages that promote the products of the e-commerce site. The affiliates are paid with a certain percentage of each sale they are able to make.

Affiliates program is a practical business. You can do it part time, or if you are serious about it, you can do it full time. If you exert your efforts on it full time, you are guaranteed to earn more money than the casual affiliate.

Before deciding to become an affiliate, you must first establish your own website. This is where you will display all promotional information of your 'mother' company. Casual affiliates use email newsletters to get leads for the company but having a site is much more advantageous, especially to the serious affiliate.

The next step is to find an effective way to drive a large number of possible subscribers to your site. You might consider purchasing a list of emails or ads to increase traffic to your site. If in the real world, you are always avoiding traffic, well on the net, you will be looking forward for it. You can also combine traffic and newsletters. However, make sure that you follow the company's regulations regarding email marketing.

Hundreds or even thousands of companies offer affiliate programs. There is a need to choose one particular affiliate program that catches your interest. In any venture that you undertake, you must love what you are doing. In addition, if you know the products that the company offers, then it will be easier for you to sell it to other prospects.

The business opportunity that you have been waiting for may lie within these affiliate programs. Do not be scared of the competition on the net, if you can survive the challenges that you are about to face, then it means you deserve the money that you are earning. If you are competitive enough, you will earn a great deal of money.

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

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By Karl Stadler

Is AdSense Arbitrage just an old hype revisited for the profit of a few or does it have a future as a successful online business?

'Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.' Henry Ford. This quote holds true for anything you attempt. It is all about the belief you have in yourself to achieve success.

When speaking about the subject of AdSense arbitrage, you will find eyebrows rising. It looks upon it as a 'black hat' method of making money as an online business. This is due to a bad name it acquired from people who misused the system.

Fortunately, this is now behind us largely, thanks to the Google slap down on landing pages.

AdSense arbitrage has become a viable business model for a sustained online income, provided, of course, you know what you are doing and don't go against the system but work toward the betterment of the system.

AdSense arbitrage is not a new concept or secret idea that has just arisen; it has been around for a while. The concept behind AdSense arbitrage is simple, you buy advertising from adwords or another PPC engine, and you send the traffic to a landing page of your own with AdSense advertising. People click on the AdSense ads and you are paid. Your profit is made up of the difference between what you pay for the click and are paid for the click on your page.

This may seem relatively easy to achieve, but there are some points you need to consider very carefully before placing your ads and landing pages.

1. You have to research your keyword and make sure it will be profitable. To get an indication of the profitability factor of your keyword, make use of the Overture bid tool. Type in your keyword and look at the difference in the bid prices between ad one and ad ten. The higher the difference in bid prices between the first ad and the last ad the higher your chances of success. This is not a clear indication that it will be profitable, but it is a good indicator of what is going on in that specific area of the market linked to the keyword. Based on this information, you should then research the keyword further.

2. Target your landing page to the visitor who clicked on your ad. Optimize the page for the keyword you chose, or else the wrong AdSense ads will be displaying on your page.

3. The content of the landing page should be no less that 300 words and must be relevant to the keyword and adwords ad you placed.

4. The AdSense ad placement is of optimal importance to ensure a high click through rate and successful AdSense arbitrage.

Like in any business online and off line there is a risk factor. It is the same with AdSense arbitrage and there are many who have gotten it wrong and given it up as a bad business idea.

Then of course, there are those who persisted and believed in what is possible and now are reaping the rewards of a good monthly income from AdSense arbitrage.

I would like to go back to one more quote, and it holds true for every thing you do.

'Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently’. Henry Ford. He built cars and made it happen, you can make your business happen Free Articles, and it is entirely your choice.

Find the underlying cause of the business and see how AdSense arbitrage will benefit you and your online business with a sustained long-term income. Visit http://www.yourenterprize.com/adsense/adsense-arbitrage.html .

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By Mal Keenan

What Mistakes are you Making that are Seriously Hampering your Affiliate Marketing Business? Find out How to Avoid Profit Crushing Errors...

My main aim as an affiliate marketer is to get the most profit out of the market I am promoting. Over the years through trial and error, I have perfected what I believe to be three of the most important strategies for gaining nice profits from whichever internet market you decide to enter.

So, let us get started...

Strategy Number One - You should absolutely set up a website for your affiliate products. Sure, every product will come with its own affiliate page, customized with your unique affiliate links, but smart marketers know that this is not enough. It is very important you set up your own website for your affiliate products. This includes registering your domain and hosting, plus creating or paying for a simple web design - complete with the affiliate images that most affiliate programs provide.

Setting up a website may seem like too much hard work but believe me; it pays off in terms of future profits, if you put in the initial effort.

It also pays to create a different page within your website for each affiliate product or service. You could write an article or review page highlighting the benefits of using your recommended service with a link to your unique affiliate page.

Setting up a blog geared towards your affiliate market is the perfect way to implement the above strategy.

Strategy Number Two - Next on my list of essential strategies is to place an opting form on your website offering a free report outlining the benefits of your service. The majority of sales are between the fifth and twelfth contact between you and your prospect.

If a prospect visits your site and then clicks off never to return, you have missed many more opportunities to close the sale. This is where the opt-in form comes in. If you manage to entice website visitors to offer their email address, then you can follow up via an email autoresponder as often as you like or until the prospect unsubscribes from your list.

Short 7-day reports are quite effective and if you provide useful information, you may have a customer for life. Capturing a prospects email address is one of the most important tasks in affiliate marketing and internet marketing as a whole.

Strategy Number Three - Drive TARGETED traffic to your site. No point in paying to send general website visitors to a site built around the topic of "Exotic Birds". If you are sending visitors to an "Internet Marketing" site, it is pointless to write and submit articles on "Travel in Italy". Do you get the point? It is essential that you target your visitors to your affiliate-marketing niche, if you are going to close the sale. This point may seem obvious to some Article Submission, but many IM newbies spend countless hours and dollars focusing on website traffic that is simply not interested in what they have to offer.

The three strategies above are extremely effective and even more so in a tight niche market. If you employ the advice, you are well on your way to becoming a successful affiliate marketer.

Mal Keenan is publisher of Home Business Tips Newsletter. Check it out for tips on how to get Started Earning a Full-time Income from Home: Free home based business income opportunities Newsletter (http://www.home-business-tips-newsletter.com/). To Find Out What Was My Greatest Lucky Break in My Six Years of Frustration check out: Starting home based internet business (http://www.freeadvertz.com/).

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By Michael Senoff

One of the big Internet marketing breakthroughs you may hear people talking about is using direct mail.

In other words, getting the postal addresses of your email list and sending them offline offers. Many of the top Internet marketers in the world do this and swear they double, triple, even quadruple their sales.

I believe this to be true from my own tests and observations as well. What is even more exciting is that many of these experts are renting lists of offline people and driving them to their websites to capture their email addresses. In other words, expanding their email lists using offline lists.

However, if you decide to do this, you must be careful from whom you get your lists. There is an art to finding a good mailing list and most Internet marketers have not really had a chance to learn about it.

This brings me to a recent interview I did with legendary copywriter Bob Bly. Bob gave me a great tip on making the whole list renting issue painless and easy.

He said, "Never, ever rent a list from a list owner." Why, because you are obviously not going to get an unbiased answer when you inquire as to the quality of the list. A list owner can, (and probably will in many cases), tell you whatever you want to hear.

Bob said always go to a good list broker. A list broker is someone who finds lists for you, does all the work, and then delivers you the exact list you are looking for.

The way Bob explained it to me was it costs you nothing to use a list broker since the list owner, not you, pays him. Plus, it is in the broker's best interest to please you and give you what you want since he wants your repeat business. If he messes around and gives you a non-responsive list, or does not actually go the extra mile to make sure you are happy and successful and make money from your mailing, then he knows you probably will not be back.

This may sound like simple advice. But the fact is most Internet marketers have never dealt with offline lists before, and it can be a very different animal than online lists and joint ventures.

And so, if you are going to be expanding your Internet marketing business by going to offline lists and trying to drive them to your online list, make sure you consider the advice Bob gave in the interview.

It could save you a lot of time, money and frustration.

For 117-hour marketing advice from gurus in all aspects of direct mail marketing, go to Michael Senoff's http://www.hardtofindseminars.com/audioclips.htm

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By Diana D'Itri

Getting prospects is only one piece of the sales puzzle. Once you have interest, whether it comes from word of mouth, traditional advertising, or the Internet, time is not your friend. You must convince that prospect, as quickly as possible, that you are the best candidate for the job. If you are not expeditious in conveying your credibility and ability to measure up, then you could lose that prospect to your ever-awaiting competition.

With that said, competition is not always a bad thing. Especially if you can prove that, you are better than they are.

How do you prove that you are as good as you say you are? Use authentic customer audio testimonials to say it for you. Your best customers have a compelling story to tell others about their experience with you and their positive word of mouth can convince your prospects to do business with you.

With so much deceit and hype these days in advertising, an actual heartfelt testimonial heard from a happy satisfied customer, can be the tiebreaker that makes your prospect choose your business over your competition.

We have all been there. Desperate for help with a particular need, perhaps our roof is leaking or we need a new doctor, whatever the product or service, a referral is comforting when we are in critical need of a good service provider.

If we do not have a first hand referral from a friend or colleague, would we settle for a second or even third hand referral? Sure, we would.

The human psyche likes to be reassured when dishing out hard-earned cash for a product or service. Almost any referral is better than no referral, when it comes to entrusting our homes and lives to someone.

Have you noticed you are more inclined to go to a movie or a restaurant when someone else said how good it was? It did not matter whether you knew the person giving the referral or not. Their first hand experience transferred to you, boosted your comfort level and propelled you to go see that movie or eat at that restaurant the next time you were in the neighborhood.

I have a friend, who every time he orders from a menu at a restaurant, asks the server for their opinion about what is good on the menu. He likes the reassurance he gets from their recommendation and it affects his decision on what menu item he tries.

While it is true most businesses have written client testimonials displayed on their web sites and office coffee tables, unless those testimonials are from well-known businesses, sometimes written testimonials are often glossed over.

However, there is an amazing thing that happens when a real customer speaks from the heart, and the listener senses the honesty in the person's voice.

If it is a put on, insincere, most people can tell the difference. When it is heartfelt, that is what moves the listener. It is what they hear.

Just think about the radio. Numerous products are sold by a voice coming through a speaker.

With audio testimonials, your business can compete with the big boys. Recently, Mercury Car Insurance used testimonials to sell their services on television. It must have worked because, for months, they featured the testimonials in many commercials. Just listen to the radio or watch television to observe how many successful companies still use testimonials to support their claims.

There are two ways to capture a live audio testimonial from a satisfied customer and there are several places to showcase them once you have them.

With the increase in broadband capabilities on the Internet these past few years, the Web is one place that audio and/or video testimonials can be effective.

If your customer is a truly satisfied one, then he or she is always happy to oblige by recording a positive testimonial about their experience with your business. However, remember, because they are important to you, be extra kind to them by making the experience as painless as possible. Sticking a camera in front of their face and asking them to answer questions will be challenging for you and them, and does not always result in the best testimonial (unless your clients are actors or used to being in front of a camera). Most likely, your customer participant will feel more comfortable giving his or her testimonial over the telephone, which will create a more authentic, and compelling result.

Your business can capture audio testimonials from your satisfied customers in two ways:

1. Hire a professional review company to help facilitate and record your testimonial participants.

a. An interviewer will record your customers for you. This method authenticates your testimonials and saves you the awkwardness of doing it yourself.

2. Set up a dedicated telephone line that will record and prompt your customers to leave a testimonial.

a. There are audio companies that offer this service for a monthly subscription and you ask your customers to call an 800 number where they can leave the testimonial.

Once you have captured several audio testimonials, it makes sense to showcase them everywhere and anywhere you typically advertise.

· Web site pages

* Place your customer reviews on your testimonials page, front page, or next to areas on your site that can be corroborated by a testimonial.

· Email

*Talk to your web master about Imbedding a customer testimonial link on the top, bottom, or side of your email page.

· On Hold

*Incorporate your audio testimonials into your 'on hold' message so callers can hear them while they are waiting.

· Radio Ads

*Write a radio ad that features your customer's testimonials. (If it is good enough for Mercury Insurance, why not you?)

Seeing is believing, but seeing and hearing motivates people to act. You have worked hard to grow your business. Audio testimonials are a priceless reward for a job well done.

Your prospects will be more motivated to do business with you when they hear the voice of your satisfied customer singing your praises.

Diana D'Itri is Co-Owner of RaveBiz, a testimonial-broadcasting agency. Diana has spent the past four years educating small and medium sized business on how word of mouth & referral strategies can grow business and reduce ad spend.

Visit http://www.ravebroadcasting.com or http://www.competitionscoop.com/landscaping.html to listen to audio rave reviews.

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By Bobette Kyle

A popular way to segment customers is by revenue or profit generated, with "A-list" customers receiving more benefits and personal service than "lower" categories. There are right and wrong ways to do this.

Doing it right means cultivating customers so they all feel appreciated, by developing or improving products to meet each customer ‘segments' needs. Result: pleased customers and higher profit.

Doing it wrong creates risk of sub-standard service for "unimportant" customers, making them feel unappreciated and resentful. Result: missed profit opportunities and disgruntled customers.

Brand Image

When deciding how to service each customer segment, remember that every point of contact with a customer reflects on the brand, regardless of customer "importance." Over time, this has an impact on brand image and company reputation.

With the Internet so prevalent today, each individual has more power to voice his/her opinion than in times past, which directly affects brand image and goodwill associated with the name. Each mistreated customer has the means to tell the world of her/his experience on Web sites that allow reviews (such as bizrate.com and Amazon.com) and online discussion forums.

An Example of Bad Service from the Customer Viewpoint

The way each of my credit card issuers treats me is a prime example. I always pay my bill in full (often early) and belong to the "cash back" rebate programs, so I imagine I'm in a similar customer segment for each and would expect to be treated similarly by these three competitors.

Not the case. Two of the companies make me feel like a valued customer. The third made me feel so unappreciated I closed the account. How the three companies handle "suspicious" activity on my account demonstrates the varying degrees of service:

- Discover card has a fraud specialist, (or customer service representative), call me in person to ask that I review recent transactions with her/him.

- Citibank's computer calls me with an alert, asking that I call a number or go online to verify transactions through a computerized process.

- Advanta locks the account and sends a letter informing me they have done so. In my experience, the letter arrived a week after the incident and I was not notified by telephone (I called them when the "offending" vendor notified me of the decline). I asked customer service to allow future charges from that vendor, but they could not do so. Presumably, this meant an account freeze each time my authorized vendor attempted to process a legitimate charge.

All three of my card companies require that I take some sort of action to verify suspicious charges, which I can expect to happen. The approach, however, leaves a very different impression. Citibank and Discover both apologize for the inconvenience of transaction verifications, and -- while I have to go through an extra step with Citibank, -- both fall within my subjective definition of quality customer service. Advanta, however, does not apologize for the hardships of declined transactions and a frozen account.

To be fair, I do not know that my negative experience would have been handled differently, if I were in a more profitably customer segment. It could have been the result of badly trained customer service representatives, or perhaps this is standard procedure on all accounts.

Tips for Segmenting Customers without Sacrificing Service

Customer segmentation is a good thing. It helps you recognize how customers are different and it should draw your attention to needs of different segments, prompting you to meet those needs. Some ideas on successful segmentation:

- Segment by need rather than profit or revenue. A low-profit customer today could be high-profit tomorrow if you offer products and services to meet her/his needs.

- Look for ways some customer segments can effectively be”self-service," which cuts costs for the company while meeting customer service needs.

- Build in ways to create exceptions in automated customer service processes, so as not to alienate those with special situations (in my example, by allowing a way to preauthorize account activity).

- If offering promotions, rewards, or other incentives to some segments but not others, "spell it out" for customer service representatives. Structure your Web site and promotional mailings accordingly. By taking steps to assure customers receive consistent information across all channels of communication, you avoid exposure of customers to offers for which they do not qualify.

There are ways to segment customers without lowering customer service. By doing so effectively, you nurture business growth and reputation.

Bobette Kyle draws upon 15+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, online marketing experience, and marketing MBA as inspiration for her writing. You can find more of her free marketing planning articles at: http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com.

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By Laurie Brown

Maximize the Profit Potential of Your Retail Customer

Let us be honest. It is getting harder and harder to make a decent profit from our retail customers. The internet abounds with articles such as ” “ “ “ etc. Our customers are coming in and telling us how much over invoice they are willing to pay. So how can we maximize their profit potential?

1. Build value

A Purdue University study showed that when the customers perceived value exceeds the price, meaning that customers felt that they were getting more than they were paying for, eight of ten would buy. So where do we build value. Look to build value in each of the three p’s…Product, Place, and Person.

PRODUCT

Know your product inside and out. Find the interesting details that customers might not be aware of. When doing your walk around, it does not just spout off features. Make sure you tie features to your customer’s hot buttons. Use the phrase (or something like this) ‘and what that means to you is’…. It is best to talk about an average of three features per walk around position . It may seem like “more is better”, but studies show that customers tend to get overloaded and can have a negative reaction to too many features. Spend at least 15 minutes a day on a Power break, learn something new about your product, read owners manuals and articles about your product, walk the used car lot, talk to a mentor in your dealership. Do what it takes to be an “expert.”

PLACE

Then ask yourself “what sets my dealership apart?” Have we been in business for 40 years, are we a family business, are we a “no hassle” dealership, do we have more inventory than our competitors? How are we distinct? Once you have answered the questions, make sure your cu