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[2003-06-30] Exchange Your Way to Web Traffic!
Okay, you have the perfect website. Everything looks great, the links all work and you're raring to go! What now?
That's right --- PROMOTION!!!
[2003-06-30] At The Sound of the Tone
"At the sound of the tone, please leave your message" is the greeting we often hear when making prospecting phone calls. Often, we will just hang up and call back later, only to receive the same greeting. Let's face it, some people simply refuse to answer their phones.
[2003-06-30] Do I Have to Approach Friends and Family?
Do I have to approach friends and family? This has to be one of the most frequently asked questions with home based businesses. Most opportunities will give you the 100% true answer. No. You do not have to approach friends and family.
[2003-06-30] From First Sign-Up To Director In Nine Days
I should really begin this article by explaining my state of mind and the state of mind of my husband, prior to joining (COMPANY).
[2003-06-30] Reach Out and Beat Someone To Death
One of the biggest problems I see with on-line marketers right now is that most people never talk to anyone. They sign up for all of these great tools to produce leads, and expect the tools to close the deal for them.
[2003-06-30] Safe List Marketing
If you want to pick up a few prospects, and don't mind getting tons and tons, and even more tons, of junk mail, Safe Lists might be a good way for you to go.
[2003-06-30] Write Articles For Free Advertising
One of the easiest ways to get free massive advertising is to write articles to be submitted to newsletter content announce services. All you have to do is pick a subject that you know something about, write up an article, put a soft advertisement in your resource box, and send it out.
[2003-06-30] How To Publish Your Own Newsletter
I get a lot of requests for information on how to set up and operate a newsletter. This article is intended to help those of you who are interested in running your own newsletter get it started.
[2003-06-30] Doorway Pages & Marketing
Doorway pages, just as the name implies, are web pages designed specifically to lead you somewhere else. Lets say you are a member of the "Grandma's Glorious Grits & Roadkill" Recipes affiliate program, and they furnish you an affiliate web site. There are a couple of problems with this.
[2003-06-30] Effective Face-to-Face Marketing Tips
The first thing you need to do when marketing face to face is prepare. You need to have your information and your sign-up materials ready to go before you ever step into the meeting. If someone shows an interest in a product or service, or if someone is ready to sign up, you need to have what you need with you so you can handle right then and there. Be prepared to strike while the iron is hot.
[2003-06-30] Is Today The Day?
As America today has taken the steps needed to protect our freedom and what we believe in, are you ready to take the steps needed to build a productive and successful business?
[2003-06-30] Talk Is Not Always Cheap
Recently a member of our organization (let's call him Bob) had a hot prospect. Bob had spoken to this prospect several times. And, Bob and my partner, Brande, met for over an hour in a private chat room explaining the products and the opportunity. The prospect was ready to go and was going to sign up the next day.
[2003-06-30] Writing A Great Subject Line
"FED UP TRYING TO WRITE YOUR OWN AUT"
Is the above your subject line? If it is, you planned it very poorly.
[2003-06-30] Straight Talk
Network marketing is not easy. If it was, we would all be billionaires. Network marketing, like all businesses, requires hard work, dedication, and an investment of time and money.
[2003-06-30] Writing A Sales Letter
My experience has been that one of the skills most people lack is letter writing. I am not one to complain, as my writing abilities are quite questionable. However, I can give you some very simple, yet very important tips for writing a sales letter.
[2003-06-30] How To Get Around The No-Call List
Under federal law, each state must now maintain a "no-call list." The no-call list is a list of consumers who do not wish to receive unsolicited telephone solicitations. The fines for calling consumers who are on these lists are upwards of $1,000 per occurrence. I don't think any of us want to pay these fines.
[2003-06-30] Monitoring & Tracking
Monitoring and tracking are two aspects of business that most people tend to ignore. However, they are two of the most important aspects of business.
[2003-06-30] Local Prospecting For Network Marketers
Do you feel you have beat all the bushes in your area and there are just no more prospects to be found? Consider these sources:
[2003-06-30] What Color Are Your Marbles?
We all know that network marketing is a numbers game. But I really don't feel too many of us truly understand the numbers. The purpose of this article is to try to put things into perspective.
[2003-06-30] Conversation With A Typical Network Marketer
CHILD ANSWERS: Ha-woh?
[2003-06-30] No Clickee - No Payee
Marketing on pay-per-click search engines can be a little scary. You pay your hard earned money in advance. You submit your listing. Then, you pray that some of the people who click on your listing will actually buy something from you. There is little more disappointing than to watch you funds dwindle as the curious click away without spending a dime.
[2003-06-30] The Ultimate Sales Organization
If you want a great sales organization to emulate, you only have to look as far as your local church. Consider these points:
[2003-06-30] Is your first impression HELLO?
We only get one chance to make a first impression. This is very important when soliciting new distributors. We need to have potential distributors perceive us as the professionals in our industry.
[2003-06-30] Drop Cards & How to Use Them
Drop cards are very similar to business cards. They are the same size and , made of the same material. The major difference is that while a business card will usually present a good deal of information, a drop card is used for a single purpose... to solicit a response through curiosity.
[2003-06-30] FOCUS IS THE KEY
Too often, I find myself working on useless things. Things that are "way cool" or "really neat," but do not have a significant impact on my network marketing business. I tend to forget that my ultimate goal is to achieve income. So, every now and again I have to sit back, mentally slap myself, and say "wake up!". Success in this business is really very simple. Sure, there are a lot of tricks and techniques that can increase your production, but the basics are elementary. They are:
[2003-06-30] IS YOUR SPOUSE A SERIAL MURDERER?
Is your spouse a serial murderer? Do they kill time and time again, and take joy in it? Do they revel in death and despair? Do they like to kill slowly, and drool over their victim's desperation? Or, do they kill quickly and savor the power of dealing deadly blows with speed and great precision?
[2003-06-30] How Do You Want To Spend The Rest Of Your Life
Those who have the desire to work for themselves, or in effect run their own business, go through numerous stages.
[2003-06-30] Lease Purchasing Is The Perfect Home-Based Business
Some call it the 30 second commute. We call it wonderful. What are we all talking about? Working from home, of course.
[2003-06-30] How To Give Yourself A $20,000/Year Raise Without Asking Your Boss
Why without asking your boss. Two reasons, one, he or she will most likely say no; and second, he or she will probably have you committed for asking.
[2003-06-30] What Can I Realistically Earn In A Lease Purchase Business?
If you're looking at Lease Purchasing as a business, you'll obviously want to earn much more than the $20,000 per year in our "How To Give Yourself A $20,000/Year Raise Without Asking Your Boss" article.
[2003-06-30] Consulting Your Way To A Six Figure Income!
The following are some examples of the power of Lease Purchase Consulting with both Buyers and Sellers.
[2003-06-30] Are You Profiting From O.P.P.?
Are you profiting from O.P.P.? If not, why not?
We know many of you have the desire and dream of running your own home-based business. But, like so many people, you're not sure where or how to start.
[2003-06-30] The Many Ways To Profit From O.P.P.’s Multiple Cash Streams
In a previous article we introduced you to the concept of O.P.P., or Other People's Property.
[2003-06-30] How Do You Profit From O.P.P.?
The Strategies
First, is the co-operative strategy. It is the easiest for the beginner to start with. The co-operative is used when the seller may not want to give over total control of his/her property. The seller wants some say as to who goes into the property. When we assign the contract to a tenant/buyer, we receive the assignment fee. It typically takes us about two weeks to move a property, and we usually look for a $5,000 assignment fee.
[2003-06-30] Reprint Rights and How To Use Them To Generate A Steady Income
I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have a step by step guide for sellers and tenant buyers. However, many of you are missing out on other income streams that these step by step guides can generate. In fact, they can become a business in and of themselves.
[2003-06-30] Calculating Billable Hours Myth Vs. Reality
The first step in calculating your billable hours is to define a realistic working year. If you were employed elsewhere, you would expect or want at least two weeks vacation time, one week sick time, one week personal time and paid holidays. So, where does that leave us - 52 weeks minus four weeks leaves 48 weeks minus about 10 paid holidays, or a total of approximately 46 weeks per year.
[2003-06-30] Effect of Expenses
Most costs fall into three general categories: business and office expenses; salary and personal taxes; and, benefits and profit margin. In this issue, we will concentrate on the first category, business and office expenses.
[2003-06-30] Effect of Benefits
Once upon at time, when we were employed, we received a benefits package from our employer. This usually included health, life and disability insurance. Many firms also had available pension programs, profit sharing, dental and vision coverage. In addition, one-half of your social security was paid by your employer.
[2003-06-30] Effect Of Bad Debts
What happens when you have a client that does not pay you for your services? What happens if a customer goes out of business before your invoice is paid? How will these events affect your own planning? Do you want to take a bad debt write off on your taxes? Do you want to try to include for these contingencies in your fee structure? Your answers to these questions will have a direct impact on how you operate your business.
[2003-06-30] How To Raise Your Fees
There comes a time when it is inevitable that you must raise your fees in order to maintain both your profit margin and income level. You will find that the greatest resistance to this comes from your oldest clients.
[2003-06-30] Business Partners & Marital Partners, Will the Marriage Survive?
With today's economy, and the layoffs occurring as a result of these economic conditions, more and more people are opting to start their own business. Due to the low start up costs, the prevalence of home-based businesses is on the rise, many of these started by husband and wife teams.
[2003-06-30] Reminders For Running A Better Business
The following tips are from an article we contributed to Compute magazine. These are ideas that we all should know, but many times forget. It constantly amazes us how quickly a basic tenent of business can be shoved by the wayside in the heat of daily transactions.
[2003-06-30] In Business, Image Isn’t Everything: It’s The Only Thing!
We have all heard this lament, but how much do we practice it. With all the relaxed rules today, do we really present ourselves in the best light. It seems all the articles I see today are about how old fashioned today's workers find their supervisors or bosses to be in the way they dress, the policies they implement and the old fashioned ways in which they conduct their business.
[2003-06-30] How To Improve Your Negotiating Skills
Negotiation will be an important area for every homebased business owner, especially in lease purchasing. Whether you're dealing with suppliers, employees, or prospective clients, you're negotiating. The following tips will help you to negotiate better.
[2003-06-30] How To Improve Your Sales Skills
One of the biggest problems for many business owners is the ability to overcome objections. In fact, for many, this skill could be the difference between succeeding and going back to being an employee. Since none of us want to do that, we need to hone our sales writing skills and our in person skills. This article will discuss the in person skills.
[2003-06-30] How To Better Handle Your Mail
Letters, magazines, bills, flyers, what to do with them all. There should be only two responses to every piece of mail or e-mail, do something with it, or toss it!
[2003-06-30] Defining Your Goals
Probably one of the most important things we do with our Partnering For Your Success students is to help them define their goals. We discuss their need for both short and long term goals. This might sound trite to you, or you might say, Yeah, everyone says to define my short term and long term goals.
[2003-06-30] What's In A Name?
Once you decide to start your own business you need to give it a name. Your business name should describe what you do. If this is not possible, for example, the one you come up with is already taken; you can use your own name with a tag line. For example, DeFiore Enterprises, Lease Purchase Consultants.
[2003-06-30] Getting Started
One of the first things we do with our Partnering For Your Success students is to have them plan out how many hours they can spend on lease purchasing.
[2003-06-30] Office Set Up
OK, you say, I've decided to start my business. I have my idea, my identity package, my licensing and zoning done. Now I need to set up my office.
[2003-06-30] Organizing Your Day
One of the hardest things for most individuals working from home is to stay focused. One of the best ways to stay focused is organization. In addition, being organized will help your time management skills. The two are very much intertwined.
[2003-06-30] Keeping Abreast Of Your Domain ...Updates And Keeping Up With It All
Another major complaint that most business owners have is all the reading they need to do to keep abreast of what is happening in their business area. Again time management and organization can be a tremendous help.
[2003-06-30] Summertime Scheduling
It's the end of Summer. The kids have been home for awhile and you realize that you've lost a good amount of time this Summer from your business. How do you avoid this happening next year or during the various school year breaks? Read on!
[2003-06-30] Organizational Techniques - Tickler and Chron File
One of the biggest problems we encounter in our consulting with businesses, and our students is time management and organizational techniques. This article will concentrate on some good organizational strategies. Two of the best organizational techniques I have found over the years are the Tickler File and the Chron File. This article will concentrate on how to use them everyday in your business.
[2003-06-30] Taking Charge Of Your Files
One of the first steps is to box up last years file. However, before you do that be sure to go through your files and clean them out. The files that can take up a lot of space during the year, can be easily tossed. For example, your correspondence file, newsletter files, chron files. You can also combine your completed client files for the year, both seller and tenant buyers.
[2003-06-30] Juggling It All
As we have mentioned in other articles, having a trigger to start your day is very important. One of the major problems with people running businesses from their home is starting the work day. For many of us seasoned home based business owners it's a trigger. A trigger can be making a cup of coffee and taking it to the office, getting the kids off to school, after your morning jog or workout; it can be any one of a number of things. A trigger is very dependent upon the individual.
[2003-06-30] Business Start Ups...Let's Play Ball
Starting a business is like starting your own baseball team. Start-up (Spring training) is when you are doing your research, deciding on a business name, zoning requirements, setting up your business, deciding on what form your business will take (sole proprietorship, corporation, LLC). You're assembling all the parts of your business (team), getting ready for the season (your opening day).
[2003-06-30] Where Business Ideas Come From
I was reading the local paper and came across a picture of the cleanest garage I ever saw. In addition to a picture of the garage there was a picture of a gentlemen, in his late 60's cleaning the cobwebs with an extension pole. I thought to myself I have never seen a garage so clean in my life. The accompanying article was discussing how this individual and another had painted and put cabinets in their garages, and how you could eat off this garage floor.
[2003-06-30] Unsung Heroes! Small and Homebased Business Owners
The homebased and small business owner is the "Unsung Hero". Why? The small business owner and today even the homebased business owner are the cornerstones of our society. The homebased business owner employs a number of independent contractors. Small businesses account for a large percentage of our economic work force.
[2003-06-30] Finding Your Niche
Have you found your niche?
If you really want to find out, you need to answer the following questions:
[2003-06-30] Time Management Self Diagnosis
Many home-based businesses find they have a greater sense of control over how they use time. Working from home affords them fewer interruptions and more flexible ways to work, which makes them even more productive than if they worked in a corporate environment. On the other hand, others have a hard time getting started, sticking to business, and some become workaholics.
[2003-06-30] Help For Your Time Management and Organizational Issues
Time management and organization of your office are very much tied together. An unorganized office will cost you a lot of time. Time getting started for the day, time finding phone numbers, letters or materials you need.
[2003-06-30] Networking - It's Important!
Networking opportunities are everywhere. Don't let them pass you by.
[2003-06-30] Quadruple Your Online Sales in Just 4 Months
If you want a quick and simple way to create regular income online, follow my lead.
[2003-06-30] Living With Integrity--Handling Broken Promises
Each and every day, we all make promises. We make these promises in many different ways, and in a variety of forms. A promise can be as simple as "I'll call you back", or as committing as "I promise to get that done!"
[2003-06-30] Is Your Online Business Making Best Use of its Consumer Information?
As of this month, I've spent almost four years online. In that time I've filled out hundreds of online forms at various business and consumer websites. Sometimes it was to register for access to the site, or to make a purchase, or just to get some really cool "free stuff."
[2003-06-29] How To Write Effective Ezine Ads..& Then Some
When writing an ezine ad, there is a big mistake that most people make when writing an ad. That is, they try to sell something in those ads, and there is a good reason why you don't want to do that.
[2003-06-29] Consumers - Fight Back With FTC's Do Not Call Registry
The Federal Trade Commission has rolled out it's National Do Not Call Registry and the registration site already has over 700,000 registrants. This is great news for consumers who have grown tired of annoying sales calls by pesky telemarketers.
[2003-06-28] Top 7 Essential "Hot-Selling Points" To Implement Before Writing
Every part of your book can be a sales tool. When you include the below tips, you will have a roadmap to follow to keep your writing organized and compelling, and you'll sell more books than you ever dreamed of!
[2003-06-27] Start Here To Write An Ebook
Want to write an ebook? You can. Start with an idea, build on it, and before you know it, you've got a book. (I'll be using 'book' and 'ebook' interchangeably in this article, because any idea you find for an electronic book will certainly work as a print book as well.)
[2003-06-27] How To Write A Proposal To Get Freelance Work
This article is adapted from my new email workshop, Writing To Sell In The Internet Age. If you want to get a taste of the workshop, you can sign up for the free mini-course based on Writing To Sell In The Internet Age, on the Web site --- http://www.digital-e.biz/
[2003-06-27] Your article idea must be new --- but not too original
Editors lie. They tell writers they want to fascinate their readers with what's new and exciting. But if you read their magazines you see that they constantly recycle old topics, and if your article proposals are too edgy, editors won't buy. For example, in 1995 I was trying to sell articles about the Internet to general-interest and women's magazines. No sale. At that stage, the Internet hadn't erupted into mass consciousness. That taught me that topics must be familiar to a magazine's readers, but with a new slant.
[2003-06-27] Get Your First Sale!
Nothing beats the joy of your first sale. You can plot, plan, market and dream all you want, but until you get that first sale, you're not sure that you have a real business. It's 25 years since I sold my first book to an international publisher. I walked on air for days. To my mind, because real writers wrote books, I was real writer at last.
[2003-06-27] Break The (Idiot) Rules!
(My little diatribe below deals with the Idiot Rules as they apply to writers. If you're an artist, designer or photographer, your trade has Idiot Rules too. Break them.)
[2003-06-27] Blast Your Writing Blocks
How many words do you write a day? Some novelists manage 2,000 words a day or even more, but most writers feel they've done a good job if they can turn out 500 to 1,000 words.
[2003-06-27] Learn To Negotiate And Get Paid More
Like to double your earnings without working harder? Learn to negotiate.
Everything is negotiable, and you should make it a rule to negotiate on every job. Often all you need to do to get a better deal is to ask. Unfortunately, few freelancers ask. In fact, many of them don't even realize that asking for more pay is possible.
[2003-06-27] DDT: Do, Don't Think. Just market
You see funny things when you're walking your dog. A couple of summers ago, late every Sunday afternoon, I'd be out walking my dog and I'd look up to see a sky-writer.
[2003-06-27] Shaking The Money Tree: Managing Slow Payers
When you're running your own small business, especially if you're a solo operator, you need four pairs of hands, eyes in the back of your head, and psychic abilities don't hurt either.
[2003-06-27] Five easy ways to add punch to your words
Writing is hard, even for writers. These five techniques will make your writing chores easier, and your writing livelier.
[2003-06-27] Getting ideas that sell
(This article is an extract from my new writing workshop, Writing to Sell in the Internet Age.)
[2003-06-27] Follow Up And Turn Prospects Into Clients
How long does it take to get a client? First, the client has to become aware that we exist, and then that we can solve his problems with our products or services. That growth of awareness is a slow process. It takes time.
[2003-06-27] Maximizing The Effect Of Your Freelancer's Bio
Your freelancer's bio is a vital job-hunting tool. While traditional job hunters have CVs and resumes, independent writers and other independent professionals have biographies, because as an independent, you're working *with* your clients as a consultant, rather than working *for* them as an employee.
[2003-06-27] Get Googled And Build Credibility
Value your privacy? Get over it. The bad news is that thanks to the Web, privacy no longer exists. Get Googled, and within a few short seconds anyone who knows your name will be able to learn quite a bit about you.
[2003-06-27] Five Lazy Ways To Market Your Business
There's a store in the middle of our town that's been, in quick succession: a soft furnishings retailer, a record and CD store, a lighting shop, a pet store, and yet another soft furnishings store. It's currently a coffee shop.
[2003-06-27] Your Online Brand Is YOU
You've decided to make the leap. You're going to start selling your products and services online. You're excited. Wow! Millions of people will be able to buy from you.
[2003-06-27] Help --- My Writing's Not Selling!
If the definition of insanity is to keep doing what's not working in the confident expectation that it WILL work, then writers and other creatives are nuts.
[2003-06-27] Ten ways to take control of your time
Taking charge of your time is easier than you think. If you put any of these ten easy but powerful time management tips into action, you'll see an improvement in your productivity. And in your peace of mind.
[2003-06-27] Work Your Small Business Dream
Nothing in life happens until you do something. Think, hope, plan, worry and ask as many questions as you like, but to reach your dreams you must take action and keep taking action.
I receive at least four e-mail messages a week with a variation of "I want to write for a living, but...."
[2003-06-27] Baby Steps To Business Success
You can do, be and have, anything you want. As long as you get started. Take baby steps: one tiny step after another, even when you have no real idea of how you're going to get to your destination, beyond the next step.
[2003-06-27] Use Your GPS (Goal Positioning System) To Achieve Your Goals
How's your motor running? Are you powering through your daily tasks and accomplishing all the goals you set for yourself, or are you stuck in life's slow lane?
Here's how to boost your performance, using your GPS (Goal Positioning System).
[2003-06-27] Beat Procrastination With Your GPS (Goal Positioning System)
Researchers estimate we only use around two to ten per cent of our brainpower each day.
[2003-06-27] Five Easy, Pain-free Ways To Boost Your Productivity FAST (and make more money)
Commit to following these five strategies for a month, and you'll be more productive --- that's a promise.
Note: although my strategies are geared to writers, they will work for you no matter what your work happens to be.
[2003-06-27] Sixty seconds to a more creative you: Ways to get creative fast
* Show up
* Trust yourself
* Shut up!
[2003-06-27] 7 Tips for Planning Your Day
In order to accomplish something significant during your day try these seven tips.
[2003-06-27] 10 Minutes a Day to Organize Your Office
No time to organize your office? Follow these daily steps to organize and then maintain your office.
[2003-06-27] Organizing Your E-Mail is Oh So Easy
The number of e-mails you receive on a daily basis can be overwhelming. However, did you know that you can sort it and keep it organized? Most programs, such as Outlook Express, allow you to do this easily by making new folders.
[2003-06-27] 7 Tips for an Organized Sales Person
1. Keep a list of your biggest prospects on a spreadsheet. Develop a system for following up with each one. Keep track of where you are in the follow-up system with each prospect.
[2003-06-27] Organize Your Desk in 8 Steps
1. Remove everything from your desk. Place your phone on your left if you're right handed and on the right if you're left handed. Display personal items elsewhere.
[2003-06-27] Coach Meaning, Not Just a Laundry List of To-Dos
The childhood development scientists who authored "The Scientist in the Crib," did so for reasons which apply to coaching as well. "While popular books about science speak to intelligent, perceptive adults who simply want to learn," they wrote, "books about babies typically just give advice, heavy on the how-to and light on the why."
[2003-06-27] How To Make Writing An Ebook Or Sales Letter A Snap!
If you want to get that ebook or sales letter done -- and you're not afraid of using "Marathon Writing Techniques" to get the job done fast -- then let me share some tips to help make writing easier and faster.
[2003-06-27] Watch Out For These Alerts or Scams!
Cashier's Checks as Good as Cash? Watch out for cashier's checks - treat them as a regular check and NOT instant access to cash. Make sure to wait 7-10 days for it to officially clear and call your back for verification of funds being truly cleared. Many scammers are using official looking "cashier's checks" to pay for cars, or for products (and many write the check in an amount over the purchase amount, asking then for an immediate refund in the excess amount). The responsibility is usually on the consumer side, and not on the bank's side. You'll be liable for the deficiency in funds. Do not refund anything or spend any of the money in a cashier's check until at least 7 days of deposit - and verify the funds before spending any of it.
[2003-06-26] Harness The Awesome Power Of Opt-In Mailing List
Ask any successful Internet marketer, and he/she will tell you that creating an Opt-In mailing list (ezine or newsletter) is absolutely a MUST for the success of any online business.
[2003-06-26] 5 Ways to Give Your Web Site a Big-Company Look and Feel
We all DO judge a book by its cover, and the same saying goes for Web sites. I've seen many entrepreneurs offer great information on their Web pages, but compromise their image dramatically with a few amateur mistakes that can be VERY unforgiving.
[2003-06-26] Avoid These 5 Web Site Blunders!
The Web is intended to help people find information quickly and easily. So why do so many sites make it difficult for users to get what they need? While neat design can add impact to your message, make sure the message itself doesn't get lost in the mix.
[2003-06-26] Have You Captured Me Today?
There are many Web sites I visit every day and will probably never return to again. It's not that I didn't like the site, or that I wasn't interested in the topic, services, or products offered. It's just that I wasn't ready to take action right now. So I clicked away and will probably forget about them.
[2003-06-26] Make Your E-Mail Signature File
You're probably familiar with e-mail signature (or "sig") files - they're the few lines of contact information that many of us put at the bottom of every e-mail we send. Most e-mail software programs allow you to create and use sig files - even the newer versions of AOL.
[2003-06-26] Busting the Home-Biz Myths
Don't believe all the guidelines and hype about running a business from home. Some of the rules, set out in books and columns such as this one, are sound. Others are hype, horse-hockey or oft-repeated nonsense. Here's a short list of what's true and what's false among the work-at-home myths.
[2003-06-26] Pay Per Click: What's It All About?
No doubt you've heard the phrase "pay per click" before. This refers to any type of advertising where you only pay per click-through.
[2003-06-26] The Ultimate Self-Promotion Tool Is Right at Your Fingertips: An E-mail Newsletter
If you're looking for low-cost ways to promote your business (and aren't we all?), I hope you've considered publishing an e-mail newsletter, or "e-zine." Here are six darn good reasons why you shouldn't wait any longer:
[2003-06-26] What You MUST Understand About Your Web Numbers
Two years ago, when I first started selling online, I focused on doing what I did best: generating useful content that people would want to pay for. But I quickly learned that selling a product online required me to have to learn about ...
[2003-06-26] 7 Ways to Self-Promote Within Your E-zine
We all know that an e-zine won't attract and keep subscribers without offering insightful, practical content. If you only drone on and on about how wonderful you and your services/products are, your readers won't stick around for long.
[2003-06-26] 11 Quick (and Good) E-zine Content Ideas
Publishing an e-zine is the ideal opportunity to showcase your business. By sharing your knowledge and expertise, you build credibility as an expert, while spreading the word about your services and products.
[2003-06-26] 20 Words That Kill — At Least When It Comes to Spam Filters
Spam, spam, spam. It's terrible not only for those of us on the receiving end, but for those of us who SEND e-mail.
[2003-06-26] 21 Questions to Ask Any List Service Before You Sign on With Them
If you publish an e-mail newsletter, or "e-zine," you'll need to sign on with a list service (or "listserve") to manage your subscriber list. There are many types of listserves out there, so here are some guidelines to help you choose one that's right for you.
[2003-06-26] Attract New Subscribers With Magnetic Ads
One of the most effective methods of advertising your e-zine is placing ads in OTHER e-zines!
[2003-06-26] Putting the YOU in Your E-zine
I get many e-zines in my inbox every week, and they all offer useful information. But there are some I enjoy more than others.
[2003-06-26] Recycle Your Articles and Gain Tons of New Subscribers
While there are many effective ways to promote your e-zine and gain subscribers, the one I've had the MOST success with is to write and submit articles for use in OTHER people's e-zines.
[2003-06-26] Sell More Books With an E-mail Newsletter
If you're selling your book online, you're practically guaranteed to increase sales by publishing an e-mail newsletter, or "e-zine."
[2003-06-26] The Sticky Issue of E-zine Schedules
While many new e-zine publishers are anxious about developing good content for their e-zines, many of them seem to have more trouble simply deciding on a schedule and sticking to it!
[2003-06-26] Three E-zine Alternatives You May Not Have Considered
During the free e-zine publishing teleclasses I offer every month, I always get a few people who say to me, "You know, publishing an e-zine sounds great, but I just don't think I have the time to do it on an ongoing basis." Or, "I'm not sure if I'll have enough content to publish an e-zine."
[2003-06-26] Your E-zine 13 — A Formatting Checklist
While sending out a text e-zine may seem like a piece of cake, there's more to it than you may think. *Good formatting* is the name of the game. Here's a handy checklist I use to make sure each of my issues is in great shape BEFORE I send it out. Please be my guest and use it for yourself!
[2003-06-26] 5 Ideas for Writing Effective Sales Letters
Sales letters, sent via e-mail or snail mail, are an effective and inexpensive way to get your message out. Even if your letter goes out to thousands of people, it can give the feel of a personal communication - IF you write it in a direct and conversational tone.
[2003-06-26] 11 Things You MUST Know Before Hiring a Copywriter!
If you're considering hiring copywriting help for your next brochure, Web site, or marketing project. Congratulations! You should get great results if you hire a pro to do it right.
[2003-06-26] 10 Keys to Copy That Sells!
Whether you're selling a product or service, the 10 tips below are your keys to writing great copy that communicates and persuades ... to get results! These guidelines can apply to most any form of consumer marketing communications: sales letters, brochures, web copy, or direct mail. As long as your goal is to elicit a reaction from your reader, you've come to the right place.
[2003-06-26] Entice Your Reader With These 5 Headlines
In the world of marketing communications, your first impression - your headline - can lead to either marketing success ... or failure.
[2003-06-26] Grammatical Mistakes DON'T Sell
When you receive a sales letter with typos or grammar mistakes in it, do you take it seriously? Probably not. As soon as I see a few eighth-grade English blunders in any marketing effort, I quickly decide the author's product or service is not deserving of my time.
[2003-06-26] The Incredible, Edible Subhead
Of course you're familiar with using *headlines* to call attention to Web copy, brochures, articles, or documents. But *subheads* can be just as effective in bringing out key points for your readers. And they also help make any document easier to read, because they break up long blocks of text into easy-to-digest bits. (Hence my "edible" title. Hmm.)
[2003-06-26] Working at Home? Here's 10 Ways to Be More Productive
Ah, working at home... Visions of leisurely days, conference calls in comfy sweatpants, increased productivity with fewer interruptions. But the distinctions between work life and home life soon blur. You really should throw some laundry in the wash before you write that proposal. You have an hour before a meeting: Should you balance your books or clean the kitchen? And remember to call that client back right after you empty the cat box.
[2003-06-26] Mr. Geez is Back in Business! Wanna Know How?
Are you just marketing? I mean marketing just for the sake of generating sales? Sure everybody does it for sales. However, with the increasing online competition, generating enough sales has become even more difficult if not impossible.
[2003-06-26] Don't Punish Yourself Doing (Type X) Business
Are you type X or type Y?
Don't worry, it ain't gonna hurt you until you really understand what you should be? Type X, or Type Y!
[2003-06-26] 7 Bullets to Making an Easy Sale
Let's say you already know what a visitor actually want from you, since you're successful in driving targeted traffic. Right? You've tried hard to get everything there is to turn her down as a customer. That includes your website design, guarantees, ease of interface etc.
[2003-06-26] Success at Spinning Wheels -- The Insider Story
When I get up in the morning, I usually plan and prepare my day's schedule. Sometime long ago I read a wise quote by Benjamin Franklin that says:
By failing to prepare, you're preparing to fail
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
[2003-06-26] How To Solve The Monster Puzzle Using 7 Rules Of The Game
I wrote this series of articles with just one objective in mind - to help you understand how to peel off the confusion, and carve out YOUR way to success.
[2003-06-26] Build A Site That Sells Effectively
I won't overwhelm you by the amount of text that you've already digested in various "How-To" articles and eBooks on this subject. But, since 'Building A Site That Sells Effectively' is part of the Monster Puzzle series, I'll give you a useful checklist of Do's and Don'ts here:
[2003-06-26] Lets Blow The Cannon -- Market Aggressively
Do you know what it takes to market your Web site aggressively?
[2003-06-26] Make Intelligent Use Of Your Biggest Asset -- The CREDIBILITY!
Given a choice to purchase a book from an online bookstore, which store would you choose to buy the book from, Amazon.com or SomeUnheardBookStore.com?
[2003-06-26] How to Build Relationships that Transform into Sales
Over the past few years working on the Web at a deeper level, I've noticed that only a handful of people are actually working on building customer relationships. Heck, that's where the real money can be made.
[2003-06-26] A Niche is in EVERY Neuron of Your Brain
Dr. Ralph Wilson of Wilsonweb.com, a very famous e-commerce consultant once said:
[2003-06-26] Chaining Your Future into Niches -- A Global Perspective
This article has been written based on my vision of how online businesses will operate in the near future.
[2003-06-26] What Will be the Future Like?
Every week I receive 4, sometimes 7 proposals for joint ventures. Most of them have started giving their informational products for free just as a giveaway to promote their product in my newsletter.
[2003-06-26] Do You Have a Knack For Finding Your Own Profitable Niche?
Since more than a weeks time, I'm continuously trying to research and identify niches in every imaginable area I can, to quench my thirst for making a long list of unfilled niches.
[2003-06-26] Opportunities are Shouting -- Are You Listening?
One of my cousins' sister is a student of archaeology. She's got a passion for it. A couple of days back she invaded our house and dragged me to one of her friend's beautiful house backyard where I had some weird but useful discussion with her friend.
[2003-06-26] Fast Money Using Mini Sites
Most people want to make money faster than the speed of light. While there's nothing wrong with this approach, however, the path followed to make instant cyber-buck$ is usually *flawed* in most of the cases. That's why most people find it difficult to make a living online, and hence give up their dreams.
[2003-06-26] How You Can Start The #1 Business Online
Successful businesses are everywhere. Even after the dotcom crash, and the current wave of the economic downturn, some online buddies are making record sales, and are still earning higher profits.
[2003-06-26] How To Get Wealthy Using The Power Of Just 2 Words!
Many of you already know that I'm totally crazy when it comes to travelling and adventures. I just love discoveries.
[2003-06-26] How To Become An Early Bird Super Affiliate
Ask ANY marketing guru about achieving success on the Net, and s/he will tell you that the ONLY way for a small guy to make a success story is by having a perfect niche.
[2003-06-26] Internet Gurus DO Sell Products Like Crazy -- Ever Wonder Why?
Back in the early days when I started off my ebiz venture in the online business community, I always wondered why some people make tons of sales while others hardly make a few.
[2003-06-26] Baby Steps To Writing Success
After a lifetime's worth of writing, I can file these baby steps under the "wish I'd known when I started" category. They're vital. If you follow them, not only will you be successful at writing at some time in the future, you'll be successful right now.
[2003-06-26] Writer's Rip-Offs
People who want to write form a huge market. According to Writer's Digest magazine, ten per cent of the US population want to be writers, and I assume that the numbers are similar in other countries.
[2003-06-26] How I learned to make my writing pay, and you can do it too. Copywriting is easy money
How come there's so much writing in the world, but most writers are poor? It's because writers are writing the stuff that makes other people rich. If you're writing novels for major publishers for example, you're pouring money into the bank accounts of giant corporations, but the stream of money, by the time it reaches you, is a slow drip, not a river.
[2003-06-26] Beating Perfection Syndrome so you can write
It's Saturday afternoon. Your partner has taken the kids to the park. You have a whole hour to write. Instead of which, you sit, staring out the window like Rodin's Thinker in jeans and a yellow sweatshirt. Why aren't you writing? A tiny item called Perfection Syndrome. You want whatever you write in this precious hour to be perfect.
[2003-06-26] Write an Article a Day
This article is adapted from my new email workshop, Writing To Sell In The Internet Age. If you want to get a taste of the workshop, you can sign up for the free mini-course based on Writing To Sell In The Internet Age, on the Web site --- http://www.digital-e.biz/
[2003-06-26] Structuring Your Ebook
Got a great idea for an ebook but don't know how to start writing it? Find the book's structure, and it will (almost) write itself.
[2003-06-26] Walk the Elephant: Motivating with Humor
In "The Light Touch," Malcolm L. Kushner tells the story of Adelle Roberts, a police officer called to the scene of a domestic disturbance. As she approached the house, a TV came flying out a window. She knocked loudly to be heard over the yelling.
[2003-06-26] Expand Your Creativity: Stop Thinking!
Want a fast way to get creative? Stop thinking! Most of what we call "thinking" is simply labeling. We're repeating old tapes in our head. This type of thinking is not creative, and there's no way to access our true creativity from this mindset.
[2003-06-25] Case In Point: What You Need To Know About Link Popularity
Link popularity. The term has flooded the 'Net over the last year, and everybody is in a buzz trying to build link popularity for their sites. But do we really understand what link popularity is, and how it works best? If not, you're about to find out.
[2003-06-25] The All Important Question: Crack It
The all important questions is:
"Do we have to believe EXACTLY what the known gurus have to say, follow them blindly as per their dictum and LOSE Money?"
[2003-06-25] 5 Powerful Article Writing Tips
Writing articles is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful methods of building your reputation and your online business. Not only do you get unlimited exposure, but it is fre^e as well!
[2003-06-25] Focused Impact Marketing
To succeed in the digital marketplace you must focus your marketing. Here are a few tips that emphasize positioning, top of mind awareness, and delivering a focused-impact.
[2003-06-25] 4 Simple Strategies For Local Business Promotion
If you own a small local business, you wear a lot of hats. You probably don't have time to think up ways to promote your business online. No problem. Here are 4 simple strategies that can reap big rewards for your local business.
[2003-06-25] What's New with Article-Writing on the Internet
My marketing clients are always amazed at what happens when they write articles for the Internet. Their articles start turning up on websites, and their URLs start turning up on the search engines. It's a formula that really works and it's a win-win formula: they enjoy writing and helping others, they increase their knowledge as they write, the readers benefit, and the writers gain recognition.
[2003-06-24] Bulk Email, Spam and Email Marketing
Excerpted from PlanetLink's Enews - an email newsletter delivered for FREE to your computer. To subscribe, go to http://www.planetlink.com.
This issue focuses on the effective use of email lists and bulk email for website and business promotion. Bulk email essentially consists of sending the same message to some number of recipients at the same time. Spam is characterized as sending bulk mail to recipients whom you have had no prior contact or permission.
[2003-06-24] How much does a website cost?
As a website designer, this is often the first question that I am asked by a new client. The simple answer is that it costs whatever you are willing to spend; anywhere from free to millions of dollars. A more productive process to address the issue of cost is to answer a series of questions.
[2003-06-24] How to choose a Website Designer
Now that you have decided that it is time to create a website for your business there are many questions you must answer. One of the most important questions is "Who should create my website?"
[2003-06-24] Making your Web Site work for you - not against you
For a Web site to be an effective investment for your business it must be publicised, and contain sufficient content to keep visitors coming back.
[2003-06-24] False Economies of Scale?
[2003-06-24] Credibility Cues for Your Visitors
One factor in keeping visitors on your site - and getting them to return, is undoubtedly the credibility factor. The more credible your site is - and by extension, your company - the higher the chances of a visitor visiting for long enough, or returning often enough, to do business with you.
[2003-06-24] 7 ways to keep web development costs down
Many web development projects - large and small alike - can produce difficulties for both sides of the designer/client relationship. There are opportunities for designers and clients to become frustrated. Most businesses have little experience of commissioning web projects, and for designers it is difficult to communicate their needs to clients.
[2003-06-24] Content = Differentiation
With many web sites out there doing exactly the same thing that your web site does, how do you make yours stand out, and get the visitors that you need?
[2003-06-24] Authoring, Design, Consultancy: Balance
In establishing any Internet presence, there are three major aspects of the process that must work in harmony together to bring about a successful whole. It is essential to get all three aspects right, or the resulting Web site is more likely to be a liability than an asset.
[2003-06-24] Five Web Marketing Myths Exposed
Myth No.1: Build it and they will come
Traffic is everything. As thousands of webmasters have already learned, you can have a catchy domain name and an impeccably designed website already on the web.
[2003-06-24] How to Create an ASCII Text Ezine
What's the difference between text ezines and all others? A true text ezine is created in text editors like Notepad, Notetab, WordPad and UltraEdit. What you create is exactly what the reader sees, fonts included. Most of the time.
[2003-06-24] 10 Things I Learned About Marketing This Week (& How You Can Use Them)
1. My grocery store now has a checkout stand immediately inside the front door and beside it is a cooler with milk, orange juice, butter, coffee, bread and the things you'd run into a convenience store for.
[2003-06-24] The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 - - What Does It Mean
On Wednesday, May 28, 2003, President George W. Bush signed the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (the "Act") into law. It has been reported that this Act is the third largest tax reduction in our country's history. Since it is such a large tax cut, it will affect most Americans. The purpose of this article is to summarize the Act and examine its effects.
[2003-06-24] Kick-Starting E-mail Profit List Growth From One Single Shot!
Perhaps the most critical step in guaranteeing the success of your e-mail promotions is to send your messages to a targeted list of opt-in subscribers who have specifically requested to receive information on a particular topic from you. That's your "in-house" email list.
[2003-06-24] Things to Know if You're Marketing on the Internet
1. According to Nielson NetRatings, the US accounts for 29% of the global Internet access universe, Europe, 23%, Asia-Pacific, 13%, and Latin America, 2%.
[2003-06-24] Your Worldwide Reputation
An important and distinctive factor to remember when weighing in all of the factors contributing to the success of your web site is your worldwide reputation.
That's right. Although your market might be vertical or local, everything you do regarding customer relationships contributes to a worldwide reputation for you and your business.
[2003-06-24] The Secret Key For Any Offline Business To Profit From The Internet... Even With
The secret key I am talking about has been used by top internet marketing specialists to generate profits for years, but is just now taking hold in mainstream American business. From major corporations to the local restaurant, pioneering companies are finally beginning to learn how they can truly profit from the internet.
[2003-06-24] The Most Important Marketing Tool
As an online marketer, there are many tools available to help you succeed.Some are free , while some will cost you money.Essential tools include a computer , an internet connection and the various softwares.Everywhere you turn nowadays, 'gurus' will tell what you need to do in order to succeed.
[2003-06-24] What Every So-Called Guru's Affiliate Program Owes You!
You know, there are an awful lot of so-called marketing gurus out there. You've heard the names. Cory Rudl, Terry Dean, Yanik Silver, Stephen Pierce and Marlon Sanders.
[2003-06-24] Do Not Sell in the Resource Box!
Most people assume the resource box at the end of the article is their opportunity to sell. You write an article and can sell your product or sell yourself via a link or email address in the resource box.
[2003-06-24] Ten Tips to Communicating Clearly
Focus Pardon me while I completely butcher Rudyard Kipling: "If you can keep your focus while all around are losing theirs, than you'll be a successful marketer my son…or daughter." Focus, focus, focus. It's the number one rule of communicating clearly. Without it all you've got is a formless group of ideas in search of a topic.
[2003-06-24] Public relations: A Free Lunch at Last?
Seems like everyone is looking for the proverbial free lunch these days, particularly when it comes to marketing communications. Well, I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but there's no such thing. However, there are ways to stretch your budget and marketing public relations (PR) is one of them.
[2003-06-24] A Guide to Optimizing Public Relations Content
This guide to "SEOing" your PR efforts can help you get high-ranking search results for your press releases, marketing white papers and ezine newsletter content. Whether you are managing PR efforts for several online companies or just one website, you've probably wondered how you can increase your sites (more importantly, your work) overall impact in the Web community. While the answer lies less and less on traditional forms of promotion such as press releases, learning the tricks of the trade to qualifying for top search engine placement could be the most important thing you ever do for your company.
[2003-06-24] Become an Expert and Attract More Customers
All news reporters need third-party experts to help them explain issues, events and ideas to their audiences. A truly valuable expert is hard to find. Here's how to become one and thus raise your value with reporters.
[2003-06-24] Five Easy Way to Collect Testimonials
Besides the word free, there is probably no stronger tool to influence new customers to use your business product or service than testimonials from past customers.
As long as you provide an outstanding product or service, most customers are delighted to provide you with their endorsement. Unfortunately, most businesses don't implement an actual procedure to systematically get testimonials.
[2003-06-24] The Number One Most Effective, Least Embarrassing Way to Ask for a Referral
We are often embarrassed to ask for referrals and instead hope that our clients will just offer them to us anyway. If you are using this strategy, you could be costing yourself serious business. As a rule of thumb, most people won't give referrals unless they are asked. This is nothing personal, it's just human nature.
[2003-06-24] The Top Ten Rules of Effective Networking
Many of us are discouraged by the networking events that we go to. We feel swamped by people just looking to get money from us, and we rarely feel as though the event was worth our time.
Yet networking should be one of the best ways to bring in new business. The key is learning to network correctly.
[2003-06-24] Using Business Intelligence to Improve Your Sales Process
Business intelligence or "BI" as it is often referred to, is a current hot topic in the business world. Much of the discussion that has taken place around business intelligence has focused more on the technical aspects of BI such as analysis and interpretation of data. Scores of technology companies have jumped on the bandwagon promoting their cutting edge products for data extraction, analysis and compilation of BI. There is no shortage of new technology product announcements promising to be an answer to all your business intelligence needs. So what is BI and how can it provide competitive advantage in selling your products or services?
[2003-06-24] How To Build a Profitable Business
It's never too soon to start saying thanks to your clients, vendors and referral sources for what they contribute to your business. Everyone loves to be appreciated and acknowledged, so start now and do something every month.
[2003-06-24] Cereal Mom
I recently heard a woman say that being called a "work at home mom" was professionally demeaning. Being one myself, my initial reaction was to agree with her. "That's right, I'm a professional, I'm not just a bored housewife dabbling with a hobby here," I said to myself.
[2003-06-24] Finding the Way Home
It's very frustrating to receive an email from someone that says, "I really need to work at home. Please help me."
[2003-06-24] All In The Perspective
Today I almost rented an office.
I know, I know. How on earth could I ever consider giving up working at home?
Well, I did say, "almost". But there are days when an office looks pretty darn good.
[2003-06-24] 3 Secrets to Landing a Home-Based Position
Landing a telecommute position isn't easy. Finding them in the first place is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Then, when you finally do find one that looks promising, it's filled before you can even click on "apply for this job".
[2003-06-24] Is Your Business Running YOU?
I lost a client recently. When I asked why he was making a change he said to me, "Your site used to be in the top three results of all the search engines and now it's not".
[2003-06-24] The Fear Factor
My brother-in-law is in the process of starting a home business. In fact, he's been in the process of starting it for over 2 years now.
[2003-06-24] Remind Me Again Why I Do This...
I recently embarked on a large programming project that became the most frustrating, stressful thing I've done since I've been in business.
[2003-06-24] Assisting You Virtually- How Virtual Assistants are changing the face of the workplace.
Virtual Assistants, or VA's are changing the way we do business. Not only is this field growing tremendously, but it's offering employers and business owners alike an attractive new alternative to hiring employees.
[2003-06-24] Is Working At Home Really For You?
I remember what it was like when I was still working away from home. I remember all too clearly how desperate I was to quit my job and stay home with my children. It was my mission in life. So....there was a lot of discussion between my husband and I. There were a lot of questions that we asked ourselves; Can we afford to do this? What kind of business could I start and run at home? Am I really ready to give up my demanding, stressful, rewarding career?
[2003-06-24] The Webmaster Guilt Syndrome
People don't like to talk about it, but it's time somebody did. Chances are, you or someone you care about suffers from it. It's Webmaster Guilt Syndrome, or WGS.
[2003-06-24] Invasion of the Email Snatchers
They're sneaky. And stealthy. They're quiet and mostly unobtrusive, but once you've been visited by them, you'll know it. Because you'll be inundated with a seemingly never-ending stream of spam-mails.
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