I was talking to a neighbor and fellow NWMer last year about marketing ideas….while we were both cleaning up our yards after a recent hurricane. He shared some pretty neat tips I’d call “community branding”. Here’s just one “semi” inovative idea for you to chew on: Participating in community charity activities. Just that simple….but with lot’s of potential. For example….. how about your group running in a local 5K for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation…..all wearing T-shirts with your group/business name on it. Carry a sign across the finish line with “The Yada Yada company running for a cure” (or whatever….be more creative than that obviously….LOL). Talk to media covering the event. Network with fellow participants. Be involved. How about your group volunteering to help at functions for your local YMCA ….or local library….or rec center….or PTA…or…. you get the idea. Or…very timely for us….go out as a group and help clean up your neighborhood after something like Katrina. Have something like a sign, banner, T-shirts that say who you are (special T-shirts only for something like Katrina clean-up). But don’t pass out brochures and company material. Just network and create visibility. Maybe have a few business cards in your pocket and hand them only to those who ask. You could also have brochures etc. in your car maybe. Just DON’T make it look like a big marketing gimic. The public will see right through it. Instead create an identity & branding within your community. This establishes a sense of acceptance and curiosity you can build upon by following up with contacts made during these events. You might even make the local news as a community interest story. Nice publicity. We have a couple groups who apply this concept very well in our annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life events. You could too. Remember to adhere to any “rules” of the specific event sponsor (if an event) and your particular company. Basically….just be seen & have fun. Makes for a good team building excercise too.

Beware of the Fluff. They seem like great companies, they have a good sales pitch and their comp plan looks good too. They have big corporate offices and have been around for years. Isn’t that good? Any company out there that sells products like lotions, potions, pills, miracle juices or miracle gas saving products usually doesn’t work for the average person for many reasons. Those companies usually make most of their money from you, the distributor, not from selling the products. They have you on auto ship, so you are their income. They only pay about 2% to 15% so many levels deep. They will tell you that when you fill the matrix, you won’t have to do anything and you’ll be making 20 to 40k a month. The truth is, there are so many loop holes to their comp plans that no body ever reaches those levels. You either will have too many people on your left, but not enough on your right side to make the higher level payouts. They tell you that you need more personal volume and your group volume is fine or vice versa, or my favorite, you had fallout this month, so you no longer qualify for that car bonus we promised you about. They make you hold home parties to push your crap on your friends. Listen to me…..If I wanted weight loss, I’d go to GNC. If I wanted Lotions, I’d go to CVS, Save on, Nordstrom or Bullocks. If I wanted to put additives in my gas tank, I’d go to Kragen, Chief or Pep Boys and buy a product from STP or Penzoil. You get what I mean….? They are a copy cat company of the original company. How many companies out there are selling a juice that is based from the Acai Berry, Goji berry or the Mangosteen fruit? How many of those promise to cure cancer? What a joke? Is our society that ignorant that if something actually cured cancer, wouldn’t we want to check it out? How many travel companies are there now? How many fuel additives are there now? How many of those have been shut down? How many make up, skin lotions and vitamin companies are there out there? It just seems like there is so many junk companies on the internet, how do you what is good and what is not? Some of these companies above actually have a good product, but I would never go in business with them. So, how do I choose a business that I can profit from and that I can be proud to represent? When I evaluate a company, I look for these key points. Keep in mind, when I join a company, my #1 goal is to make money and to do it legitimately. I do not want to hurt anyone or rip anyone off. This is what I’ve learned and these guidelines will help you determine what company is right for you. If you are not making at least 75% of the upfront commission when you make a sale, forget it. This means that you are doing all the work and the company and/or the person above you is making all the money. If you have to have 1000, 10,000 or 20,000 people in your organization before you make any real money. DO NOT Join. Most people will NEVER get there. If they teach you to hold home parties and invite all your friends. Run away fast. If they have a sales pitch 2-3 times a day and only 2-3 training classes per week. This means that the company is more interested in selling you than training you how to make money long term If you can’t break even or get into profit with 3 sales, forget it. If you can’t speak with the owners or the corporate office via phone or webinar, Forget it. I like to know who I am doing business with before I will do business with them. If it is a start up or in pre launch, forget. The chances of these companies becoming the next Amway is about as good as winning the lottery. At least with the lottery, you have a chance to win once or twice a week. You might as well go to Vegas and blow your money on a good time. At least you’ll have some great memories, see a great show and have a great meal. These are not all the rules for success on the internet, but this is a great guideline to follow when evaluating an internet company.

One key to selling successfully on eBay is getting people to your listings. If no one sees what you’re selling, no one’s going to buy it. But even once they get there, if they don’t like what they see, they won’t stay around and bid. EBay PowerSeller Skip McGrath, of http://SkipMcGrath.com, shares some simple techniques you can use to boost your traffic and your increase your sales: Increasing Your Traffic — How to Build Your Numbers • Optimize Your Listings. Ninety percent of all eBay shoppers search by keyword, rather than browsing categories. So having a keyword-rich headline or auction title can make all the difference in helping people find you. McGrath suggests, “Use all the relevant keywords in the title. Then if you have some space left, use words like new, unique, one of a kind, rare, that sort of thing — just make sure the word applies to what you’re selling.” • Cross-Promote. The more you use your auctions to promote your eBay store, the more sales you generate per listing. Most eBay users never click on the link that takes them from your auction to your store, so you can help yourself by putting a link to it in your written description. Tell your readers your eBay store carries this type of product and make the words “eBay Store” a hyperlink to take them there. Says McGrath, “One of the big advantages of moving buyers from your auction to your store is that store listing fees and final value fees are a lot less than at auctions.” Increasing Your Sales — How to Establish Customer Trust • Present a Professional Image. Presentation is especially important if you’re new to eBay. It takes time to build up your feedback to a level where your customers feel comfortable spending with you, particularly if you carry higher-end products. If you have a feedback of thirty or forty, buyers may be a little leery of trusting you with their money, so the image you create can make or break your sales. Having an attractive, professional store will go a long way towards establishing credibility. • Brand Your Business. Branding is about consistency. Your customers should be able to recognize a particular look and associate that look with your business. The writing style, the layouts, the color schemes — everything should carry through across all of your venues. Branding results in repeat buyers and builds your customers’ confidence in you as a legitimate retailer.

Opinions Wanted Word-of-mouth advertising is still one of the most effective tools a marketer can wield — consumers trust other consumers’ opinions when it comes to choosing products. For Internet marketers, the online equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising is social media and brand advocacy. Seventy-six percent of online shoppers rely on feedback from other buyers when making product purchases. For products across the spectrum — from laundry detergents to breakfast cereals — Internet users are leveraging social media to connect with other users, who ultimately affect their buying decisions. Who Brand Advocates Are and Why They Matter A recent study by Yahoo revealed that of these shoppers, a certain set — sometimes labeled “brand advocates” — tends to be very influential in shaping social trends and buying habits. “Brand advocates are a group that has always existed,” explains Edwin Wong, senior manager of market research for http://SearchMarketing.Yahoo.com. “But web 2.0 tools are giving them more of a voice and extending their circles of influence.” This small segment of the population feels that good brands are worth talking about, and goes out of their way to recommend them. Even though these brand advocates comprise a small portion of your buyers, they’re an important portion because they carry a disproportionate influence among other consumers, and have an impact on your overall brand. This kind of virtual word-of-mouth advocacy is extremely effective, with brand advocates showing a two-to-one conversion rate. Once this group is convinced of your product’s worth, they have the passion and personality to make them your most effective sales force. Connecting Point: Hot Topics To connect with your niche market’s most vocal and influential buyers, you need to find out what their flash points are, and positioning your brand accordingly. Your goal is to take your traditional product, and make it about something that means more. For instance, if you vend nutrition bars, you might market them around ideals like lifestyle, health, and weight loss, which mean a great deal more to end users than just another snack. By connecting with online groups that focus on health and dieting, you’re reaching out to your target audience. Look at your niche market’s hot topics, and adjust your marketing message to speak to those issues. Connecting Point: Portal Sites Of all Internet shoppers, brand advocates tend to do the most online research and examine the widest range of options before choosing a product or brand. During this research process, you have an excellent opportunity to engage them, by providing the most in-depth, persuasive and illustrative information possible and putting it out on as many portals as possible. Portal sites provide social media outlets for users to share their opinions and passions; they also provide marketers a very neutral ground to tell consumers why their products are superior: • There are tens of thousands of enthusiast groups looking for like-minded people who love their brands, and tens of thousands of reviews available on nearly any product. • Blogs, online groups, product review sites and forums allow advocates to find brands and products they feel passionate about. Advises Wong, “These are very knowledgeable consumers, and you really want to engage them while they’re in their research process. You need to use every available means to connect with them, because these are the people that can move product for you and move the bottom line for your brand.”

To scan ID, there are three steps that you need to be aware of. As you can imagine, learning how to do this is not something that you may ever need to learn. But of course, there are some people who scan IDs every day of the week. When it comes down to it, a lot of doing this has to do with the type of job that you have. For instance, if you work at a bar or restaurant, you may have to scan IDs on a regular basis. But if you are in a different line of work, this will probably not be the case. Here are three steps that will allow you to scan IDs. 1. In order to scan IDs you must first have a machine that will allow you to do this. Luckily, these are quite affordable, and you should be able to buy one for a few hundreds dollars at most. 2. Once you have your ID scanner, you will be ready to get started. Of course, you will want to make sure that you read the directions before you get ahead of yourself. These will tell you how to get everything set up, and what you need to do in order to get an accurate scan. 3. Finally, the last step is to actually scan the ID. This is done easily enough with the swipe of an ID card. You will get a reading on your screen, and from there you will know exactly what is going on. These three steps should allow you to scan IDs with success. Remember, it is not you that has to put in the work. As long as you know what you are doing, your ID scanner will take care of the rest. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Freelancing is now a career oriented path to earning lucrative money. A number of reviews regarding the freelance market indicates that nearly a quarter of the combined authoring, web designing, software development, copy writing etc is attributed to freelancers presence around the world. Thus outsourcing becomes a fairly competitive exercise where hundreds of freelancers bid for a particular job. We can notice that even people with knowledge of one subject or the other indulge in freelancing and it is not only the elderly or retired persons who hold the major stake in the freelance marketplace of our globe. The process therefore becomes more difficult and time consuming as to where this outsourcing should take place. On a humorous note it would not be wrong in stating that nearly everyone is a freelancer in his or her own right! Consequently, one must be careful in choosing the right place and the right freelancer to outsource the projects. Is it difficult to shortlist Freelance sources? The answer to this important question is – “no it is not difficult at all”! In fact it is a very interesting study to find out the best source for freelancers to do your job and the more outsourcing you delegate, the higher you climb up the ladder on the “outsourcing” front – and more successful you are for extracting the best out of what this world offers! An awesome fact is that when you search for “freelancers” on Google or Yahoo, over 6 million sources will loom before your very eyes, making you more confused if not entirely perplexed! There are concentrated freelancers from many countries and you may be able to get a good idea of how the outsourcing “source” is distributed around the world. So here we are – in a world of freelancers who are all willing to do your job to your satisfaction. How do you go from here? Who is the best Freelancer for Outsourcing? The outsourcing dilemma can easily be solved if one knows their project to the core. If I am a freelancer in web designing, I must be able to consider all the pros and cons of a web design project and the final goal I have set for myself. A good freelancer or an efficient Freelance organization will put itself in the customer’s shoes and then only attempt the given project. It is also necessary to stipulate the degree of “outsourcing” which means the type of work required from the freelancers at the project cost arrived at. In other words, the value attached to the bid! If these two major factors are considered, outsourcing could become an easier job. It is never a question of this country or this freelancer from that nation is better or otherwise. Each project – let it be web designing, software development, or article writing – must be considered unique and important to the person or group who are the employers. The freelancers must think of themselves as part-time – but important – employees of the buyer and deliver the goods in that context. India, China, Philippines, Middle East, Europe or America! This is like saying “where do I go – north, south, east or west!” – Something that sounds like as if we were contemplating a vacation! If we were looking for English copy writing it is relevant to choose those people who know the language – either as a first language or at least the second tongue! In the case of web designing or software development, or even technical and marketing assistance one can choose any suitable source and language does not really hinder the progress of the project. Well, in some cases it may! Always take into account the strengths of any freelancing organization and anticipated weaknesses prior to choosing one or the other. We know it is not easy but with a bit of logical thinking and some common sense we can manage to hire a perfect outsourcing outfit that will ensure our satisfactory implementation of a project.

Here’s another “creative” method of offline marketing that will take some effort on your part …. but no cash outlay. Volunteer as a speaker for various business, educational, or other organizations. This is a great way to reach a targeted audience and brand yourself as an expert in their eyes. Groups like your local Chamber Of Commerce, PTA, Garden Club, Hunt Club, Single Parents, Home Owner’s Association, VFW, Church, Little League, Soccer Club, Kiwana’s, VFW, American Legion, Moose Lodge, Alumni Association, etc. hold meetings where they frequently need speakers. Do some research and find out all such groups in your area then contact them to volunteer your services as a speaker. You’ll have to do some work to prepare a talk pertinent in subject matter to their interest …. of course. But the event itself as well as the contacts you’ll make create a great networking opportunity for you. People will be curious about what you do. The host will obviously introduce you before you speak and include a little about “who you are”. Just make friends and share as appropriate when appropriate. This is more about branding yourself in the community and reaching large groups while doing it. An added benefit of this method is the opportunity to hone your presentation/communication skills and practice simple networking. I don’t suggest setting up any kind of display of your “wares” …. but you certainly may have some type of momento made available to the guests. Perhaps something like mugs, pens, refrigerator magnets, and such with your logo and website url. Maybe even a “gift basket” or 2 as a door prize …. donated by you of course …. with your business card inside. Just be subtle not obvious. Of course do have plenty of business cards to share IF asked. Don’t force them on anyone but be prepared. The point is just to gain visibilty …. network …. make contacts …. and DEFINITELY follow-up afterward. Another related tip is to be sure that any write-up of the event for local print media includes not only your name as guest speaker …. but something like your website url for curious readers also.

Perhaps one the best perks to being an online trader is the convenience of being able to buy or sell with just the click of a mouse. The more the traders get educated they can decide if the want to swing trade or day trade. It seems that the main issue they are up against is timeframe. They need to decide if they like the longer term investing or the rapid fire trades. The day traders are groomed to do the instant desperation or the instant gratification which depends on the outcome of the transaction. The day trader can move around and watch different stocks in the same industry so he can take advantage of sudden swings in the market for profits. By using the technique you eliminate your exposure from holds. This can be a tiring task as you have to sit in front of your computer for hours on end. If you do frequent trading you run the risk of stacking up large bills for your trading fees. So it goes without says that for day traders, trading fast also means to trade smart. When a day trader has to leave the comfort of his or her computer you can be sure that they are still connected via cell phone or some other mobile device as they can get updates wired directly to them. Day traders are much like hunters in a sense much like the thrill of the hunt. They are driven by the rush of the excitement just as much as the profits from beating the other traders out on a winning score. The swing trader has it a bit different. They look for cycles and they always hope that they are in the right one to get the most profits. The swing traders use technical analysis when making their trading decisions. They may even use such things as options and the future. They increase their risks when they wait for the right moment. Part of their strategy is to wait out the fluctuations rather then move on the trends. They also do not have to pay as much in fees as they trade less often. There is also the long term swing strategy. This type of trader depends on the information that they get from the indexes coupled with the fundamental and technical analysis to make their trading decisions. The longer the time span is of weeks or even months can help the long term swing trader in giving him or her some protection against the quirks or blips in the market day which usually are not real trends. There are just some stocks that need time to level out, which the day traders may miss. The thing that the swing traders miss out on is the fast break day trading style. This can be recovered with some patience and perseverance. When the long term swing traders wins it is usually a big win which make it all worth while. When you go from the day trading to the swing trading it can be like cutting teeth. It moves slowly at first but it gives the trader time to learn the ropes and they can become an expert in one or more industries. The new long term swing traders can take the slower pace which is preferred as they have a chance to make good profits from the online trading.

What a difference a year can make. 12 months ago, auto surf programs were at their peak. More and more people were investing some serious cash hoping to multiply their money by as much as 12 times within a few months. At the center of this craze was Stormpay, the payment processor of choice by most of these paid-to-surf programs. Stormpay, you see, caters to a more global market. Whereas PayPal operates in selected territories, Stormpay has a wider reach. At that time, it was the best choice for auto surf companies, given the fact that Stormpay would open the doors for more people to join their programs. And it worked. The auto surf industry became a bustling field, where the companies as well as the investors enjoyed unbridled success. Investors were able to recoup the money they have expended, with profits soaring to fantastic rates in such short periods of time. And the companies were able to amass enough capital to finance their operations. But that was then. 2006 welcomed the paid-to-surf industry with the grimmest news. Stormpay froze the accounts of auto-surf programs, and up to this writing, a lot of investors have yet to receive the money that have accrued to them. For those who managed to receive their pay in their accounts, they cannot withdraw the same as such amounts are traceable to the auto surf companies. Why did things come to this? There are two sides to the story. Stormpay claims that some of these paid-to-surf companies are using the pyramid model, which is generally outlawed since such companies do not have real assets. The auto surf companies are claiming that Stormpay is merely using the alleged irregularities as a smokescreen when the truth of the matter, according to them, is that Stormpay doesn’t have enough funds to cover the withdrawals from the auto surf companies’ investors. If you would conduct your own research on the matter, you’re bound to get more spins to these tales. Which is true? We’ll never know until formal investigations conclude and a judicial decision is reached. Hardest hit in this controversy is http://12dailypro.com. We could even say that http://12dailypro.com is the epoch of the issue, as they are the ones who were targeted by Stormpay’s sudden crackdown. But here’s the deal: why penalize the innocent investors? If Stormpay wanted to cut its ties with the entities it perceives as unlawful, why bring down the investors as well, when such investors under such reasoning would be considered as “victims” rather than “accomplices?” Again, the matter needs to be resolved before we could derive some conclusive answers. Nonetheless, a lot are wondering what the state of the paid-to-surf industry is today, after the Stormpay crackdown. For starters, more people are warier about auto surf programs. They are now afraid to invest their money, since, as Stormpay has demonstrated, their funds could be frozen at any time, without notice at that. But the crackdown on some paid-for-surf programs have opened the doors for new players, as well as established ones that weren’t affected by the controversy. Investors who have tasted the potentials of an opportunity like this have quickly jumped to other programs offering the same system but without the frightful possibility of getting killed. You may have received unsolicited emails advertising emergent paid-surf programs. Though spam mails like this are quite irritating, they may point out to a resurgent industry. The question in everyone’s mind is this: is the auto surf industry dead? No, it is not. It suffered a setback, from which many lessons can be learned. But it has, almost instantaneously, made a comeback. The current players are a mixture of old and new parties, but the concept remains the same, albeit with more caution against possible attacks. This caution is now borne by both the companies as well as the investors. The Stormpay-12dailypro incident may not be pretty. But it did leave us with something that will prove beneficial in the long run: the moral of a tale that would make the industry sturdier. NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the “About The Author” resource box. Thanks! :-

Online selling strategies have evolved throughout the years. The internet, after all, is already in its second decade.
There is a need to come up with new marketing techniques to provide a boost for any online enterprise. Internet marketers have experimented with a lot of novel approaches. Though most of these have failed, some yielded more than positive results. Indeed, a number of packaging tactics have been developed that have caused tremendous leaps in sales rates across the board. What are these packaging tactics and how will you be able to employ them for your own online business? Read on, dear friend, as we discuss some amazing sales strategies that are sure to reap fantastic dividends. Onetime Offer So you have a mailing list, and a big one at that. But how is your conversion rate? Onetime offers can immediately jack up your conversion rate by as much as 800% at the average. Here’s the deal. Your subscribers have most probably gotten immune with your sales messages. Indeed, you may be getting some “yes” customers from time to time, but the number of “no” respondents far outnumber them. Onetime offers can help you change the mind of your “no” customers, but more importantly, they could help you bag the previously untapped members of your mailing list… the “maybe tomorrow” prospects. A onetime offer is an offer for an amazing value-loaded package for a limited time, with a warning that such an offer will NEVER happen again. For example, you’re selling a product for $47, normally. Create a onetime offer that will cut the price in half, and support the same with a plethora of bonuses. Offer this for one month. This would create a sense of panic on anyone who would get to know about your offer. The result? A mad rush to purchase the same! In some circles, a onetime offer is also called a Fire Sale, alluding to the sheer bargain and urgency involved with the package. Time Sensitive Offers Time sensitive offers are very similar to onetime offers. Time sensitive offers make use of some tools to include a timer on your sales page, with a warning that once the displayed time would run out, the readers won’t be able to purchase the package ever again. Again, the result is mass hysteria leading to a spike in your sales rate. Imagine your sales page displaying the words “xx:xx before this offer closes forever!” with “xx:xx” representing the amount of time remaining. The tools that can be used for time sensitive offers actually display the remaining period in real time, meaning, a virtual clock would appear on your page, and your visitors would get to see the seconds pass by. If you don’t have the resources to invest on these tools, you could always do things the old fashioned way. You could specify an exact date as well as an exact time when the deal would expire. It would be great if you’d constantly update your sales page per day to indicate the number of days or hours remaining before your offer closes its doors. Proper Usage Of Bonuses This is pretty basic but some online marketers have failed to make the most out of including bonuses for their products. Including bonuses doesn’t only entail offering a slew of other products for free. If you take this simple approach, you will just deteriorate the value of your bonuses. It’s all about the perceived value of the package as a whole. You have to make your readers know that your package, not just your main product, is truly valuable and very much worth their hard earned money, To do this, you have to include the real value of each and every one of your bonuses. If bonus A is worth $50, then state that fact. If bonus B is worth $20, state that fact as well. The total value of all your bonuses combined should likewise be stated. This would give your readers the impression of how much they’d be getting all the products if they were to purchase them individually. And since your offer will be charging them for your main product alone, they’d have a clearer perspective about how valuable your package really is. NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the “About The Author” resource box. Thanks! :-

The top online flower shops make up nearly half the market for site traffic in the weeks leading up to Mothers Day as lesser known flower shops find other ways to keep up. As recently reported on internetretailer.com, the top online flowers sellers had the most online visits for flowers and gifts according to internet traffic monitoring service Hitwise. Capturing the number 1 spot, flower seller 1-800-Flowers.com had over 18% of all visits to flower and gift sites for the week ending Mother’s Day. FTD.com held claim to second place with nearly 14% of all visits, followed by ProFlowers.com with better than 10% of all visits. The fourth place finisher, Teleflora.com made up 2.26% of all visits with Flowers.com finishing in fifth place with 0.86%. Hitwise also reported that 1-800-Flowers.com share of site traffic was 7.5 times greater then it was two weeks earlier in the build up in anticipation of Mothers Day. What accounts for such dominance by the top flower shops can be chalk up to strong marketing and traditional print and television advertising. The top flower sellers are increasing their brand awareness with consumers with traditional commercial advertising usually dominated by brick and mortar retailers, especially around holidays like Mothers Day, Valentines Day and Easter. In the weeks leading up to Mothers Day many consumers saw http://1-800-Flowers.com and http://ProFlowers.com run commercials just for Mothers Day. Using television advertising 1-800-Flowers and the like will most likely give online consumers and instant brand or URL to search for as they go online to buy flowers. Some of the smaller retailers don’t have the same marketing budgets as the top tier retailers do and will struggle to compete without other aggressive marketing strategies. With out devising or incorporating other marketing plans many of the top flower shops will likely continue to increase their market share as more and more shoppers embrace the web as their preferred shopping medium. With hundreds of floral shopping sites online many online floral shop owners are taking steps to broaden their customer base by partnering with related floral theme internet sites to help drive traffic to their sites. Online stores are embracing partner sites as a new marketing channel to help increase traffic, exposure and drive sales. Some of these partner sites come in the form of blogs, coupon sites, and review sites and newsletters distributors. Counting on the various partner sites to drive traffic and consumer interest provides the flower retailers, big or small, an opportunity to give consumers a way to see other money saving deals that exits online. As flower retailers take advantage of the traffic generated by partner sites they can look forward to not only more traffic but increased profits which is the ultimate aim. As the number of online flower shop sites continues to expand, finding ways for smaller flower shops to drive traffic to stay competitive will come in the form of an increasing number partner sites. Ultimately the competition to drive more traffic between flower shops online will lead to better discount deals for consumers.

Customer service communication is a concern for any E-Biz owner – you’ve got to respond to every inquiry, address every issue, and still find time for the many other responsibilities running an online business entails. According to E-Biz attorney Cliff Ennico, of http://CliffEnnico.com, “Customers today want instant answers and get miffed if you take too long getting back to them. With so many emails and voicemails to answer, and only so many hours in a day, it becomes an increasing challenge to keep up with it all.” While you can’t please everyone, Ennico suggests some steps you can take to stay on top of your customer relations without sacrificing your every spare moment: • DON’T Answer Email in Real Time Stopping to respond to every email, as it comes in, can become a real source of distraction. Instead, budget blocks of time specifically for clearing your inbox. Depending on the volume of emails you get, you may need to set aside anywhere from an hour to a few hours, at least twice a day, to answer customer service emails. Explains Ennico, “That way, even the most impatient buyer is never more than a few hours away from getting a response.” When you do get to your email, delete your junk mail, then sort your remaining messages into three categories: o Respond To Now – If a message can be responded to in ten words or less, do it immediately, rather than letting it pile up. The vast majority of emails can be answered this way. o Respond To Later – If a message requires a lengthier response, or will take time to read, move to the next one and come back when you reach the end. If an inquiry can’t be addressed in under twenty-five words, consider a reply such as, “Your message deserves more time than I can give in an email. Please call me.” o Respond To Never – Many people struggle with ignoring any email, but there are times when it’s best not to respond, even at the risk of being considered rude. Over the course of the day, these categories will change. What was a Respond To Later will become a Respond To Now, etc. • Turn Your Ringer OFF It’s okay to silence your phone when you’re working. Leave a professional sounding voicemail telling customers that you’re away from your desk (they don’t need to know if your desk is the kitchen table) and you’ll return their call as soon as possible. If you answer the phone each time it rings, you can easily get to talking and find time quickly sliding away from you. Beyond that, you break your concentration flow – it takes time to refocus on what you were doing and where you were in the process. Just like with email, set blocks of time aside to answer your voice messages. Base the amount of time you allot for returning calls on how many you normally receive, and how much time you usually spend responding. You may not be able to reach everyone during your scheduled time – that’s okay too. Telephone tag is a fact of life; you’ll connect sooner or later. Managing your communications effectively can be the difference between running a successful e-business and letting your e-business run you. Says Ennico, “Plan your days ahead of time and, as much as possible, stick with the plan. You’ll be amazed at how the simple act of creating an organized Customer Service Schedule can free your time up.”

More and more people are realizing the potential that having an online business gives them to increase their income or free them from their nine-to-five jobs. But the unfortunate truth is that most new e-businesses fail. One of the biggest reasons is that, all too often, eCommerce newcomers dive right in, without first learning how to start and run a business right. Many Baby Boomers have lost their life savings because they didn’t invest the time and effort into studying the ropes of selling online. Get Guidance Before You Begin If you’re an aspiring Internet entrepreneur, you need to seek out the advice of those who have already succeeded in E-Biz. Experience may be the best teacher, but learning from other people’s experience can spare you a lot of problems. You may not know any wildly successful ‘Netrepreneurs well enough to ask them to mentor you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get their guidance. Many experienced entrepreneurs have put out training resources that share the knowledge they’ve gained and the sound practices they’ve developed through trial-and-error. Explains education specialist Les Cowie, of http://VisualLearningSystems.com, “It’s so important to take the time to understand what you need to do before you do it. There’s a lot of educational material out there that people don’t take advantage of.” Don’t wait until you make a mistake or run into trouble to educate yourself. Whether it’s getting licensed, legally structuring your business, or choosing a search-engine friendly URL, doing things right the first time can save you time and money, and even keep you out of legal hot water. You can give your business a solid foundation by investing in training classes (such as eBay University e-courses or Visual Learning Systems’ interactive, internet-based classes), CDs, books, videos, or seminars. Know Your Sources Unfortunately, you may not know where to go to find the advice you seek—the search engines are full of self-proclaimed “E-Biz experts.” Before you simply hand over your money and take their advice, make sure they are reputable: •Listen to what they’re telling you: If someone tells you their system can make you rich overnight, or with little to no work on your part, run—far and fast! Starting an E-Biz is not simple or easy—it takes time and a dedicated effort on your part. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you a dream they can’t deliver. •Look at the results: What kind of success have they achieved with their own advice? You want to listen to people who are already accomplished in the areas they’re advising you about. •Listen to what others are telling you: Check with the Better Business Bureau for a complaint history (http://BBB.org), and search the Internet to find what other people are saying about them. If the majority of their customers have had positive experiences with them, you’ll feel comfortable knowing they’re legitimate. If not, you won’t waste your resources. While there are no Absolute Guarantees that your e-business will be a profitable venture, you can set yourself up to achieve your goals by knowing what you’re getting into. The more familiar you are with how E-Biz actually works, the better prepared you’ll be to deal with the issues that arise. Says Cowie, “It’s entirely possible for anyone to start an online business and do very well – it’s just a matter of equipping yourself to succeed.”

There are many people who would benefit from having a business card scanner. Are you one of them? If you do not know the answer to this question, you may want to consider finding out sooner rather than later. When it comes down to it, there are a lot of people who need a business card scanner; regardless of if they know it or not. The main reason for this is that these machines can be beneficial in a number of different ways. So who needs a business card scanner? And who can do without? Generally speaking, anybody who receives a lot of business cards would be well suited using one of these on a regular basis. Even if you only receive a few of these each month, you might as well look into what a business card scanner has to offer. All in all, it is a good idea for your office to have at least one business card scanner. This way, whenever you receive business cards you can use the machine to export all of the information to your computer, etc. Business card scanners are also great for people who attend trade shows. Instead of having your visitors stop by and give you a business card, you can instead use your scanner in order to take their information. As you can imagine, this will make things easier on both of you. You will not have to lug around a large number of business cards, and your visitors will be able to keep them for other people. If you think that you may need a business card scanner, chances are that you are right. Instead of procrastinating, you should go online and find a store that sells quality business card scanners. They are affordably priced, and can help you to achieve career success.

When someone sends an email, they would prefer to get an immediate response. Although most responses take time, customers and potential buyers prefer to get their response immediately. To give an immediate response to an email, you can use an autoresponder. They are a great way to let someone know that you received their email, and that you are taking care of their request. Autoresponder messages can be custom tailored, and look much better than simple thank you pages http://www.AllBestAsia.org Some Internet marketers use their autoresponders to save themselves time and make their customers feel a bit more at ease until they get the time to handle the request or issue. If you set up your autoresponder in your email account, you’ll find that there are many advantages, although the biggest advantage is answering email questions and acting as tech support. Your autoresponder can act as tech support for your business by answering any questions you receive via email. To make this work smoother, you can always add answers as you go or just include the most common preset answers in your autoresponder. If your website has a technical support page, you can include different addresses for each specific question. When a customer emails the address, the autoresponder at the other end will automatically send them the answer. Using an autoresponder to answer your email questions can drastically cut down the amount of emails that you need to answer. Instead of having to wait on your response, your customer will get an instant reply. Customers love to get instant replies, which is one of the main reasons why autoresponders are so popular with online businesses and Internet marketing. If customers start to ask questions that your autoresponder isn’t set up for, you can easily add answers to it anytime you need to. No matter what the question may be, you can use an autoresponder to answer it. With most autoresponders, you simply type the answer to a question or other piece of information into a text file. You can include an answer section on your website as well, where customers will ask their questions. If you set it up so that it includes a mail form, you can add several pages to the answer section. Once a customer sends the question, the autoresponder should immediately send them an answer. For a growing Internet business, an autoresponder is a must have. If you deal with a lot of customers, you’ll find this tool to be very beneficial. No matter what type of company you may have online, an autoresponder will help you stand out in a crowd – and keep you looking good night and day. When customers email you and get an immediate response – they won’t forget it.

If you’ve been reading up on ways to make money online, you already know that affiliate marketing on the Internet has established itself as one of the quickest, easiest, and least expensive methods to get started building your online income. What is it, and how do you get your piece? Getting and Promoting an Affiliate Link Affiliate marketing on the Internet is the opportunity for you to get a commission whenever someone else makes a sale. How can you beat that? All you have to do is sign up for an affiliate link at the sites of the online vendors whose products you can recommend, and post your link on your websites, blogs, or in articles you submit to the dozens of article directories. That’s all the effort involved from your end. Every time someone uses you affiliate link to go to the vendor’s site and buy something, you’ll get a commission. You get the commission because you found a customer the vendor couldn’t find thorough his or her or own efforts, and that works for both of you. But it probably works better for you because you don’t have to bother providing a website devoted to the product nor the product itself. But would you like a tip on how to benefit even more from your affiliate link? Finding a Live Leads with Your Affiliate Program One seldom talked-about approach to affiliate marketing on the Internet is using your affiliate links to get you live leads for your own marketing efforts. You know that the persons who use your affiliate links to buy something from someone else are comfortable purchasing things over the Internet. But you don’t know how to add them to your own customer base, because you’re not given their email addresses when they make their purchases. So you can’t contact them personally to thank them for using your links. How can you get those Internet buyers to become customers of yours? Add a Bonus to Your Affiliate Marketing Offers Wherever you post your affiliate links, in your blogs, in your article resource boxes, or on your own websites, why not offer a free bonus like an info report or ebook to which you have resell rights to anyone who purchases products using your affiliate link? You not only have a good chance of raising your commission income; you can also ask the ones who respond for their emails so that you can send them the bonus. Once you have their emails, you are well on your way to turning them into regular customers for your marketing efforts!

All good business planning software has the same key elements that you would incorporate in a business plan created manually. A business plan must include an executive summary, a description of the company, information on its product or service, market analysis, strategy, implementation, management team information, and financial plans. Let’s take a look at how business plan software will detail and assist with each of these crucial elements. The executive summary, while it should appear first in your business plan, actually is written last as an overview of the entire business plan. Your business plan software will help you break this down into one or two pages. The next component of your business plan is the description of the company. You note here whether it is a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a limited liability corporation, or an S Corporation. You talk about the history of the business, and your plans to start it on its way. Here you would include advertising and marketing ideas. Your business plan software would prompt for these items. Next on your business plan you would talk about each product or service that your company offers to consumers or other businesses. While a company with hundreds of items wouldn’t detail each it would talk about the variations in types of products, as well as clarifying what benefit customers would achieve from the products or services. Business planning software helps you put your best foot forward here. Market analysis is covered next in your business plan, with prompts from the software to talk about your familiarity with and study of the local market, the fact that you don’t feel it’s saturated, where your customers are to be found and how best to reach them. The strategy and implementation phase of your business planning software gives you opportunities to be specific about dates, budget and managerial responsibilities. Good business planning software also provides fields and prompts that give you the chance to talk about the expertise and efforts of your key managers. You also talk here about human resource strategies. The final part of your business planning software, and the resulting business plan covers all financial aspects of your firm’s growth. You talk about where you will find your funding for start up and / or expansion, what your profit and loss statement looks like, your cash flow, the company’s balance sheet, and the financial point at which you can say your firm has broken even. Source: http://www.bplans.com/dp/article.cfm/41