Monday, December 08, 2008
Even Virtual Employees Have to Get the Job First
How to Pass an Interview! by: Zohra Sarwari
Nine Steps to Interview Success These days, the average person changes their career seven to ten times within their life span. This means that the average person is going to send out several hundred copies of their resumes in their lifetime…and yes, they’re going to have to go through several interviews in their lifetime. Scary, huh? If the interview process makes you nervous, well, you’re not alone. But right now, it’s time to stop worrying. You’re about to learn the nine vital steps for interview success…how to pass any interview you face! Step 1: Research the Company that you are being interviewed for: It’s a pretty obvious trick: research the company you’re interviewing for and be prepared to show off what you know about them. Way too many people show up for an interview without having the first idea about what the particular company stands for. The truth is that you should know at least something about the company’s mission, its general business process, and its particular needs. Know how long the company has been in business and whether they’re financially sound and profitable. Research the company with a view to determine what you can do to help them achieve their goals. Be prepared to say specifically how your personal goals and experience are going to be valuable to the company. Step 2: Know your resume: In virtually any interview situation, you’re interviewer is going to ask you questions about your resume, about your experiences and even about the quirky stuff you’ve listed to pad it out. You should read your resume over and over, and know the details of it because you never know when you’re going to be asked about your chess playing experience or your interest in literature. Make sure there’s nothing detailed on your resume that you’re uncomfortable talking about. Step 3: Dress for Success: Appearance can become nine-tenths of the law if you don’t pay attention to it. For every interview, make sure you wear garments that are professional and appropriate the position that you’re seeking. Your clothes should be comfortable, clean, and pressed. Don’t create a crisis for yourself on the morning of the interview when it comes to your clothes. Pick out your outfit and make sure it’s ready the night before your big interview. Step 4: Make sure that you wake up early and are on time: Just as you shouldn’t let your wardrobe run you down on the big day, you shouldn’t let traffic or public transport delays upset you either. It’s also crucial that you don’t get lost on the way so have directions –and confirm them if you have to – well before you set off. These days, with MapQuest, you have no excuses. Make sure you leave the house early, and plan to be at the interview at least ten minutes early. Step 5: Review interview questions: Interviews may be pretty scary but they’re also pretty predictable. It doesn’t take much to predict the basic questions you’re going to be asked. Here are some examples: Tell me about yourself? Tell me about a time you failed miserably in your career? What is your greatest strength/weakness? Where do you see yourself five years from now? What are your salary expectations for this position? Why should we hire YOU? Prepare sample answers to these questions. Memorize a couple of key responses. Remember that no matter who you’re interviewing for or with, if it’s a job interview, the basic focus is going to be on your experience, your goals, and your potential to contribute to the company. Be sure you can argue a case for yourself on these key points. Step 6: Let the interviewer lead you: The interviewer is the one running the interview but you can set the pace. Wait for the interviewer to ask the questions. Take your time to listen to the questions. Give your answers carefully; make sure they are considered. That said, each of your answers should be given with an energetic and enthusiastic voice. Above all, smile and enjoy the interview. Be courteous and always thank the interviewer at the end of the interview. Tell them that you’re well qualified for the job, and that you will prove it to them upon being hired. Don’t be afraid to be confident in yourself and your abilities. Step 7: Ask for the next step: The interviewer will ask most of the questions but you will have a chance to get a word in shortly. Find out what will happen next, and what you should expect after the interview. When should you be hearing from them about the job? When will the hiring decision be made? Step 8: Send a thank you note: Everything you do regarding your interview has consequences. Just as a good sales person follows up on a lead, after each interview you attend you should be sure to send a thank you note to the employer and the interviewer, thanking them for their time. Going the extra mile in this way will generally show that you’re qualified for the position, or at least that you’re a serious and diligent person. Step 9: Follow-up: Of course, sending a thank you note is something you do immediately after the interview. A reasonable period after, usually a week or two at least, you should take one further step to follow up. Call the company offices and ask if you can speak to the hiring manager who interviewed you. You can start the conversation by asking if they received your note. Then you can ask them if any decisions were made and, if not, approximately when you should call back or otherwise expect to hear from them. Don’t be pushy; above all, be polite and courteous, even if a response is not forthcoming. WHEN YOU’RE HIRED…THINGS TO THINK ABOUT… If you are hired, remember that you need to stand up to your promises. You should always be putting 110% effort. An unspoken trick to get comfortable in interviews and to always get the job you want: in every job you accept, make yourself shine. Regardless of how much you are paid or how much responsibility and work you’re given, take the initiative to do more. The more you’re prepared to do for your job, the future each of your jobs will take you. Don’t worry about being rewarded, just keep working hard, and it will pay off. I guarantee it.
About The Author
Zohra Sarwari has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Business Administration. She is currently working on a Bachelor’s Degree in Islamic Studies. She is a mother of three beautiful children, and spouse to a great man. She is currently home schooling her own children, and teaching others about Business and entrepreneurship trainings while balancing home life. She is an author of the new ground breaking book, “9 Steps that Will Change Your Destiny”. She has also written two e-books “Become a Professional Speaker Today” and “Time Management For Success”. Her book has been reviewed in Al-Jumuah magazine, and there is an article about her up coming in Azizah magazine. She is a motivational and inspirational speaker to youth and adults. She loves teaching and learning. http://www.zohrasarwari.com/
Nine Steps to Interview Success These days, the average person changes their career seven to ten times within their life span. This means that the average person is going to send out several hundred copies of their resumes in their lifetime…and yes, they’re going to have to go through several interviews in their lifetime. Scary, huh? If the interview process makes you nervous, well, you’re not alone. But right now, it’s time to stop worrying. You’re about to learn the nine vital steps for interview success…how to pass any interview you face! Step 1: Research the Company that you are being interviewed for: It’s a pretty obvious trick: research the company you’re interviewing for and be prepared to show off what you know about them. Way too many people show up for an interview without having the first idea about what the particular company stands for. The truth is that you should know at least something about the company’s mission, its general business process, and its particular needs. Know how long the company has been in business and whether they’re financially sound and profitable. Research the company with a view to determine what you can do to help them achieve their goals. Be prepared to say specifically how your personal goals and experience are going to be valuable to the company. Step 2: Know your resume: In virtually any interview situation, you’re interviewer is going to ask you questions about your resume, about your experiences and even about the quirky stuff you’ve listed to pad it out. You should read your resume over and over, and know the details of it because you never know when you’re going to be asked about your chess playing experience or your interest in literature. Make sure there’s nothing detailed on your resume that you’re uncomfortable talking about. Step 3: Dress for Success: Appearance can become nine-tenths of the law if you don’t pay attention to it. For every interview, make sure you wear garments that are professional and appropriate the position that you’re seeking. Your clothes should be comfortable, clean, and pressed. Don’t create a crisis for yourself on the morning of the interview when it comes to your clothes. Pick out your outfit and make sure it’s ready the night before your big interview. Step 4: Make sure that you wake up early and are on time: Just as you shouldn’t let your wardrobe run you down on the big day, you shouldn’t let traffic or public transport delays upset you either. It’s also crucial that you don’t get lost on the way so have directions –and confirm them if you have to – well before you set off. These days, with MapQuest, you have no excuses. Make sure you leave the house early, and plan to be at the interview at least ten minutes early. Step 5: Review interview questions: Interviews may be pretty scary but they’re also pretty predictable. It doesn’t take much to predict the basic questions you’re going to be asked. Here are some examples: Tell me about yourself? Tell me about a time you failed miserably in your career? What is your greatest strength/weakness? Where do you see yourself five years from now? What are your salary expectations for this position? Why should we hire YOU? Prepare sample answers to these questions. Memorize a couple of key responses. Remember that no matter who you’re interviewing for or with, if it’s a job interview, the basic focus is going to be on your experience, your goals, and your potential to contribute to the company. Be sure you can argue a case for yourself on these key points. Step 6: Let the interviewer lead you: The interviewer is the one running the interview but you can set the pace. Wait for the interviewer to ask the questions. Take your time to listen to the questions. Give your answers carefully; make sure they are considered. That said, each of your answers should be given with an energetic and enthusiastic voice. Above all, smile and enjoy the interview. Be courteous and always thank the interviewer at the end of the interview. Tell them that you’re well qualified for the job, and that you will prove it to them upon being hired. Don’t be afraid to be confident in yourself and your abilities. Step 7: Ask for the next step: The interviewer will ask most of the questions but you will have a chance to get a word in shortly. Find out what will happen next, and what you should expect after the interview. When should you be hearing from them about the job? When will the hiring decision be made? Step 8: Send a thank you note: Everything you do regarding your interview has consequences. Just as a good sales person follows up on a lead, after each interview you attend you should be sure to send a thank you note to the employer and the interviewer, thanking them for their time. Going the extra mile in this way will generally show that you’re qualified for the position, or at least that you’re a serious and diligent person. Step 9: Follow-up: Of course, sending a thank you note is something you do immediately after the interview. A reasonable period after, usually a week or two at least, you should take one further step to follow up. Call the company offices and ask if you can speak to the hiring manager who interviewed you. You can start the conversation by asking if they received your note. Then you can ask them if any decisions were made and, if not, approximately when you should call back or otherwise expect to hear from them. Don’t be pushy; above all, be polite and courteous, even if a response is not forthcoming. WHEN YOU’RE HIRED…THINGS TO THINK ABOUT… If you are hired, remember that you need to stand up to your promises. You should always be putting 110% effort. An unspoken trick to get comfortable in interviews and to always get the job you want: in every job you accept, make yourself shine. Regardless of how much you are paid or how much responsibility and work you’re given, take the initiative to do more. The more you’re prepared to do for your job, the future each of your jobs will take you. Don’t worry about being rewarded, just keep working hard, and it will pay off. I guarantee it.
About The Author
Zohra Sarwari has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Business Administration. She is currently working on a Bachelor’s Degree in Islamic Studies. She is a mother of three beautiful children, and spouse to a great man. She is currently home schooling her own children, and teaching others about Business and entrepreneurship trainings while balancing home life. She is an author of the new ground breaking book, “9 Steps that Will Change Your Destiny”. She has also written two e-books “Become a Professional Speaker Today” and “Time Management For Success”. Her book has been reviewed in Al-Jumuah magazine, and there is an article about her up coming in Azizah magazine. She is a motivational and inspirational speaker to youth and adults. She loves teaching and learning. http://www.zohrasarwari.com/
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
How to Set Up Your Free Website
How to Create a Free Website using NVU! by: Gary Lamb
Creating A Website For Free is a simple easy task that can bring in loads of income. Most people know having a website means a cash growth potential, however, many people simply do not have enough money to have a website created. So, I'm going to show you how to Create A Website For Free! Having a free website makes your profit go through the roof! It is important for you to view other websites to see what works and use the same technique in your free website. You should also have some good products for your website. OK! Lets create your free website! Things you will need: - NVU - a free auto responder (Google one) - a free web hosting site (Google one) - a free ftp up loader (filezilla) - a domain name (this will cost you about 10 bucks.) NVU works like FrontPage. Now that you have NVU, lets create your free website! Background and Page Setup First, using NVU, lets create your free website background. At the top of NVU, next to the Paragraph Headings under the Publish Button, you will see two boxes. One is for text coloring and the one behind it is for the sheet coloring. Choose which color you want your free website background then click OK. Next using NVU, lets create your free website template. At the top of NVU you will find Table. Click on that. NVU lets you choose multiple cells, but I usually choose one cell. It's a little easier to manage and NVU has a better option. So, lets click one box. As you can see, your free website page is the same color as your background. To change this, simply double click inside your table, click on Table, click the gray box next to Background Color, and choose the color you want. Click Apply then OK. Now the color you have chosen. (i.e. If you want to get rid of the border around your free website page simply double click on your page, click on table, and zero out border, spacing, and padding. Click Apply and OK. NVU gives you a red dotted line to show the tables parameter. This is an invisible table!) Next using NVU, you're going to want to center your free website page. Double click in the page, click on Table, and find Table Alignment and scroll down to Center. Click Apply and OK. To increase the size of your free website table simply hover over the white box on either side of you page and enlarge. (i.e. NVU uses a circle that has an X inside of it and an arrow on both sides. The circle, if clicked, will delete that website table and the arrows create another table that is connected to the main one. This is why I'd rather not choose more then one cell that was talked about previously.) Template Setup Now, lets set up a template inside your free website page. To get your cursor in the top left corner of your website page double click, look for Content Alignment, next to Vertical, scroll down to Top, click Apply and OK. Next using NVU, right click on your free website page, scroll down to Table Insert, click on table and your new table will appear. In order to customize repeat all the steps above. Video Setup Now by using NVU, lets say you want to host a video from youtube in your free website. Grab the code from the video, create an invisible table, put your cursor inside the table, go to Insert at the top of NVU, scroll down to HTML, a new NVU window will pop up and place the code there. You can't see your video and that why you want to create an invisible table. Unlike FrontPage, NVU does not have the feather for you to see it in the preview page. (i.e. if you want to write something on the side of your video, using NVU, click on the arrow of your tables parameter and a new table will connect to your video table.) Here is a article that explains about HTML code and how to put digital pictures on your website. http://www.angelfire.com/fl5/html-tutorial/image.htm There you have it. A new template for your new and free website using NVU! You can start creating your website content. It is a good idea to save your free website template for future use. You also want to save your free website as a index.html. Uploading your Website Now, NVU makes uploading your free website to your free web hosting site very simple. All you have to do is click Publish at the top of NVU, plug in the appropriate information and click Publish. NVU will send your free website to your web hosing site. I rather use filezilla because some web hosting sites require you to put your free website in a certain file. When uploading your free website don't forget to follow the instructions of your web hosting site. I spent two hours trying to upload my free website before I figured out what was wrong! As you can see, NVU is a great way to create your free website. NVU gives you a lot more options then what I have spoke about. You should always test to see if your free website is working properly.
About The Author
Gary Lamb Is a make it for free nut! Knowing that the way of the pay-per-click is losing its grip, Gary became obsessed with ways to drive large amounts of traffic to his websites for free! Now, he is passing these techniques to others. To check out he has to offer go to http://successfromhome.makeitforfree.com/
Creating A Website For Free is a simple easy task that can bring in loads of income. Most people know having a website means a cash growth potential, however, many people simply do not have enough money to have a website created. So, I'm going to show you how to Create A Website For Free! Having a free website makes your profit go through the roof! It is important for you to view other websites to see what works and use the same technique in your free website. You should also have some good products for your website. OK! Lets create your free website! Things you will need: - NVU - a free auto responder (Google one) - a free web hosting site (Google one) - a free ftp up loader (filezilla) - a domain name (this will cost you about 10 bucks.) NVU works like FrontPage. Now that you have NVU, lets create your free website! Background and Page Setup First, using NVU, lets create your free website background. At the top of NVU, next to the Paragraph Headings under the Publish Button, you will see two boxes. One is for text coloring and the one behind it is for the sheet coloring. Choose which color you want your free website background then click OK. Next using NVU, lets create your free website template. At the top of NVU you will find Table. Click on that. NVU lets you choose multiple cells, but I usually choose one cell. It's a little easier to manage and NVU has a better option. So, lets click one box. As you can see, your free website page is the same color as your background. To change this, simply double click inside your table, click on Table, click the gray box next to Background Color, and choose the color you want. Click Apply then OK. Now the color you have chosen. (i.e. If you want to get rid of the border around your free website page simply double click on your page, click on table, and zero out border, spacing, and padding. Click Apply and OK. NVU gives you a red dotted line to show the tables parameter. This is an invisible table!) Next using NVU, you're going to want to center your free website page. Double click in the page, click on Table, and find Table Alignment and scroll down to Center. Click Apply and OK. To increase the size of your free website table simply hover over the white box on either side of you page and enlarge. (i.e. NVU uses a circle that has an X inside of it and an arrow on both sides. The circle, if clicked, will delete that website table and the arrows create another table that is connected to the main one. This is why I'd rather not choose more then one cell that was talked about previously.) Template Setup Now, lets set up a template inside your free website page. To get your cursor in the top left corner of your website page double click, look for Content Alignment, next to Vertical, scroll down to Top, click Apply and OK. Next using NVU, right click on your free website page, scroll down to Table Insert, click on table and your new table will appear. In order to customize repeat all the steps above. Video Setup Now by using NVU, lets say you want to host a video from youtube in your free website. Grab the code from the video, create an invisible table, put your cursor inside the table, go to Insert at the top of NVU, scroll down to HTML, a new NVU window will pop up and place the code there. You can't see your video and that why you want to create an invisible table. Unlike FrontPage, NVU does not have the feather for you to see it in the preview page. (i.e. if you want to write something on the side of your video, using NVU, click on the arrow of your tables parameter and a new table will connect to your video table.) Here is a article that explains about HTML code and how to put digital pictures on your website. http://www.angelfire.com/fl5/html-tutorial/image.htm There you have it. A new template for your new and free website using NVU! You can start creating your website content. It is a good idea to save your free website template for future use. You also want to save your free website as a index.html. Uploading your Website Now, NVU makes uploading your free website to your free web hosting site very simple. All you have to do is click Publish at the top of NVU, plug in the appropriate information and click Publish. NVU will send your free website to your web hosing site. I rather use filezilla because some web hosting sites require you to put your free website in a certain file. When uploading your free website don't forget to follow the instructions of your web hosting site. I spent two hours trying to upload my free website before I figured out what was wrong! As you can see, NVU is a great way to create your free website. NVU gives you a lot more options then what I have spoke about. You should always test to see if your free website is working properly.
About The Author
Gary Lamb Is a make it for free nut! Knowing that the way of the pay-per-click is losing its grip, Gary became obsessed with ways to drive large amounts of traffic to his websites for free! Now, he is passing these techniques to others. To check out he has to offer go to http://successfromhome.makeitforfree.com/
Monday, December 10, 2007
New Merchant Account Warnings
Use Caution When Opening Merchant Account to Accept Credit Cards by: Damien Gough
If you want to start accepting credit card payments online for the first time, then this article is a must read. Before obtaining a merchant account, make sure you shop around and do your research. Let the buyer beware certainly applies when choosing a merchant account provider, as there are many important aspects which need to be considered. Making a poor choice is likely to result in numerous complications and high unexpected ongoing costs. 10 tips to choosing a merchant account provider: 1. KNOW YOUR NEEDS – Do you want batch (manual) payment processing or real time processing? If you expect low volume sales then manual processing maybe a viable route. Before approaching merchant account processors know your actual or expected margins, transaction volume and internal resources. What will your hardware, software and service requirements be? You can go directly to banks or ISOs for merchant accounts, however putting together all the components to e-commerce (catalog system, credit card processing, order system, billing system, etc) can be a nightmare. This is where it sometimes it can pay to partner with a ‘holistic’ payment processor which may charge slightly higher rates, but can provide complete and secure payment processing merchant accounts. 2. 24 HOUR PAYMENT CUSTOMER SERVICE – Not only is it wise for you to get 24 hour technical support for your merchant account, but also of great importance is 24 hour payment support for your own paying customers. Providing 24 hour telephone payment support on your website for high volume sites could increase sales by 20-30%, especially in the early stages whilst you fine tune your site. 3. RELIABILITY & INTEGRITY– Check the merchant account providers trading history and try to get testimonials or reviews of the processor. A dishonest processor can tack on declined transaction charges in numerous ways, so it is important to work with a reputable processing company. Common complaints against merchant account providers include sudden rate increases, long term lock-in contracts, hidden fees and add-on charges, high monthly-minimums, heavy rolling chargeback reserves, high chargeback fees, and surprise monthly processing limits. 4. SPEED OF SERVICE – If it takes more than 3-4 business days to get your merchant account up and running, then start questioning the setup and capability of a processor. Likewise if approval is instant or overnight, alarm bells should also start to ring. Setting up a new merchant account should take 2-4 days to allow for a thorough risk assessment and appropriate account setup. 5. FEES – Make sure you gain full visibility of all fees (application, setup, statement, transaction, discount rate, and fraudulent transactions – chargeback’s). Ask for a full disclosure of ALL merchant account fees and charges before signing anything! Also bear in mind that depending on your business setup; your merchant account processor may have to hold a reserve on your account. 6. UNDERWRITING AND RISK ASSESSMENT – Before approving a merchant account, the merchant account provider will underwrite and perform a risk assessment of your business and business model. Find out if your business will be classified as “High Risk”. If you trade in a high risk industry such as adult, travel, dating, or pharmacy, then you will have to approach a high risk merchant account specialist. 7. FRAUD MANAGEMENT – Chargeback’s and fraud related charges can be a very high cost for some online businesses. Make sure you protect your profits by using a processor that has a sophisticated and comprehensive fraud management system. A large variety of methods to minimize fraud should be in place on your merchant account including customer details verification, geographical location cross-checks, and known fraudster database cross-checks. 8. HIDDEN CLAUSES – Read the fine print. Read ALL of the fine print. Too many people today skim over the content of a service contract, which in the payment processing industry is very unwise. Be warned, low rates rarely equate with merchant friendly policies. 9. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS - A card from outside of the processor's country results in what is often called a non-qualified rate, which can result in a fee of 3.50% - 6% of the sale. If you expect card payments from more than one country, try to choose a processor that has an international payment network, who also supports transactions in multiple currencies. If you wish to advertise to multiple markets, a multi-currency and multi-lingual platform is a must to maximize your revenue potential. 10. MONTHLY LIMITS - As a precaution, many merchant account providers will impose limits on your monthly revenue intake. Processing more than your limit, in some cases will also result in held funds. The length of time the funds are held depends on the risk factor and the bank with which you deal. Should you surpass the limit that the bank is willing to allow for more than three months, you may receive an immediate termination letter. Look for a merchant account that is flexible with your needs. Some merchant account providers have policies with generous limits or no limit at all.
About The Author
Damien Gough is an experienced online business development specialist, who has assisted a variety of internet start up businesses spanning the United Kingdom, USA, and Australia. He has multi industry experience with general ecommerce sites such as recruitment, retail and manufacturing, as well as sites such as dating and travel which require high risk merchant account services. For more visit http://www.intabill.com/
If you want to start accepting credit card payments online for the first time, then this article is a must read. Before obtaining a merchant account, make sure you shop around and do your research. Let the buyer beware certainly applies when choosing a merchant account provider, as there are many important aspects which need to be considered. Making a poor choice is likely to result in numerous complications and high unexpected ongoing costs. 10 tips to choosing a merchant account provider: 1. KNOW YOUR NEEDS – Do you want batch (manual) payment processing or real time processing? If you expect low volume sales then manual processing maybe a viable route. Before approaching merchant account processors know your actual or expected margins, transaction volume and internal resources. What will your hardware, software and service requirements be? You can go directly to banks or ISOs for merchant accounts, however putting together all the components to e-commerce (catalog system, credit card processing, order system, billing system, etc) can be a nightmare. This is where it sometimes it can pay to partner with a ‘holistic’ payment processor which may charge slightly higher rates, but can provide complete and secure payment processing merchant accounts. 2. 24 HOUR PAYMENT CUSTOMER SERVICE – Not only is it wise for you to get 24 hour technical support for your merchant account, but also of great importance is 24 hour payment support for your own paying customers. Providing 24 hour telephone payment support on your website for high volume sites could increase sales by 20-30%, especially in the early stages whilst you fine tune your site. 3. RELIABILITY & INTEGRITY– Check the merchant account providers trading history and try to get testimonials or reviews of the processor. A dishonest processor can tack on declined transaction charges in numerous ways, so it is important to work with a reputable processing company. Common complaints against merchant account providers include sudden rate increases, long term lock-in contracts, hidden fees and add-on charges, high monthly-minimums, heavy rolling chargeback reserves, high chargeback fees, and surprise monthly processing limits. 4. SPEED OF SERVICE – If it takes more than 3-4 business days to get your merchant account up and running, then start questioning the setup and capability of a processor. Likewise if approval is instant or overnight, alarm bells should also start to ring. Setting up a new merchant account should take 2-4 days to allow for a thorough risk assessment and appropriate account setup. 5. FEES – Make sure you gain full visibility of all fees (application, setup, statement, transaction, discount rate, and fraudulent transactions – chargeback’s). Ask for a full disclosure of ALL merchant account fees and charges before signing anything! Also bear in mind that depending on your business setup; your merchant account processor may have to hold a reserve on your account. 6. UNDERWRITING AND RISK ASSESSMENT – Before approving a merchant account, the merchant account provider will underwrite and perform a risk assessment of your business and business model. Find out if your business will be classified as “High Risk”. If you trade in a high risk industry such as adult, travel, dating, or pharmacy, then you will have to approach a high risk merchant account specialist. 7. FRAUD MANAGEMENT – Chargeback’s and fraud related charges can be a very high cost for some online businesses. Make sure you protect your profits by using a processor that has a sophisticated and comprehensive fraud management system. A large variety of methods to minimize fraud should be in place on your merchant account including customer details verification, geographical location cross-checks, and known fraudster database cross-checks. 8. HIDDEN CLAUSES – Read the fine print. Read ALL of the fine print. Too many people today skim over the content of a service contract, which in the payment processing industry is very unwise. Be warned, low rates rarely equate with merchant friendly policies. 9. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS - A card from outside of the processor's country results in what is often called a non-qualified rate, which can result in a fee of 3.50% - 6% of the sale. If you expect card payments from more than one country, try to choose a processor that has an international payment network, who also supports transactions in multiple currencies. If you wish to advertise to multiple markets, a multi-currency and multi-lingual platform is a must to maximize your revenue potential. 10. MONTHLY LIMITS - As a precaution, many merchant account providers will impose limits on your monthly revenue intake. Processing more than your limit, in some cases will also result in held funds. The length of time the funds are held depends on the risk factor and the bank with which you deal. Should you surpass the limit that the bank is willing to allow for more than three months, you may receive an immediate termination letter. Look for a merchant account that is flexible with your needs. Some merchant account providers have policies with generous limits or no limit at all.
About The Author
Damien Gough is an experienced online business development specialist, who has assisted a variety of internet start up businesses spanning the United Kingdom, USA, and Australia. He has multi industry experience with general ecommerce sites such as recruitment, retail and manufacturing, as well as sites such as dating and travel which require high risk merchant account services. For more visit http://www.intabill.com/
Thursday, September 27, 2007
E-Commerce as a Business
How To Create Your Own e-Commerce Site by: Lewis Low
E-commerce is touted as one of the most viable online business opportunities on the Web today. In comparison to traditional brick and mortar businesses, e-commerce site requires minimal start-up cost and is relatively low-risk. However that does not imply creating an e-commerce site is a simple process, neither does it guarantee your future success. The purpose of this article is to walk you through the necessary steps and plans you would need in order to set up a successful e-commerce site. Un-earth Your Niche The very first thing to do is find your niche. Examine your hobbies and interests for potential business ideas. If you love soccer, consider selling soccer supplies or team uniforms, online. Focusing on your expertise or something you have great passion for would give you an advantage over competitors who do not have in-depth knowledge of that niche. Research Your Niche Once you've whittled down a few ideas, explore each one further. Ask yourself these questions: How many people are looking for your services? Where do they go and find people like yourself? How many searches are created for your product or service on Google? You may not have a budget to create demand, so it's safer and cheaper to go where the demand already exists. Scope out Your Competitors Research your competitors inside out. Spend time to check out their websites and compare their products and services. Give yourself an idea of what you’re up against, so you can create your e-commerce site as professional as, or even better than theirs. Write Your Business Plan You want to have a foolproof business plan for your business. Work out a detailed formula - including your site theme, goals, business strategies. It's also a good idea to keep a record of expenditures, sales, profits etc. Your business cannot just be a 'me-too' business online. Develop a powerful USP (Unique Selling Position) that sets you apart from your competitors and makes you stand out from the crowd! Create Your Website Register a good domain name as marketing tactic. Name that ends in *.com is best of all. Try to include relevant keywords that properly describe your business or product if possible. A well-designed website creates a good first impression with your prospects. Get yourself a professional website template at an affordable price and customize it to suit your need. Most templates can be easily customized using common HTML editors and simple graphics software. You’ll want your website content to target specific keywords for high search engines ranking and traffic flow. This can be done by creating informative articles, product reviews, descriptions and comparisons. If you're short on time, many SEO (search engine optimization) experts are willing to help you out for a reasonable price. Host Your Website Find a dependable hosting company to host your website on their servers. A quick search on Google for “web hosting” should bring up hundreds of companies ready to do business with you. Select a reliable web host that provides adequate disk space and bandwidth with e-commerce scripts supporting features. Domain name-specific email accounts must also be available to give a professional image. Your website files can be uploaded using a simple FTP program or file uploading service in your hosting account. Technical support personnel from your hosting company should walk you through the steps to upload your files and launch your website. Implement a Shopping Cart An e-commerce site is never complete without a secure shopping cart. The best option you can consider is a remotely hosted shopping cart which takes the burden of maintaining security and credit card numbers off your shoulder. Most remote shopping carts can be configured to look similar to your website so your customers may not realize that they have left your website when making a payment. If a remote shopping cart is not within your budget, there are still lots of third party credit card processing companies that are ready to process your credit card orders using their merchant account for a small fee. Some popular ones to you can check out are ClickBank, PayPal and 2CheckOut. Marketing and Promotion You have identified your niche, set up your e-commerce site and you are good to go. Now comes the most crucial part - promoting your site! This could be a full-time career option for most people. Either you can learn to do this yourself or you can have an expert do it for you. Begin by submitting your site to major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Dmoz, etc. You also need to optimize your site using profitable keywords and keyword-rich content. There are lots more business promotion strategies such as advertising, link exchange, e-zine promotion etc. which you may need to explore to create your online presence and build traffic. Setting up your e-commerce site is sure a lot of work, but it's just the first step. Making it successful is even more work, but the pay-offs can be rewarding. Remember, success can be yours provided you work hard and smart!
About The Author
Lewis Low is the founding editor of OnlineBizPromo.com. For more Practical Online Business Ideas and Work-From-Home Opportunities, visit his Work-At-Home directory at www.OnlineBizPromo.com
E-commerce is touted as one of the most viable online business opportunities on the Web today. In comparison to traditional brick and mortar businesses, e-commerce site requires minimal start-up cost and is relatively low-risk. However that does not imply creating an e-commerce site is a simple process, neither does it guarantee your future success. The purpose of this article is to walk you through the necessary steps and plans you would need in order to set up a successful e-commerce site. Un-earth Your Niche The very first thing to do is find your niche. Examine your hobbies and interests for potential business ideas. If you love soccer, consider selling soccer supplies or team uniforms, online. Focusing on your expertise or something you have great passion for would give you an advantage over competitors who do not have in-depth knowledge of that niche. Research Your Niche Once you've whittled down a few ideas, explore each one further. Ask yourself these questions: How many people are looking for your services? Where do they go and find people like yourself? How many searches are created for your product or service on Google? You may not have a budget to create demand, so it's safer and cheaper to go where the demand already exists. Scope out Your Competitors Research your competitors inside out. Spend time to check out their websites and compare their products and services. Give yourself an idea of what you’re up against, so you can create your e-commerce site as professional as, or even better than theirs. Write Your Business Plan You want to have a foolproof business plan for your business. Work out a detailed formula - including your site theme, goals, business strategies. It's also a good idea to keep a record of expenditures, sales, profits etc. Your business cannot just be a 'me-too' business online. Develop a powerful USP (Unique Selling Position) that sets you apart from your competitors and makes you stand out from the crowd! Create Your Website Register a good domain name as marketing tactic. Name that ends in *.com is best of all. Try to include relevant keywords that properly describe your business or product if possible. A well-designed website creates a good first impression with your prospects. Get yourself a professional website template at an affordable price and customize it to suit your need. Most templates can be easily customized using common HTML editors and simple graphics software. You’ll want your website content to target specific keywords for high search engines ranking and traffic flow. This can be done by creating informative articles, product reviews, descriptions and comparisons. If you're short on time, many SEO (search engine optimization) experts are willing to help you out for a reasonable price. Host Your Website Find a dependable hosting company to host your website on their servers. A quick search on Google for “web hosting” should bring up hundreds of companies ready to do business with you. Select a reliable web host that provides adequate disk space and bandwidth with e-commerce scripts supporting features. Domain name-specific email accounts must also be available to give a professional image. Your website files can be uploaded using a simple FTP program or file uploading service in your hosting account. Technical support personnel from your hosting company should walk you through the steps to upload your files and launch your website. Implement a Shopping Cart An e-commerce site is never complete without a secure shopping cart. The best option you can consider is a remotely hosted shopping cart which takes the burden of maintaining security and credit card numbers off your shoulder. Most remote shopping carts can be configured to look similar to your website so your customers may not realize that they have left your website when making a payment. If a remote shopping cart is not within your budget, there are still lots of third party credit card processing companies that are ready to process your credit card orders using their merchant account for a small fee. Some popular ones to you can check out are ClickBank, PayPal and 2CheckOut. Marketing and Promotion You have identified your niche, set up your e-commerce site and you are good to go. Now comes the most crucial part - promoting your site! This could be a full-time career option for most people. Either you can learn to do this yourself or you can have an expert do it for you. Begin by submitting your site to major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Dmoz, etc. You also need to optimize your site using profitable keywords and keyword-rich content. There are lots more business promotion strategies such as advertising, link exchange, e-zine promotion etc. which you may need to explore to create your online presence and build traffic. Setting up your e-commerce site is sure a lot of work, but it's just the first step. Making it successful is even more work, but the pay-offs can be rewarding. Remember, success can be yours provided you work hard and smart!
About The Author
Lewis Low is the founding editor of OnlineBizPromo.com. For more Practical Online Business Ideas and Work-From-Home Opportunities, visit his Work-At-Home directory at www.OnlineBizPromo.com
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Getting Started in Business
The Magic Move to Being in Business by: Heather Dominick
Lots of entrepreneurs that I speak to spend a lot of time "being busy." They're attending meetings, answering emails and a ton of activity that fills up their schedule. They have great ideas in the middle of it all, but are so overwhelmed they fall into "productivity paralysis" and are just plain perplexed about how to really get to that next level. There's a magic move to being productive and profitable in business that no one is talking about. Before we get to the "Magic Move," we have to first acknowledge that as an Entrepreneur you should always be striving to work on your business rather than just in your business. You open up the energy around this by setting up systems. This approach allows you to be set up for growth and actually implement all those fabulous ideas you have. For example, if you're an acupuncturist instead of only treating patients all day you can explore ways to treat and reach more people at once-leveraging your time and your income. Strong systems in your business operations will create that space. I have entrepreneurs I coach who either set up or strengthen their systems as a must. For the sake of this article, we accept that as a given. Now, step into the magic move-the one that has you in joy with everything you're doing, rather than just trying to catch your breath and stay one step ahead (or filing you your time with "stuff" because you secretly feel lost about what to do next). Often, I've found that even when you have the tightest of systems, you can find yourself feeling like something is missing. Your energy is a bit blah and you don't feel jazzed to create. Even though the systems are crankin', you feel stuck. Just about every time I hear this from an entrepreneur, I know the magic move is missing; there isn't anywhere in the systems that allows for time to just be. Incorporating this move makes all the difference in the world and it's the one that is most resisted (including myself at times). Interesting, right? Let's get clear about exactly what I mean by "time to just be." I'm not talking about time to watch TV or be with family and friends-although this is important and should be part of your systems, too. I'm talking about time to really connect to that part of yourself which is a direct connection to divine, inspired action. These are the ideas, solutions, and "how tos" that cannot be conceived of, created, or tapped into when you are busy "doing" and "going 24-7." And it's the powerful, magic move that no one in business is talking about. Frankly, I believe it's because they're scared to. Traditional business doesn't operate from a place of stillness. The battle cry is, "if you're not in motion, you're losing money!" Meanwhile, money is being left on the table everywhere because folks are rushing by and too busy to see it. Even all the latest buzz about the Law of Attraction is filled with insistence to, "use this tool, this exercise, this strategy." Be sure to understand, these are very helpful, but the point of them is often lost; to bring us to that deep place of knowing that comes from being able to be. Every time I've coached a client around this magic move more money has appeared. I have one client who just created $4,500 in a half day. The inspiration to pursue this means would never have appeared had she just still been going, going, going. It works. Call To Action: Start by scheduling some "be" time. Just take it and see what happens. Write down anything that comes to you. Let it go and then return to it a week later. Mark what that experience is like (you might be surprised what happened in the week between!).
About The Author
Heather Dominick, Solo-Entrepreneur Expert, has over 10 years of teaching and coaching experience. Heather’s primary focus is in coaching entrepreneurs to identify sources for increasing business profit and making successful business changes. To sign up to receive your free business building e-course visit http://www.energyrichcoach.com
Lots of entrepreneurs that I speak to spend a lot of time "being busy." They're attending meetings, answering emails and a ton of activity that fills up their schedule. They have great ideas in the middle of it all, but are so overwhelmed they fall into "productivity paralysis" and are just plain perplexed about how to really get to that next level. There's a magic move to being productive and profitable in business that no one is talking about. Before we get to the "Magic Move," we have to first acknowledge that as an Entrepreneur you should always be striving to work on your business rather than just in your business. You open up the energy around this by setting up systems. This approach allows you to be set up for growth and actually implement all those fabulous ideas you have. For example, if you're an acupuncturist instead of only treating patients all day you can explore ways to treat and reach more people at once-leveraging your time and your income. Strong systems in your business operations will create that space. I have entrepreneurs I coach who either set up or strengthen their systems as a must. For the sake of this article, we accept that as a given. Now, step into the magic move-the one that has you in joy with everything you're doing, rather than just trying to catch your breath and stay one step ahead (or filing you your time with "stuff" because you secretly feel lost about what to do next). Often, I've found that even when you have the tightest of systems, you can find yourself feeling like something is missing. Your energy is a bit blah and you don't feel jazzed to create. Even though the systems are crankin', you feel stuck. Just about every time I hear this from an entrepreneur, I know the magic move is missing; there isn't anywhere in the systems that allows for time to just be. Incorporating this move makes all the difference in the world and it's the one that is most resisted (including myself at times). Interesting, right? Let's get clear about exactly what I mean by "time to just be." I'm not talking about time to watch TV or be with family and friends-although this is important and should be part of your systems, too. I'm talking about time to really connect to that part of yourself which is a direct connection to divine, inspired action. These are the ideas, solutions, and "how tos" that cannot be conceived of, created, or tapped into when you are busy "doing" and "going 24-7." And it's the powerful, magic move that no one in business is talking about. Frankly, I believe it's because they're scared to. Traditional business doesn't operate from a place of stillness. The battle cry is, "if you're not in motion, you're losing money!" Meanwhile, money is being left on the table everywhere because folks are rushing by and too busy to see it. Even all the latest buzz about the Law of Attraction is filled with insistence to, "use this tool, this exercise, this strategy." Be sure to understand, these are very helpful, but the point of them is often lost; to bring us to that deep place of knowing that comes from being able to be. Every time I've coached a client around this magic move more money has appeared. I have one client who just created $4,500 in a half day. The inspiration to pursue this means would never have appeared had she just still been going, going, going. It works. Call To Action: Start by scheduling some "be" time. Just take it and see what happens. Write down anything that comes to you. Let it go and then return to it a week later. Mark what that experience is like (you might be surprised what happened in the week between!).
About The Author
Heather Dominick, Solo-Entrepreneur Expert, has over 10 years of teaching and coaching experience. Heather’s primary focus is in coaching entrepreneurs to identify sources for increasing business profit and making successful business changes. To sign up to receive your free business building e-course visit http://www.energyrichcoach.com
Friday, December 15, 2006
He's Making a List of Who is Naughty or Nice..
All I Know About List Building I Learned From Santa! by: Titus Hoskins
Don't laugh, it is not what you're thinking. Although the jolly old guy could probably teach all of us a thing or two about lists and list building. Just the mention of his list can still send shivers down my spine, residue from all those childhood wonderings if I was naughty or nice? However, this article has nothing to do with Santa directly, but in a way it has everything to do with him! You see indirectly, old Saint Nick played a prominent part in my list building education; a very important role. Please let me explain and it may help you in your own list building efforts. Like every webmaster or online marketer I kept hearing from Day One how vitally important it was to build your own opt-in or permission based contact list. It would be the key to building traffic and revenue from your site or online marketing. The one key element you must have. But building a list is easier said than done, anyone who has tried to build a list will know this fact. I soon realized I needed help with my list building... I have an art background, that's not important, but it did show me how to learn or dissect a subject. All artists develop a hands-on "let's dig in and dissect this creature" attitude; they learn by exploring and studying the masters/techniques that have worked in the past. This inquisitive learning becomes a second skin. It was extremely helpful when I started to build my lists. I first examined how other well known marketers were building their lists. One common theme that keep repeating itself was: free gifts. Almost all these marketers gave away a free gift: report, ebook, ecourse, article, software program, marketing tips or knowledge - all in exchange for the name and email of their visitors. This simple tactic worked like a charm. Maybe it has something to do with our unbreakable belief in a Santa! Or maybe it has to do with all that gift giving, we all like to receive gifts. Who doesn't? Soon I had my own free gifts (ebooks, ecourses, and free software programs) on all my sites, attached to follow-up autoresponders to keep in contact with all my visitors and prospects on my lists. My lists grew... But I didn't stop there, as free gifts was a key to building lists, I needed a creature to dissect! Then a few years ago, such a creature stumbled out of my email inbox. This was "The 12 Days of Christmas" give-away package by Mark Hendricks. Countless marketers all donated valuable gifts to an online package/promotion in exchange for building their contact lists. Great idea and the gifts just kept on coming for well, 12 days. Everyone builds their lists compliments of dear old Saint Nick. However, I used the Gift package in another way. I signed up for whatever marketers or gifts interested my fancy but I then did an in depth study of how each of these marketers handled their follow-ups. What they did to build or lose my loyalty. Which ones held my interest, which ones I unsubscribed from and why. Analyzing a whole group of marketers and webmasters through this online package was a valuable lesson or training in list building. A direct, hands-on experience that pointed out the techniques and methods of building a responsive contact list. What you really need to know about building an effective list. This list building education was much more important that all the free ebooks and software in "The 12 Days of Christmas". Much more important than all of these free gifts put together. A valuable list building education that could only come from Santa!
About The Author
Copyright (c) 2006 Titus Hoskins Pick up some handy gifts and do your own list dissecting and study here: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/12days.htm If that seems like too much hard work, try my list building eCourse instead: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/opt-in.htm 2006 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Don't laugh, it is not what you're thinking. Although the jolly old guy could probably teach all of us a thing or two about lists and list building. Just the mention of his list can still send shivers down my spine, residue from all those childhood wonderings if I was naughty or nice? However, this article has nothing to do with Santa directly, but in a way it has everything to do with him! You see indirectly, old Saint Nick played a prominent part in my list building education; a very important role. Please let me explain and it may help you in your own list building efforts. Like every webmaster or online marketer I kept hearing from Day One how vitally important it was to build your own opt-in or permission based contact list. It would be the key to building traffic and revenue from your site or online marketing. The one key element you must have. But building a list is easier said than done, anyone who has tried to build a list will know this fact. I soon realized I needed help with my list building... I have an art background, that's not important, but it did show me how to learn or dissect a subject. All artists develop a hands-on "let's dig in and dissect this creature" attitude; they learn by exploring and studying the masters/techniques that have worked in the past. This inquisitive learning becomes a second skin. It was extremely helpful when I started to build my lists. I first examined how other well known marketers were building their lists. One common theme that keep repeating itself was: free gifts. Almost all these marketers gave away a free gift: report, ebook, ecourse, article, software program, marketing tips or knowledge - all in exchange for the name and email of their visitors. This simple tactic worked like a charm. Maybe it has something to do with our unbreakable belief in a Santa! Or maybe it has to do with all that gift giving, we all like to receive gifts. Who doesn't? Soon I had my own free gifts (ebooks, ecourses, and free software programs) on all my sites, attached to follow-up autoresponders to keep in contact with all my visitors and prospects on my lists. My lists grew... But I didn't stop there, as free gifts was a key to building lists, I needed a creature to dissect! Then a few years ago, such a creature stumbled out of my email inbox. This was "The 12 Days of Christmas" give-away package by Mark Hendricks. Countless marketers all donated valuable gifts to an online package/promotion in exchange for building their contact lists. Great idea and the gifts just kept on coming for well, 12 days. Everyone builds their lists compliments of dear old Saint Nick. However, I used the Gift package in another way. I signed up for whatever marketers or gifts interested my fancy but I then did an in depth study of how each of these marketers handled their follow-ups. What they did to build or lose my loyalty. Which ones held my interest, which ones I unsubscribed from and why. Analyzing a whole group of marketers and webmasters through this online package was a valuable lesson or training in list building. A direct, hands-on experience that pointed out the techniques and methods of building a responsive contact list. What you really need to know about building an effective list. This list building education was much more important that all the free ebooks and software in "The 12 Days of Christmas". Much more important than all of these free gifts put together. A valuable list building education that could only come from Santa!
About The Author
Copyright (c) 2006 Titus Hoskins Pick up some handy gifts and do your own list dissecting and study here: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/12days.htm If that seems like too much hard work, try my list building eCourse instead: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/opt-in.htm 2006 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Starting A Virtual Corporation
Why it’s Important to Plan Your Online Strategy Before Building Your Website by: Brian Queenan
It is very important that you plan your website before it ever goes live online. So many webmasters are running from one thing to the next without any kind of plan in place whatsoever. That’s why so many fail in the online world. Fail to plan and failure is inevitable. The planning stage is where every business will either succeed or fail. Put a solid business plan in place and you will do well whether it is an online business or not. You really need to outline your online business. You need to have a clear view of what your business will be before you start to build it. You must know where you want to go before you can get there. This is your business map. Without it you will have no direction and will have no way to get where you need to go. This is the most critical part of starting your online business. If you don’t have a crystal clear view of where you want to go and how to get there, you will fail miserably. Start by making a list. Below are some questions you may want to answer that will help get you going and will help give you a clearer view of where you want to go with your online business. What topics do you know a lot about? What do you enjoy doing the most? What do you do for a living? (Is there any possibilities there?) Do you have a particular hobby that you enjoy? What do you talk about when you converse with family and friends? Who would benefit the most from your business? Since all websites have to be content rich you will want to use a topic that you know a lot about. Everyone knows a lot about something. You do too. You just need to tap into it no matter how silly you may think it is. I will guarantee that there are many others out there that will have an interest in your topic. It’s best that your topic is about something that you enjoy doing or enjoy talking about because it will show through one way or another in everything that you do with your online business. You don’t want your visitors to have the feeling that you are in it for the money and really don’t care about the content that your website provides. Your product must relate to your content. If it doesn’t you probably won’t convert very well. Everything about your topic should relate to everything that you do. Your product is no different. Know who you are selling to. It is important to know who your potential visitors will be in order to be able to approach your topic in the right manner. Set goals to where you want to be in say 3, 6 and 12 months from now. If you plan where you want to be you will have a better chance of getting there. Goal setting is a very important part of planning a new business. It is a map within a map. Set goals and watch how quickly they will become a reality. Outline your business plan and you will see results. It will help you eliminate any surprises that may arise later on and will help you deal with any problems that do come along. Plan every detail right down to how you plan to advertise. Since I don’t know what your business plan will be I can only give you a basic outline of what needs to be done. Only you have the answers of the best approach to take. The main point is, plan your online business in advance and you will do well. You can get more information on Internet marketing at http://the-truth-about-internet-marketing.com
About The Author
Brian Queenan is the owner of http://the-truth-about-internet-marketing.com. Learn what it really takes to market online.
It is very important that you plan your website before it ever goes live online. So many webmasters are running from one thing to the next without any kind of plan in place whatsoever. That’s why so many fail in the online world. Fail to plan and failure is inevitable. The planning stage is where every business will either succeed or fail. Put a solid business plan in place and you will do well whether it is an online business or not. You really need to outline your online business. You need to have a clear view of what your business will be before you start to build it. You must know where you want to go before you can get there. This is your business map. Without it you will have no direction and will have no way to get where you need to go. This is the most critical part of starting your online business. If you don’t have a crystal clear view of where you want to go and how to get there, you will fail miserably. Start by making a list. Below are some questions you may want to answer that will help get you going and will help give you a clearer view of where you want to go with your online business. What topics do you know a lot about? What do you enjoy doing the most? What do you do for a living? (Is there any possibilities there?) Do you have a particular hobby that you enjoy? What do you talk about when you converse with family and friends? Who would benefit the most from your business? Since all websites have to be content rich you will want to use a topic that you know a lot about. Everyone knows a lot about something. You do too. You just need to tap into it no matter how silly you may think it is. I will guarantee that there are many others out there that will have an interest in your topic. It’s best that your topic is about something that you enjoy doing or enjoy talking about because it will show through one way or another in everything that you do with your online business. You don’t want your visitors to have the feeling that you are in it for the money and really don’t care about the content that your website provides. Your product must relate to your content. If it doesn’t you probably won’t convert very well. Everything about your topic should relate to everything that you do. Your product is no different. Know who you are selling to. It is important to know who your potential visitors will be in order to be able to approach your topic in the right manner. Set goals to where you want to be in say 3, 6 and 12 months from now. If you plan where you want to be you will have a better chance of getting there. Goal setting is a very important part of planning a new business. It is a map within a map. Set goals and watch how quickly they will become a reality. Outline your business plan and you will see results. It will help you eliminate any surprises that may arise later on and will help you deal with any problems that do come along. Plan every detail right down to how you plan to advertise. Since I don’t know what your business plan will be I can only give you a basic outline of what needs to be done. Only you have the answers of the best approach to take. The main point is, plan your online business in advance and you will do well. You can get more information on Internet marketing at http://the-truth-about-internet-marketing.com
About The Author
Brian Queenan is the owner of http://the-truth-about-internet-marketing.com. Learn what it really takes to market online.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Starting Your Data Entry Business
Is There No Real Data Entry Opportunities Online Today? by: Vipul Gupta
Hi Friend,
Its has been 4 years since I started my home business. As like most of new home business seekers I started it looking for a Data Entry Job – and like 98% of them I ended up in a Scam losing $50 in the process. Well the amount may not seem to be much but the experience I gained from it was priceless – “If anything seems too good to be true, it most probably is”.
Now a days the internet is all covered up with getting paid for Data Entry Scams – anywhere you look you will encounter an add saying “Make $1000 per day from the comfort of your home working just 30 Mins a day”. To a bit experienced people it is a sure shot call of a Scam but to online newbies like me 4 years ago it looked like the best opportunity I could come across. I am not saying that such programs do not work.
What they do is they will take a one time fee from you to give a tutorial to you explaining how to post similar ads like those you responded to online. The catch is you may make money – you may not! And also it’s quick money and not a long term security.
So now, answering the question – If there are still genuine legitimate online data entry jobs out there – I would say yes there is! But you will have to know the right place to look for. Look for free lance opportunities. There are places like Elance and Contracted Work which posts the requirement of people who require data entry operators on contract basis and there is always a legitimate Data Entry Job available there! Start from such places and once you get some recognition requests just come pouring in. Who knows you may also start your own successful data entry company some day!!!
About The Author
Vipul Gupta is the webmaster of http://www.profitfrominternet.com/typing_jobs.html. Visit his site today to gain all proven information on the starting your home based business without burning a hole in your pocket.
Hi Friend,
Its has been 4 years since I started my home business. As like most of new home business seekers I started it looking for a Data Entry Job – and like 98% of them I ended up in a Scam losing $50 in the process. Well the amount may not seem to be much but the experience I gained from it was priceless – “If anything seems too good to be true, it most probably is”.
Now a days the internet is all covered up with getting paid for Data Entry Scams – anywhere you look you will encounter an add saying “Make $1000 per day from the comfort of your home working just 30 Mins a day”. To a bit experienced people it is a sure shot call of a Scam but to online newbies like me 4 years ago it looked like the best opportunity I could come across. I am not saying that such programs do not work.
What they do is they will take a one time fee from you to give a tutorial to you explaining how to post similar ads like those you responded to online. The catch is you may make money – you may not! And also it’s quick money and not a long term security.
So now, answering the question – If there are still genuine legitimate online data entry jobs out there – I would say yes there is! But you will have to know the right place to look for. Look for free lance opportunities. There are places like Elance and Contracted Work which posts the requirement of people who require data entry operators on contract basis and there is always a legitimate Data Entry Job available there! Start from such places and once you get some recognition requests just come pouring in. Who knows you may also start your own successful data entry company some day!!!
About The Author
Vipul Gupta is the webmaster of http://www.profitfrominternet.com/typing_jobs.html. Visit his site today to gain all proven information on the starting your home based business without burning a hole in your pocket.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Affiliate Business Tips
3 Things All Affiliate Marketers Need To Survive Online Today by: Larry Chretien
The best course of action to take sometimes isn't clear until you've listed and considered your alternatives. The following paragraphs should help clue you in to what the experts think is significant.
Every affiliate marketer is always looking for the successful market that gives the biggest paycheck. Sometimes they think it is a magic formula that is readily available for them. Actually, it is more complicated than that. It is just good marketing practices that have been proven over years of hard work and dedication.
There are tactics that have worked before with online marketing and is continuing to work in the online affiliate marketing world of today. With these top three marketing tips, you will be able to able to increase your sales and survive in the affiliate marketing online.
What are these three tactics?
1. Using unique web pages to promote each separate product you are marketing. Do not lump all of it together just to save some money on web hosting. It is best to have a site focusing on each and every product and nothing more.
Always include product reviews on the website so visitors will have an initial understanding on what the product can do to those who buys them. Also include testimonials from users who have already tried the product. Be sure that these customers are more than willing to allow you to use their names and photos on the site of the specific product you are marketing.
You can also write articles highlighting the uses of the product and include them on the website as an additional page. Make the pages attractive compelling and include calls to act on the information. Each headline should attract the readers to try and read more, even contact you. Highlight your special points. This will help your readers to learn what the page is about and will want to find out more.
2. Offer free reports to your readers. If possible position them at the very top side of your page so it they simply cannot be missed. Try to create autoresponder messages that will be mailed to those who input their personal information into your sign up box. According to research, a sale is closed usually on the seventh contact with a prospect.
If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.
Only two things can possibly happen with the web page alone: closed sale or the prospect leaving the page and never return again. By placing useful information into their inboxes at certain specified period, you will remind them of the product they thought they want later and will find out that the sale is closed. Be sure that the content is directed toward specific reasons to buy the product. Do not make it sound like a sales pitch.
Focus on important points like how your product can make life and things easier and more enjoyable. Include compelling subject lines in the email. As much as possible, avoid using the word “free” because there are still older spam filters that dumps those kind of contents into the junk before even anyone reading them first. Convince those who signed up for your free reports that they will be missing something big if they do not avail of your products and services.
3. Get the kind of traffic that is targeted to your product. Just think, if the person who visited your website has no interest whatsoever in what you are offering, they will be among those who move on and never come back. Write articles for publication in e-zines and e-reports. This way you can locate publications that is focusing on your target customers and what you have put up might just grab their interest.
Try to write a minimum of 2 articles per week, with at least 300-600 words in length. By continuously writing and maintaining these articles you can generate as many as 100 targeted readers to your site in a day.
Always remember that only 1 out of 100 people are likely to buy your product or get your services. If you can generate as much as 1,000 targeted hits for your website in a day, that means you can made 10 sales based on the average statistic.
The tactics given above does not really sound very difficult to do, if you think about it. It just requires a little time and an action plan on your part.
Try to use these tips for several affiliate marketing programs. You can end maintaining a good source of income and surviving in this business that not all marketers can do.
Besides, think of the huge paychecks you will be receiving…
About The Author
Larry chretien Owner Operator http://www.affiliate-home-based-business.com
If you've picked some pointers about affiliate marketing that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won't really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don't use it.
trackthisad@yahoo.ca
The best course of action to take sometimes isn't clear until you've listed and considered your alternatives. The following paragraphs should help clue you in to what the experts think is significant.
Every affiliate marketer is always looking for the successful market that gives the biggest paycheck. Sometimes they think it is a magic formula that is readily available for them. Actually, it is more complicated than that. It is just good marketing practices that have been proven over years of hard work and dedication.
There are tactics that have worked before with online marketing and is continuing to work in the online affiliate marketing world of today. With these top three marketing tips, you will be able to able to increase your sales and survive in the affiliate marketing online.
What are these three tactics?
1. Using unique web pages to promote each separate product you are marketing. Do not lump all of it together just to save some money on web hosting. It is best to have a site focusing on each and every product and nothing more.
Always include product reviews on the website so visitors will have an initial understanding on what the product can do to those who buys them. Also include testimonials from users who have already tried the product. Be sure that these customers are more than willing to allow you to use their names and photos on the site of the specific product you are marketing.
You can also write articles highlighting the uses of the product and include them on the website as an additional page. Make the pages attractive compelling and include calls to act on the information. Each headline should attract the readers to try and read more, even contact you. Highlight your special points. This will help your readers to learn what the page is about and will want to find out more.
2. Offer free reports to your readers. If possible position them at the very top side of your page so it they simply cannot be missed. Try to create autoresponder messages that will be mailed to those who input their personal information into your sign up box. According to research, a sale is closed usually on the seventh contact with a prospect.
If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.
Only two things can possibly happen with the web page alone: closed sale or the prospect leaving the page and never return again. By placing useful information into their inboxes at certain specified period, you will remind them of the product they thought they want later and will find out that the sale is closed. Be sure that the content is directed toward specific reasons to buy the product. Do not make it sound like a sales pitch.
Focus on important points like how your product can make life and things easier and more enjoyable. Include compelling subject lines in the email. As much as possible, avoid using the word “free” because there are still older spam filters that dumps those kind of contents into the junk before even anyone reading them first. Convince those who signed up for your free reports that they will be missing something big if they do not avail of your products and services.
3. Get the kind of traffic that is targeted to your product. Just think, if the person who visited your website has no interest whatsoever in what you are offering, they will be among those who move on and never come back. Write articles for publication in e-zines and e-reports. This way you can locate publications that is focusing on your target customers and what you have put up might just grab their interest.
Try to write a minimum of 2 articles per week, with at least 300-600 words in length. By continuously writing and maintaining these articles you can generate as many as 100 targeted readers to your site in a day.
Always remember that only 1 out of 100 people are likely to buy your product or get your services. If you can generate as much as 1,000 targeted hits for your website in a day, that means you can made 10 sales based on the average statistic.
The tactics given above does not really sound very difficult to do, if you think about it. It just requires a little time and an action plan on your part.
Try to use these tips for several affiliate marketing programs. You can end maintaining a good source of income and surviving in this business that not all marketers can do.
Besides, think of the huge paychecks you will be receiving…
About The Author
Larry chretien Owner Operator http://www.affiliate-home-based-business.com
If you've picked some pointers about affiliate marketing that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won't really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don't use it.
trackthisad@yahoo.ca
Friday, February 24, 2006
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