By: Wyatt Lee
First of all, I would like to congratulate you for finding your way to this article, because this could be the turning point in your Internet marketing venture.
So what is so secretive here? Well, you should know that the most important key to your website's success is traffic, traffic and more traffic. Nothing new here. But it is always how you generate all those traffic that your competition would secretly want to know about, and especially if your Internet marketing methods are very successful and eye-catching.
Of course, your fellow Internet marketing counterparts know all about the usual traffic generation methods: article marketing, forum marketing, one-way linking, search engine optimization, etc. And since information on these Internet marketing strategies are readily available online, you can be sure that all your competitors are doing the same thing.
And since everyone and their dogs and cats are using the same old strategies, you definitely need to come up with new ideas to generate your website traffic, so that you are always one step ahead of your competition. Not only do you need new ideas, you also need these ideas to be some killer tactics that very few people even know about.
Here, I will share with you a couple of very powerful Internet marketing strategies that you probably have not heard of before. And the better news is that your competition would not have a single clue about what I am going to share with you in this article. They have just been discovered, and are sure to knock you off your chair.
Oh, please do not worry about these two strategies being dirty tricks; they are totally white hat, so you don't have to be concerned about irritating other people. So let's begin, shall we?
The Un-tapped Goldmine of MySpace
Have you come across reports about the amount of traffic that MySpace.com is generating? If you haven't, then let me have the honor to inform you that MySpace is currently generating 2.5 times more traffic than Google.
If this piece of news fail to knock you off your chair, then I don't know what will. But I hope that you are still sitting pretty in your chair, because the real fact is that MySpace is actually using 2.5 times the bandwidth of Google, and not the traffic. Hah, caught you!
Reports that MySpace is generating more traffic than Google are mistaken and blown out of proportion. But still, there is no denying the fact that MySpace is currently one of the hottest and most visited sites on the Internet.
What is MySpace? It is basically an online dating site that allows members to create their own profiles and connect with other people to build their own virtual network. It is reported that building a network in MySpace is not difficult at all. Some members claim that they are able to generate more than a thousand contacts in less than 2 weeks.
It all sounds very exciting, so let us go through step-by-step on how to take advantage of this new tactic.
First of all, you need to create a MySpace account. After that, you will write a profile about yourself, and then start to build your network. To make your job that much easier, there are quite a number of services that can even do the networking job for you.
Next, you would include the link of your main website in your profile page, giving your site an instant back link. Now, this profile page has a very high Page Rank (PR), which is excellent when it comes to increasing your website's own PR. For your info, high PR would mean a higher placement in the major search engines, and this will ultimately lead to more quality traffic for your site.
And it doesn't stop there. MySpace also has a community billboard feature. Make a post in there, and your message will appear in the profiles of all your contacts. What if you have 10,000 contacts? You would have potentially 10,000 visitors with just one posting. And what if you add a link at the end of your message? You would have 10,000 back links pointing to your site instantly! This will absolutely explode your link popularity and blow your competition away. How cool is that?
This strategy is so new that not even the so-called Internet marketing experts out there realize it. So if you want to gain an upper hand on your competitors, then get out of your own conditioning, create a MySpace account, and get going now!
The Magic of Craigslist.com
Craigslist.com is an online classified ads center dedicated to employment opportunities. However, it also accepts all kinds of other advertisements. And these are all free!
The process of placing your ad is just like any other online classified ads website: you simply choose the most appropriate category for your ad, and place it in to attract visitors to your site.
And the cool thing is this: your visitors don't have to click on the link. They don't even have to visit your website. If that is the case, then how do you benefit from Craigslist? Well, for starters, this is a PR 7 website. Just by having your link in such a high PR site is enough to boost your site's own page rank. And you know the rest: higher positions in the search engines and more traffic for your site.
These are two amazing Internet marketing strategies that very few people even know about. So be sure to start implementing them today, and be miles ahead of all your Internet marketing competitors, leaving them to feed on scraps
Friday, April 10, 2009
Planning for Success
By: Roger Osborne
Here are some general start-up tips for a successful home business.
The first tip is a word of caution. It’s easy to think that because your home business can bypass the lease or construction aspects of starting a business, and the overhead costs of furnishing, maintenance, landscaping, utilities and so forth, that you can skip over some other processes to. That attitude, rather than heading someone down the road to a successful home business, could lead to financial business disaster.
An entrepreneurial spirit and a great idea are terrific assets for a successful home business. Other things are important too, however.
Market research and careful planning are of paramount importantance to the success of a home business, as they are for any business. A business plan is a must. It must include details on the products and services the firm will offer, the type of business equipment and the cost of it that will be needed in the coming five years. It should also include information on the competition in the designated market area. This information should include ways that the new home business will be successful in competing â€" how it is unique and how it is an improvement over what else is out there in the same industry.
A successful home business is one that is set up as the right legal entity. One of the first things new home based entrepreneurs should do is learn the legal consequences and liabilities of the various business types, as well as the tax consequences of each. A home business might be more successful as a partnership than sole proprietorship, for example, if additional cash flow is needed, or the entrepreneur is deficient in a crucial home business skill such as advertising, marketing or accounting, for example. An accountant can advise on the various options such as limited liability corporations, S corporations, standard corporations, limited partnerships and so forth.
Unless a successful home business is going to include walk in customers homeowner’s or renters insurance should provide adequate financial protection against theft or natural disaster. Of course, as equipment and furnishings are added, the insurance would need to increase. If clients were to come to the home office location, liability insurance would protect the firm from the financial devastating situation of customer injury.
A successful home business is one that is well planned and well funded. There is no such thing as too much preparation.
Source: http://www.highbeam.com/library/docfree.asp?DOCID=1G1:14651215&num=5&ctrlInfo=Round20%3AMode20a%3ASR%3AResult&ao=&FreePremium=BOTH&tab=lib
Roger D Osborne Grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky. He served in Viet Nam with the United States Air Force. He has lived in Castroville, Texas with his family since 1987. He spends numerous hours locating and testing the best home based business ideas and opportunities. His suggested business ideas and opportunities provide you the information and resources to earn a good income from the comfort of your home. To find your prosperous home based business please visit: http://ProMarketingNetwork.com or http://ProMarketingNetwork.com/optin.html
Here are some general start-up tips for a successful home business.
The first tip is a word of caution. It’s easy to think that because your home business can bypass the lease or construction aspects of starting a business, and the overhead costs of furnishing, maintenance, landscaping, utilities and so forth, that you can skip over some other processes to. That attitude, rather than heading someone down the road to a successful home business, could lead to financial business disaster.
An entrepreneurial spirit and a great idea are terrific assets for a successful home business. Other things are important too, however.
Market research and careful planning are of paramount importantance to the success of a home business, as they are for any business. A business plan is a must. It must include details on the products and services the firm will offer, the type of business equipment and the cost of it that will be needed in the coming five years. It should also include information on the competition in the designated market area. This information should include ways that the new home business will be successful in competing â€" how it is unique and how it is an improvement over what else is out there in the same industry.
A successful home business is one that is set up as the right legal entity. One of the first things new home based entrepreneurs should do is learn the legal consequences and liabilities of the various business types, as well as the tax consequences of each. A home business might be more successful as a partnership than sole proprietorship, for example, if additional cash flow is needed, or the entrepreneur is deficient in a crucial home business skill such as advertising, marketing or accounting, for example. An accountant can advise on the various options such as limited liability corporations, S corporations, standard corporations, limited partnerships and so forth.
Unless a successful home business is going to include walk in customers homeowner’s or renters insurance should provide adequate financial protection against theft or natural disaster. Of course, as equipment and furnishings are added, the insurance would need to increase. If clients were to come to the home office location, liability insurance would protect the firm from the financial devastating situation of customer injury.
A successful home business is one that is well planned and well funded. There is no such thing as too much preparation.
Source: http://www.highbeam.com/library/docfree.asp?DOCID=1G1:14651215&num=5&ctrlInfo=Round20%3AMode20a%3ASR%3AResult&ao=&FreePremium=BOTH&tab=lib
Roger D Osborne Grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky. He served in Viet Nam with the United States Air Force. He has lived in Castroville, Texas with his family since 1987. He spends numerous hours locating and testing the best home based business ideas and opportunities. His suggested business ideas and opportunities provide you the information and resources to earn a good income from the comfort of your home. To find your prosperous home based business please visit: http://ProMarketingNetwork.com or http://ProMarketingNetwork.com/optin.html
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Top Performers Have These Critical Management Skills
By: Dennis Sommer
Copyright 2006 Dennis Sommer
Do want to be known as "The Expert" or "The Guru"? Do you want to advance your career and income? If you answered yes to both of these questions then you need to become a "Top Performer" in your profession. Whether you are now a Manager, Executive, Consultant, Sales or Service Specialist, then Management skills will be one of the keys to your success. Experience and knowledge in your area of specialty may make you an above average performer, but to be a "Top Performer" start implementing the following 11 Management skills and action items today.
Top performers are successful by being honest, respecting a clients intelligence and focusing all their energies on how to make a difference in a clients life. After reviewing the following "Top Performer" Management skills and action items, you will know how to be more effective, efficient, and successful.
Strategies for building a strong successful organization.
1. Define both long term and short term measurable goals. Concentrate your efforts on the short term goals. This can be measurable goals either weekly or monthly. The long term goals will come.
2. Fuel your internal motivation by setting clear and concrete goals and objectives. Example, customers to contact, revenue, gross margin, issue response time, etc.
3. Measure everything. Anything with a response that will measure your effectiveness. Develop a scorecard system that tracks your target goal versus what you actually achieved.
4. When your customers perceive your offering or service as being in short supply, they view it as more valuable. Market for 20% more volume that you can manage.
5. Discontinue 50% of your offerings to increase overall sales. To many offerings cause customer confusion and lost sales. Analyze your offerings and discontinue your unprofitable or low margin offerings.
6. Focus promotions on new customers not current customers. Your current customers already know what value you bring to the table.
7. Promote a list of unique features that compliment a competitive solution or show unique value. Your offering will then stand out from the others.
8. Keep it simple and relevant. Eliminate irrelevant information from offering brochures, marketing, and presentations.
9. Empower healthy competition between departments, divisions, and regions. Reward success.
10. Hire competitive people. Competition is healthy and will improve everyone’s performance.
11. Selling success follows six fundamentals:
Passion (for your company, offering, service, and yourself)
Organization (take notes and have all your information at your fingertips)
Planning (develop and execute a step by step plan for each opportunity)
Persistence (never give up)
People Skills (develop excellent written and verbal communication skills)
Offering Knowledge (know everything about your offerings and the competitors offerings).
Copyright 2006 Dennis Sommer
Do want to be known as "The Expert" or "The Guru"? Do you want to advance your career and income? If you answered yes to both of these questions then you need to become a "Top Performer" in your profession. Whether you are now a Manager, Executive, Consultant, Sales or Service Specialist, then Management skills will be one of the keys to your success. Experience and knowledge in your area of specialty may make you an above average performer, but to be a "Top Performer" start implementing the following 11 Management skills and action items today.
Top performers are successful by being honest, respecting a clients intelligence and focusing all their energies on how to make a difference in a clients life. After reviewing the following "Top Performer" Management skills and action items, you will know how to be more effective, efficient, and successful.
Strategies for building a strong successful organization.
1. Define both long term and short term measurable goals. Concentrate your efforts on the short term goals. This can be measurable goals either weekly or monthly. The long term goals will come.
2. Fuel your internal motivation by setting clear and concrete goals and objectives. Example, customers to contact, revenue, gross margin, issue response time, etc.
3. Measure everything. Anything with a response that will measure your effectiveness. Develop a scorecard system that tracks your target goal versus what you actually achieved.
4. When your customers perceive your offering or service as being in short supply, they view it as more valuable. Market for 20% more volume that you can manage.
5. Discontinue 50% of your offerings to increase overall sales. To many offerings cause customer confusion and lost sales. Analyze your offerings and discontinue your unprofitable or low margin offerings.
6. Focus promotions on new customers not current customers. Your current customers already know what value you bring to the table.
7. Promote a list of unique features that compliment a competitive solution or show unique value. Your offering will then stand out from the others.
8. Keep it simple and relevant. Eliminate irrelevant information from offering brochures, marketing, and presentations.
9. Empower healthy competition between departments, divisions, and regions. Reward success.
10. Hire competitive people. Competition is healthy and will improve everyone’s performance.
11. Selling success follows six fundamentals:
Passion (for your company, offering, service, and yourself)
Organization (take notes and have all your information at your fingertips)
Planning (develop and execute a step by step plan for each opportunity)
Persistence (never give up)
People Skills (develop excellent written and verbal communication skills)
Offering Knowledge (know everything about your offerings and the competitors offerings).
Finally Revealed: The Secret To Explode Your Home Based Business
By: Monique Hawkins
Copyright 2006 Monique Hawkins
There are many people who operate a home-based business. However, most home based business owners and small business owners are overlooking one essential concept that is costing them thousands of dollars.
The fact is, many home based business owners today are going about promoting their business in ways that are counterproductive. Many people are making 3 way calls, chasing prospects, pressuring prospects to make a decision, cold-calling, and doing other things that result in little to no business growth. What usually happens is that when all of these activities result in many hours of little to no success, people quit. The good news is, there is a more productive and prosperous way to build a successful home based business. It is so successful that home based business owners will discover that prospects will come running to them. What is this revolutionary system? It's called Funded Franchise Sponsoring. The funded franchise system approach is a system that has been around for many years. However, many small business owners are not aware of it. This system provides a way to target and pre-qualify prospects interested in working from home quickly and easy. It enables home based business owners to promote a website (if their business is online) and marketing tools so effective that the entire system generates its own leads. Plus, many times there is little to no out of pocket advertising costs
This approach allows folks who are interested in working at home the time to get their feet wet, receive training, and get exposed to powerful marketing techniques all for a very small entry fee (think $20 dollars or below) before they make a full commitment. This no pressure approach also means gaining trust, building relationships, and easing a person in prior to talking with them about the network marketing opportunity or business proposal the home based business owner has to offer.
There are sites on the web that teach home-based business owners exactly how to do this for free. The training that is involved usually is live and recorded calls, sponsorship, free websites, free leads, affiliate programs to promotoe, and much more. Home based business owners, and home based business opportunity seekers are provided with tools to ensure that they will be successful!
Most home-based business owners are doing things the hard way. This does not have to be the case. All home-based business owners can be successful!
Copyright 2006 Monique Hawkins
There are many people who operate a home-based business. However, most home based business owners and small business owners are overlooking one essential concept that is costing them thousands of dollars.
The fact is, many home based business owners today are going about promoting their business in ways that are counterproductive. Many people are making 3 way calls, chasing prospects, pressuring prospects to make a decision, cold-calling, and doing other things that result in little to no business growth. What usually happens is that when all of these activities result in many hours of little to no success, people quit. The good news is, there is a more productive and prosperous way to build a successful home based business. It is so successful that home based business owners will discover that prospects will come running to them. What is this revolutionary system? It's called Funded Franchise Sponsoring. The funded franchise system approach is a system that has been around for many years. However, many small business owners are not aware of it. This system provides a way to target and pre-qualify prospects interested in working from home quickly and easy. It enables home based business owners to promote a website (if their business is online) and marketing tools so effective that the entire system generates its own leads. Plus, many times there is little to no out of pocket advertising costs
This approach allows folks who are interested in working at home the time to get their feet wet, receive training, and get exposed to powerful marketing techniques all for a very small entry fee (think $20 dollars or below) before they make a full commitment. This no pressure approach also means gaining trust, building relationships, and easing a person in prior to talking with them about the network marketing opportunity or business proposal the home based business owner has to offer.
There are sites on the web that teach home-based business owners exactly how to do this for free. The training that is involved usually is live and recorded calls, sponsorship, free websites, free leads, affiliate programs to promotoe, and much more. Home based business owners, and home based business opportunity seekers are provided with tools to ensure that they will be successful!
Most home-based business owners are doing things the hard way. This does not have to be the case. All home-based business owners can be successful!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saving Money: Possible Tax Deductions for Home Businesses
By: Brian Jantzen
Copyright © Brian Jantzen
a href="http://www.InternetBadger.com" http://www.InternetBadger.com/a
If you operate your own home business, then you are probably aware that there a few drawbacks to being self-employed. Working for yourself often means that you lose many workplace benefits, such as group insurance, sick leave, paid vacations, etc. However, the government does provide solace to those who have an entrepreneurial spirit, and this solace comes in the form of tax breaks. There are many possible tax deductions for home businesses; you simply have to be well-informed about them.
Why should you go through the trouble? Well, because you’ll earn more money that way. By knowing all the possible tax deductions that you can take, you’ll come away with more of the benefits that your business generates, instead of getting cleaned out by the government. When it comes to taxes, make no mistake about it â€" knowledge is power.
If you run a home business, some of the possible tax deductions for you are:
Home office costs, such as those that involve office repairs and maintenance. Expenses racked up through janitorial services, for example, when shown to be needed by the business, are deductible, as are waste management and garbage disposal services. Business furniture and equipment may also qualify for deductions in their year of purchase, as long as the amount does not exceed a certain limit.
Utility costs, such as electricity and water. The deduction applies to those areas that are used regularly and exclusively for business.
Telephone costs. This only applies if you have a separate line for use in business. A single line that is used for both business and personal calls does not qualify. However, if you make long distance calls and/or incur fax transmission fees, those expenses are deductible not matter which type of phone you use.
Rent or lease payments. A percentage of your rent, lease, or mortgage interest payments can be deductible provided that you are using the property regularly for business purposes.
Employee wages and employee benefits. If you are an employer of labor, you can deduct a portion of your salary and benefit expenses. Employee education and training costs are also deductible.
Education costs necessary in your line of work. This applies especially to professionals. Those who need continuing education to maintain their expertise may deduct the cost of this education from their tax returns.
Real estate taxes on business property. A portion of real estate taxes are considered deductible by the IRS.
Personal expenses. Some personal expenses, when conducted in conjunction with business affairs, are deductible. A portion of your automobile expenses, meal allocations, and travel and entertainment cots may qualify for deduction, as log as they are related to your business.
A final reminder: Try to maintain as accurate records as is possible. Document your deposits, income, expenses and deductions. This way, you will have proof validating your tax deductions. Because tax laws are complex and often change, it is often advisable to consult a professional. This will allow you to claim as many possible tax deductions for home businesses as you can.
bAbout the Author: Internet Marketing enthusiast and practitioner/b
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
a href="http://www.InternetBadger.com" http://www.InternetBadger.com/a
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Internet Marketing enthusiast and practitioner
Copyright © Brian Jantzen
a href="http://www.InternetBadger.com" http://www.InternetBadger.com/a
If you operate your own home business, then you are probably aware that there a few drawbacks to being self-employed. Working for yourself often means that you lose many workplace benefits, such as group insurance, sick leave, paid vacations, etc. However, the government does provide solace to those who have an entrepreneurial spirit, and this solace comes in the form of tax breaks. There are many possible tax deductions for home businesses; you simply have to be well-informed about them.
Why should you go through the trouble? Well, because you’ll earn more money that way. By knowing all the possible tax deductions that you can take, you’ll come away with more of the benefits that your business generates, instead of getting cleaned out by the government. When it comes to taxes, make no mistake about it â€" knowledge is power.
If you run a home business, some of the possible tax deductions for you are:
Home office costs, such as those that involve office repairs and maintenance. Expenses racked up through janitorial services, for example, when shown to be needed by the business, are deductible, as are waste management and garbage disposal services. Business furniture and equipment may also qualify for deductions in their year of purchase, as long as the amount does not exceed a certain limit.
Utility costs, such as electricity and water. The deduction applies to those areas that are used regularly and exclusively for business.
Telephone costs. This only applies if you have a separate line for use in business. A single line that is used for both business and personal calls does not qualify. However, if you make long distance calls and/or incur fax transmission fees, those expenses are deductible not matter which type of phone you use.
Rent or lease payments. A percentage of your rent, lease, or mortgage interest payments can be deductible provided that you are using the property regularly for business purposes.
Employee wages and employee benefits. If you are an employer of labor, you can deduct a portion of your salary and benefit expenses. Employee education and training costs are also deductible.
Education costs necessary in your line of work. This applies especially to professionals. Those who need continuing education to maintain their expertise may deduct the cost of this education from their tax returns.
Real estate taxes on business property. A portion of real estate taxes are considered deductible by the IRS.
Personal expenses. Some personal expenses, when conducted in conjunction with business affairs, are deductible. A portion of your automobile expenses, meal allocations, and travel and entertainment cots may qualify for deduction, as log as they are related to your business.
A final reminder: Try to maintain as accurate records as is possible. Document your deposits, income, expenses and deductions. This way, you will have proof validating your tax deductions. Because tax laws are complex and often change, it is often advisable to consult a professional. This will allow you to claim as many possible tax deductions for home businesses as you can.
bAbout the Author: Internet Marketing enthusiast and practitioner/b
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
a href="http://www.InternetBadger.com" http://www.InternetBadger.com/a
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Internet Marketing enthusiast and practitioner
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Combined Residential And Business Voip - Is It Possible?
By: Michael Williams
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the latest technology that combines traditional phone service with high speed Internet. Speakeasy VoIP offers both digital and broadband service over one worldwide network. The not only offer unlimited local and long distance calling to the United States but also to more than 20 countries worldwide.
Setup could not be easier; all you need to enjoy Speakeasy VoIP services is broadband connection through Speakeasy and an adapter that they will provide. Once you have setup VoIP service you can enjoy enhanced quality on all calls you make and receive. They have an outstanding customer support center. When you call with a question regarding service the person who answers your call will also assist you with troubleshooting until it is resolved. You will not experience having to go through several different individuals before reaching technical support staff.
Speakeasy VoIP offers three different plans that you can choose from, and the prices range from $23.95 per month to $59.95 for Speakeasy Business VoIP. With each of the plans, you receive voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling, access to 9-1-1, and you are able to keep your current telephone number. Total setup and activation fees vary depending on the package you choose.
With Speakeasy Residential VoIP services you can expect to receive quality broadband phone service that includes local and long distance calls within the United States and Canada, access to E911 service, caller ID, 3-way calling and call waiting, voice mail, and you can keep your current telephone number.
For those of you who are working from home consider Speakeasy VoIP for business. With this plan, you receive access to the same features of the residential plan along with combining voice, PBX, data, conferencing, and long distance into one provider at a very reasonable monthly rate. If you use Outlook, you will enjoy the convenience of Speakeasy's business plan because you can open Outlook and make calls directly to your customers without ever closing Outlook. Everything you need to run your business efficiently Speakeasy VoIP has provided.
What are you waiting for? You do want to join thousands of other people who have found the convenience and savings of using Speakeasy VoIP for their personal and business life - contact them today - a customer service representative will be happy to answer any questions you have regarding the service plans they offer and how they can best enhance your telecommunication needs.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the latest technology that combines traditional phone service with high speed Internet. Speakeasy VoIP offers both digital and broadband service over one worldwide network. The not only offer unlimited local and long distance calling to the United States but also to more than 20 countries worldwide.
Setup could not be easier; all you need to enjoy Speakeasy VoIP services is broadband connection through Speakeasy and an adapter that they will provide. Once you have setup VoIP service you can enjoy enhanced quality on all calls you make and receive. They have an outstanding customer support center. When you call with a question regarding service the person who answers your call will also assist you with troubleshooting until it is resolved. You will not experience having to go through several different individuals before reaching technical support staff.
Speakeasy VoIP offers three different plans that you can choose from, and the prices range from $23.95 per month to $59.95 for Speakeasy Business VoIP. With each of the plans, you receive voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling, access to 9-1-1, and you are able to keep your current telephone number. Total setup and activation fees vary depending on the package you choose.
With Speakeasy Residential VoIP services you can expect to receive quality broadband phone service that includes local and long distance calls within the United States and Canada, access to E911 service, caller ID, 3-way calling and call waiting, voice mail, and you can keep your current telephone number.
For those of you who are working from home consider Speakeasy VoIP for business. With this plan, you receive access to the same features of the residential plan along with combining voice, PBX, data, conferencing, and long distance into one provider at a very reasonable monthly rate. If you use Outlook, you will enjoy the convenience of Speakeasy's business plan because you can open Outlook and make calls directly to your customers without ever closing Outlook. Everything you need to run your business efficiently Speakeasy VoIP has provided.
What are you waiting for? You do want to join thousands of other people who have found the convenience and savings of using Speakeasy VoIP for their personal and business life - contact them today - a customer service representative will be happy to answer any questions you have regarding the service plans they offer and how they can best enhance your telecommunication needs.
Fun with Cashflow 101!
By: Max Ng
When I first heard about Cashflow 101, I was very excited and wanted really to play the board game. To play the game, I faced two issues. Firstly, I needed to have a copy of the board game. Secondly, I needed to find a group of people who were willing to play the game together. Luckily for me, one of my friends had the board game. Also, I managed to find a few friends who had read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad. They were also very keen in playing the game. Thus, both issues were easily solved.
I managed to play for a few times. And I had really learned a lot from just playing the game. Of course I did not have an immediate enlightenment on the concepts that the game is trying to teach! Neither do I claim that I have understood all the concepts. But before I go about describing what I have learned, it is important that you have a general idea of the game. This may help you to understand what I have learned so far from playing the game.
Cashflow 101 is a board game designed by Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It aims to teach the players the concepts of investing and building passive income. To start the game, each player has a score sheet to track his passive income and expenses. It is similar to keeping track of financial statements in real life. There are 2 tracks in the game. The first track is where everyone starts playing. It is known as the rat race track. In the rat race track, the player may be required to spend for vacation. He may also have another child that causes his expenditure to go up. He may lose his job thus no income for a few months. He will face financial worry or difficulties like in real life situations.
Also, the player will encounter opportunity to invest in shares, real estates, businesses and so on. Basically, the player will encounter very real life liked situations that required decisions on investments. He may also encounter a situation where he does not have the cash to invest in a golden opportunity.
In order to get out of the rat race to the second track that is known as the fast track, the player has to learn to invest until his passive income surpasses his expenses. Once he has attained that, he will try to buy his dream or accumulate an additional $50,000 monthly cash flow to win the game.
In summary, the game gives the players the chance to experience real life situations even before they have happened. It is like giving them a glimpse of the future of what may happen if they stay in the rat race. It also provides the players a glimpse of an alternative bright future if they get out of the rat race. This is provided that they learned about cash flow, expenses, investment and building passive income.
That is just an introduction based on my personal experience of playing the game. I really loved playing the game. I hope that you can visual the board game to a certain extent. Now, let me shared with you what I had learned so far from playing the board game.
Firstly, if I were in the rat race track, I would be just waiting for paycheck after paycheck. My monthly salary would not increase much annually. And it would be like that for the rest of the years to come. In the board game, the rat race track is very short circular track. If each complete cycle were to represent a year, then time really flies fast on the board game. This gave me a glimpse of what my future would be liked in the next 10 years if I remained in the rat race track.
Secondly, if I did not invest in things that generate me passive income, I would take a very long time to clear my mortgage and debts by just saving. Saving is very important! But saving alone will not get me out of the rat race. If I want to get out of rat race in real life, then I have to learn to invest and build passive income.
Thirdly, I realized that if I was too greedy in the game and over invested beyond my financial means, I could easily go broke due to unexpected expenses or lost of job. Thus, it is important to manage my cash flow carefully in real life.
Lastly, I realized that it is important to save so that I could invest when a golden opportunity came knocking on my door. In the board game, I had a golden chance to invest on something that really gave good returns. But I did not have enough saving, thus I had gave it a miss.
* DISCLAIMER *
The author, publisher and distributors particularly disclaim any liability, loss, or risk taken by individuals who directly or indirectly act on the information contained herein. All readers must accept full responsibility for their use of this material.
When I first heard about Cashflow 101, I was very excited and wanted really to play the board game. To play the game, I faced two issues. Firstly, I needed to have a copy of the board game. Secondly, I needed to find a group of people who were willing to play the game together. Luckily for me, one of my friends had the board game. Also, I managed to find a few friends who had read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad. They were also very keen in playing the game. Thus, both issues were easily solved.
I managed to play for a few times. And I had really learned a lot from just playing the game. Of course I did not have an immediate enlightenment on the concepts that the game is trying to teach! Neither do I claim that I have understood all the concepts. But before I go about describing what I have learned, it is important that you have a general idea of the game. This may help you to understand what I have learned so far from playing the game.
Cashflow 101 is a board game designed by Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It aims to teach the players the concepts of investing and building passive income. To start the game, each player has a score sheet to track his passive income and expenses. It is similar to keeping track of financial statements in real life. There are 2 tracks in the game. The first track is where everyone starts playing. It is known as the rat race track. In the rat race track, the player may be required to spend for vacation. He may also have another child that causes his expenditure to go up. He may lose his job thus no income for a few months. He will face financial worry or difficulties like in real life situations.
Also, the player will encounter opportunity to invest in shares, real estates, businesses and so on. Basically, the player will encounter very real life liked situations that required decisions on investments. He may also encounter a situation where he does not have the cash to invest in a golden opportunity.
In order to get out of the rat race to the second track that is known as the fast track, the player has to learn to invest until his passive income surpasses his expenses. Once he has attained that, he will try to buy his dream or accumulate an additional $50,000 monthly cash flow to win the game.
In summary, the game gives the players the chance to experience real life situations even before they have happened. It is like giving them a glimpse of the future of what may happen if they stay in the rat race. It also provides the players a glimpse of an alternative bright future if they get out of the rat race. This is provided that they learned about cash flow, expenses, investment and building passive income.
That is just an introduction based on my personal experience of playing the game. I really loved playing the game. I hope that you can visual the board game to a certain extent. Now, let me shared with you what I had learned so far from playing the board game.
Firstly, if I were in the rat race track, I would be just waiting for paycheck after paycheck. My monthly salary would not increase much annually. And it would be like that for the rest of the years to come. In the board game, the rat race track is very short circular track. If each complete cycle were to represent a year, then time really flies fast on the board game. This gave me a glimpse of what my future would be liked in the next 10 years if I remained in the rat race track.
Secondly, if I did not invest in things that generate me passive income, I would take a very long time to clear my mortgage and debts by just saving. Saving is very important! But saving alone will not get me out of the rat race. If I want to get out of rat race in real life, then I have to learn to invest and build passive income.
Thirdly, I realized that if I was too greedy in the game and over invested beyond my financial means, I could easily go broke due to unexpected expenses or lost of job. Thus, it is important to manage my cash flow carefully in real life.
Lastly, I realized that it is important to save so that I could invest when a golden opportunity came knocking on my door. In the board game, I had a golden chance to invest on something that really gave good returns. But I did not have enough saving, thus I had gave it a miss.
* DISCLAIMER *
The author, publisher and distributors particularly disclaim any liability, loss, or risk taken by individuals who directly or indirectly act on the information contained herein. All readers must accept full responsibility for their use of this material.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Network Marketing Strategy for Success
By: Sherman Choo
Unlike other types of business ventures, network marketing is 100% a people-oriented business. As such, it requires people who are comfortable working with people and have the ability to motivate others into building a successful network of distributors. It is also the kind of business that can bring friendships together because of the close contact that the upline has with the downline during the training and mentoring phase of building the business.
The key to success in network marketing is to promote your network rather than your products. If you chose the right product line in which to become involved, the products will take care of themselves, but you need to promote the marketing plan in order to bring others into the network. The law of averages will clearly show you that the more people you have in your network, the higher the income potential is for both the entire network and you as an individual business owner.
The success of your network depends on you, your ability to motivate your downline, your determination to succeed, and the effort you extend in promoting your network's marketing plan. It will not succeed with the effort of just one person, so in addition to being constantly promoting your business, you must motivate others within your downline to do the exact same thing. It's not an individual effort, but a collective one, that will determine if your business is going to succeed. Because of this, it's important to remember that the efforts of each member of the network will affect the entire network. This means that the success or failure of the business is not based on one person's success or failure, but a collective effort.
One strategy that everyone needs to work is to promote the marketing plan rather than sell the products. The salesmanship part of the business has at best two ways of making money: the difference between cost of goods sold and sales price and any bonuses that may float from within the network because of the sales. Marketing, on the other hand, has numerous bonuses attached to it that are based upon the volume of sales within the network, and the larger your network, the higher those sales figures will be. Also, the higher those sales figures and the more people within your network, the higher your position will be within the network.
There is no individual method that is going to create success, nor is it going to come to only one person. A collective effort must be made for any type of network marketing business to work, thus the reason for the term "network," denoting a group of people rather than just one. If each of those individuals works together as part of the group, the success of the network is a guarantee.
Unlike other types of business ventures, network marketing is 100% a people-oriented business. As such, it requires people who are comfortable working with people and have the ability to motivate others into building a successful network of distributors. It is also the kind of business that can bring friendships together because of the close contact that the upline has with the downline during the training and mentoring phase of building the business.
The key to success in network marketing is to promote your network rather than your products. If you chose the right product line in which to become involved, the products will take care of themselves, but you need to promote the marketing plan in order to bring others into the network. The law of averages will clearly show you that the more people you have in your network, the higher the income potential is for both the entire network and you as an individual business owner.
The success of your network depends on you, your ability to motivate your downline, your determination to succeed, and the effort you extend in promoting your network's marketing plan. It will not succeed with the effort of just one person, so in addition to being constantly promoting your business, you must motivate others within your downline to do the exact same thing. It's not an individual effort, but a collective one, that will determine if your business is going to succeed. Because of this, it's important to remember that the efforts of each member of the network will affect the entire network. This means that the success or failure of the business is not based on one person's success or failure, but a collective effort.
One strategy that everyone needs to work is to promote the marketing plan rather than sell the products. The salesmanship part of the business has at best two ways of making money: the difference between cost of goods sold and sales price and any bonuses that may float from within the network because of the sales. Marketing, on the other hand, has numerous bonuses attached to it that are based upon the volume of sales within the network, and the larger your network, the higher those sales figures will be. Also, the higher those sales figures and the more people within your network, the higher your position will be within the network.
There is no individual method that is going to create success, nor is it going to come to only one person. A collective effort must be made for any type of network marketing business to work, thus the reason for the term "network," denoting a group of people rather than just one. If each of those individuals works together as part of the group, the success of the network is a guarantee.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Need A Home Business Idea? Consider the MLM Industry
By: Tom Childs
MLM, or Multi-Level Marketing opportunities, are business models that allow you to make money based on the number of people you sign up, or the amount of products you sell. In other words, it is a business arrangement that will let you earn commissions, much like an affiliate program. The amount of rewards you get will be commensurate to the volume of business that you generate for the MLM business you choose to work with..
Multi-Level Marketing opportunities provide an advantage over different home based businesses of unlimited earning potential. In other words, the compensation you receive will be in line with the value you have created for the company. There is no real cap on what you can earn, for the most part, just the limits that you create for yourself. Additionally, if you can exceed your sales or recruiting quotas on a regular basis, then you can expect to receive bonuses and high commissions along the way.
What makes MLM opportunities a great home business is that they are designed to allow you to spend as much or as little time as you can or would like. This means that you can work on your MLM venture for as little as an hour each day, or even as much as ten hours a day if. It can be a full-time venture or a part-time job, depending on your inclinations. You will get out of your business what you put into it, which is not unlike running any other type of home business.
Now to the really exciting part about MLM businesses! They allow you to create streams of residual income. Residual income is defined as income which you earn due to a one-time effort, not persistent and regular efforts. Examples of residual income would be the royalties that come from repeat sales of a bestselling book, or perhaps a popular piece of music. Residual income is the type of income that one needs in order to become truly wealthy, as it requires little or no additional effort on your part, yet continually provides you with cash. In the case of your MLM business, having additional business partners or "downlines" generating their own sales and new business partners, will pretty much ensure that you earn a certain amount of residual income each month.
Another reason why MLM opportunities make great home businesses is because they typically require only a small amount of money to start-up and maintain. An amount of fifty to three hundred dollars is often enough to start your MLM business. Only a very minimal amount is needed to maintain the business going forward. Contrast this with starting a business of your own, which might require thousands of dollars and a lot more of your precious time.
Whatever the case, MLM business opportunities can be an excellent source of income for those of you who do not exactly have the luxury of excess time or energy. If you are reasonably ambitious and believe that you can sell worthwhile products, there is no reason why you should not consider starting a MLM venture.
MLM, or Multi-Level Marketing opportunities, are business models that allow you to make money based on the number of people you sign up, or the amount of products you sell. In other words, it is a business arrangement that will let you earn commissions, much like an affiliate program. The amount of rewards you get will be commensurate to the volume of business that you generate for the MLM business you choose to work with..
Multi-Level Marketing opportunities provide an advantage over different home based businesses of unlimited earning potential. In other words, the compensation you receive will be in line with the value you have created for the company. There is no real cap on what you can earn, for the most part, just the limits that you create for yourself. Additionally, if you can exceed your sales or recruiting quotas on a regular basis, then you can expect to receive bonuses and high commissions along the way.
What makes MLM opportunities a great home business is that they are designed to allow you to spend as much or as little time as you can or would like. This means that you can work on your MLM venture for as little as an hour each day, or even as much as ten hours a day if. It can be a full-time venture or a part-time job, depending on your inclinations. You will get out of your business what you put into it, which is not unlike running any other type of home business.
Now to the really exciting part about MLM businesses! They allow you to create streams of residual income. Residual income is defined as income which you earn due to a one-time effort, not persistent and regular efforts. Examples of residual income would be the royalties that come from repeat sales of a bestselling book, or perhaps a popular piece of music. Residual income is the type of income that one needs in order to become truly wealthy, as it requires little or no additional effort on your part, yet continually provides you with cash. In the case of your MLM business, having additional business partners or "downlines" generating their own sales and new business partners, will pretty much ensure that you earn a certain amount of residual income each month.
Another reason why MLM opportunities make great home businesses is because they typically require only a small amount of money to start-up and maintain. An amount of fifty to three hundred dollars is often enough to start your MLM business. Only a very minimal amount is needed to maintain the business going forward. Contrast this with starting a business of your own, which might require thousands of dollars and a lot more of your precious time.
Whatever the case, MLM business opportunities can be an excellent source of income for those of you who do not exactly have the luxury of excess time or energy. If you are reasonably ambitious and believe that you can sell worthwhile products, there is no reason why you should not consider starting a MLM venture.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Changes That Make To Be Born Entrepreneur
By: Wolney Filho
The technologies of the information come modifying the form of interaction between people, shortening ways, or diminishing the distances. These interactions can be between individuals themselves and them and a machine. Since the telephone, until the email, that is a cheaper case, it has been available for the user a series of communications instruments facilitating these interactions.
It has two important concepts in this process: interaction and interactive process. The interaction can be defined as a reciprocal action between citizens that can be direct or indirect, mediated for some communication technician vehicle, as for example letter or telephone.
Interactive process is a term that comes indistinctly being used with two different meanings, in generally confused: for one hand, the technical power offered for determined way, as for example, CD-ROMS of consultation, general hyperlink or computers games, and by the other hand the human activity of the user to act on the machine, and to receive in exchange a retraction from the machine itself.
In the global world work, emergent trend mainly from the fall of the wall of Berlin, in 1989, has a job reduction and grows the business opportunities for entrepreneur, or who search for to be owner of the proper business. The challenge for this increasing population mass is to be professional, learning new abilities, mainly in this market of high competitiveness.
In such a way, the learning situations are significant for the new professional. Where to find them? Are there geographical and financial accessible?
These situations can be given in classrooms, not in formal institutions of education properly said, but in enterprise environments, basically. The schools, I say university, teach processes, methodologies, but they have said little regarding the relation human being, basic in any company.
On the other hand, these situations of learning can be given at a distance also. Here the messages are less subjective and social affective. But it is possible yes to have exchange of information, what it means to admit the learning.
The objective of this article is to reflect on the following investigation: front to these global changes, which is the education ideal learning, in view of the entrepreneur formation?
In the situations of enterprise learning, the interaction does not exist only between entrepreneur and instructional material, entrepreneurs between itself, entrepreneurs and tutor, entrepreneurs and education institution. It is also given between the elements that compose the universe of the entrepreneur, such as the history of life, family, work, social class and other groups that he or she belongs.
Ahead of the diversity, it is necessary attention to value the differences, to stimulate ideas, opinions and attitudes, to develop the capacity to learn to think, as well as taking the entrepreneur to get the conscientious control of the learned one, holding it back and to know to apply it in another context. It is observed then that in the distance between the entrepreneur and necessary knowledge to its success, is not only one physical, but psychological, sociological, cultural, economic, also philosophical space, among others.
The entrepreneur is himself who take action to get its proper knowledge now days. Beyond dominating some knowledge, its responsibility and sense of community to this knowledge is vital for its success. In other words, the change of entrepreneur attitude will be basic for the change of the system. New progress criteria are in game, based in the self trust human development and growth.
The technologies of the information come modifying the form of interaction between people, shortening ways, or diminishing the distances. These interactions can be between individuals themselves and them and a machine. Since the telephone, until the email, that is a cheaper case, it has been available for the user a series of communications instruments facilitating these interactions.
It has two important concepts in this process: interaction and interactive process. The interaction can be defined as a reciprocal action between citizens that can be direct or indirect, mediated for some communication technician vehicle, as for example letter or telephone.
Interactive process is a term that comes indistinctly being used with two different meanings, in generally confused: for one hand, the technical power offered for determined way, as for example, CD-ROMS of consultation, general hyperlink or computers games, and by the other hand the human activity of the user to act on the machine, and to receive in exchange a retraction from the machine itself.
In the global world work, emergent trend mainly from the fall of the wall of Berlin, in 1989, has a job reduction and grows the business opportunities for entrepreneur, or who search for to be owner of the proper business. The challenge for this increasing population mass is to be professional, learning new abilities, mainly in this market of high competitiveness.
In such a way, the learning situations are significant for the new professional. Where to find them? Are there geographical and financial accessible?
These situations can be given in classrooms, not in formal institutions of education properly said, but in enterprise environments, basically. The schools, I say university, teach processes, methodologies, but they have said little regarding the relation human being, basic in any company.
On the other hand, these situations of learning can be given at a distance also. Here the messages are less subjective and social affective. But it is possible yes to have exchange of information, what it means to admit the learning.
The objective of this article is to reflect on the following investigation: front to these global changes, which is the education ideal learning, in view of the entrepreneur formation?
In the situations of enterprise learning, the interaction does not exist only between entrepreneur and instructional material, entrepreneurs between itself, entrepreneurs and tutor, entrepreneurs and education institution. It is also given between the elements that compose the universe of the entrepreneur, such as the history of life, family, work, social class and other groups that he or she belongs.
Ahead of the diversity, it is necessary attention to value the differences, to stimulate ideas, opinions and attitudes, to develop the capacity to learn to think, as well as taking the entrepreneur to get the conscientious control of the learned one, holding it back and to know to apply it in another context. It is observed then that in the distance between the entrepreneur and necessary knowledge to its success, is not only one physical, but psychological, sociological, cultural, economic, also philosophical space, among others.
The entrepreneur is himself who take action to get its proper knowledge now days. Beyond dominating some knowledge, its responsibility and sense of community to this knowledge is vital for its success. In other words, the change of entrepreneur attitude will be basic for the change of the system. New progress criteria are in game, based in the self trust human development and growth.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Managing Effective Meetings, Part Two
By: Ed Oakley
Jack Welch once said, "When managers ask questions, they aren't looking for answers, they're looking for validation." Questions are a powerful meeting tool. They elicit participation, ideas and creativity. Even if you already know the answers, asking the right questions engages people. People embrace and own what they participate in. It creates ownership, accountability and a greater commitment to produce the results.
A case in point. An Inventory Control Manager shared that at his weekly meetings he essentially dictated what came down from above, sharing the numbers and then asking: "Any questions?" After participating in our workshop he started using Meeting Openers and Closers at the weekly meeting, as well as using Effective Questions to invite participation throughout. One key question he began to ask each participant was: "What can we count on you to do?"
There is now much more involvement and much better attendance. As a result of the improved communication in the meetings, the participants continue to ask better questions in their respective areas.
They have reduced the amount of overtime. All of those who impact Inventory Control are engaged and own it, verses only the managers and supervisors.
Their meetings shifted from information dissemination to active participation and ownership of improving results.
Focus on the end in mind.
Think about the last time you were asked, "Why isn't this working?" or "Why aren't you hitting your targets?" How helpful are those questions? What people really feel is being asked is "Why are you such a screw up?"
Brain research has discovered that the mind literally operates by asking itself questions. This is how we learn. It automatically focuses people on the question being asked.
So the quality of what we learn, how we learn, and where we focus it is directly attributable to the quality of the questions we are running on. How does this relate to meetings?
A Quality Systems and Audit Manager took over a new group. There was a perception of unfairness and bickering; everyone was mad. He found that they were arguing over the number of audits they were supposed to do every day. It seemed that some people just audited easy boxes, leaving harder audits to others.
The manager asked: "What can we do to improve this situation and make it fair?" They came up with a point system. Each person had to have so many points per day - easy audits score fewer points, harder boxes earn more points. He asked: "How do we make this work?" They all helped develop the process and benchmarks. As a result they all bought-in to making it happen.
Now they're talking to each other. They ask each other "How did you do it?" They now share the best practices so everyone tries to get above the required points. Friendly competition was established. There is no more in-fighting and complaining.
Effective questions not only turned this meeting around, they also engaged the participants in creating a solution to the problem. A problem that, because they had created, they owned.
Also, notice how their questions became infectious, and they began asking questions amongst themselves and created a continuous learning environment.
Questions ought to focus on the outcome of the meeting, constantly referring the group back to the meeting objectives. They should be opened ended and forwarded focused. "Why aren't you hitting your targets?" should be replaced by "What do we need to do to hit our targets?"
It is really a simple matter of focus. Do you want them focused on all the reasons something won't or isn't functioning, all the while feeling frustrated and probably angry? Or, do you want them focused on what it's going to take to produce the results? Questions will get you to either place depending upon which ones you ask.
Meeting closers.
Wrap up each meeting by summarizing what was accomplished. Here is a brief checklist:
a. Have tasks that were created during the meeting been assigned a "who will do what and by when?" b. Were the objectives of the meeting met? If not, is another meeting required? c. How effective was the meeting? What could we improve on for next time? d. What did you get out of the meeting?
e. What issues (PARKING LOT) came up that we were unable to resolve? What actions steps should be taken?
Jack Welch once said, "When managers ask questions, they aren't looking for answers, they're looking for validation." Questions are a powerful meeting tool. They elicit participation, ideas and creativity. Even if you already know the answers, asking the right questions engages people. People embrace and own what they participate in. It creates ownership, accountability and a greater commitment to produce the results.
A case in point. An Inventory Control Manager shared that at his weekly meetings he essentially dictated what came down from above, sharing the numbers and then asking: "Any questions?" After participating in our workshop he started using Meeting Openers and Closers at the weekly meeting, as well as using Effective Questions to invite participation throughout. One key question he began to ask each participant was: "What can we count on you to do?"
There is now much more involvement and much better attendance. As a result of the improved communication in the meetings, the participants continue to ask better questions in their respective areas.
They have reduced the amount of overtime. All of those who impact Inventory Control are engaged and own it, verses only the managers and supervisors.
Their meetings shifted from information dissemination to active participation and ownership of improving results.
Focus on the end in mind.
Think about the last time you were asked, "Why isn't this working?" or "Why aren't you hitting your targets?" How helpful are those questions? What people really feel is being asked is "Why are you such a screw up?"
Brain research has discovered that the mind literally operates by asking itself questions. This is how we learn. It automatically focuses people on the question being asked.
So the quality of what we learn, how we learn, and where we focus it is directly attributable to the quality of the questions we are running on. How does this relate to meetings?
A Quality Systems and Audit Manager took over a new group. There was a perception of unfairness and bickering; everyone was mad. He found that they were arguing over the number of audits they were supposed to do every day. It seemed that some people just audited easy boxes, leaving harder audits to others.
The manager asked: "What can we do to improve this situation and make it fair?" They came up with a point system. Each person had to have so many points per day - easy audits score fewer points, harder boxes earn more points. He asked: "How do we make this work?" They all helped develop the process and benchmarks. As a result they all bought-in to making it happen.
Now they're talking to each other. They ask each other "How did you do it?" They now share the best practices so everyone tries to get above the required points. Friendly competition was established. There is no more in-fighting and complaining.
Effective questions not only turned this meeting around, they also engaged the participants in creating a solution to the problem. A problem that, because they had created, they owned.
Also, notice how their questions became infectious, and they began asking questions amongst themselves and created a continuous learning environment.
Questions ought to focus on the outcome of the meeting, constantly referring the group back to the meeting objectives. They should be opened ended and forwarded focused. "Why aren't you hitting your targets?" should be replaced by "What do we need to do to hit our targets?"
It is really a simple matter of focus. Do you want them focused on all the reasons something won't or isn't functioning, all the while feeling frustrated and probably angry? Or, do you want them focused on what it's going to take to produce the results? Questions will get you to either place depending upon which ones you ask.
Meeting closers.
Wrap up each meeting by summarizing what was accomplished. Here is a brief checklist:
a. Have tasks that were created during the meeting been assigned a "who will do what and by when?" b. Were the objectives of the meeting met? If not, is another meeting required? c. How effective was the meeting? What could we improve on for next time? d. What did you get out of the meeting?
e. What issues (PARKING LOT) came up that we were unable to resolve? What actions steps should be taken?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Start A Home Based Business But Do Not Quit Your Job
By: Paul P. Duxbury
It can be tempting to ax your job at the first sign of success in the process of running your business. However, it is important to remember that you may need your job for a period of time, until you know for sure you can fully support yourself on your home business. Some of the reasons why you should not quite your job right away when starting your home business are as follows:
You may need the benefits: If you are a worker who has kept down a job for a year or longer, the chances are that you have substantial medical, dental, and other personal benefits, such as maturity leave, or retirement pension. Depending upon how much time you have put into your job, it would be a shame to let all these benefits go too soon.
You may need the income: Starting a business can be expensive, even if you are starting extremely small on a shoestring budget. Even if you have not taken out any large sums of money for operating or start-up costs you may still need the money to pay your house bills, to buy food, and to support your family if you have one. Not only that, but you may still need it to fun any vacations or extra-curricular activities you choose to participate in, even during the start-up phase of your business.
For Proof of Solid Income: If you are applying for small business loans or other start-up loans, you will need proof of solid income. This is one of the most important aspects of receiving money from the government or private lenders. You need proof of your projected ability to pay back this loan money or you may not quality to receive the money. As tempting as it may be, you will have to hold on to your job for a little while longer.
For Income During Waiting Periods: If you are waiting for an application for a loan to be approved, you may need money to run your business during the waiting period. Of course, then you may still need the money to pay back the loan as you begin to develop your business. It is important to remember this, because the development of a successful business always takes time.
For Emergencies and Unexpected Expenses: You never know what could happen while you start your business. Your car that lasted thirteen years could finally break down. (If you have a car that lasted that long, let others know, by the way!). Either that, strong winds could cause a tree to fall on your roof. You never know what could happen. It is always important to have some security so you are prepared.
To Reduce Amount Needed to Borrow: When you start a business it is a good idea whenever possible to start with as little money as possible. Your job can help fund your business instead of having to take out a loan to cover those expenses. In addition, money that you have earned from a job to start and run a business you do not have to pay back. Therefore, keeping your job for as long as you possibly can after starting your business can help alleviate the possibility of large debt in the future.
For Personal Discipline Reasons: Believe it or not, many people actually work better in the beginning stages of their business if they stick to a regular schedule. Therefore, not only will keeping their job help fund their home businesses, but that it will also help them stay on task. Knowing they have very little time to take for granted they will be less likely to waste it come time to
For Networking Reasons: As long as it is allowed on your job, and your business is not a conflict of interest with your current employer, there may be the possibility of you networking with your co-workers at your current job. For instance, if you want to make extra money housecleaning, and you work in an office all day, you can make arrangements to begin housecleaning on the weekends. You may even be able to get hired by your boss. You never know where your current employment will lead you. Not only that, but the possibility also exists for you to purchase a franchise of that current business as well.
The above reasons are only a few examples of why you may need to keep your job while starting your business. You may have other reasons to keep your job as well, which have to do with other aspects than just with finances, discipline, or networking. For instance, you may need to monitor the success of your growing business for a while; to make sure it will sustain you for the long haul. This is more than about money, but also about a long-term commitment. You need to make sure that the business you are involved in will not only support you in the long run but will also be something that you will enjoy being involved in for the long run.
If you are not sure if a business idea is right for you and yet you start it, you can easily change your mind more readily if you have kept your job. However, if you have made the commitment to your business, and no longer have your job, it may be harder to turn back. You will have to either ask for your old job back or find a new one. To avoid that from happening, you may consider keeping your job for as long as you feel is necessary., until you know for sure you can fully support yourself on your home business. Some of the reasons why you should not quite your job right away when starting your home business are as follows:
You may need the benefits: If you are a worker who has kept down a job for a year or longer, the chances are that you have substantial medical, dental, and other personal benefits, such as maturity leave, or retirement pension. Depending upon how much time you have put into your job, it would be a shame to let all these benefits go too soon.
You may need the income: Starting a business can be expensive, even if you are starting extremely small on a shoestring budget. Even if you have not taken out any large sums of money for operating or start-up costs you may still need the money to pay your house bills, to buy food, and to support your family if you have one. Not only that, but you may still need it to fun any vacations or extra-curricular activities you choose to participate in, even during the start-up phase of your business.
For Proof of Solid Income: If you are applying for small business loans or other start-up loans, you will need proof of solid income. This is one of the most important aspects of receiving money from the government or private lenders. You need proof of your projected ability to pay back this loan money or you may not quality to receive the money. As tempting as it may be, you will have to hold on to your job for a little while longer.
For Income During Waiting Periods: If you are waiting for an application for a loan to be approved, you may need money to run your business during the waiting period. Of course, then you may still need the money to pay back the loan as you begin to develop your business. It is important to remember this, because the development of a successful business always takes time.
For Emergencies and Unexpected Expenses: You never know what could happen while you start your business. Your car that lasted thirteen years could finally break down. (If you have a car that lasted that long, let others know, by the way!). Either that, strong winds could cause a tree to fall on your roof. You never know what could happen. It is always important to have some security so you are prepared.
To Reduce Amount Needed to Borrow: When you start a business it is a good idea whenever possible to start with as little money as possible. Your job can help fund your business instead of having to take out a loan to cover those expenses. In addition, money that you have earned from a job to start and run a business you do not have to pay back. Therefore, keeping your job for as long as you possibly can after starting your business can help alleviate the possibility of large debt in the future.
For Personal Discipline Reasons: Believe it or not, many people actually work better in the beginning stages of their business if they stick to a regular schedule. Therefore, not only will keeping their job help fund their home businesses, but that it will also help them stay on task. Knowing they have very little time to take for granted they will be less likely to waste it come time to
For Networking Reasons: As long as it is allowed on your job, and your business is not a conflict of interest with your current employer, there may be the possibility of you networking with your co-workers at your current job. For instance, if you want to make extra money housecleaning, and you work in an office all day, you can make arrangements to begin housecleaning on the weekends. You may even be able to get hired by your boss. You never know where your current employment will lead you. Not only that, but the possibility also exists for you to purchase a franchise of that current business as well.
The above reasons are only a few examples of why you may need to keep your job while starting your business. You may have other reasons to keep your job as well, which have to do with other aspects than just with finances, discipline, or networking. For instance, you may need to monitor the success of your growing business for a while; to make sure it will sustain you for the long haul. This is more than about money, but also about a long-term commitment. You need to make sure that the business you are involved in will not only support you in the long run but will also be something that you will enjoy being involved in for the long run.
If you are not sure if a business idea is right for you and yet you start it, you can easily change your mind more readily if you have kept your job. However, if you have made the commitment to your business, and no longer have your job, it may be harder to turn back. You will have to either ask for your old job back or find a new one. To avoid that from happening, you may consider keeping your job for as long as you feel is necessary.
It can be tempting to ax your job at the first sign of success in the process of running your business. However, it is important to remember that you may need your job for a period of time, until you know for sure you can fully support yourself on your home business. Some of the reasons why you should not quite your job right away when starting your home business are as follows:
You may need the benefits: If you are a worker who has kept down a job for a year or longer, the chances are that you have substantial medical, dental, and other personal benefits, such as maturity leave, or retirement pension. Depending upon how much time you have put into your job, it would be a shame to let all these benefits go too soon.
You may need the income: Starting a business can be expensive, even if you are starting extremely small on a shoestring budget. Even if you have not taken out any large sums of money for operating or start-up costs you may still need the money to pay your house bills, to buy food, and to support your family if you have one. Not only that, but you may still need it to fun any vacations or extra-curricular activities you choose to participate in, even during the start-up phase of your business.
For Proof of Solid Income: If you are applying for small business loans or other start-up loans, you will need proof of solid income. This is one of the most important aspects of receiving money from the government or private lenders. You need proof of your projected ability to pay back this loan money or you may not quality to receive the money. As tempting as it may be, you will have to hold on to your job for a little while longer.
For Income During Waiting Periods: If you are waiting for an application for a loan to be approved, you may need money to run your business during the waiting period. Of course, then you may still need the money to pay back the loan as you begin to develop your business. It is important to remember this, because the development of a successful business always takes time.
For Emergencies and Unexpected Expenses: You never know what could happen while you start your business. Your car that lasted thirteen years could finally break down. (If you have a car that lasted that long, let others know, by the way!). Either that, strong winds could cause a tree to fall on your roof. You never know what could happen. It is always important to have some security so you are prepared.
To Reduce Amount Needed to Borrow: When you start a business it is a good idea whenever possible to start with as little money as possible. Your job can help fund your business instead of having to take out a loan to cover those expenses. In addition, money that you have earned from a job to start and run a business you do not have to pay back. Therefore, keeping your job for as long as you possibly can after starting your business can help alleviate the possibility of large debt in the future.
For Personal Discipline Reasons: Believe it or not, many people actually work better in the beginning stages of their business if they stick to a regular schedule. Therefore, not only will keeping their job help fund their home businesses, but that it will also help them stay on task. Knowing they have very little time to take for granted they will be less likely to waste it come time to
For Networking Reasons: As long as it is allowed on your job, and your business is not a conflict of interest with your current employer, there may be the possibility of you networking with your co-workers at your current job. For instance, if you want to make extra money housecleaning, and you work in an office all day, you can make arrangements to begin housecleaning on the weekends. You may even be able to get hired by your boss. You never know where your current employment will lead you. Not only that, but the possibility also exists for you to purchase a franchise of that current business as well.
The above reasons are only a few examples of why you may need to keep your job while starting your business. You may have other reasons to keep your job as well, which have to do with other aspects than just with finances, discipline, or networking. For instance, you may need to monitor the success of your growing business for a while; to make sure it will sustain you for the long haul. This is more than about money, but also about a long-term commitment. You need to make sure that the business you are involved in will not only support you in the long run but will also be something that you will enjoy being involved in for the long run.
If you are not sure if a business idea is right for you and yet you start it, you can easily change your mind more readily if you have kept your job. However, if you have made the commitment to your business, and no longer have your job, it may be harder to turn back. You will have to either ask for your old job back or find a new one. To avoid that from happening, you may consider keeping your job for as long as you feel is necessary., until you know for sure you can fully support yourself on your home business. Some of the reasons why you should not quite your job right away when starting your home business are as follows:
You may need the benefits: If you are a worker who has kept down a job for a year or longer, the chances are that you have substantial medical, dental, and other personal benefits, such as maturity leave, or retirement pension. Depending upon how much time you have put into your job, it would be a shame to let all these benefits go too soon.
You may need the income: Starting a business can be expensive, even if you are starting extremely small on a shoestring budget. Even if you have not taken out any large sums of money for operating or start-up costs you may still need the money to pay your house bills, to buy food, and to support your family if you have one. Not only that, but you may still need it to fun any vacations or extra-curricular activities you choose to participate in, even during the start-up phase of your business.
For Proof of Solid Income: If you are applying for small business loans or other start-up loans, you will need proof of solid income. This is one of the most important aspects of receiving money from the government or private lenders. You need proof of your projected ability to pay back this loan money or you may not quality to receive the money. As tempting as it may be, you will have to hold on to your job for a little while longer.
For Income During Waiting Periods: If you are waiting for an application for a loan to be approved, you may need money to run your business during the waiting period. Of course, then you may still need the money to pay back the loan as you begin to develop your business. It is important to remember this, because the development of a successful business always takes time.
For Emergencies and Unexpected Expenses: You never know what could happen while you start your business. Your car that lasted thirteen years could finally break down. (If you have a car that lasted that long, let others know, by the way!). Either that, strong winds could cause a tree to fall on your roof. You never know what could happen. It is always important to have some security so you are prepared.
To Reduce Amount Needed to Borrow: When you start a business it is a good idea whenever possible to start with as little money as possible. Your job can help fund your business instead of having to take out a loan to cover those expenses. In addition, money that you have earned from a job to start and run a business you do not have to pay back. Therefore, keeping your job for as long as you possibly can after starting your business can help alleviate the possibility of large debt in the future.
For Personal Discipline Reasons: Believe it or not, many people actually work better in the beginning stages of their business if they stick to a regular schedule. Therefore, not only will keeping their job help fund their home businesses, but that it will also help them stay on task. Knowing they have very little time to take for granted they will be less likely to waste it come time to
For Networking Reasons: As long as it is allowed on your job, and your business is not a conflict of interest with your current employer, there may be the possibility of you networking with your co-workers at your current job. For instance, if you want to make extra money housecleaning, and you work in an office all day, you can make arrangements to begin housecleaning on the weekends. You may even be able to get hired by your boss. You never know where your current employment will lead you. Not only that, but the possibility also exists for you to purchase a franchise of that current business as well.
The above reasons are only a few examples of why you may need to keep your job while starting your business. You may have other reasons to keep your job as well, which have to do with other aspects than just with finances, discipline, or networking. For instance, you may need to monitor the success of your growing business for a while; to make sure it will sustain you for the long haul. This is more than about money, but also about a long-term commitment. You need to make sure that the business you are involved in will not only support you in the long run but will also be something that you will enjoy being involved in for the long run.
If you are not sure if a business idea is right for you and yet you start it, you can easily change your mind more readily if you have kept your job. However, if you have made the commitment to your business, and no longer have your job, it may be harder to turn back. You will have to either ask for your old job back or find a new one. To avoid that from happening, you may consider keeping your job for as long as you feel is necessary.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Lee Gettess Focuses on Controlling Risk
By: Martin Chandra
Trader Lee Gettess focuses on risk control as a major factor in determining his success in the commodity markets. However, it wasn't always that way. Gettess received his introduction to the commodity futures markets via a telephone call from a broker. "He told me how Omar Sharif had made $50 million in the sugar market, with a $50,000 account," Gettess said. The broker said the same pattern that occurred in sugar and made Sharif that bundle was occurring again.
"So I gave him $10,000 and three weeks later, he gave me $3,000 back," Gettess said. "But I realized if I could lose the money that fast, I could make the money that fast," he added. He launched into a study of the futures markets.
At the time, Gettess had a computer background. "I tried to read everything I could get my hands on ... and the technical side was more appealing to me: I guess I'm more of a left-brain person," he explained.
He "dabbled" in trading in the mid-'80s, but didn't begin trading, from off the floor, full time until Oct. 12, 1987-just days before the stock market crashed. "The only thing I knew how to trade was the S&Ps," he said. However, Gettess escaped relatively unscathed from the crash. "I was on the wrong side of the market ... I lost $1,500 ... But, you can take a loss and be absolutely wrong and can congratulate yourself for doing the right thing," he said referring to getting out of the trade at the right rime and risk control. "I was able to take a $1,500 loss--that was a good trade," he added.
"Back then everyone told me commodities were too risky and the ones to definitely stay away from were the S&Ps and pork bellies ... so that's what I decided to trade. You want to be where the action is ... you want to be where the profit potential is ... but a trader's job is to control risk," he explained.
Gettess has used his computer background to develop over a hundred systems over the years, including one about 10 years ago called the Volpat Trading System, which was picked by Futures Truth as "one of the top 10 trading systems of all times." The acronym "Volpat" stands for volatility and pattern recognition. "Volatility-in that you need an active market. If a market isn't moving, you can't make any money," Gettess said.
The patterns are "short-term stuff .. that are objective enough that you can tell a computer to look for them ... you can test all kinds of combinations of things," he said. "One of the patterns-a big outside day, closing on the lows ... most market lore says this is very bearish. What I found is if the market starts up the next day you probably want to buy it. It was observational-this should be really ugly, but I'm looking at the market and it doesn't look so ugly," he explained as the thought process behind picking out par-term for computer testing.
Gettess typically puts on trades that last from one to three days and he favors markets with liquidity. "Lumber and orange juice don't interest me too much," he said referring to two thinly traded markets.
"My favorite market today is the bond market. It is so big and so liquid I can move any type of size with good execution," Gettess said. Also, "I can control risk better there than in the S&P pit," he added.
Everything comes back to risk for Gettess. "The only thing a trader can control is risk. If you go into a market and you say, 'I don't want to lose more than $1,000 on a trade'...there may be overnight gaps and slippage, but you can be pretty sure you won't lose more than $1,000 on a trade," he explained.
"I know how much I'm willing to risk, but I have no idea how much the market is willing to let me take out of it-if all the market is going to give you is $500, you have to take it," Gettess added.
"My whole focus is that you've got to control the risk ... that's what all the top traders do," he concluded. However, while Gettess uses protective stops for his position, he doesn't always have a stop-loss on a trade. "I follow the markets during the course of a day and in front of a news report I won't put my stop in-because the markets can go nuts for a brief period of time after the news ... and after that I can decide if I still want to be in," he said.
However, on the use of protective stops he cautioned, "Risk (control) doesn't mean using outrageously tight stops-a floor trader can sneeze and the market moves $100. My research indicates that you want to give the market a fair amount of room for higher chance of success."
In terms of advice for beginning traders, Gettess warns, "Don't have unrealistic expectations."
"People ask me what's the best way to trade-that's an impossible question. I can't tell you what's going to suit you," Gettess said, implying that each trader needs to find a trading method that fits his or her particular personality.
"It's the ultimate job as far as I'm concerned. When I was working for General Motors, they had a great benefit plan, and everyone told me this was a great, secure company to work for. But, then one morning, I woke up and I didn't work for them anymore even though they liked me and gave me good reviews. It made me realize that security is based on self- reliance," Gettess finished.
Trader Lee Gettess focuses on risk control as a major factor in determining his success in the commodity markets. However, it wasn't always that way. Gettess received his introduction to the commodity futures markets via a telephone call from a broker. "He told me how Omar Sharif had made $50 million in the sugar market, with a $50,000 account," Gettess said. The broker said the same pattern that occurred in sugar and made Sharif that bundle was occurring again.
"So I gave him $10,000 and three weeks later, he gave me $3,000 back," Gettess said. "But I realized if I could lose the money that fast, I could make the money that fast," he added. He launched into a study of the futures markets.
At the time, Gettess had a computer background. "I tried to read everything I could get my hands on ... and the technical side was more appealing to me: I guess I'm more of a left-brain person," he explained.
He "dabbled" in trading in the mid-'80s, but didn't begin trading, from off the floor, full time until Oct. 12, 1987-just days before the stock market crashed. "The only thing I knew how to trade was the S&Ps," he said. However, Gettess escaped relatively unscathed from the crash. "I was on the wrong side of the market ... I lost $1,500 ... But, you can take a loss and be absolutely wrong and can congratulate yourself for doing the right thing," he said referring to getting out of the trade at the right rime and risk control. "I was able to take a $1,500 loss--that was a good trade," he added.
"Back then everyone told me commodities were too risky and the ones to definitely stay away from were the S&Ps and pork bellies ... so that's what I decided to trade. You want to be where the action is ... you want to be where the profit potential is ... but a trader's job is to control risk," he explained.
Gettess has used his computer background to develop over a hundred systems over the years, including one about 10 years ago called the Volpat Trading System, which was picked by Futures Truth as "one of the top 10 trading systems of all times." The acronym "Volpat" stands for volatility and pattern recognition. "Volatility-in that you need an active market. If a market isn't moving, you can't make any money," Gettess said.
The patterns are "short-term stuff .. that are objective enough that you can tell a computer to look for them ... you can test all kinds of combinations of things," he said. "One of the patterns-a big outside day, closing on the lows ... most market lore says this is very bearish. What I found is if the market starts up the next day you probably want to buy it. It was observational-this should be really ugly, but I'm looking at the market and it doesn't look so ugly," he explained as the thought process behind picking out par-term for computer testing.
Gettess typically puts on trades that last from one to three days and he favors markets with liquidity. "Lumber and orange juice don't interest me too much," he said referring to two thinly traded markets.
"My favorite market today is the bond market. It is so big and so liquid I can move any type of size with good execution," Gettess said. Also, "I can control risk better there than in the S&P pit," he added.
Everything comes back to risk for Gettess. "The only thing a trader can control is risk. If you go into a market and you say, 'I don't want to lose more than $1,000 on a trade'...there may be overnight gaps and slippage, but you can be pretty sure you won't lose more than $1,000 on a trade," he explained.
"I know how much I'm willing to risk, but I have no idea how much the market is willing to let me take out of it-if all the market is going to give you is $500, you have to take it," Gettess added.
"My whole focus is that you've got to control the risk ... that's what all the top traders do," he concluded. However, while Gettess uses protective stops for his position, he doesn't always have a stop-loss on a trade. "I follow the markets during the course of a day and in front of a news report I won't put my stop in-because the markets can go nuts for a brief period of time after the news ... and after that I can decide if I still want to be in," he said.
However, on the use of protective stops he cautioned, "Risk (control) doesn't mean using outrageously tight stops-a floor trader can sneeze and the market moves $100. My research indicates that you want to give the market a fair amount of room for higher chance of success."
In terms of advice for beginning traders, Gettess warns, "Don't have unrealistic expectations."
"People ask me what's the best way to trade-that's an impossible question. I can't tell you what's going to suit you," Gettess said, implying that each trader needs to find a trading method that fits his or her particular personality.
"It's the ultimate job as far as I'm concerned. When I was working for General Motors, they had a great benefit plan, and everyone told me this was a great, secure company to work for. But, then one morning, I woke up and I didn't work for them anymore even though they liked me and gave me good reviews. It made me realize that security is based on self- reliance," Gettess finished.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
What To Do When People Aren't Buying
By: Alicia Forest
Did you know that almost every person who visits your website will leave without buying? I know that sounds disheartening but it's true. Just think of all the sites you've been on yourself that you haven't bought from, right?
But don't be discouraged. There are things you can do to get the most from your website visitors that can make a big difference in your bottom line. Here are 4 of them:
1. Use Pop-Ups...
or pop-unders, or pop-up-tomorrow, or whatever latest 'pop' technology is available today. Yes, they do annoy some people, but internet marketing stats tell us that they work. And the one that works the best is the "exit pop", those ones that say "wait! before you leave... take advantage of this...".
If you do decide to use pop-ups, use them sparingly so as not to annoy your visitor. You can also use pop-ups to implement any of the following strategies:
2. Invite them to be on your list...
Most people won't buy from you on the first pass. You need to build a relationship with your prospects in order for them to feel comfortable investing any of their hard-earned cash with you.
Give them an opportunity to join your list so you can build that relationship. Invite them to receive a free taste of what it is that you're offering - ezine, special report, checklist - so they get on your list. You then have the opportunity to market to them over time, which will build that relationship which will lead to more sales.
3. Find out why the are leaving...
Ask them why they are leaving your site. Not everyone will tell you, but the feedback you do receive is gold. You can then make any appropraite adjustments to your website to increase your sales and opt-in conversion rates.
4. Make another offer...
If they didn't purchase on the first pass, make them another offer. Offer them another product or program of yours that's at a lower price point, or send them to someone else's site whose offering might benefit them instead, preferable one of which you highly recommend and are an affiliate of so you can earn a small commission for your referral.
Pick one of the above, test it and see how it works for you. You're sure to increase your list numbers and well as your sales numbers if you start implementing even one of these strategies today.
Copyright 2007 Alicia M Forest and Client Abundance
Did you know that almost every person who visits your website will leave without buying? I know that sounds disheartening but it's true. Just think of all the sites you've been on yourself that you haven't bought from, right?
But don't be discouraged. There are things you can do to get the most from your website visitors that can make a big difference in your bottom line. Here are 4 of them:
1. Use Pop-Ups...
or pop-unders, or pop-up-tomorrow, or whatever latest 'pop' technology is available today. Yes, they do annoy some people, but internet marketing stats tell us that they work. And the one that works the best is the "exit pop", those ones that say "wait! before you leave... take advantage of this...".
If you do decide to use pop-ups, use them sparingly so as not to annoy your visitor. You can also use pop-ups to implement any of the following strategies:
2. Invite them to be on your list...
Most people won't buy from you on the first pass. You need to build a relationship with your prospects in order for them to feel comfortable investing any of their hard-earned cash with you.
Give them an opportunity to join your list so you can build that relationship. Invite them to receive a free taste of what it is that you're offering - ezine, special report, checklist - so they get on your list. You then have the opportunity to market to them over time, which will build that relationship which will lead to more sales.
3. Find out why the are leaving...
Ask them why they are leaving your site. Not everyone will tell you, but the feedback you do receive is gold. You can then make any appropraite adjustments to your website to increase your sales and opt-in conversion rates.
4. Make another offer...
If they didn't purchase on the first pass, make them another offer. Offer them another product or program of yours that's at a lower price point, or send them to someone else's site whose offering might benefit them instead, preferable one of which you highly recommend and are an affiliate of so you can earn a small commission for your referral.
Pick one of the above, test it and see how it works for you. You're sure to increase your list numbers and well as your sales numbers if you start implementing even one of these strategies today.
Copyright 2007 Alicia M Forest and Client Abundance
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Conference Venues can determine the success of a corporate event.
By: Mandy Chagger
There is no doubt that conference venues can determine the success of a corporate event. The location of conference venues needs to portray a good impression of an organization and its delegates. This means that a substantial amount of planning is required if a suitable conference venue is to be obtained. Finding a conference venue can be a difficult task without the right guidance and support. Organizing an event like an international conference is complicated enough and as such, companies will need specialist assistance in order to stream line the whole administrative process. It is also worth mentioning that finding a conference venue can be both an expensive venture and time-consuming venture.
This is because organisers will have to invest time and money in searching for the venue and will also have to pay for the use of the venue itself. Furthermore, another important fact to consider is that most corporate conferences, meeting and events have to be organised within a very short period of time. This makes finding the most suitable venue an even more difficult task for organisers, because they also have to attend to other corporate matters. In this regard, it is advisable for companies and event organisers to use a specialist venue finding agency. Such agencies can remove all the bottlenecks and unforeseen costs involved in finding a conference venue. So, it can be said that such professional agencies can save companies a substantial amount of time and money. This is why an increasing number of companies and event organisers are choosing venue finding agencies.
When searching for an agency which deals with finding conference venues, it is advisable to look out for those which offer a free service. These types of conference venue finders are actually funded by hotels and conference venues. This enables them to offer a free service to companies and event organisers. Using a free service gives you the added peace of mind that there will be no hidden costs or charges. Professional conference venue finders are also able to provide their clients with a fully customized service which meets their exact venue specifications and requirements. They deal with all the leg work, paperwork and administrative issues so that companies and event organisers can focus their time and resources on other aspects of their business. Regardless of what conference venue size you require or whether you require dining and accommodation facilities as well, a specialist conference venue agency can assist you. They can also help you find traditional, contemporary or unusual conference venues locations. In the light of this, it can be suggested that the benefits which a conference venue finder can provide cannot be over emphasized. When searching for such free venue finding agencies, it is always a good idea to approach those which have many years of experience and good track record in the industry.
This is because these sort of agencies are more likely to provide a more efficient and reliable service. Such agencies will also have a team of fully trained professionals who are capable of providing effective advice and guidance. They have the resources and negotiation skills to ensure that you get the best deal possible. One way to check up on an agency's reputation is to look out for customer testimonials on their site. The most reputable venue finding agencies will be able to provide assistance if you are looking for a conference venue outside the UK. They will also be able to provide solutions for things like event management, group accommodation bookings, and venue and event accommodation rate cards. The best venue finding agencies provide extensive, customer-oriented services such as management information and budgeting support. In most cases, free venue finding agencies will give their clients the opportunity to visit prospective venues for inspection. This allows the client to make thorough appraisal of the venue. Doing this is essential because at the end of the day, the decision to either accept or reject a proposed venue is ultimately the client's decision.
Before contacting a free conference venue finder, it is important to know a few things about the type of venue you require. This will help the agency find the most suitable venue. Information such as potential number of attendees, layout, equipment requirements and the need for room annexes will help the agency in its bid of finding the ideal conference venue. In terms of distances, you will also need to ensure that any proposed conference venue can be easily accessed by your delegates. With the aid of a professional conference venue finding agency, there is no doubt that you have an increased chance of finding the ideal venue. The majority of free venue services make it easy for you to contact them via their website, and you can be sure that you will get a comprehensive response within hours of making your enquiry.
There is no doubt that conference venues can determine the success of a corporate event. The location of conference venues needs to portray a good impression of an organization and its delegates. This means that a substantial amount of planning is required if a suitable conference venue is to be obtained. Finding a conference venue can be a difficult task without the right guidance and support. Organizing an event like an international conference is complicated enough and as such, companies will need specialist assistance in order to stream line the whole administrative process. It is also worth mentioning that finding a conference venue can be both an expensive venture and time-consuming venture.
This is because organisers will have to invest time and money in searching for the venue and will also have to pay for the use of the venue itself. Furthermore, another important fact to consider is that most corporate conferences, meeting and events have to be organised within a very short period of time. This makes finding the most suitable venue an even more difficult task for organisers, because they also have to attend to other corporate matters. In this regard, it is advisable for companies and event organisers to use a specialist venue finding agency. Such agencies can remove all the bottlenecks and unforeseen costs involved in finding a conference venue. So, it can be said that such professional agencies can save companies a substantial amount of time and money. This is why an increasing number of companies and event organisers are choosing venue finding agencies.
When searching for an agency which deals with finding conference venues, it is advisable to look out for those which offer a free service. These types of conference venue finders are actually funded by hotels and conference venues. This enables them to offer a free service to companies and event organisers. Using a free service gives you the added peace of mind that there will be no hidden costs or charges. Professional conference venue finders are also able to provide their clients with a fully customized service which meets their exact venue specifications and requirements. They deal with all the leg work, paperwork and administrative issues so that companies and event organisers can focus their time and resources on other aspects of their business. Regardless of what conference venue size you require or whether you require dining and accommodation facilities as well, a specialist conference venue agency can assist you. They can also help you find traditional, contemporary or unusual conference venues locations. In the light of this, it can be suggested that the benefits which a conference venue finder can provide cannot be over emphasized. When searching for such free venue finding agencies, it is always a good idea to approach those which have many years of experience and good track record in the industry.
This is because these sort of agencies are more likely to provide a more efficient and reliable service. Such agencies will also have a team of fully trained professionals who are capable of providing effective advice and guidance. They have the resources and negotiation skills to ensure that you get the best deal possible. One way to check up on an agency's reputation is to look out for customer testimonials on their site. The most reputable venue finding agencies will be able to provide assistance if you are looking for a conference venue outside the UK. They will also be able to provide solutions for things like event management, group accommodation bookings, and venue and event accommodation rate cards. The best venue finding agencies provide extensive, customer-oriented services such as management information and budgeting support. In most cases, free venue finding agencies will give their clients the opportunity to visit prospective venues for inspection. This allows the client to make thorough appraisal of the venue. Doing this is essential because at the end of the day, the decision to either accept or reject a proposed venue is ultimately the client's decision.
Before contacting a free conference venue finder, it is important to know a few things about the type of venue you require. This will help the agency find the most suitable venue. Information such as potential number of attendees, layout, equipment requirements and the need for room annexes will help the agency in its bid of finding the ideal conference venue. In terms of distances, you will also need to ensure that any proposed conference venue can be easily accessed by your delegates. With the aid of a professional conference venue finding agency, there is no doubt that you have an increased chance of finding the ideal venue. The majority of free venue services make it easy for you to contact them via their website, and you can be sure that you will get a comprehensive response within hours of making your enquiry.
Can IOVC CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Really Save You Money?
By: Gregory Burrus
Do you make the best use of IOVC CRM technology? Are you making the best use of your customer related data? IOVC technologies can cut your business costs sharply.
If you are looking for success through the use of the internet and improved customer data, then as a business owner you owe it to yourself to make yourself profitable with the many readily available, IOVC technology tools. Years ago, these tools were only available to large business and in some case were shrunk or made to fit for medium business, but seldom for small business and definitely not for a single person business.
In this continuing series on IOVC, examining the "C" of IOVC (internet, office, VOIP and CRM) technologies, Customer Relationship Management has many meanings to many people and understanding the benefits to your business is critical to successfully using this technology.
The problem CRM is designed to resolve are situations where you have multiple data sources and you need to consolidate it in one place. The multiple sources from an IOVC perspective are input from the internet, from your office operation and from your telephone systems. These 3 sources usually have different inputs, email, voice and paper. The inputs come at different times and in most cases one person can use any of these IOVC communication avenues to work with your business. CRM solutions are designed to meet the wide range of integration requirements required for today's business systems, whether simple or complex, there are many benefits to having a CRM solution that integrates with your existing environment.
You can develop a complete picture of your customer and have all the information at hand regardless of the venue the customer used to work with your team. Regardless of how far away the information was obtained or the time it was obtained, your team can use the CRM system to view all customer contacts.
Additional office benefits are you can streamline your business processes beyond system and office boundaries. You can free employees from the manual activity of re-entering data. This time consuming task just disappears with the entrance of data one time into one place for all to see and use daily.
If you select a non proprietary CRM system, you can integrate your CRM with other information systems. This can save you a tremendous amount of time and money. This also means you can have your employees work offline or online and still be efficient.
Your CRM solution should let your developers integrate its functionality with third-party applications like Web services. If it's really open in standards then you can customize and integrate with just about any other product and service you currently use today. This makes for a very powerful solution.
Other efficiencies are ability to reschedule an appointment in real time and demonstrate to customers that you have fast and efficient operation. Keep customers coming back with related follow-up services and we all know that repeat customers are the best customers.
Productivity benefits are you can manage your time and activities with help from reminders and use pop-up reminders to help you manage your activities. Create a knowledge base of articles to collect and share your organization valuable information. Make an efficient FAQ system from real time data.
The benefits of the CRM component as part of the end-to-end IOVC business process improvement technology are many and require more explanation then we can provide here. Your business processes are already operating this technology, it is just that you may be doing it on paper and pencil and napkins. To improve and gain these benefits you owe it to yourself to learn how to use and profit from CRM capabilities regardless of business size.
The benefits of IOVC technology are many and business owners should learn to use all the IOVC CRM capabilities to make their business as profitable as possible. CRM fits the end to end IOVC business process improvement paradigm perfectly since it has Internet web based capabilities, Office Process management capabilities and of course C for Customer Relationship Management services. There are many IOVC solutions in addition to CRM and you owe it to your bottom line to investigate the possible benefits for your business
Do you make the best use of IOVC CRM technology? Are you making the best use of your customer related data? IOVC technologies can cut your business costs sharply.
If you are looking for success through the use of the internet and improved customer data, then as a business owner you owe it to yourself to make yourself profitable with the many readily available, IOVC technology tools. Years ago, these tools were only available to large business and in some case were shrunk or made to fit for medium business, but seldom for small business and definitely not for a single person business.
In this continuing series on IOVC, examining the "C" of IOVC (internet, office, VOIP and CRM) technologies, Customer Relationship Management has many meanings to many people and understanding the benefits to your business is critical to successfully using this technology.
The problem CRM is designed to resolve are situations where you have multiple data sources and you need to consolidate it in one place. The multiple sources from an IOVC perspective are input from the internet, from your office operation and from your telephone systems. These 3 sources usually have different inputs, email, voice and paper. The inputs come at different times and in most cases one person can use any of these IOVC communication avenues to work with your business. CRM solutions are designed to meet the wide range of integration requirements required for today's business systems, whether simple or complex, there are many benefits to having a CRM solution that integrates with your existing environment.
You can develop a complete picture of your customer and have all the information at hand regardless of the venue the customer used to work with your team. Regardless of how far away the information was obtained or the time it was obtained, your team can use the CRM system to view all customer contacts.
Additional office benefits are you can streamline your business processes beyond system and office boundaries. You can free employees from the manual activity of re-entering data. This time consuming task just disappears with the entrance of data one time into one place for all to see and use daily.
If you select a non proprietary CRM system, you can integrate your CRM with other information systems. This can save you a tremendous amount of time and money. This also means you can have your employees work offline or online and still be efficient.
Your CRM solution should let your developers integrate its functionality with third-party applications like Web services. If it's really open in standards then you can customize and integrate with just about any other product and service you currently use today. This makes for a very powerful solution.
Other efficiencies are ability to reschedule an appointment in real time and demonstrate to customers that you have fast and efficient operation. Keep customers coming back with related follow-up services and we all know that repeat customers are the best customers.
Productivity benefits are you can manage your time and activities with help from reminders and use pop-up reminders to help you manage your activities. Create a knowledge base of articles to collect and share your organization valuable information. Make an efficient FAQ system from real time data.
The benefits of the CRM component as part of the end-to-end IOVC business process improvement technology are many and require more explanation then we can provide here. Your business processes are already operating this technology, it is just that you may be doing it on paper and pencil and napkins. To improve and gain these benefits you owe it to yourself to learn how to use and profit from CRM capabilities regardless of business size.
The benefits of IOVC technology are many and business owners should learn to use all the IOVC CRM capabilities to make their business as profitable as possible. CRM fits the end to end IOVC business process improvement paradigm perfectly since it has Internet web based capabilities, Office Process management capabilities and of course C for Customer Relationship Management services. There are many IOVC solutions in addition to CRM and you owe it to your bottom line to investigate the possible benefits for your business
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