Put Your Angry Customer at Ease

By: Jay Conner's Having

To deal with angry and upset customers is by far one of the worst responsibilities we must face on a day to day basis in the world of sales and business.

However, this responsibility, like so many others we must face on a daily basis, just comes with the territory.

Customers become angry for all sorts of reasons. Some are legitimate reasons.  Some are not. In any event it is our job to defuse the situation. Here are a few tips on how you can calm your customer down and put them at ease.

1. Give them your hand to shake
When I was in the banking industry, I worked many years as a branch manager. A customer’s body language would speak volumes as they approached my office. This body language allowed me to prepare for what was to come.

It is not difficult to tell when someone is angry. Their face scrunches.  Their lips tighten, and their brow wrinkles. They walk quickly with a purpose in their step, and you know they mean business.

My reaction to this type of body language was to reach out my hand to them as an offering of peace. I did this before they had an opportunity to start venting their anger. I would then calmly introduce myself and ask how I could be of help to them.

This technique will catch your customer off guard, and your acts of professionalism and sincerity will ease the tension and put the rationale back into your customers thought process.

This technique is by far the best way to begin any conversation that has the potential to be blown out of proportion.

2. Apologize to your customer
Once you have your customer seated and have allowed for them to vent, the first thing you want to do is apologize on behalf of your company for the way they have made them feel, or for the inconvenience they have been put through.

It really doesn’t matter if your customer is right or wrong, by apologizing to your customer you are being empathetic to their situation. This gives the customer the feeling that you are on their side.

Remember, when a customer has an issue, what they want more than anything else is for someone to listen to their problem and have an understanding of where they are coming from.

There is absolutely no need to take a bad situation and make it worse.

3. Resolve the problem
The last and final thing you want to assure your customer is that the problem will be resolved, or at the very least, the problem will not happen again.

To leave a problem unresolved and your customer hanging will only lead to more confrontations and wasted time down the line.

Remember, when time is wasted, money is wasted.

Again, putting out fires on a daily basis comes with the territory. The sooner you put out the fires the better.

Never take a customer complaint personally. Act as your customers advocate, and you will always prevent a bad situation from escalating.

Author Bio
Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of www.jconners.com. Article Source Free Website Content

Tips to get your Entrepreneurship off and running

By: Michael Johnson

One of the best of the small business associations is the University of Central Arkansas Small Business Advancement National Center (SBANC.)

While the ideal way of starting a small business would be to free yourself up from every other venture, problem, time consuming effort and obligation and throw yourself into starting a small business every waking moment, this isn't an ideal world. Few of us can afford the luxury of setting everything else aside to devote all our time and efforts, as well as capital - to starting a small business.

Some of us have the itch to become an entrepreneur but have to "keep our day jobs" while we give this starting a small business idea a go. It may well be, in fact, that starting a small business part time is the most common entrepreneurial process.

Part of succeeding at starting a small business if you have to do so part time is to know your schedule and your time limitations and choose a business concept that you enjoy, have some training or expertise in and can be accomplished around your work schedule. The other alternative is to change your work schedule either with your current employer or choose an alternative employer. Starting a small business takes effort and focus as well as time.

It may be that your current job is not only time consuming but also the type of work that requires a great deal of energy, a great deal of concentration, a very regimented schedule and perhaps the responsibility that tends to have you taking your work home with you either actually or mentally. This sort of work style doesn't lend itself well to starting a small business part time.

Let's look at an example of a journalist who has a successful writing and editing business from her home office. When she decided she was interested in starting a small business she had been working for many years in newspaper management. Her executive responsibilities required 70 and 80 hour workweeks and even then she took work home.

After many years of this she began to think more and more about her dream of starting a small writing business. It called to her more and more urgently. But how was she to even think of starting a small business when she had little time, energy or focus left in her busy work week? Besides, she had to work to keep the roof over her head.

What she did to determine if starting a small business was even possible, was to sit down and write out a budget, deciding where she could eliminate some non-essential expenses in her life, and what she absolutely had to have to live on. She then looked for, and found, a job that not only brought in enough money to live on but freed up a lot of her daytime work week hours as well as her mental focus. She took a customer service job in a call center.

Starting a small business was going to be possible with this job where it had not been with her newspaper career for a number of reasons. It required considerably less mental acumen, it didn't require that she take her work home with her, it was easy, the hours were flexible (she worked 3pm-midnight Thursday through Sunday) and the dress code was highly casual. She could work all day starting her small business and then don her jeans and go into the call center in the evening. Now she's quit that call center job and her dream of starting a small business has been fulfilled. Her business is thriving and she works at it full time.

You will find links to other small business associations from the SBANC site. These small business associations include the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) offering one on one counseling in person or online, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its Small Business Development Centers which provide a ton of small business assistance including mentoring, training, publications, tapes, workshops and financing, Allied Academies - a worldwide research and training group, the Small Business Institute which provides entrepreneurial teaching and training, and the Federation of Business Disciplines, a group of educators devoted to small business teaching conferences.

Author Bio About the Author: M. Johnsona operates a variety of small business websites and newsletters.  Visit the website for many business start up ideas. www.smallbiztipscenter.com
Article Source Free Website Content

How to Achieve Google Adwords Success - Part Two

By: Matt Bacak

Are you using Google Adwords to bring in additional, quality customers?  Do you know the seven steps to Google Adwords success that enables you to crush your competition and reel in the customers on twenty four a day basis?  The first three steps to Google Adwords success involve using odd bid amounts such as $0.17, $0.23, etc. to jump up in placement.Conducting split testing on your advertisements and using Dynamic Keyword Insertion are success steps two and three.  This article discusses Google Adwords success steps four through seven.

Google Adwords Success Step #4:  Use punctuation secrets in your advertisement copy.Google Adwords has rules in that you can't use swear words and the only punctuation mark you can use is a question mark.  Add a question mark to your advertising copy.You will stand out from other advertisements if you do this.Also try capitalizing the first letter of every word in your advertisement. Don't capitalize every letter as Google will prohibit you from doing this.Also put a comma in your headline followed by a power word such as "Free".The comma will prompt the reader to pause and then let the following power word sink in.

Google Adwords Success Step #5:  Find quality keywords.Use a keyword program at www.goodkeywords.com.This program allows you to type in the name of your niche and then it supplies you with great keywords associated with that niche topic.This program tells you the number of people that are searching for those keyword terms in the last thirty days.  For a conservative estimate, you can multiply this number times five.For an aggressive estimate, you can multiply this number times ten.

Google Adwords Success Step #6:  Find information at www.amazon.com to help you determine good keywords.Go to Amazon.com and search for books based on your niche topic.Use these book titles and author names as keywords.

Another similar option is to go to www.dictionary.com and search for synonyms to the name of your nice topic. You can also find out what keywords your competition is using by going to www.googspy.com.

Google Adwords Success Step #7:  Placement is critical.Many Google Adwords users are not sure where they should have their advertisements placed in the Google search results.If the Google Adwords advertisements are placed along the right hand side of the screen then you should strive to be in the second or third placement.  Why?  The first spot often yields "junk" clicks.  Many users click on this by accident or what to seek out further information before making a decision.If the Google Adwords advertisements are right above the free results then you want to be in the fourth or fifth spot for similar reasons.

Additional Tips:
Not sure how to tell if your Google Adwords campaign is effective?  Google allows you to monitor this information by giving you statistics including bid placement.

Participate in the "Google Adsense" program as well.  Google Adsense is like Google Adwords, but from a different perspective.  Google Adsense enables you to allow advertisements (from Google Adwords customers) to display on your OWN website.  You earn money when users click on these websites.  Earning 25%-50% commissions is realistic.  Plus, Google Adsense is a program that you setup and then don't have to do anything further.  You have to apply to this program and Google will give you code to put in your webpage.  Check out www.google.com/adsense for more information.

Author Bio
Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter and Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz radio show host, and now a "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours, has helped thousands of clients target his specialty, opt-in mail direct marketing systems. Article Source Free Website Content

Why can a family-owned business fail?

By: Al McClymont

It so happens that a very large percentage of automotive dealerships around the world happen to be family-owned businesses. Having said that, there are a great many issues concerning family-owned companies, mainly regarding succession and management, which must be dealt with so that the company can accomplish the goals that the family sets.

Autologica presents a series of articles titled "Common Problems in Family-owned Businesses" based on an interview between J.C. Aimetta, an expert and coach who specializes in family-owned companies, and Al McClymont, CEO of Autologica Dealer Management Systems (www.autologica.net).

J.C. Aimetta is 46 years old and has dedicated the past 15 to helping owners and directors of over 65 family-owned small and medium-sized businesses manage growth, professionalize their management and prevent problems with succession. He has been a negotiator in family conflicts and in the sale of family-owned businesses. Mr. Aimetta teaches the subject in graduate and post-graduate courses in 3 Argentine universities, and has given conferences in Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. 

Here are some thoughts that emerged from the interview.

Al McClymont: I know this is a broad subject to be treated in such a short time, but I hope we can go through some of the main points. The first thing I would like to ask you is: What do you think are the main reasons a family-owned business can fail?

J.C. Aimetta: Well, the main reason is that the owner and manager roles get mixed up. Thus, an endless number of confusions occur as regards to who is the owner and who is the manager, the administrator.

For most family businesses the role is only one. Therefore, whenever you ask someone, Why do you run this business?, the answer is: Because it is mine. And what empowers you to run the business? The fact that it is mine.

Al McClymont: It's also important to analyze this from a management and operational point of view side, for example, when the sons and daughters of the owners reach an age appropriate for them to work in the company.

J.C. Aimetta: Well, what happens is that the new generations evolve and the children inherit the same notion, and believe that they can manage the business simply because they own it. As the children are generally more, two, three, four...  a company cannot have four managers. And it is at this moment that most confusions arise.

Another thing to bear in mind is that in the long run the family always grows more than the company. In other words, there are more people intending to live from a business that is not growing as fast as the family. If we also consider the in-laws that sometimes, not always, want to work in the family business, conflicts may arise.

Furthermore, we have to bear in mind that job evaluations are done under emotional parameters. That is to say, whenever a relative is hired, it is very difficult to punish lackluster performance, a poor job. Because an emotional cost is paid, a "happiness" cost.

In a nutshell, a family-owned business maintains a delicate balance between happiness and efficiency, profitability and affection. As the business grows, its owners must try to gently tip the balance to one side. Because it is impossible to simultaneously achieve maximum profitability and maximum happiness, and make the growing family's entire happiness depend on one particular business.

In the next part of this interview, we'll talk about problems that may arise in a family-owned business when one family member wants to sell their share of the company.

Author Bio
Al McClymont is founder and CEO of Autologica S.A.

J.C. Aimetta is a consultant to more than 65 small and medium family-owned businesses.

Article Source Free Website Content

4 Ways To Locate Public Speaking Jobs Online

By: Alexis Dawes

Ask any professional speaker how an industry newbie should go about securing public speaking jobs, and the response frequently sounds something like...

Attend Toastmasters meetings and practice your skills.
Join the National Speakers Association to learn more about the industry.
Do talks at Chambers of Commerce and Rotary Clubs.

But what if you know you're a good speaker... you understand the intricacies of the speaking industry... and you've done your share of gratuitious freebie presentations. Where do you head then? How do you go about looking for public speaking jobs?

Here are 4 tips to help you locate seemingly elusive public speaking jobs online.

1) Go to Google and Yahoo, and search for the following phrases 'calls for speakers' and 'speakers wanted.' (Without the quotes.)

In the results you'll instantly find links to organizations and conferences that are looking for public speakers.

While many different topics are covered under these searches, you'll find there are frequently a lot of technology speakers wanted. So if this is your niche, it's a good possibility you could get lucky.

2) Check out the Speakers Forum sponsored by Speakers Platform.

Honestly this forum isn't teeming with public speaking jobs. But on occasion you will find a golden nugget.

In fact, this is where I found my first public speaking job many years ago. The meeting planner just happened to be hiring several different speakers, and I was one of them.

You can check it out at: www.speaking.com/educationforum/index.cgi

3) Follow the conference schedules for targeted associations.

Most associations hold some type of yearly or semiannual conference. Speakers are frequently sought after, so this is an ideal place to locate a public speaking job.

They will typically begin searching for speakers 6-8 months ahead of time. Sometimes less, sometimes more.

You should find out when their next conference is held, and begin checking back to the association web site 6-7 months ahead of time. Calls for speakers sometimes don't get picked up in the search engines right away.

The American Society of Association Executives has an extensive directory of associations at www.asaenet.org/AssociationSearch.cfm?requesttimeout=240&sn.ItemNumber=7333.

4) Apply to training companies.

Fred Pryor/CareerTracks is frequently hiring contract speakers on a variety of topics. The job does require traveling and the ability to sell their products to attendees. According to the the Pryor web site, top contract trainers earn in excess of $75,000 (USD) a year.

You'll be very busy. But it's great experience, especially for budding speakers.

Contract training opportunities can be found at www.pryor.com/career/seminar_leader.asp

Author Bio
Alexis Dawes is the author of "Speaking For Profit: How To Profitably Use The Platform To Make $200-$10,000 a Night Giving 3-Hour Seminars." This 115 page e-book explains how to get public speaking jobs at seminar centers in the US, as well as what it takes to sell information products to attendees. You can get more information at www. Speaking-For-Profit.com. Article Source Free Website Content

Advice For Would Be Whistle blowers

By: Darcy O'Neil

They say no good deed goes unpunished and sadly that is the truth in the world of the whistle blower. The theory on 'whistle blowing'  is that the individual is helping the community, and following their ethics, by reporting the offending person or company. The risk of recrimination is very high and usually results in a long and difficult fight for the whistle blower. This battle will likely including legal threats and character assassination.

So what can you do to protect yourself when you do blow the whistle? Having been through this process I have gain some insight on how best to handle the situation.

1. Documentation :: Once you suspect that something is wrong you should begin documenting. Start by taking notes in a log book or note pad. This information will be helpful when you need to tell your story and will provide the detail needed to track down further evidence of wrong doing. Next, start collecting pertinent documents. The best way is to copy documents (photocopy, computers docs, etc). When you think you have enough, double it. Pictures, phone recordings, documents, conversations, e-mails are all important and should be noted when possible. There can never be enough documentation. Once the authorities begin investigation documents had a tendency to disappear.

Many people who don't know the laws will try to tell you that these methods are illegal. The fact is they are not. In Canada it is legal to record a conversation or phone call as long as one of the parties is participating in the conversation. The removal of documents from the workplace is a gray area. Under normal circumstances removing company information is illegal, however when it is evidence it can be collected. In a Canadian court all evidence will be considered. Check with your governments laws or speak with a lawyer before taking any risks.

2. Minimize Your Exposure :: When you draw up the courage, and support, to finally report the issues there are a few things you need to do. First, it is best if you stay at your job while you report the issues. Sometimes the authorities will ask you questions, that will help them with their investigation, and being at the location is beneficial. Ask to be kept anonymous, if possible, but sometimes this can't be done. Next, get your resume polished up and start sending it out. Then prepare financially by locating your employment insurance office. Tell them that you are blowing the whistle on your employer and you may be fired for it. Provide the person with the contact names of whichever authority you contacted. The idea is to build a repour, so if bad things happen, people will know the facts. Don't loose that all important safety net.

3. Go with your Instincts :: Most people will tell you not to blow the whistle because there are no winners. They are partially right, but without your courage people will get hurt, the rich will get richer and abuse their powers. You can change that by doing what you feel it right. We often cloud our thinking with other peoples perceptions, but only you can determine what to do. Most of the time your instinct are right and you should trust them. If you listen to others and they convince not to go with your instincts, and then something bad happens, you have to live with the consequences, not them.

4. Be Patient :: Nothing happens quickly no matter how fast you want to be done with it. The reality is that things will go much slower than you ever expected them too. The best way to make sure things are moving is to do some research. For example, if you file a complaint against a medical professional, the regulatory College that receives the complaint will have a complaints process. However, this is usually regulated by a government agency that has legislation regarding complaints. In Ontario all complaints must be handled in 120 days. If not, you can contact the Health Professions Appeal & Review Board and they will contact the College and accelerate the process.

Some other tips to accelerate the process include contacting your local politician, begin a letter writing campaign to media outlets and compiling your story onto an internet site. Be persistent when dealing with each agency, don't accept their statements at face value and always follow up.

5. The Media is Not a Solution :: They can help but you have to convince them to write the story. Many times it may take months for them to move. Remember they don't want any liability, they are a profit motivated company and will only publish story's that make them a dollar. If your former employer is litigious, they will probably be too scared to publish. The media has no problem reporting history, so once a final verdict is reached, by the authorities, they will write a story. Unfortunately it will be to late to help you.

Some of the smaller media outlets may be more willing to help you. Take a look at freelance writers, who may spend more time working on your story and getting the facts. They also have the contacts you need to get it published.

6. Prepare for an Attack on your Character and Legal Threats :: The person or company you are dealing with will not let things go easily. The first response will be to discredit you. If you look like an disgruntled employee or someone with a vendetta then your story will be less believable. It's easy for the person or company to do this. If they were unethical to start with, it's not a huge leap for them start lying about you after you report them. There isn't much you can do except try to disprove they're statements. Use the document you gathered to clearly show that they are the guilty party and you were just being ethical. In the end your efforts will be recognized. You will probably receive a cease and desist letter, don't be overly concerned as this is most likely posturing. If you are worried, speak with a lawyer.

7. Use Lawyers Sparingly :: Nobody can fight with the passion you have and no lawyer will ever put the amount of effort you already have into your fight. Replying to a cease and desist letter is easy, just stick with the facts, provide the evidence and take the high road. Most lawyers will act like an 600 lb gorilla, your job is to be bigger. In all likelihood they won't want to take this issue to a public forum, like a court room, especially if you have documented the case very well. That would give you a perfect opportunity to invite the media and lay your case out. Examples of cease and desist responses can be found at http://www.snakeoil.ca.

If you need legal advice, get it, but don't let the lawyer bleed you dry. Have your questions prepared on paper and sit down with the lawyer and discuss the issue. If they charge a minimum of one hour time, use it all. One good thing to do is prepare a short summary of the facts in your case, and fax it in to the law office. Don't ask question in the letter. Blowing the whistle is stressful enough without having thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Some people will tell you not to let the event consume you. If it does consume you, it will affect other parts of your life. But sometimes focussing your energy can be better if it will resolve the issue quicker. It's better to throw your whole heart into the matter, rather than fight with yourself. It is difficult to not be consumed. My advice is to simply go with it. The harder you work the quicker the issue will be resolved and the sooner you can get on with your life.

The is no reward for doing a good deed, that's only in movies. In the end however you should have the satisfaction that you made your community or country a better place. People will respect you for your efforts and hopefully inspire then to do something good and that is a reward in itself.

Author Bio
Darcy O'Neil is a chemical technologist who became a pharmaceutical whistle blower. His experiences, including the evidence, legal threats and decisions can be found at http://www.snakeoil.ca. Darcy is currently working as a bartender and a freelance writer. Article Source Free Website Content

Give 'em a Taste (and they'll likely come back for more)

By: Alicia Forest

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the original ice cream shop that offers you a taste of any flavor ice cream you want before you make your decision on which scoop you are going to enjoy.

Giving you a taste (or as many tastes of different flavors as you'd like) is a brilliant way to ensure that you not only order a cone at that moment, but it's also a way to bring you back to try more flavors on another day.

You can use this brilliant marketing strategy in building your business, too. Offering your prospects a taste of what it is that you provide is a proven and easy way to get people to become part of your community, and part of your marketing/product funnel (the funnel is the "journey" (that builds a relationship over time) that your clients follow from the first visit to your website, where they enter by giving you their contact information, down through each level as they make their way through each purchasing step in the funnel). By offering them a sample, you're giving them an opportunity to get to know you without risking anything more than perhaps a bit of time.

In your marketing/product funnel, the taste you are giving your potential clients is at the top of the funnel, the widest part. The taste is your freebie/complimentary/gift offering and is your first (and usually only!) opportunity to engage your prospect. Your taste needs to be something of value that you offer for free to people who visit your website in exchange for their contact information, usually their name and email address.

This is often one of the most overlooked steps in building an online business. A prospect needs to see your message many times (it ranges anywhere from 5-10) before they will feel confident enough to risk handing over their money to you. In order to build a relationship with people you need to be able to contact them again, which means your goal is to capture their email address before they click away from your website.

If they leave, it's unlikely that they will come back, so don't lose the opportunity to welcome them into your community, your funnel. They landed at your website because they were looking for something (usually a solution to a problem they are having, right? :)). Give them a taste of the solution you offer. And remember to make it easy for them: make your sign-up form or email so obvious that they'd have to trip over it not to notice it (yes, that includes pop-ups and the like, because even if they annoy you as much as they do me, they work!).

So, what can you offer of value in exchange for their email address? A newsletter, an ecourse, an audio clip, or a special report, are all good options. Personally, I like the offer of an ecourse AND an ezine. You give them a taste of what your services are like with the ecourse, and then you keep in touch with them on a regular basis with the ezine. The ezine allows you to build a bond with your readers in a uniquely personal way, letting them get to know, like and trust you over time, with you having to build that bond one-on-one.

So, one caution is to not offer any one-on-one interaction with you at this level. You want to leverage your time, and offering free consultations or one-time meetings with you is not a good use of your time. Let them get to know you over the course of your freebie offering. When and if they become serious about you and your products or services, they will move further down the funnel (from free to fee) without you having to "sell" them on what you provide during a complimentary session (how nice is that?).

So what is your taste going to be? Here are some other ideas:

write a Top Ten article about the benefits of your products and services, convert it to a PDF file, and offer it as a special report.
record a short audio about the three key things your niche needs to know about X.
create a mini ecourse that encompasses the five steps to getting started for your market.
or create a quick-start guide that helps your market focus on how to get started.

Once you've given them a taste, they will likely come back for more, eventually turning from a prospect to a client. Creating a taste of what you provide is easy and it's fun. Try it and watch what happens!

Author Bio
Alicia Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Licensed Coach, & Founder of www.ClientAbundance.com, helps coaches and other solo service professionals to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately make more money. For FREE tips on how to create your own Client Abundance, visit www.ClientAbundance.com Article Source Free Website Content

Avoid Being Scammed with Work At Home Opportunities

By: Vijaya Kumar

Working at home online is expanding rapidly as is the Internet. There are thousands of options for net entrepreneurs who make money through creating web sites, offering web services, or selling products online. The market has expanded rapidly over the past few years as the Internet has grown and there is something that everyone will be interested in and profit from.

What Are Scams

Unfortunately, there are a number of people on the Internet that are out to scam you and take your money without giving you any value or what they promised. This is a real threat that prevents many people from pursuing creating an online business but is one thing that you should not let bother you. The key is to be careful with whom you deal with online and to do your homework before you make a purchase. The key is to identify the scams before you spend any money.

How to Identify the Fraudsters

Identifying the scams is very easy. You just need to make sure you get a number of unbiased reviews on the company or individual you are dealing with. A great way to get this information is to search the web on the company you are looking to make a purchase from and check what other users are saying about them. Make sure you are getting these reviews from an unbiased 3rd party or your information will be incorrect which could lead you directly into a trap. Use Google or Yahoo! to get the information you need quickly and for free.

You should also be sure to check the latest reviews on forums as they are the best place to get multiple reviews quickly.

Identifying scams will only take you a few minutes and could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars annually. Pretty soon, you will be able to identify the scams and help others save their time and money.

Places to Report Scammers

When you do read about somebody getting scammed or get scammed yourself, get back at the company and protect others by reporting them. You can report them to the FTC, Federal Trade Commission, so that they can deal with the matter legally, but be sure to visit forums and other online communities with users who may be interested in the product that the scammers offer and are subject to their trap to warn them about the scam so that they can save their time and money. After all, others are doing the same thing for you so you might as well return the favor. Reporting the company to the BBB or Better Business Bureau is also a good option. Just be sure to let others know of your experience.

Getting Refund from Scammers

If you do get scammed by scammers, be sure to get your money back. One good thing about online payments is that you do not have to use cash to buy products, but rather, must go through a third party payment gateway such as PayPal or eGold among others. These systems are well aware of the scams and do everything in their power to get the money to its rightful owner. So, if you have been scammed by someone online, be sure to make every attempt to get your money back. Contact your payment gateway support team or credit card issuing bank, tell them about your situation and open a dispute. They will take the time to look into the matter to assure that the rightful owner is awarded the money that they lost.

Legitimate Ways to Find Genuine Work At Home Jobs

There are legitimate ways to make money online, just be sure that you do not fall into any sort of trap. Always deal with reputable companies over other unknown programs and be sure to be very careful in what your purchase and who you purchase it from. To avoid scams, put the time that is required to research the company you are dealing with and be sure to get multiple opinions from multiple unbiased sources so that you can be sure you are not getting scammed. Also, check the BBB, Better Business Bureau, records to get official information about the company you are dealing with. If you are dealing with an individual, be cautious and make sure that they have a good reputation as you will not be able to find many reviews or anything in the BBB or another official resource.

Last but not least - Do your homework and you will be fine in your online endeavors.

Author Bio
Vijaya Kumar is an online business entrepreneur with 5+ years experience. He  currently administrates several successful websites including Part Time Computer  Jobs, which provides a scam-free database of online money making opportunities. Article Source  Free Website Content

Can You Afford What Rudeness Is Costing Your Business?

By: Lydia Ramsey

Have you ever thought about how much rudeness may be affecting your bottom line?  What is the cost to your company when you or the people who represent you lack proper manners?  Do you know how many clients are turned off by employees who would rather carry on a conversation with each other than with the person who came to purchase your service or product?  Can you count the number of people who hang up and call someone else because the person who answered your phone put them on hold without asking permission?  How does the client rate your professionalism when the employee who welcomes him to your office looks as if she is dressed for a day at the beach?  Do your employees understand that it is more offensive then friendly to call the client by first name unless asked to do so? Are your employees treating each other with courtesy and respect?  Do they honor the invisible walls of each other's cubicles?  Do they work as a team and help each other or do they act like cast members on Survivor?

In today's fast-paced business world where too many people claim that they don't have time to be nice, it's easy to overlook the details that can help you grow your business, increase your profits and build long lasting client relationships.

Try taking this quick true/false quiz to test your own business etiquette expertise. Then run it by your employees.

1. Business etiquette is based on rank and hierarchy.  True/False
2. If the information on your business card is incorrect, draw a line through it and write the correct information on the card.  True/False
3. Business casual means dressing down one notch from business professional.  True/False
4. In today's relaxed business environment, it is not necessary to ask your clients' permission before using their first names.  True/False
5. Callers do not mind holding for information as much as holding for a person. True/False
6. You don't have to smile or make eye contact with your customers unless you feel like it. True/False
7. Handwritten notes are out of place in the business world.  True/False
8. A man should wait for a woman to put out her hand in business before offering his.  True/False
9. When composing an e-mail message, complete the "To" line last.  True/False
10. Small talk around the office is a waste of time.  True/False
11. People can hear you eating, drinking and chewing over the phone. True/False
12. If you receive a call on your cell phone when you are with a client, look to see who is calling, but don't answer it. True/False

Answers:

1. True.  In business, you always defer to the senior or highest ranking person, regardless of age or gender.
2. False.  Handing out business cards with information that is outdated or crossed off is unprofessional. Have new cards printed immediately.
3. True.  Business casual is not an excuse to wear your favorite old clothes to the office.  It is still business, and everyone needs to look professional.
4. False.  Don't assume because our work world has become more informal that you can call clients by their first name.  Use their titles and last names until they ask you to do otherwise.
5. True.  Clients will wait contentedly while you search for information, working on their behalf.  However, if they have to wait more than thirty seconds for you to come to the phone, they begin to wonder how much you value them or want their business.
6. False.  This is only true if you are planning a going-out-of-business sale.  Every client deserves a genuine smile and eye contact.
7. False.  Handwritten notes have become almost as extinct as the typewriter.  You will stand out from your competition every time you send off a short note written in your own hand.
8. False.  Every woman should be prepared to shake hands as soon as she meets someone in business.  For either a man or woman to hesitate could indicate a lack of confidence.
9. True.  You can send e-mail without inserting an attachment, without checking for grammar and punctuation and without a subject line; but you cannot send e-mail without an address.  If you wait until you have carefully proofed your message and added all attachments before you complete the "To " line, you will never be embarrassed or have to apologize for your mistakes.
10. False.  Small talk carried on at the right time, in the right place and on the right subject is a great way to build relationships among co-workers.
11. True.  Mouth noises are even louder over the phone.  Just because your clients can't see you eating those potato chips doesn't mean they can't hear you munching on the other end of the line.
12. False.  It is just as rude to pull out your phone to see who called as it is to have it on and take a call in front of a client.  Turn your phone off and check your messages later in private. 

If you had trouble with any of these questions, your employees will, too.  If you want your employees to be at ease in business situations, to represent you well and help build your business, give them the information they need.  If you haven't done basic business etiquette skills training lately, do it now.  Don't let rude behavior cost you business. 

Make sure that your employees know how to handle clients over the phone, that they understand the importance of being attentive and alert to clients' needs, that the value other people's time and that they can deal with difficult people and situations with grace.

No one is born with good manners.  People have to be taught, and from time to time, they need to be reminded of what they already know.

Author Bio
Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of MANNERS THAT SELL - ADDING THE POLISH THAT BUILDS PROFITS.  She has been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and Woman's Day. For information about her programs, products and services, visit www.mannersthatsell.com Article Source Free Website Content

Information About Incorporating Online

By: Chris Einkauf

This article is intended for those business persons that wish to incorporate online.  In this article you will find information that the author feels is most important to keep in mind while incorporating your new business, including a short glossary of corporate terms, an overview of the incorporation process, and a couple warnings that one should be aware of.

Summarized glossary of terms:

Annual Report:
This is a report that lists the directors and officers of a corporation.  It is required to be filed with the division of corporations every year so as to maintain the corporation's "good standing" status. This Report may either be mailed or completed online.

Corporation:
A corporation is a legal business entity that is established for a company with perpetual duration. The corporation is allowed to borrow money and to enter into contracts that are separate and independent of its owners (stockholders). Owners receive profits and elect the directors who run the company through officers that conduct the day-to-day activities. Owners are protected by a "corporate veil" which prevents debts against the company from being held against the owners.

Good Standing:
This term describes a company that has performed certain required tasks, including: filing all necessary reports and documents, having a registered agent (a.k.a. resident agent) and being current in terms of all penalties and fees owed to the state.

Limited Liability Company (LLC):
An L.L.C. is a type of entity that is owned by members, operated by managers and run by an L.L.C. operating agreement. The LLC has the status of a Pass-Through Tax Entity and defaults to a partnership. It is especially suitable for holding investment assets like real estate.

Operating Agreement:
This is a partnership agreement that establishes the rules and regulations of an LLC (Limited Liability Company). The operating agreement is similar to the bylaws of a corporation, but also includes some provisions that are found in Shareholder Agreements.

Registered Agent:
This is the person designated to receive a company's Series of Process on behalf of a company. The registered agent must be located and available at their provided address (in that state of business). A registered agent is required if a company is to remain in existence.

Overview of the incorporation process:

There are three basic steps to incorporating online:

1.  Get the info.  This is possible the greatest skill a business person can acquire - getting the information he or she needs. Using search engines such as Google or Yahoo is a great first step in this process, and can be further helped by combining that information with information obtained from reliable sources - government officials, registered agents (un-biased ones), and from others.  Only after all of the information is obtained, is the next step possible.

2.  Make the corporate decisions for the future - Once you have the information, you can decide what type of formation is best - an L.L.C., a corporation, a partnership, etc.  You can also then pick the state that best suits your tax and other needs.  If you don't feel you can make all of these decisions yet, perhaps you should think about going back to step 1.

3.  Make the corporate decisions for the present - Much like step 2, in step 3 you must make some decisions based on the information you gathered.  Unlike the all-important step 2, however, step 3 involves picking the agent and package that are the best for your budget.  Now here's the key - the one that is best for your budget is not necessarily the cheapest package.  In fact, it is usually one of the expensive packages.  The reason for this is that many packages leave out some essential, and often required, pieces of the corporate puzzle which you will have to make up for later on.  Instead of going through this hassle, pick the most complete package, which will undoubtedly turn out to be the cheapest for you overall.

Warnings:

There are two warnings (or you could say two pieces of advice) that you should be aware of before you venture out into the world of incorporation.

1.  Never underestimate the power of Step 1 (above).  Now matter how much it is stressed, the importance of step 1 (getting the info) will always be understated.  You will never be taken advantage of or make the wrong decision if you are able to get all the information you need.

2.  You are the best thing for your business.  Only trust yourself - everyone else will be biased in one way or another.  Only you truly know what you want in a package, in an agent, in the future, etc.

With all this information now stuffed into your cranium, I will close this article and bid you farewell.  Good luck on your corporate journey.

Author Bio
Chris Einkauf works for Agents and Corporations, Inc. - a great resource for incorporating online information. Article Source Free Website Content

Being Rich Does Not Always Mean You Are Wealthy

By: Eugene Chan

To be truly wealthy is to have money that lasts forever. This may be a blunt statement, but suddenly coming across a large sum of money does not necessarily mean you have become a wealthy person.

To be wealthy is a state of mind. A person with a wealthy mindset may not necessarily be financially rich just yet but will be soon enough. On the other hand, a rich person without a wealthy mindset will squander the money very quickly.

This could not be more true than those who win the lottery. After a few years, these lottery winners no longer possess the millions they came across so suddenly. An amount of money that should have lasted for at least a generation has been fleeted away.

Case in point is UK lottery winner Michael Carroll who won £10 million in 2002 at the age of 19. It is reported that he had lost all his winnings 18 months later on things such as holiday homes, luxury cars, drugs, parties, jewellery and famously, a rural mansion used none other than as a dodgem car racetrack for his new friends.

What is even sadder are cases of other lottery winners that end up with greater financial debt after their windfalls dry up than they had to begin. Some have even declared bankruptcy to be back where they had started - with nothing.

From this, it is fair to say that being rich does not necessarily mean you are wealthy. A truly wealthy person would still possess the majority of the millions of dollars (if not more) because a wealthy person understands the fundamentals of how to manage their money.

It can even be said that a wealthy person has a good relationship with money. Money sticks with them rather than repel away from them. It is through this understanding of how to manage money that dictates how long you will remain rich, or how soon you will become rich.

A wealthy person knows to save their money. With the money that is saved, they firstly spend on things that earn them an income such as quality businesses, real estate and shares. In other words, the money a wealthy person retains is used to further create more money. The money they earn from their investments is then used to fund a rich lifestyle.

On the contrary, for a (temporarily) rich person that does not have a wealthy mindset, they would have chosen to firstly spend on material things and eventually have no money left.

However, nobody is born with a wealthy mindset and it certainly cannot be won. Importantly, a wealthy mindset is learnt. If Michael Carroll had a wealthy mindset when he won the lottery, he would likely still be living very nicely with most of his winnings intact.

If a wealthy individual were to lose all their money today, it is likely that within a number of years, they would be back to a relatively comfortable financial position. Individuals such as Donald Trump, Martha Stewart and Sir Richard Branson have faced financial setbacks in their lives but were able to rebuild their financial positions because each has a wealthy mindset. These individuals firstly focused on redeveloping their businesses rather than wasting their remaining fortunes on frivolous items and lifestyle decisions. Today, they enjoy life's luxuries because of their wealthy mindset.

Michael Carroll clearly demonstrates that being rich does not always mean you are wealthy. On the other hand, having a wealthy mindset certainly gives you a greater chance at being rich because you understand how to manage and appreciate money. Each of us can learn to be wealthy. By developing this wealthy mindset, you will ultimately attract more money to you than repel it. Only then can you be rich and truly wealthy.

Author Bio
Eugene Chan is the founder of http://save-money-make-money.blogspot.com which provides practical ideas to save money everyday. Article Source Free Website Content

Career Changes for Baby Boomers: Ability, Not Age, Matters

By: Kelli Smith

Baby boomers. They're the generation born between 1946 and 1964. They came of age in the early 70s and early 80s. They're the generation that made changes and waves, worked harder and longer, put off marriage and children, did things differently than previous generations.

Whether because of financial necessity or because they have something to offer, baby boomers are staying in the workforce longer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and projections indicate that by 2010 there should be 18.5 million boomers ages 45 to 49 in the labor force, as compared to 14.7 in 1995, and 16.8 million versus 10.6 million in the 50- to 54-years-old range.

They're still making changes. They're retiring later, or not at all. If not downsized or laid off, boomers often continue to work. When they don't choose to continue in the same career, it doesn't mean they're ready to stop contributing, and sometimes they're making transitions to new careers.

"On average there are three to five career changes in a person's lifetime and that's pretty common," says Kevin Gaw, Director of Career Development, University of Nevada, Reno. "It's pretty common that a layoff ends up being a great opportunity for someone to find something that's more suited to them, too."

But it can be challenging to a baby boomer to be suddenly confronted with a career change. They were raised in a world where you got your education, then got your job, and while you may not have stayed with the job until you retired, you would probably stay in the same profession. "It can be jarring to realize you have to transfer your skill set to another area," says Gaw.

In 2004, Gaw's office worked with 208 alumni. Nearly 7.5 percent were going through a career change, three percent because of a forced situation such as layoff or company closure or relocation. The rest of them just wanted to do something different. When you?re faced with an important career shift, there are things you can to do make it easier on yourself and achieve a more enjoyable, productive career change.

• Look at your skills. Determine which are transferable to other jobs.

• Find your passion. What do you love to do? "It's not about the money," Gaw says. "The money isn't what makes us happy. What makes us happy is doing something that's meaningful to us."

• Look at reality. If you want to be an astronaut but can't do math, Gaw says, the reality is it's unlikely. People need to work through that disappointment and maybe change that passion to a hobby rather than a vocation.

• Determine whether you want to make a radical career change? say from legal secretary to Web designer? or stay within the same profession.

• If you like the company you're with but feel the need for change, see if they can retain and retrain you. If it comes down to a complete career change, there are also some things you can do to help create a whole new career for yourself.

• Promote yourself rather than your age. Once you get into a position and can show off your skills, you'll be known for those skills rather than your years.

• Start slow. Before investing heavily in education, determine if it's the right career path for you.

• Network. Many non-entry level positions are found by references. Join professional organizations in the field you want to enter.

• Consider working for yourself. A job market survey conducted in 2005 by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., quoted on thematuremarket.com, indicated that of 3000 job seekers, 13 percent chose to work for themselves, and 86.6 percent of them were over 40.

Another option is to leverage your experience and teach or train. Moving into training and coaching people just entering the profession you're leaving is a fairly informal move. Teaching requires state licensing, and there are programs helping place retiring workers into teaching positions. The University of Nevada Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning takes executives through a first-time licensing program and puts them in the schools in just a couple semesters, often teaching in high-needs areas like math, science and languages. Likewise, IBM unveiled their Transition to Teaching program in September, reimbursing them for tuition and providing stipends while they student teach. Many of their executives are highly trained in math and computer sciences.

Whether making a career change to a new profession or a new position, Gaw says such changes are a normal life pattern. "It's a good thing to be open to change. The challenge is recognizing skill sets and knowing how to capitalize on them and present them to the new opportunities."

Author Bio
Kelli Smith is the editor for Edu411.org, a career education directory for finding colleges and universities, training schools, and technical institutes. Article Source Free Website Content

More Than Just Money: Barter

By: Donald Lee

By definition, barter is when parties swap services or resources. But in business terms, it's an exchange that ends usually with everyone a winner. All parties involved in bartering hold onto their cold hard cash and don't lose a cent. There's no worries about getting ripped off as a buyer or seller, so it's an exchange that's high on trust, low on tension. And finally, the government doesn't get its hands on any of the proceeds. Bartering is such a great system, it's no wonder it's been around nearly forever.

Historians and archeologists reckon that bartering is a human business practice for the ages. It goes back as far as written history, and perhaps even further into mankind's (and womankind's) history of business practices.

Between humans, the actual business practice of money came long before money was invented. In written history, as far back as 9,000 BC, shepherds used cattle as a means of exchange-from sheep to cows, camels to goats. Then when farmers came along during the course of the next couple thousands of years, grains and plants became the hot commodity in the world of bartering.

Bartering may have dissipated over the years, but it by no means went away. That's the amazing thing about bartering. It still is, to this day, the ideal method of business exchange for some business folk, including companies with millions in assets. But it's especially helpful for small businesses looking to get a leg up on their competition.

Listen to people talking in today's business world, and you'll hear stories such as the programmer who helped to code an interactive Web page for a startup graphic-design company, in exchange for a logo design for his own startup surf-board design shop. Then there's the story of the new Internet advertising firm rolling out an ad campaign for a restaurant. Later that year, the restaurant hosted a "free" party and dinner for that ad firm's clients.

Examples in today's business world abound for bartering. The reason is that bartering still has many advantages to it in this modern business world.

For instance, for companies that are just starting to build up their assets, bartering is an opportunity to save their hard-earned cash. Even established companies love the chance to keep their money in the bank. With bartering, a company can get what it needs, while providing a service that the other company needs.

And because there is no money passed between pockets, the taxman does not even need to know about it. That saves you, and your accountant, the trouble of figuring out one more piece of business income or expense.

Lastly, deals involving money may whip up the old Scrooge mentality-a combination of greed and mistrust. With money deals, you may always be left wondering if you got the short end of the stick. Not so with bartering. With bartering, you get exactly what you need. And in return, you give a fair share of goods or services.

There's no need to be a Scrooge here. Instead, the whole transaction is one of trust and understanding. Generally speaking, bartering for goods and services feels more worthwhile than paying money, whether you're bartering for a dinner party for your clients, Internet advertising space, or whatever it is that you and your bartering partner agree to. Perhaps it's because you can actually feel the value of your own goods and services. Or it may be just because you don't have to open your wallet.

Author Bio
Donald Lee is the public relations manager for Buysellcommunity.com. Communicability provides free classified listing services. Buy, Sell and trade: auto, computers, household items, real estate, pets and much more.  For global and localized classifieds, please visit
http://www.buysellcommunity.com - Free Buy & Sell Classifieds Article Source

Inside Information: How To Profit By Sharing Your Expertise

By: Robert Boduch

Sharing inside information can boost your sales. It can make your business much more profitable too, since valuable information can be supplied at very little cost.

Quality, timely, relevant, and important information helps prospects and customers make intelligent decisions. The right information makes it a whole lot easier to choose with confidence. Providing additional ideas, advice, insights and resources is a great way to distinguish your product - and your company - from competitors.

What inside information of value can you provide to help your customers and prospects?

Helpful tips, inside secrets, and other creative ideas help to establish your expertise in the marketplace. When you give away this kind of inside information, you create tremendous value that's appreciated by customers. These people feel compelled to show their gratitude by continuing to buy from you, time and time again.

Offering valuable inside information is easier than you may think. Simply look at each product you supply and figure out what collateral information prospects would like to know.
In other words, if you were a salesperson standing in front of your prospect, what additional information of interest could you offer her?

To sell a solid cherry dining room suite from a showroom floor, you'd want to explain the exquisite finish and how to preserve that "new" look. You would point out the quality joinery used to secure the frame to the table legs. You might even open a china cabinet drawer to demonstrate the built-in quality, smooth running hardware and fine craftsmanship that went into it. It's all inside information.

These are precious details that help educate potential buyers. It's information that might otherwise go unnoticed...  yet it could be the kind of detail that just might clinch the sale. Pointing out all this inside information helps buyers feel good about the true value of their purchase. It's something they could have easily missed, had it not been brought to their attention.

This kind of detailed inside information is of interest to potential customers and it's something that could easily be incorporated into a free brochure, booklet, report or videotape. It also adds perceived value to the product itself by establishing an exclusive "story" behind it. Don't just give them sales talk of hard-sell sales copy. Give them the facts - good, solid, inside information about what it is makes your product a better buy.

Here are some additional examples of using inside information to inform and educate prospects - and increase sales as a result:

A hardware store could offer a free booklet called "How To Refinish Old Furniture Like A Restoration Pro" to all buyers of furniture repair and refinishing items. This added value item -- offered exclusively -- should help boost sales of refinishing supplies. It's inside information that could only be provided by someone who has done it before.

A travel agent could offer personalized commentary on popular destinations in article format. "The 10 Must-See Spots In Las Vegas"... "The Top 7 Hottest Clubs In Nassau That Only The Locals Know About"...  or, "11 Spectacular Sites Of Costa Rica You've Just Got To See At Least Once In Your Lifetime" might be great topics for niche market vacationers. If you fit the market profile and were planning a trip, wouldn't you at least be curious about this promising inside information?

If you plan to give your information away freely, prepare it as you would a salable product. Don't scrimp on quality in terms of both content and appearance. When an information product "looks" like something of value - it is. When you offer your report or booklet free with purchase, it's much more likely to act as an incentive to the sale.

Author Bio
More resources at www.makeyoursalessoar.com
Robert Boduch is the author of more than 2 dozen books, reports and guides on the art and science of selling. Article Source

Business Intelligence - Accelerate Your Business Performance

By: Ramakrishnan

Business Intelligence (BI) is the process of gathering information from the business.  The gathered business information is transformed into knowledge using business intelligence.  To run the business successfully one should have the comprehensive business knowledge and understanding of your business strengths and its weakness. In business intelligence will take into account the internal and external factors of a business. Business intelligence will ease the decision making process, helps in understanding the customer taste, market trends.

Business Intelligence Definition
The basic definition of Business intelligence is defined as "the process of gathering information about a business or industry matter; BI is a broad range of applications and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data thereby that help to managers make business decisions."

Business Intelligence Includes What
Business intelligence (BI) includes software applications, technologies and analytical methodologies that perform data analysis. Business intelligence covers data mining, Web mining, text mining, reporting and querying, OLAP, and data visualization.

Knowledge Management Is Part of Business Intelligence
Knowledge management is one of the methods in Business intelligence. Knowledge management has been defined as "the technique and tools for capturing, storing, organizing, and making knowledge" Business intelligence is driven by an objective laid by the company. The duration of the objective may be short period or long period.

Business Intelligence Software
Identifying and understanding business opportunities in today's vast business environment requires far more than an understanding of technology trends. Business software helps the business management to access up-to-date and accurate information about the business performance. Identifying and understanding business opportunities in this vast business environment requires far more than an understanding of technology trends.

OLAP powerful BI Software
The most popular business intelligence tool is OLAP (Online Analytical Processing). OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) is a powerful, Business Intelligence & enterprise reporting application for small and medium organizations with the capacity to fully Integrate Enterprise Information.

OLAPBrowser delivers incredible reporting power. Create global and enterprise information delivery systems, executive information Systems and personal analytical application.

Author Bio
Ramki is with Axsellit Technologies (www.axsellit.com/business-intelligence.html) Business Software. Axsellit Software delivers professional, benefit-enriched business solutions with an unbeatable performance-to-price ratio. Axsellit Technologies provides Business Intelligence Software Article Source

Convert Visitors Into Repeat Buyers

By: Josh Allen
I'm going to start this off with the most essential mindset; I believe this to be the number one business-saving, money-generating rule. I call this the SGT method.

SGT Method

Sgt. Common Sense wants YOU ...  to Stop your Greedy Tactics! With your own personal gain in mind for business decisions you'll get nowhere but a deceiving sense of success. Here's a small example for you to consider ...

A business owner starts an online website hosting company. He spends $1000 USD/month in advertising to the general public through Google Ad-words. His first month he gains 200 paid clients at $24.95 USD/month revenue. With these new clients, he's gaining $4990 a month in revenue, $3990 in pure profit! Amazing!

He continues with his business plan, but decides to upgrade a few of his services. His adviser tells him that he needs to put funding into support services for his clients; this will cost $500 a month and should support 1000 clients. Ignoring his adviser, he throws another $2000 into monthly advertising with Google.

Now here comes the part where you should pay attention ...  The business owner is looking at short term when he should be looking long term.

Month Two:
Advertising Costs : $3000 USD
Tech Support Costs : $0 USD (NO SUPPORT)
Clients (end of month) : 750 (200 + 550 for new month)

Business Owner: "We're doing GREAT! LOOK at the GROWTH!"

What's he forgetting? COMMON SENSE! If you don't take care of your current clients, how could you possibly take care of future one's?


Month Three:
Advertising Costs : $6000 USD
Tech Support Costs : $0 USD (NO SUPPORT)
Clients (end of month) : 1000 (750 + 250 for new month)

Incoming clients are now down 300. Why? Because 300 of his current clients left due to lack of support. This does not account for his clients that signed up, couldn't transfer over and demanded refunds. This could also put a freeze on the business owner's merchant account, costing him even more money.

Lesson? Take care of the clients you DO have.

Here's why, and this may come as a shock to you but you may not have to pay another cent in advertising, ever again.

"Josh, what the heck are you talking about?" - Confused Reader

It's simple, word of mouth. Word of mouth is the most powerful, and most cost effective method of advertising that is on the planet Earth. What is a better way to advertise, you tell me:

1) You pay $1000 in Google AdWords and gain 200 clients.
2) You pay $0 and gain 100 clients

Good question, is it not? Hint: I would say 100 clients for $0 would take the cake out of those choices. 100 clients for free?!? Sign me up!

Now here's another question. What sounds better out of these two?

A web surfer looking for a website to visit that will assist him with home gardening goes to Google, and types in "home gardening".  He looks at the links and has his attention caught by ...  what ends up being hundreds of possible assisting sites. But have no fear! After all, we're sponsoring the keywords with Google AdWords, right?

Guess what ...  the buyer most likely won't buy from a website that he/she has never heard of before. So he/she calls his friends asking if they have heard of your website with a do-it-yourself guide. He call's his friend John, who replies with,

"No, I haven't heard of that one ...  but I know of a good guide that we used for our garden, it worked wonders. Jill said she would have bought two times over, and subscribed to their mailing list for future ideas and tips. Now they send us a new tip every week, it's great! The website address is www dot ... "

What just happened here happens daily to EDUCATED shoppers. These shoppers are the kinds of people you want to purchase from you / sign up for your information. They realize that if they get one good nugget of information from you or a great product, they can get more. This goes back to the term in the introduction, they become a repeat customer.

Here's the best part:

You don't pay more to get them back. Your advertising money went even FURTHER than one sale with this one!
Your .20 per click just generated $50, $100, $150 or even THOUSANDS in sales! This also doesn't count everyone that this one person talks to about your products.

Of course, there are a few drawbacks. You won't become an overnight millionaire with this method. It takes time for word of mouth to properly work. But when it does, boy is it a beauty!

Bottom line to create a FREE advertising empire ...

Treat your clients the best that you can. It's a NECESSITY!


Personally, I believe that two years worth of work that will create thousands a month in revenue is worth the time. Of course, if you're impatient, thousands in advertising costs work too...

The bottom line of the SGT method is that if you treat your clients well, it's the best advertising method you can get!

SGT Recap

When Used Properly, you have an advertising team that ...

+ Is Extremely Effective
+ Pays YOU to advertise YOUR products!
+ Will WANT to advertise YOUR products!
+ Spreads with VIRAL EFFECT when done right.
+ Does the work for you ...  and you get paid for it.

Does that sound like something you want? A free advertising empire that wants to advertise for you, and pays you to do so. It certainly sounds like something I want for my products.


Now let's go over the methods to turn visitors into repeat clients. The first one I'm going to present to you is the ...

The Triple R Method

Ah, the Triple R Method. These can be the most effective method when utilized correctly. This helps turn your website from a information site into a money-generating machine.

Let's get to this Triple R method:

Readability
Reliability
Reusability

Common sense but most businesses do not employ this method to better their futures in the online market. If a business owner keeps these in mind when they create a business and the business's website/content, they will have a 75% better chance they're next business will be as successful or more successful at converting sales and keeping clients.

I'm going to put the Triple R method into plain English and explain each point. Hopefully you'll see the power in making you're contact points with these in mind.

Readability
Your website, cover letter, or point of contact needs to be easy to read. It needs to contain simple English as well as easy to understand sentences. In general, it needs to have a good, basic, understandable format. If a user that knows nothing about your service or product reads your advertisement (or 'pitch') page and has no clue what you're talking about, how will you get the sale?

All of the content that you present to your potential clients or subscribers needs to be put in the simplest English possible. Let me put it this way: have someone that knows NOTHING about the subject check it for readability, understandability and coherence. If someone that has no clue what you're selling can have a general understanding of the product by the time they reach the order page, you have succeeded.

Reliability
Reliability is key. Your information that you sell must be consistent. The methods you give must be logical and easy to follow over and over. If you're a service-based company, the services you offer must be able to compete with the industry standard. For example, I'll use website hosting.

If you're a website host and you offer hosting, one of the main selling points that usually seals the deal is the uptime guarantee. The industry standard is around 99.5% or 99.9% uptime guarantee. If you can offer this, you'll gain a lot more sales from mission-critical clients. Mission-critical means one main thing, more money that consistently flows from the source month after month into your pocket.

If you have the choice between starting with a reseller from your 12 year old neighbor that's in school every day (and handles support himself) and another host that does the job full time, choose the full time. Will it be more expensive? Most likely. Will it handle more of the hassle itself? Yes. Remember, if you put a little more money in return for better quality it will give you less hassle. The company could practically run itself, with the exception of support, of course.

Reliability can either make or break a company. Great reliability will put the word of mouth method into full swing, and will gain you a lot more clients than you're paying in advertising costs. You wouldn't complain about getting clients for free, would you? I didn't think so.

Reusability
Reusability is the number one key to any project that you do. Unless it's a membership site, and possibly even if it is, it needs to be able to be re-used. Think about it in the following example regarding niche markets:

You have identified a niche market you want to start a business in. You launch your eBook site and subscription service around the niche, and impact the market hard. Now it's come to keep adding content and maintain the site. But now you stumble across yet another niche, which looks even more untapped and amazingly profitable. What will you do?

a) Design another website for it, code a site, etc...
b) Jump right in, your first niche site is a template and reusable!
c) Be sorry about not templating, and spend hours doing option A, once again.

Think about it! You spend an extra hour or two on the first site making it reusable and able to be duplicated, in return for hours saved on each and every website you launch after it. Imagine that you launch hundreds or thousands of websites ...  that's how many hours unless it's templated? See the point?

Reusability will not only save you time, but if you do it right from the start it will also guarantee your success. If you spend hours looking into Search Engine Optimization and making the site comply with the backbone rules of success, you only have to do it once! There's software out there right now called SEOElite.com that's helped thousands of people achieve success over the titans throughout Google. Here's an example of what SEOElite.com can do.

Think of everyone out there that searches for the term "work from home" in Google. How many sites do you believe there are containing or even focusing in on that term? According to the testimonial from a loyal customer of SEOElite.com there were 468,000,000 at the time of his using the software. He obtained the #1 spot in Google for "work from home". Think of how much Return for his Investment he got from that software. One time payment of $176 USD, to return a flood of FREE DAILY TRAFFIC to his site to earn him more money. Wouldn't you say that's worth the investment?

HVP - High Value Products

Your products MUST have a perceived value. If it doesn't FEEL like it's worth anything, it won't be purchased. Think about it. If you sell a guide to making thousands of dollars for $5, why would people buy it? "It's a quick buck Josh, come on!" NO. If it were a proven method he would want a heck of a lot more than $5 for the guide.

If I gave you the choice right now between a $5 ticket to your local high school football game and a $75 dollar sixth-row ticket to your local NFL team's game, which would you choose? The key behind this is perceived value.

Have you ever heard the classic talk between a husband and wife on TV where the wife buys something and her reasoning is "for $xxx.xx it has to be good!". It's like open source software. Most companies won't use open source software because they think it has a problem. "If they're not charging for it, there has to be a problem with it." See the reasoning behind perceived value?

Ok, here's the kicker. If you're sitting there right now going: "Josh, you gave me this guide for free. What's that say about it?" send me an e-mail and I'll explain why it's free. E-mail me at Josh-_-__at_-_-_HowToMakeMoneyWithA)dot(com and I'll gladly answer you as soon as I receive your e-mail.

Until next time,
Josh Allen

Author Bio
A young entrepreneur from Maryland, Josh from HowToMakeMoneyWithA.com has been studying psychology and business since his early teens. Armed with technology and a willingness to succeed, he is willing to share his techniques with the masses.Article Source

Use Your Time And Dollars Wisely On Advertising!!

By: Paras Shah
As a business owner, every dollar you spend is a dollar right out of your pocket. This affects your profit margin and revenues. This can be especially difficult if it comes at a time when you're trying to grow your business. If you're going to succeed, you have to pay close attention to your bottom line and look for creative, innovative ways to cut costs while still getting what you need. Almost everyone is chasing search engine to increase traffic to their website.

In order to increase your online business traffic, it requires appropriate advertising to make the business popular. As your online business is overcrowded into the world wide web along with thousands of others selling the same product or service as yourself. Search engines have the potential to deliver a deliver a steady flow of targeted traffic to your website. There are 3 basic areas to consider for efficient use of your money when it comes to getting traffic to your website.

1. Use proper keywords to target to draw traffic back to your primary website. 2. Use Google's pay-per-click program matching with targeted keywords. 3. Use proper content on your website's homepage.

Pay-per-click programs are an excellent way to advertise your business without taking a risk that you have advertised in the wrong place. With pay-per-click, you can advertise you site and only pay for those who click the link and go to your site.You must spend adequate time and effort to research and generate a list of relevant and effective keywords. If you are promoting your own product you can always reinvest your earnings to continue your campaign and grow your income.

There is another option for drawing traffic to your website is based on the use of custom written articles and other targeted content. You can use your budget to have some unique articles written on your favorite key topics, but this can be very expensive and time consuming. Articles such as these can be submitted to article directories.

Imagine hundreds of new articles each month on a topic of your choice...articles that you can use just as if you had written them yourself! And of course PL content can be added directly to your own website or used in a variety of other ways for drawing traffic like post in forum, blogs, press release, etc.

Your goal should be to find a balanced mix of online and offline advertising. This will go a long way towards getting the greatest bang for your advertising buck! Be sure to explore your options and use your time and money wisely in the process.With a little creativity you will be maximizing your profits while minimizing your expenses. Author Bio Paras Shah www.pixel4less.com: Online Pixel Advertising - Web Design - Articles - Classifieds - Pixel Ads - Search Engine Optimization
Article Source

Corporate Branding - Will they remember you?

By: Tyson Fenech
In today's market selling quantity seems to be the rule of the day. Slap together something quick and don't worry about what flies out the door, it doesn't even matter who the purchasers are.

Companies who focus on branding will stand out amongst the crowd. Why? They have recognized that most buyers' especially online buyers need confidence in doing business with an established entity. Nothing shows your commitment to your business like a well developed branding strategy. Having a great logo is the first major step towards cultivating this development. Sure there are plenty of "out-of-the-box" logo solutions and the prices are more than appealing to a business that doesn't recognize the value of their corporate image.

The Difference

Why should you spend more than $300 on a logo? Would you buy a car for $1000? Chances are if you do you'll be paying a lot more for maintenance and the headaches it will bring. You always get what you pay for. This can't be stressed enough. If you are willing to sabotage your business from the very beginning by neglecting the image you portray to your potential clients, that logo will be costing you a lot more than you're willing to invest. A professional Graphic Designer will invest a lot of time, researching to produce a logo that is truly unique (vital to branding and making your mark) and introduce you to a solid first step in Branding your company as a powerful entity. A logo is further enhanced by the elements built around it. With everything related to design, everything should be custom made, now more so than ever because the competition for capital is increasing. You have to be better than your competitors in as many ways possible.

For the young start-up company, budgets may disallow you the option of working with a professional designer. There are plenty of great designers out there that won't gouge your pocket book but be certain that they are capable of creating exactly what you want and that they have the experience to expand upon the logo design provided. You want someone who is business savvy and has demonstrated their applied knowledge. They must be able to foresee the bigger picture. The success of your business rests on this.

Putting it Together

Generally speaking the more experienced the designer the higher the rates charged. With the experience you will usually get a product that has been developed and refined over time. A veteran Graphic Designer will be designing with the big picture in mind taking your investment dollars further. The numbers quoted are relative to what they generate, a client will be happy to invest money when they see return. If the image developed for them attracts customers price becomes secondary. Recognize the value of your image and take your logo very seriously. As human beings we are visual.

For the long haul

Generally a business that has quality services to offer and takes their image seriously will understand the value of investing in professional design. Most successful businesses know how much they must devote to marketing in order to generate the sales they desire. Those marketing dollars will be more effective if your Branding approach was cultivated properly. If you take your business seriously chances are you'll attract the same. How do you want to be viewed?

A Bit about the Logo

For the most part focus was placed on the business mentality rather than the logo itself. There are different types of logos. Many large corporations utilize strictly text or abbreviations. Companies like DELL, IBM, RCA, ABB, etc. Text logos are very popular and are easily integrated across the Branding board. Iconic treatments are also utilized by many businesses. An icon can be very powerful in identifying a company. Take Apple or Nike for example. Using imagery is a very powerful strategy in branding. Symbols guide us in our lives and daily activities. Icons can be very simple and clean to more complex utilizing gradients and simulated 3D. Illustrative (beyond iconic) is less frequently used but can work effectively for companies that usually want to portray a timelessness or "natural" homey feeling typically found on a bottle of tomato sauce or organic potato chips.

Everything outlined above can dictate the price of your logo. The logo is a powerful aspect of your company. It should take time to create and will require much attention if it is to create a powerful Branding strategy. Be sure that the logo designer of choice is willing to provide you with mock ups and multiple revisions and is willing to help take your company to the next level.

Author Bio
Tyson Fenech is the Creative Director for Core Creative Concepts. Designing web sites and print materials for the past 7 years helping both small startups and Fortune 500 companies. www.coregraphicdesign.com Article Source

Introduction to Trade Show Booths

By: Rob Dougan
Trade show booths come in an array of styles and designs that will show off your products, your services or your company in an unforgettable manner that offers a unique appeal, which is intelligent, chic and contemporary. Most trade show booths are very easy to assemble and transport to make your experience a more enjoyable one.

Choosing the perfect trade show booth to accommodate the products that you wish to display will be very easy once you know just how much room you will have at the trade show and how much material you will be presenting.

A bit of flash and sophistication never hurt a presentation. You only have a few minutes to grab the attention of a potential customer, client, or buyer. As they walk past your trade show booth, you must have something that will draw their attention, whether it is your personality, the products themselves or a very unique design displayed to entice.

To begin with, you should choose a trade show booth that will fit properly with the allotted space you have been assigned. You can choose from 10 feet by 10 feet, 10 feet by 20 feet or 20 feet by 20 feet Truss trade show booths. Each one has a compelling appeal that with the right graphics will draw a crowd to your booth. Be sure to get a trade show booth that will hold everything you wish to present without your visitors feeling claustrophobic, clutter will definitely turn them away. They should be able to walk around and through your display without bumping into items and knocking items off counters and shelves.

Remember most people will notice items that are eye level. This is where the main attraction should be. You want the area to be well lit, colorful, and maybe even add some music. You must attract attention just before they get to your booth. If they notice a pleasant, stylish, elegant trade show booth, they will at least stop and look around.

Now, you should start to think about what trade show booth you should purchase. In the 10 feet by 10 feet style, you can choose from the Carina, the Pluto, the Mars, Mercury, Cygnus, Lyra, Castor, and Sirius. All of these styles offer durable steel construction, 2 or 3 tabletops in either lightwood or silver in color, 2 or 3 silver spotlights, and the tools for assembly.

If you believe a 10 foot by 20 foot trade show booth will present your products better then you can decide on some quality and professional looking booths such as the Andromeda which comes complete with 4 tabletops and 5 silver spotlights, the Hydrus with 2 tabletops and 5 silver spotlights, the Venus with 5 tabletops and 4 silver spotlights, the Saturn with 2 tabletops and 5 silver spotlights, the Polaris with 4 tabletops and 5 silver spotlights, and the Arcturus with 4 tabletops and 7 silver spotlights.  Each one of these trade show booths will have potential customers clamoring to your display to see what you are offering.

Next, in line to consider are the 20 foot by 20-foot trade show booths. You may believe these are just too big for your company. Nevertheless, remember you do not want any clutter and you want your guests to be able to walk around and feel comfortable while they are eyeing your products. This size may be the perfect size to display everything you wish without any worries about missing something you believe is an important selling feature. You can choose from Truss trade booths in this size and style that include the Cassiopeia, the Centaurus, the Neptune, the Jupiter, the Vega and the Orion. All have wonderful features that you desire with steel construction and easy to assemble.

Prices for trade show booths may seem a bit expensive, especially if this is your first time being involved in a trade show. But, you must remember trade show booths are an investment. You can use them time and time again and with the quality steel construction, they can last for years to come. Spending the money now to make a statement for your company is a wise decision that can lead to more money and loyal customers in the years to come.

There are also many different accessories that you can add with your trade show booth that will give your company many more options when presenting your services or products to the world. Enjoy setting up your booth and bring in more customers with the perfect trade show booth with a style of elegance, innovation, and style.

Author Bio
Everything Displays is an online retailer offering a full selection of trade show displays, booths, exhibits, and display accessories.Their website is www.everythingdisplays.com
Article Source