Project Duit Internet

An Internet Marketing Strategy that Works

2008-06-06T21:18:00.001+08:00

An Internet Marketing Strategy that Works
by: Joy Gendusa

These days an internet marketing strategy plays a vital part of small business marketing strategies (or any size business marketing strategies for that matter). Web site marketing is an important part of just about any business, small or large.

You can't put up a beautiful (or any) web site and hope that people will just arrive. You have to let them know, IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY, that your web site is there. This HAS to be part of any Internet marketing strategy you develop. This is actually a basic marketing principle. Customers are not going to look for you, you have to look for them.

Promoting your web site on-line and building traffic is the subject of thousands of web sites, e-zines, books, courses and seminars. Using the web to promote your site, however, assumes that your customers are surfers. But there is a large percentage of our population that is not as savvy with the internet as we would like them to be.

So, what about the large percentages of the population who are not? They will only find out about you through traditional marketing and public relations media. This is particularly true if you serve a fairly local market. Fortunately these are the easiest and cheapest prospects for you to reach off-line.

Key Off-Line Internet Marketing Strategies
Here are some of the ways to make your web site known (this list was taken directly from the Traffic Building Volume of Ken Evoy's brilliant book, Make Your Site Sell! 2002:

• TV, print and other advertising

• Stationary and business cards

• Catalogs, fliers, billboards, blimps, etc.

• Direct mail (prominently on every document)

• Telemarketing (make it part of the script)

• News releases to targeted media.
The main principle, to which you can add all your imagination, is INTERNET MARKETING STRATEGY INCLUDES ANY AND ALL MEANS OF GETTING YOUR WEB SITE KNOWN AND VISITED BY TARGETED PROSPECTS.

Unless you have a high budget, the TV, radio, classified ad route is not recommended but if you do run ads, be sure to mention your web site everywhere. Make it part of your Internet Marketing Strategy.

Another guiding principle is that your off-line internet marketing activities should make it easy for your prospect to go straight to your web site. One of the best ways to market your website off-line is direct mail postcards.

If your prospect sees your website on a billboard as she's driving home, she probably won't look you up when she gets to the office the next day.

This is not the only medium that has problems like this. Newspapers are bulky, radio has to spell it out and like before most people are driving at the time. On the other hand, if your prospect is sitting at her computer and a post card comes in the mail announcing your web site, she can just turn around and type in your URL and she's at your web site.

Now if someone is in the office reading a trade journal and comes across an article about you in the magazine, it's not difficult for him to copy your URL into his browser and pay your site a visit.
I don’t mean to say that those other avenues won’t drive traffic to your site, but it will take numerous impressions and repetition to get them to remember your address.

On the other hand, direct mail postcards are generally received at the home or office where a computer is present, and if received somewhere else they are small enough to keep with you until you can get to a computer. This way, your prospective customer will be able to take the take right over to their desk top computer, type in your address and go right to your site. Brilliant!

I have seen the greatest success in off-line web site promotion with direct mail, and specifically direct mail postcards.

About the author:
Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998, her only assets a computer and a phone. By 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employed over 60 people. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she’s sharing her marketing secrets with others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at www.postcardmania.com

5 Steps to Massive Profits - A Business Marketing Tip

2008-05-21T11:09:00.001+08:00

5 Steps to Massive Profits - A Business Marketing Tip
by: Steve Majors

Here's a business marketing tip to gain maximum profit from
any product or service in your business marketing lineup,
and how you will gain extreme profits when you follow these
5 simple, LAZY steps;

1. Look not at what you are offering through your business
marketing efforts - look at WHO WILL BUY your
product/service. Make a picture of your 'typical buyer' -
who they are, their age, what they like to do, etc.

This is often known as the 'target market prospect', yet,
the more detailed you define this 'target' in your business
marketing, the better.

I've even gone to the point of giving this 'target market'
person a name and put a picture up on my computer monitor
(find a 'friendly face' on the Internet somewhere and 'tag'
it as your target market prospect) - get your business
marketing centered around every aspect of your target - the
more you know them, the easier it is to chat about what they
need.

2. Develop a list of your target market prospect's likes and
dislikes as it would relate to a product/service similar to
yours. (You'll get a 'third party' look at your competition,
as well as some inside looks at their business marketing
efforts.)

Consider some questions they would have, or some typical
objections to buying this similar product/service (this may
come from your previous research, or you may have to simply
do some).

One way to personalize the business marketing research of
your 'target market prospect' is to 'role play' - think
about your prospect as a good friend that you are having a
picnic with (or even a co-worker at the water cooler, etc.)
and in passing, your friend brings up that 'similar'
product/service.

What do they say about it?

What are their questions/concerns?

Is there a 'running joke' about the competition's
product/service that defines a hole in their business
marketing? (i.e., "Did you hear about the lady that used
X?")

All these things need to be addressed, and documented.

Let your mind be creative and wander, but keep it to a time
limit - about 15-20 minutes per business marketing 'play'
session. Think of nothing but this 'conversation' during
this creative (often fun) time.

It might even be helpful for you to say everything that
comes to mind out loud during these business marketing
planning sessions(as silly as that sounds, it works...) and
record it, as some of the best business marketing ideas get
overlooked when you are trying to write them down quickly.

Listening back for those 'nuggets' might even trigger other
'bits of business marketing gold' for you to work with.

3. Figure out how your product/service and business
marketing plan is similar, yet different than the
competition. Just how does your solution overcome all the
questions, concerns and yes, even 'jokes' from your target?

If you can't answer these questions for yourself, how would
you expect to answer them from your prospect?

The beautiful part about this business marketing exercise is
that, if you go through it with commitment, you will already
know the answers to the prospect's questions BEFORE they ask
them - which quickly eliminates any fears you might have
about talking with them.

4. Continue this simple exercise - every couple days for a
week or so. Giving 15-20 minutes of serious thought to your
business marketing plan and role playing every couple days
will stimulate your conscious mind, as well as keep your
unconscious mind actively thinking about it.

You'll be surprised at the outcome of taking these steps
seriously.

But be forewarned - you will very likely have a very
different outlook about your prospect after one week of this
simple, yet extremely effective business marketing, 'target
market' finding tool!

You will know them as well as you know yourself, so you will
be able to talk with them about things quickly, simply and
with the best, consistent results of your business marketing
efforts.

5. Now, take a look at your product/service and business
marketing plan - through the prospect's eyes (now that you
can clearly see through them...)

Does it fit your prospect's needs?

Does it answer their questions and eliminate their fears?

Is it priced right for your target prospect?

Is there a market for your product/service other than your
personalized target market prospect? (This step is vital as
a 'reality check" - and one that many business marketing
planners miss)

When you follow these five steps faithfully, you will have
credibility, knowledge and successful long-term
relationships with your customers (who used to be simply
'target market prospects' before you understood the power of
this business marketing tip!).

About the author:
Steve Majors - To-the-point training and coaching for business and wealth creation through creative Real Estate investing. Known as "The Lazy Investor", with courses and training sessions to slingshot your success. http://SteveMajors.com

A Stock Market Investment Plan That Never Lets You Down

2008-03-15T07:36:00.000+08:00

A Stock Market Investment Plan That Never Lets You Down
by: James Marriott

The bulls and bears of the stock market are both tempting and scary to the investors. Speculators are enchanted by the stock market's potential to help them in making quick money with a big M. While those who tread with care and caution, often shy away for fear of losing. However, the stock market is not all about speculative gains or black Tuesdays. It is a place where committed companies look for raising money to fund their activities. Serious investors can actually create wealth not only for themselves, but also for the companies and the nation. A wise way to invest in the stock market is to empower your self with information. You have to know and learn about the company you invest in, from past records and future plans.

Irrespective of what the Wall Street Gurus predict or what the economic indicators like Dow Jones Average say, a simple and foolproof way of knowing that a company is doing well is to keep a track of how much dividend income does it pay to its share holders every year. If the dividend rates have been rising steadily every year, you know you have a safe bet. To benefit from the future prospects of such companies, it is a good idea to rollback the returns into the company. Which means, instead of adding the dividends to your savings, you can invest them in the shares of the same company. That way, you can ensure that the dividends you receive are always higher than what you got last, with a larger number of shares getting added to your investment portfolio every time.

With this kind of an assured investment plan in place, investors with a gambling streak begin to think beyond making a quick gain. While those who were afraid to take risks get wiser.

Let us find out why companies that give ever-increasing cash dividend income are a good choice for investment:

Your Share Holding Goes Up And So does Your Dividend Income.

Your income begins to escalate with your owning more shares every year and the dividend income rising correspondingly.

Your Dividend Income Increases Even If Stock Prices don't.

You are no more at the mercy of the market. Irrespective of what your shares are worth, you keep earning additional cash dividends. In fact, even if the market price dips, you are still at an advantage, as that allows you to reinvest to purchase more shares.

You are not hit by Inflation.

With the dividend income rising every year, you offset the effects of a rising inflation. This particularly provides relief to people who have retired and depend on a regular cash inflow to help them meet their expenses. At this stage one need not rollback the investment into further shares, instead, the cash dividend can be used as a kind of regular pension money.

Start Young

The ingenuity behind this investment strategy is that it protects you from the fluctuations that generally occur in the market. A lower stock market rate only means you buy more to increase your dividends more. It is advisable to start this strategy early in life while you are still working, so that your wealth builds up gradually and constantly over the years. And you are assured of a regular income, as you grow older.

Remember, the success of this proven investment plan depends significantly on the track record of the company you invest in. It should be one that declares a higher dividend at the end of each financial period. A simple way to find that out would be to calculate the dividend yield. You can do that by dividing the annual dividend per share by the price per share. Of course, no investment can be totally free of risks, neither is this one. Keep an eye on the dividend yield, and if that dips, it's a signal for you to opt out of the investment.

About The Author

James Marriott is a finance writer with more than 15 years of experience in writing financial content, including those related to credit cards, mortgages, stocks, investments, and funds. He has been with RNCOS, a premier financial writing services company, for 2 years as head of financial writing. He is also a regular financial columnist with renowned business journals. For your comments on the article and further financial assistance, please contact our staff writer at info@rncos.com.

Refinancing your Mortgage

2008-03-13T23:11:00.000+08:00

Refinancing your Mortgage

When people are a little short on cash, the fixed resources around can be a lot of help. A good place to get a huge amount of money will be mortgage refinance the home.

If the person bought a home for $120,000 and has only paid about $40,000, mortgage refinancing can pay back the old loan and use the excess for something such as college tuition.

Some people were able to get mortgage refinancing at a lower interest rate than the first loan, which is considered to be a good bargain. There are many companies that offer such services. If the person doest have time to find a lender, one can hire a broker do all the work.

There are many places where the person can get in touch with a broker. Some can be found while searching through the Internet. The state and local boards may also have a list of those the individual can call.

Some real estate agents or perhaps friends and family who have been in situation before can also refer someone to talk to.

The brokers should be called and asked how many lending firms has the company worked with and how many clients have been served. The services by these people are not free so it will be nice to know if payment is based on a flat fee or is taken from a percentage of the mortgage amount.

The person should look at the knowledge of the lender, the terms and conditions, the interest rate and the other fees that come with getting a loan. The individual should read this carefully document first before signing anything.

There are a lot programs that are applicable in this situation. The person can ask if there are any special rates that can work especially for first time buyers.

The person should keep in mind that the broker is just a middle person and not the one who will give the loan. If the board of realtors where the person resides does not have a list of brokers that can help, then calling the National Association of Mortgage Brokers for the state can help.

A lot of people who decide to mortgage refinance for the first time will be told by the broker that payment is based on the percentage of the loan. This is not that heavy since it is only 1% of the whole amount, which can be paid off later on.

If the broker insists on payment upfront, the person should pay using a credit card. This will make it easy to question the said transaction and get the money back should this specialist not satisfy the needs of the borrower.

People need the help of a broker especially if the person already has a bad credit rating with banks and other institutions. By being able to find someone who does this very well, the owner of the house will be able to get the money needed to pay off the previous loan and use that as tuition for school.

There are two ways to get mortgage refinancing. The first will be to work directly with the mortgage company as soon as one is found. The other will be through a broker who will set up a meet then work happens from there.

The Buzz on Generating Buzz

2008-02-05T22:09:00.000+08:00

The Buzz on Generating Buzz

Market your products and services through word of mouth. Elbert Or gives an overview.
EYP recommends helpful establishments.

Word of mouth, traditionally defined as the transmission of information from person to person, has been around for as long as people have been communicating with each other. However, it is only in recent years that marketers and advertisers have made concerted efforts to use this method to promote products and services.

Not Jaded

Word-of-mouth marketing is the term they use to describe a company’s efforts to generate "buzz"--motivated discussion, personal recommendations and referrals about their products or services. "The big advantage of word of mouth is that your product is being promoted by a third party," explains Budjette Tan, creative director at Harrison Communications.

With TV, radio and print media oversaturated with ads, people are more inclined to believe information they hear from other people who have tried the product. "[Word of mouth] is not a [paid] ad. It’s being promoted by a friend, a relative, someone trusted, so there’s a better chance that people will go try it out," Tan explains. A trusted friend’s recommendation comes across as more honest and sincere, as opposed to a paid ad’s calculated message or flashy art direction.

Spreading It

Buzz can be generated from personal contact and interaction between people, where people talk about or recommend to each other products or services they’ve tried, but there are also other ways by which word of mouth can spread.
Word of mouth can also spread via SMS or text. In marketing terms, this is sometimes referred to as M2M or mobile-to-mobile media. Compared to face to face interaction, M2M messages spread much more rapidly and exponentially--just ask service providers like Globe, Smart, and Sun. And then of course, there is also online media, which includes email, blogs, and message boards.

How do you create word of mouth buzz? There are essentially three factors to consider:

1. Choosing the right target.

In the book The Tipping Point, author Malcolm Gladwell talks about how word of mouth can spread most effectively through the use of what he calls mavens. "Mavens are the experts in their field and when they talk about something people listen," says Tan. "So it would be best to find the maven in the field of your business and hope to get a good review from him. Invite a food expert or techie writer to your shop, try out your product and hope they like it enough to write or talk about it."
To get people talking, Tan also suggests sampling "in the same way Starbucks gives free coffee on the first day of a newly opened branch, or Level-Up gave away CDs of their video games. People get to try it and they can tell their friends about it."
He adds, "Following traditional PR methods, I think it still works to let select people sample your products--these people should be trusted and respected people in their fields. For example, if you’ve got a new comic book, send a copy to reviewers or bloggers who regularly talk about comic books. If they like it, then they’ll blog about it, mention it in forums, and that gets your buzz started."

2. Choosing the right channels.

Determining whether to use traditional channels or viral channels to communicate your message can make a key difference in the effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing. Traditional refers to word of mouth that occurs through face to face interactions, while viral refers to the passing on of messages using new channels like SMS and the Internet.

Traditional channels have the advantage of unparalleled intimacy and increased believability because people trust those they are familiar with, such as family and friends. However, it has its limitations. "How do you control it? How do you make it spread fast enough?" says Tan. Viral channels on the other hand, fuel a much faster distribution of message because the technology involved allows people to connect with countless others simultaneously without having to physically encounter them.
On the Internet, Tan notes that there are numerous ways one can create buzz about a product or service. In addition to establishing presence via websites and email, there are also social networking sites like Friendster (www.friendster.com), which is very popular especially in the Philippines, and emerging new services like YouTube (www.youtube.com) which allow numerous users to link to one’s uploaded video clips.

3. Choosing the right message.

The content of the message that consumers share with others is integral to word-of-mouth marketing. Its effectiveness lies in two key characteristics--the message is easy to remember and consequently, easy to pass on, and it meets the emotional or rational needs of the consumer. Companies should therefore think about the message they are trying to get across. Is it simple to convey and easy to digest? Does it resonate with people’s needs? A complex or irrelevant message will be difficult to spread even if one uses all the proper channels and taps all the correct people.

Refer New Merchants to PayPal

2008-01-15T21:09:00.000+08:00

Merchant Referral Bonus Program

Refer New Merchants to PayPal and Earn up to $1,000.00 USD for Each Referral.
The Merchant Referral Bonus Program rewards you for bringing new businesses to PayPal.

How do I make money with the Merchant Referral Bonus Program?

Each time a new merchant signs up for a PayPal Business or Premier account via the link or banner that you provide, you'll be eligible for a Merchant Referral Bonus. Your referral bonus is tied to the amount the merchant receives via PayPal's Website Payment Tools or Send Money.

You'll immediately start earning 0.5% of the new merchant's revenue — up to $1,000.00 USD — for the first 12 months that the merchant has his PayPal account.

Note: The Merchant Referral Bonus program is designed to reward referrals of non-eBay merchants. As a result, payments received for eBay items will not contribute toward the Merchant Referral Bonus.

How does it work?

When the merchant you refer signs up for a Business or Premier PayPal account, you are eligible to receive a Merchant Referral Bonus. The bonus amount is a percentage of the funds received by your referral using PayPal's Website Payments or Send Money features.

You will receive an initial monthly bonus, equivalent to 0.5% of the new merchant's net sales, as soon as that merchant reaches $200.00 USD in sales. Every 30 days for the next 12 months, you will receive a bonus of 0.5% of the new merchant's monthly net sales. The maximum total bonus you can receive is $1,000.00 USD.

How do I refer someone?

There are two ways you can refer a merchant:
• Send an email with a personalized referral link.
• Add a referral logo to your website.
For your personalized link or referral logo and instructions on how to use them, log in to your PayPal account, and click the Referrals link at the bottom of the page.

Who can I refer to PayPal?

You may only refer individuals with whom you have a pre-existing personal or business relationship, and those who do not already have a PayPal account. You may not refer names obtained from group email addresses or email mailing lists, or yourself.

Does a merchant's eBay sales count toward my bonus?

No, the Merchant Referral Bonus program rewards referrals of non-eBay merchants only. Payments that the merchant receives from the sale of eBay items will not count toward the Merchant Referral Bonus.

Is there a limit to the number of Merchant Referral Bonuses I can earn?

No, for a limited time, there are no restrictions on the number of Merchant Referral Bonuses you can earn. You can earn up to $1,000.00 USD for each referral.

I referred a merchant, but haven't received a bonus yet. Why?

There are a few reasons why you may not have received your bonus. The merchant you referred may have mistakenly signed up for a Personal account instead of a Business or Premier account. Also, payments that the merchant receives from the sale of eBay items will not count toward the Merchant Referral Bonus. Finally, the merchant may not have yet received $200.00 USD in payments – the minimum amount for you to receive your initial payout.

Shouldn't I have received my $1,000.00 USD bonus for my referral all at once?
The payout, equivalent to 0.5% of the referred merchant's monthly revenue, occurs every 30 days for the first 12 months of the new merchant's account. Depending on the amount of revenue generated by the merchant, you can receive up to $1,000.00 USD. Revenue that the merchant receives from the sale of eBay items will not count toward the Merchant Referral Bonus.

If I refer a merchant, how long do I get to receive bonuses?

You are eligible to receive Merchant Referral Bonus payouts for the first 12 months of the referred merchant's account, or until the payouts reach a total of $1,000.00 USD, whichever occurs first.

FREE Register here!

Adlink Success - A New Advertising Style From Google Adsense

2007-12-23T22:37:00.000+08:00

Adlink Success - A New Advertising Style From Google Adsense
by: Derrick Pizur

There is a new advertising style from Google Adsense that is available in your Adsense panel, it is called “Google Ad Links.”

This new ad system presents a list of 4 or 5 vertical links(you can pick either 4 or 5 and Google will supply the actually links) to your site visitors, when the visitors click on one of the targeted contextual words it displays a results page from Google listing ten Adwords advertiser’s ads for this related topic.

Here is what Google says Adlinks are: “What are Ad Links by Google?

Ad Links are a new form of text advertising that we're offering to our AdSense publishers. Using the same contextual targeting algorithm that targets Google ads to your content pages, Ad Links units display a list of topics that are relevant to your page. Each topic, when clicked, brings the user to a page of related advertisements.

The result is advertisements that are closely targeted to the interests of your users. By selecting the topics through interaction with the ad unit, users are presented with useful information in the form of related advertisements. Their direct involvement with the evolution of the ad unit guarantees an interest in the ads that are presented.”

Positive Aspects of Adlinks:

They allow you to blend this in with sections of your links which will get more visitors to click on them, inevitably increase your Adsense revenue.

The Adlinks ads display 10 ad results when clicked without cluttering you page.

Google’s rules allow you to place three Adsense code block on a website. If you are doing this near say a 500 word article it can distract the visitor from viewing the article. With Adlinks you can still display 1 block of normal Adsense code and the Adlinks block and it keeps your page relatively nice looking while still giving you revenue potential.

Negative Aspects of Adlinks:

Adlinks requires your visitors to make two clicks. One on the original Adlinks block and one when they view the Adlink results. As any marketer knows the more actions you need a visitor to take the less the response rate.

Where are the best places to display Adlinks ads?

The best place to display them are within your navigation menu. Try to make them blend in as best as possible.

Another great place to put them is at the end of an article suggesting an interested reader view these resources. When doing this the reader is very targeted since they red your whole article and if they are likely leaving your website, why not let them leave through Adlinks and make some money?

Are Adlink ads as effective as the normal ad blocks?

Well some have seen positive results while other have not. Personally I am going to test it some more to see what kind of results and make my decision then.

About the author:
http://www.derrickpizur.info
Want Free information about Google Adsense and Search Engine Opt?

How To Make A Serious Income Online Without A Website!

2007-12-11T21:53:00.000+08:00

How To Make A Serious Income Online Without A Website!
by: Joe Clare

Did you know that eBay gets over 1.8 Billion (yes that's Billion with a B) page views per month, and moves over $15 Billion a year in merchandise? It is the 4th most visited site on the Internet, and at the time of this writing has sites in 26 countries worldwide. So do you eBay? I do! And, thousands worldwide are taking advantage of the Goldmine on eBay. Shouldn't you? If the idea of turning your lose change into hundreds of dollars appeals to you, then keep reading.

The great thing about operating an eBay Auction Business is you don't need a website to make money online and it allows you the freedom of working at home. And currently over 400,000 people are doing just that. Working at home, and making a full-time income, online without a website with their eBay Auction Business. Have you ever wondered if you could be a successful eBayer? Have you ever asked yourself... "How do they do it?" or "Where do they find all their "Hot Merchandise?". Well, here's an insight from my book "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" into how to start your eBay Auction Business from Home on a Shoe String Budget using Dropshippers.

Using Dropshippers is a smart way to get your eBay Auction Business up and running especially in the beginning. By using Dropshippers you will not have to worry about storage of costly inventory, packaging of inventory, or the shipping of inventory. Your Dropshipper will look after all of that for you. And with the ease of using Dropshippers you will have more time to concentrate on improving your sales skills and learning how to bring more customers to your eBay Auctions. The fact is, most Dropshippers charge you nothing to become a member to sell their products. While others may charge just a nominal administration fee. Plus, you can list your item on eBay for approximately .35 cents. So, as you can see your eBay Auction Business will cost you very little to get started. With such a low financial risk the only thing you have to lose is a bit of your time.

At this point you might be wondering how Dropshipping on eBay would work. It's a simple process. First you should browse eBay to find an item(s) you would like to sell. Then become an eBay member. Once you have an item(s) you are interested in selling, locate a Dropshipper for that item(s). Sign up with the Dropshipper. Now, list an auction on eBay for the item(s). Once your auction is over and you have a buyer, email your Dropshipper the required information. Your Dropshipper will then send the item(s) directly to your customer and charge your account the wholesale price for the item(s). The difference between the wholesale price and your retail price is pure profit!

All successful eBayers know that they must sell what the public is wanting to buy at a price the public is willing to pay for it. So research your item thoroughly. Know what your cost will be, and approximately what you can sell the item for before you decide to sell it.

Happy Selling!
Joe Clare

About the author:
Joe Clare is an active Netpreneur and eBayer! He is the author of numerous articles on how to succeed on eBay! Check out his latest Best Selling eBook "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" Your Passport to Success! at http://www.ebooksnsoftware.com

Small Business Investments

2007-12-04T09:07:00.000+08:00

Small business investments
by: Larry Westfall

State laws have been relaxed to make it easier for small business to raise start-up and growth financing from the public. Many investors view this as an opportunity to â€œget in on the ground floorâ€ of an emerging business and to â€œhit it bigâ€ as the small businesses grow into large ones.

Statistically, most small businesses fail within the first few years. Small business investments are among the most risky that investors can make. This guide suggests factors to consider for determining whether you should make a small business investment.

Risks and investment strategy
A basic principle of investing in a small business is: Never make small business investments that you cannot afford to lose! Never use funds that may be needed for other purposes, such as college education, retirement, loan repayment, or medical expenses.
Instead, use funds that would otherwise be used for a consumer purchase, such as a vacation or a down payment on a boat or a new car.

Above all, never let a commissioned securities salesperson or office or directors of a company convince you that the investment is not risky. Small business investments are generally hard to convert to cash (illiquid), even though the securities may technically be freely transferable. Thus, you will usually be unable to sell your securities if the company takes a turn for the worse.

In addition, just because the state has registered the offering does not mean that the particular investment will be successful. The state does not evaluate or endorse any investments. If anyone suggests otherwise, they are breaking the law.

If you plan to invest a large amount of money in a small business, you should consider investing smaller amounts in several small businesses. A few highly successful investments can offset the unsuccessful ones. However, even when using this strategy, only invest money you can afford to lose.

Analyzing the investment
Although there is no magic formula for making successful investment decisions, certain factors are considered important by professional venture investors. Some questions to consider are:

Ã˜ How long has the company been in business? If it is a start-up or has only a brief operating history, are you being asked to pay more than the shares are worth?
Ã˜ Consider whether management is dealing unfairly with investors by taking salaries or other benefits that are too large in view of the companyâ€™s stage of development, or by retaining an inordinate amount of equity stock of the company compared with the amount investors will receive. For example, is the public putting up 80 percent of the money but only receiving 10 percent of the company shares?
Ã˜ How much experience does management have in the industry and in a small business? How successful were the managers in previous businesses?
Ã˜ Do you know enough about the industry to be able to evaluate the company and to make a wise investment?
Ã˜ Does the company have a realistic marketing plan and do they have the resources to market the product or service successfully?
Ã˜ How or when will you get a return on your investment?

Making money on your investment
The two classic methods of making money on an investment in a small business are resale of stock in the public securities markets following a public offering, and receiving cash or marketable securities in a merger or other acquisition of the company.

If the company is not likely to go public or be sold out within a reasonable time (i.e., a family-owned or closely held corporation), it may not be a good investment for you â€“ despite its prospects for success â€“ because of the lack of opportunity to cash in on the investment. Management of a successful private company may receive a good return indefinitely through salaries and bonuses, but it is unlikely that there will be profits sufficient to pay dividends in proportion with the risk of the investment.

Other suggestions
Investors must be provided with a disclosure document â€“ a prospectus â€“ before making a final decision to invest. You need to read this material before investing.
Even the best small business venture offerings are highly risky. If you have a nagging sense of doubt, there is probably a good reason for it. Good investments are based on sound business criteria and not emotions. If you are not entirely comfortable, the best approach is usually not to invest. There will be many other opportunities. Do not let a securities salesperson pressure you into making a decision.

It is generally a good idea to see management of the company face-to-face to size them up. Focus on experience and record of accomplishment rather than a smooth sales presentation. If possible, take a sophisticated businessperson with you to help in your analysis. Beware of any information that differs from, or is not included in the disclosure document. All significant information is required by law to be in the disclosure document. Immediately report any problems to your state Office of the Commissioner of Securities.

Conclusion
Greater numbers of public investors are â€œgetting on the ground floorâ€ by investing in small businesses. When successful, these enterprises enhance the economy and provide jobs. They can also provide new investment opportunities, but the advantages must be balanced against the risky nature of small business investments.

About the author:
Larry Westfall is the owner of DIY Investing - http://www.pennystockebook.com

Forex Trading Online

2007-11-11T12:49:00.000+08:00

Forex Trading Online - 7 Reasons You Should!
by: Keith Thompson

Forex trading online is a fast way to use your investment capital to it's fullest. The Forex markets offer distinct advantages to the small and large traders alike, making Forex currency trading in many ways preferable to other markets such as stocks, options or traditional futures. Here are seven reasons why you'll want to look into Forex Trading online.

1 - Forex is the largest market.
Forex trading volume of more than 1.9 billion, more than 3 times larger than the equities market and more than 5 times bigger than futures, give Forex traders nearly unlimited liquidity and flexibility.

2 - Forex never sleeps!
You can execute forex trading online 24/7, from 7AM New Zealand time on Monday morning, to 5PM New York time on Friday evening. No waiting for markets to open: they're open all night! This makes Forex trading online a very attractive component that fits easily into your day (or night!)

3 - No Bulls or Bears!
Because Forex trading online involves the buying of one currency while simultaneously selling another, you have an equal opportunity for profit no matter which direction the currency is headed. Another advantage is that there are only around 14 pairs of currencies to trade, as opposed to many thousands of stocks, options and futures.

4 - Forex Trading online offers great leverage!
You can make the most of your investment resources with Forex trading online. Some brokers offer 200:1 margin ratios in your trading accounts. Mini-FX accounts, which can typically be opened with only $200-300, offer 0.5% margin, meaning that $50 in trading capital can control a 10,000 unit currency position. This is why people are flocking to Forex trading online as a way to highly leverage their investments.

5 - Forex prices are predictable.
Currency prices, though volatile, tend to create and follow trends, allowing the technically trained Forex trader to spot and take advantage of many entry and exit points.

6 - Forex trading online is commission free!
That's right! No commissions, no exchange fees or any other hidden fees. This is a very transparent market, and you'll find it very easy to research the currencies and the countries involved. Forex brokers make a small percentage of the bid/ask spread, and that's it. No longer any need to compute commissions and fees when executing a trade.

7 - Forex trading online is instant!
The FX market is astoundingly fast! Your orders are executed, filled and confirmed usually within 1-2 seconds. Since this is all done electronically with no humans involved, there is little to slow it down!

Forex trading online can get you where you want to go quicker and more profitably than any other form of trading. Check it out and see what Forex trading online can do for you!

About the author:
Keith Thompson is the webmaster of http://www.forex-trading-today.com,a site focusing on the latest Forex news and resources.

7 No Cost and Low Cost Tips to Market Your Business

2007-10-25T23:03:00.000+08:00

7 No Cost and Low Cost Tips to Market Your Business
by Kathleen Gage

Marketing a business can be fun, exciting and creative. It can also be very frustrating and expensive if one doesn’t know what outcome they are looking for or how to evaluate cost effective methods of marketing.

Over the years people have come to know me for my unique ability to develop low cost and no cost strategies to market and promote a business, product or service. Strategies that have realized incredible returns.

Some of my successes have included:

- Before my last book was published I pre-sold over $8,000 in books
- Over 250 people registered for a recent seminar in less than 2 weeks and the cost to promote was under $25
- One company used my strategies for a career expo and made over $180,000 in consulting fees
- One speaker sold over $23,000 in product sales back of the room at a two hour seminar with strategies outlined in my program

I don’t share this to impress anyone, rather to impress upon you when using the right strategies for your market, you can realize some incredible results.

People have also come to know me as someone who is a stickler when it comes to putting systems in place. My marketing successes are a direct result of the systems I have implemented.

With a bit of forethought, planning and desire, you can successfully market your business in a very effective manner. Below are seven proven strategies sure to increase visibility, leads and sales.

1. Business Cards
Business cards are often one of the most underutilized tools in one’s marketing.
Use the front and back of your business card to gain full benefit. Depending on your market you can put some very valuable information on the back such as a sports schedule, emergency numbers, or special dates people want to remember.

Keep some in your wallet, your automobile, on your desk, and some at home. Be sure to carry them with you wherever you go and be willing to hand them out as opportunity presents itself.

Creatively distribute your card. When you eat out you can leave one with the tip.
If you borrow a library book, use one as a book mark. Hand them to clerks in stores who may know other people who could use your product or service.

When someone gives you their business card be sure to enter their information in your database. Send them a short note or email within 48 hours of meeting them to keep your name fresh in their mind.

2. Send a picture
A great way to keep your name fresh in a customer’s mind is to send them a picture of when they purchased a product or service from you.

Put a picture of a buyer’s auto purchase in a beautiful calendar. Likely, the proud owner of the vehicle will display the calendar for the next 365 days.

For specialty gift shops, when a customer makes a substantial purchase, have a picture taken with the shop owner. Frame the picture and send it to the customer.
Chances are very good the picture will be displayed proudly for friends and family to see.

A dentist who specializes in smile makeovers can easily arrange to have a professional makeup artist and photographer capture the patient’s beautiful new smile. No doubt the patient will be more than happy to show others their new look.

3. Associations
Associations particular to your market are a great resource for marketing. There are associations specific to virtually any industry, job type or business. A quick web search will likely show you how much is available.

A major opportunity within many organizations is the chance to network. Additionally, to make presentations. Along with presentations come publications.
Often, when you do a presentation, you will get a mention in the association newsletter, their Ezine and/or on their website.

In many cases, when an organization has a newsletter or Ezine, they welcome the presenter writing a press announcement for them. It saves them time and often assures you have a better chance of the information making it into the publication.

They may also welcome you writing an article for their publication or website.
This lends itself to pre-presentation visibility. Additionally, you will position yourself as an expert and increase credibility.

Most organizations have the following opportunities that can help you to gain visibility and do some very effective marketing:

-Newsletters
-Internet listings
-Links to you website
-Discounted advertising rates
-Networking opportunities
-Business referral services
-Special recognition events
-Education seminars
-Business and membership directories

In many cases you will need to be a member of the association to take advantage of the multiple marketing opportunities. In other cases membership is not necessary.

4. Committee Involvement
Committee involvement is a great way to give back to the association or community while building visibility for you and your business. In some cases, you may even want to get involved in a committee where you have little experience or knowledge. This will give you an opportunity to stretch yourself and meet and network with individuals you may not have otherwise had the chance to meet.

5. Contests and drawings
Contests are a favorite for many businesses such as restaurants or those that have high foot traffic. Contests are a great way to build your database quickly.
You are generating very hot leads when you have a contest with people who have already frequented your place of business. The key though is to do back -end marketing. Far too many businesses hold contests, get lots of names and do nothing with them. In this case, it is a complete waste of time to hold a contest.
You can advertise a contest to gain new foot traffic in your place of business.
Trade show booths are a great place to hold a contest. Pre-show marketing helps to generate traffic at your booth. Invite people to stop by booth # _____ (whatever your booth is) to enter to win. Creative contests can also generate free publicity.

6. Cross-promoting
Join with other companies who have products or services that compliment yours and promote each other. Let’s say you have a massage business. You could partner with a candle company to sell their candles to your massage clients. They can give out coupons for your massage business. Or the candle company can partner with a gift basket company. Cross-promoting is only limited by your imagination.

This can considerably cut down the cost of business promotion and allow each business to use promotion techniques that might be too expensive to implement alone.

7. Bonuses
Secure special offers from various businesses who want to share a similar market as you. When a customer buys a minimum amount they receive a bonus packet with the various offers from the other vendors. This is a win/win all the way around. The other vendors gain visibility, you have something extra to offer you customers and the customers get incredible value for their purchase.

Be aware of who you cross-promote and joint venture with. You want someone who will be equally committed to a campaign.

About the author:

Kathleen Gage is a business advisor specializing in marketing and promotions for small and home based businesses. She is a keynote speaker and the author of -101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door - and - 101 No Cost and Low Cost Tips to Market and Promote a Product, Service or Business. To access her FREE report, Learn How One Salt Lake City Consultant made Over $100,000 from One Idea, visit http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com

Google Adsense

2007-10-01T22:19:00.000+08:00

Google Adsense
by: Phil Wiley

here's an all about Google letter. It didn't start out that way, but when my fingers got typing that's what flowed out of them.

My brain could have had something to do with it too. But not a lot. It's still quite muddled from being ill.

Hope you find this stuff below useful.

1. Google Adsense stuff

I've heard that Google have been getting tough on Adsense sites recently, investigating sites displaying Adsense and removing ones which don't meet the criteria.

You see, what's happening is that people are getting approved for one site, then adding the code to other sites they own.

That's fine by Google as long as the new sites have nothing wrong with them/don't break Google's small print.

Well some of that small print is mighty small and two friends have written to me this week to say their sites have been banned in the past 7 days.

Why?

Well both for the same reason. They both put a lot of work into building new content sites and put the Adsense ads up on almost every page.

But it was obvious that the sites had no purpose other than displaying the Adsense code.

They didn't try to get subscribers to their ezines, they didn't promote affiliate programs, etc.

All they did was have good quality targeted content + Adsense.

Now you might think there's nothing wrong with building a site like that, but Google just doesn't like it when it comes to Adsense.

One friend sent me the letter Google sent him. Here's part of what Google had to say:

"Ads may not be placed on pages published specifically for the purpose of showing ads, whether or not the page content is relevant."

______________________________________

Ok, so seeing that having quality content isn't enough, what can you do to make sure your own Adsense sites don't fall foul of the rules?

______________________________________

Well what you have to do is give your sites an extra purpose.

Here are a few ways of doing that:

# also display some affiliate links on the pages, and include an affiliate graphic or two.

# perhaps run a news ticker. You can get good ones from a number of sources, but one of the best is http://www.moreover.com which
has newsfeeds covering a huge variety of niches.

# link to authority sites on the subject, even though they're probably not linking back to you.

# start an ezine and have a subscribe box displayed prominently on each page.

# if your site is about online business/marketing give away a free ebook or two. But make sure they're quality one's you can customize with your affiliate links so that you stand a chance
of profiting from them.

# have a poll running on your site. I use a good one from One Minute Poll

If I were you I'd do all of them.

2. Google Adwords Traffic:

One way of GUARANTEEING plenty of visitors from Google is by buying Adwords.

If you do it right you can make a fabulous income. If you do it wrong, you'll be well out of pocket.

Recommended Adwords Resources ->

Chris Carpenter's GoogleCash ebook, which details how Chris makes a living from Adwords. An excellent resource.

I'm a big user of Google Adwords to promote my many mini sites. And it's now made easier because of the help I get from using GoogleCash and AdWords Analyzer. Read the page listed below to
follow this strategy (it works).

http://www.ozemedia.com/google-adwords.htm

3. Google and blogging...

Google is still ranking frequently updated Blogs very high. And having your own blog (and keeping it to the theme of your main site) could be a great way of getting more traffic.

To learn how to do it well I'd like to recommend you read James Maduk's Blogging Secrets which is a really good multimedia ebook. Very tasty.

Like his excellent Google course "How to Get Ranked #1 On Google" it's a combination of Audio / Video / Whiteboard Training and Screen Captures. (plus you get 4 Hours of bonus audio
interviews from his private E-learning sessions.

If you're thinking of blogging for profit you need to read this first.

4. More Google Stuff...

Your commercially oriented sites probably took a rankings kick in the guts in the last Google update.

Don't worry, you're not alone. This site lets you enter the main keywords for your site and see how many other sites with the same keyword phrase have dropped in rankings.

Not really useful, but interesting.

http://www.scroogle.org/

More useful - in fact a MUST READ if you're at all interested in learning more about how and why Google's latest update is affecting your sites - is a detailed online report "A Statistical and Experimental Analysis of Google's Florida Update" written by Leslie Rohde who developed that marvelous ranking software Optilink.

There's no charge to read it, though Leslie could easily have packaged it up into a "special report" and sold it.

When you've done with reading it though, I seriously suggest taking a look at Optilink.

Leslie is one of the most knowledgeable search engine people around, and the Optilink software works a treat.

_______________________

Looks like an Adsense competitor is on the way early in 2004 http://www.quigo.com/adsonar.htm

Overtures efforts in this field are in beta, with some major sites already running content matched Overture advertising, (and rumors that it's going to be opened up to all of us) and Commission Junction have got a contextual advertising/content matching solution in the works - though unlike Adsense it's very unlikely
to offer pay per click.

You can get more on Overture's Content Match here and while you're there you might want to consider advertising on them. I've had an account there for years now and get tons of traffic to my mini sites. A friend of mine, Paul Manuel, wrote a free report
detailing how he makes a great living from his Overture advertising. you can get it here.

Ok, one last Google thing: Trackmeat.

It's no cost software that saves you logging into Adsense 50 times a day to check how your commissions are doing.

Once you install it and click "Go" it minimizes right away, and your AdSense income will update down in the taskbar and system tray at intervals set by you.

It also works for Commission Junction.

(note: I haven't used this software, so I'm not recommending it, just informing you that it exists)

About the author:
Phil Wiley is the author of the best selling book Mini Site Profits http://www.minisiteprofits.com and writes the free weekly Letter from Phil at http://www.ozemedia.com

First Steps to Starting Your Own Small Business

2007-09-17T18:47:00.000+08:00

First Steps to Starting Your Own Small Business
by: Marjorie Geiser

You’ve been dreaming about what it would be like to start your own small business. It has been on your mind since you were in school, and there are times, especially on Monday mornings, that you daydream about it. But, you’re not really sure what it would look like. You don’t have the first clue how to get started, and of course, you’re afraid that you would put your heart and soul into it, only to fail and look like a fool. You barely even talk about it out loud, because you don’t want family and friends to laugh at you.

But, anything is possible! The only limitations we have are the ones we put on ourselves! With planning and learning the steps, and doing your homework, if this is something you really want to do, you can do it, AND succeed greatly at it, too!

I’m not saying it’s easy! Nothing worth having is. I have had to learn a great deal; about myself, about business, about my clients and potential clients. And it never ends, because my interests and passions change with the years. But, how exciting!

When my daughter started kindergarten, I returned to school. It took me five years to get through school, but I had a vision: I wanted to help people become healthy and fit in the privacy of their own homes. After school, I didn’t have that plan fully in place, even in my mind, but after six years of working in a hospital, I was ready. I opened MEG Fitness in June, 1996. It’s been an incredible ride! I’ll never look back at my life with regrets that I didn’t pursue my dream. I really have learned that the only limits are those I impose on myself, too! So, I continue to dream bigger and allow my vision to become more grand. Why not? What’s the worst that can happen?

That’s what you have to ask yourself. If you never try, will you be happier? If you never try, how will you know if you could have done it? Consider some of the well-known names in sports, such as Michael Jordan, the basketball player; he has thrown more MISSED shots than those that have made their mark. What if he had not taken the chance to see what was possible for himself?

Okay, so now you’re ready to take the next step! First, in order to help you focus, I recommend that people start working on their business plan. The Small Business Association has invaluable resources on their website (www.sba.gov). This was the route I took. A year before I quit the hospital, I started working on my business plan. It helped me determine exactly who I was, what I offered, why, who my ideal client was, who my target market was (at that time), who my competition was, where I would offer my services, how I would offer them, and so on. As I coach other health professionals who want this dream, I now use a 3-page business plan for clients who don’t plan to look for outside funding. Regardless of the type of business plan, it will help answer many hard questions for you.

There are resources specific to most specific fields, too, including other professionals who help others get started. Do your research to see who you can contact for support and to ask questions of as you progress. Once you have your business plan in place, it’s not time to celebrate, yet! How are you going to accomplish the goals you have come up with in that plan? You next need a marketing plan. Now, although the marketing plan is also part of a business plan, it’s really just the intro! The marketing plan will become your template, your schedule, and will spell out the actions you will take to make those goals reality. If you use it seriously, it will be your day-to-day guide to making your dreams come true!

About the author:
Marjorie Geiser is a nutritionist, registered dietitian, certified personal trainer and life coach. Marjorie has been the owner of a successful small business, MEG Fitness, since 1996, and now helps other health professionals start up their own private practice. To learn more about the coaching services Margie offers, go to her website www.marjoriegeiser.com or email her at margie@megfit.com

Opportunity Home Based Business

2007-09-02T15:23:00.001+08:00

Very Easy To Understand!

We have a program for you! We will pay you a 20%
commission for every sale you generate by sending
people to our Healthy Gano Coffee Website. Plus, if
you introduce others to this program we will pay you
a 10% commission on the sales they make!
(1) You: 20% of retail sale paid to you!
(2) People who join under you: 10% of sale paid to you!

Summary:
If you are currently involved in another marketing program
offering Gano Based Coffee Products, take the time to sit
down and add up what you have really made. Compare it
to what you have spent on shipping, advertising, web
hosting, etc. You may be shocked!

We believe you will see with our Unlimited Second Level
10% commission, and the 20% Retail Sale Commission
we pay, the potential for profit here is much greater! We
won't be placing any fancy pie carts or ridiculous stair-
step charts online here. You can plainly see the plan...
Build out your second level as large as you like. Quit
loosing money on having product shipped to you, just so
you can turn around and ship them to your customers.
Stop worrying about making it to the next level. Quit
wasting time on a downline that never produces. When
the program is free, it's a much softer sell to get other
people to join. Stop buying into a pipe dream that will
never happen.

Gano Brand

Start being paid what you are worth! Take time out! We
will handle the shipping and customer service for you...
that's what we have done for the over 25 years! Now it's
your turn to relax. Build your customer base and go
take a vacation! You have absolutely nothing to lose!

Opportunity Home Based Business

The REAL TRUTH on How to Write an eBook

2007-08-20T23:41:00.000+08:00

The REAL TRUTH on How to Write an eBook
by: John Macko

The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. When you look at the whole project, it seems like an impossible task. That's why you have to break it down into manageable tasks. Think of climbing a mountain.

You are standing at the foot of it and looking up at its summit vanishing into the clouds. How can you possibly scale such an immense and dangerous mountain? There is only one way to climb a mountain ? step by step.

Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You must create it step by step, and one day, you will take that last step and find yourself standing on the summit with your head in the clouds.

The first thing you have to do, as if you actually were a mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead of climbing gear, however, you must organize your thoughts. There are some steps you should take before you begin. Once you've gone through the following list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your ebook.

Beginning Steps to Writing an ebook:

First, figure out your ebook's working title. Jot down a few different titles, and eventually, you'll find that one that will grow on you. Titles help you to focus your writing on your topic; they guide you in anticipating and answering your reader's queries. Many non-fiction books also have subtitles. Aim for clarity in your titles, but cleverness always helps to sell books? as long as it's not too cute. For example, Remedies for Insomnia: twenty different ways to count sheep. Or: Get off that couch: fifteen exercise plans to whip you into shape.

Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a sentence or two stating exactly what problem you are addressing and how your book will solve that problem. All chapters spring forth from your thesis statement. Once you've got your thesis statement fine-tuned, you've built your foundation. From that foundation, your book will grow, chapter by chapter.

Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your ebook. Remember: all chapters must support your thesis statement. If they don't, they don't belong in your book. For example, your thesis statement could read: We've all experienced insomnia at times in our lives, but there are twenty proven techniques and methods to give you back a good night's sleep.

Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, make sure there is a good reason to write your book. Ask yourself some questions:

* Does your book present useful information and is that information currently relevant?

* Will you book positively affect the lives of your readers?

Is your book dynamic and will it keep the reader's attention?

* Does you book answer questions that are meaningful and significant?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel confident about the potential of your ebook.

Another important step is to figure out who your target audience is. It is this group of people you will be writing to, and this group will dictate many elements of your book, such as style, tone, diction, and even length.

Figure out the age range of your readers, their general gender, what they are most interested in, and even the socio-economic group they primarily come from. Are they people who read fashion magazines or book reviews? Do they write letters in longhand or spend hours every day online. The more you can pin down your target audience, the easier it will be to write your book for them.

Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your ebook. Do you want to promote your business? Do you want to bring quality traffic to your website? Do you want to enhance your reputation?

Then write down your goals in terms of publishing.Do you want to sell it as a product on your website, or do you want to offer it as a free gift for filling out a survey or for ordering a product? Do you want to use the chapters to create an e-course, or use your ebook to attract affiliates around the world? The more you know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be.

Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, keep the format from chapter to chapter fairly consistent. Perhaps you plan to use an introduction to your chapter topic, and then divide it into four subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it into five parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote.

How to make your ebook "user friendly".

You must figure out how to keep your writing engaging. Often anecdotes, testimonials, little stories, photos, graphs, advice, and tips will keep the reader turning the pages. Sidebars are useful for quick, accessible information and they break up the density of the page.

Write with a casual, conversational tone rather than a formal tone such as textbook diction. Reader's respond to the feeling that you are having a conversation with them. Break up the length and structure of your sentences so you don?t hypnotize your readers into sleep. Sentences that are all the same length and structure tend to be a good aid for insomnia!

Good writing takes practice. It takes lots and lots of practice. Make a schedule to write at least a page a day. Read books and magazines about the process of writing, and jot down tips that jump out at you. The art of writing is a lifetime process; the more you write (and read), the better your writing will become.The better your writing becomes, the bigger your sales figures.

In an ebook that is read on the screen, be aware that you must give your reader's eye a break. You can do this by utilizing white space. In art classes, white space is usually referred to as "negative space." Reader's eyes need to rest in the cool white oasises you create on your page. If your page is too dense, your reader will quit out of it as soon as their eyes begin to tear.

Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered. This makes your information easy to absorb, and gives the reader a mental break from dissecting your paragraphs one after the other.

Finally, decide on an easy-to-read design. Find a font that's easy on the eyes, and stick to that font family. Using dozens of fonts will only tire your readers out before they've gotten past your introduction. Use at least one and a half line spacing, and text large enough to be read easily on the screen, but small enough so that the whole page can be seen on a computer screen. You will have to experiment with this to find the right combination.

Of course, don't forget to run a spell and grammar check. You are judged by something as minor as correct punctuation, so don?t mess up a great book by tossing out semicolons randomly, or stringing sentences together with commas. (By the way, that's called a "comma splice".)

Last of all, create an index and a bibliography. That's it! You've written a book! Now all you have to do is publish your ebook online, and wait for download request from your website visitors.

This article is part of a 6 part series on ebook writing, compiling and pricing structure. You can find all articles here over the next couple of days or see them all, along ith other great and informative articles on "The TRUTH" about Internet and affiliate marketing on my website listed below.

About the author:
John Macko "The Marketing Magican" provides valuable affiliate and marketing information resources and informative articles at http://pay-alot-less.com

Want to earn more Profits

2007-08-20T23:36:00.000+08:00

Want to earn more Profits
by: scott morris

It's a simple yet common question, "How can I make my business more successful?"

Success can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people but when it comes down to it, the success of your business should only be measured by one thing - profit.

At the end of the day, it's not how many people came in to your store or phoned in. It's not even how many widgets you sold. At the end of the day, what truly matters is how much of a profit you made.

It would make sense then that your efforts focus on profit as the end result. With that in mind, there are only three strategies to increase profits for your business.

1) Increase the dollar size of each order
2) Increase the number of times people buy from you
3) Increase the number of people who buy from you

Most likely, your business is already primed to attack each of these three angles and implementing that attack should be fairly easy.

Let's say that you are the owner of Happy Wicks Candle Store. Let your customers know that for every $50 they spend they will receive a free 4-inch candle. When they are eligible for the free candle, offer them the option of upgrading the 4-inch candle to a 6-inch candle for only four dollars.

Implement a customer loyalty program. Whenever a customer spends $200 with your store they receive a 20% discount on their next order. Show loyalty to your customers, too. Create customer-only events and sales, even workshops on how to make candles at home.

Candles are also popular gifts. Be sure to place your contact info on each and every candle. This makes it easy for the gift recipient to purchase from you. Be sure to also use this tactic when co-promoting with similar businesses such as a flower and bath and body shop.

Looking at the example Happy Wicks Candle Store, the tasks of increasing profits was not a difficult one. Truly, it's a matter of putting systems in place that generate increasing profits.

Take a look at your business and examine the systems you have in place. Chances are there's undiscovered profits lying about. Put systems in place to gather those profits and you'll find your business reaching new heights of success.

About the author:
Scott Morris's provides accurate retail and foodservice Information and store locator http://storesguide.com/
for more information, you can visit http://storesguide.com/

Where To Find Products To Sell On Ebay

2007-08-20T23:34:00.001+08:00

Where To Find Products To Sell On Ebay
by: David Riewe

One key for business success using eBay is sourcing products to sell. The first questions eBay sellers should ask themselves are: "What can I sell?" and "Where can I buy?"

There are two kinds of sellers on eBay, garage sellers and business sellers. Garage sellers are people who sell products they are not going to use any more and that are usually not new. Garage sellers are not profit driven, their main objective is usually to get rid of some stuff they don't need. They will be happy to make some money by selling something that is no longer useful to them. On the other hand, business sellers are people who will buy and sell products for profit, they consider eBay a business and need to earn profit on the products they sell.

The first key to success for business sellers is an old marketing rule, RESEARCH. The products you need to sell are products that eBay buyers will want to buy. Apart from being a massive market place, eBay offers you a cheap source of research that you can conduct without moving from your computer.

If you are a business seller, it is fundamental that you spend some time researching before you decide which products you want to sell. Follow these research guidelines:

1. Search for the categories that are most popular. The first index is the number of listings that exist under each category. In addition, you need to look at how many bids the products have.

2. Look at the ratings of the sellers who are listing products in each category and study their profiles. See how many products they are selling and how many products they have sold in the past.

3. Analyze prices. You need to become an expert in your category and you need to know at which price a product is worth buying as well as the expected final winning price of your auction.

4. Select no more than one or two categories. "Specialization" is another basic rule of marketing. It is better to become an expert on something, as this will inspire confidence and trust in your potential customers. Online marketing is all about trust.

For conducting good research, you need time and organization. There are different software programs in the market that can help you save time as well as optimize your research.

Now that you are becoming an eBay expert and have conducted a proper search, you are almost ready to start your business. Before starting to sell, you need to buy! Here are some ideas from where you can source products:

1. Write your own e-book and sell it. If you have any passion or are an expert on a subject for which you can find a niche in eBay, do not hesitate to spend some time on writing your own book. The advantage of this is that after your initial time investment, you can sell and sell copies of the book without having any additional costs. Selling information products is one of the most profitable businesses. Even if you are not an expert writer, you can find other people who can write the book for you.

2. Use drop-shipping. There are wholesalers that will sell you products and send them to the address that you tell them. The advantage of this source is that you do not need to carry inventories, so your investments are minimized. After your auction is finished, you send them your customers address and they will do all the shipping. If you decide to use this kind of source, you need to make sure that your auctions winning price can be higher than the price you will pay for the articles. At minimum you should expect to double your costs.

3. Buy from eBay. Many eBayers success comes from knowing how to buy well on eBay and sell the same products at a higher price. If you know your category very well, you can easily find opportunities that will allow you to buy and resell making profit. Again, solid research is fundamental.

4. Buy Asiatic products. If you are willing to carry some inventories, you can invest on Asiatic products and buy them for a very cheap price. You can easily start importing Asiatic products from the Internet at www.alibaba.com.

5. Sell local products. If you live in an area that produces local products which can be bought at a cheap price and shipped to other areas where people would pay more, you should take advantage of the situation.

Best wishes for your success

About the author:
Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebooks

#1 Business Building Tool in Network Marketing

2007-08-18T16:21:00.000+08:00

#1 Business Building Tool in Network Marketing
by: Jerry Olthoff

Ever wonder why one person succeeds and another fails in MLM? Or why someone has massive success in a company, then leaves, goes someplace else, and never, ever again duplicates that success? Or why some people spend 5, 10, even 20 years in network marketing with NO success...

Yet they never quit!

Or how an industry that does so many things so wrong can still be so popular ...

This Tool Can Change Your Life

On December 12, 2004, our team released the ebook "Success In 10 Steps", the story of what we have learned from 26 years in MLM.

The feedback has been astonishing.

People say, "I could have written that book!

That was my story.

Why did you steal my story? How could you know exactly what I went through?"

Back in 1991, my mentor was making full-time income from MLM.

He retired from that company and actually joined over 100 network marketing companies in the next few years, to figure out how this industry really works: the good, the bad, the ugly.

Here's what he did:
1. Got on dozens of company conference calls
2. Organized & categorized companies, products, compensation plans, distributor kits, & marketing materials to compare each company with all the others
3. Studied their business models, to understand what kind of behavior certain business models drove
4. Studied how different "upline gurus" trained (or did not train) their people

This process answered all the mysteries. It also revealed some valuable, valuable secrets about network marketing.

Example #1:

The hard-driving, closing salesperson is about 8% of the population. And those 8% have convinced the other 92% that the 8% are right and the 92% are wrong.

How did they do that?

Because that is what THEY do. It works for them, so they have total confidence they are right, and when you feel their confidence, you KNOW they must be right, so you do what they tell you.

92% of the world's population is sales-resistant.

They do not like to be sold, and they do not want to become that pushy, aggressive salesperson nobody likes. Yet when they join MLM, some upline leader tells them,

"Make a list of your friends and family. Call them up. Get 'em into the business. You need to hear 100 'No's for every 'Yes'.

Guess what?

It still only works for the 8%.

If you let them mesmerize you, you can wander aimlessly in the "failure" desert for years...

Maybe forever.

The Choice Is Yours

You can't become something you hate in order to be successful. This model works for the 8% who are real salespeople.

It's a disaster for the rest of us...

A very bad business model.

Example #2:

Every person on the planet has to be educated in the skills of what they're doing.

Whether you're a doctor, carpenter, plumber, ditch digger ... whatever you are... You've got to be taught the skills of that business.

And what "Success In 10 Steps" does for people is, it gets them to realize,

It's not your fault! The people teaching you didn't know any better.

They weren't bad people. They weren't lying to you intentionally. They just didn't know any other way to do the business.

Do you think you can wake up one morning and say, "I'm going to be a doctor!"

And you go down and join a company, get a distributor kit for 50 bucks, and you're a doctor?

Of course not. That's ludicrous.

How about a carpenter?

No way. You have to learn pitches and square and level and plumb.

You have to be taught the skills. Yet people get in network marketing, and they're told,

"Call your friends & family." It's the biggest fallacy in the industry.

Network marketing is not a sales business.

It's a teaching & mentoring business.

When you build people, people will build your business. Those upline guru leaders will tell you,

"Well, you didn't make enough phone calls. You're a loser. If it's to be, it's up to me." Have you heard all that stuff?

I bet you believed it, too, haven't you?

Why This Ebook Is Such a Hot Tool For Building Your Business

So the ebook really opens people's eyes to the fact that they've been lied to. You must do your business with people who WANT to be in business with you. You have to sell product to people who LOVE the product and want to buy it. That only comes through target marketing.

We learned early-on about targeted marketing.

Only talk to people who have raised their hand and want what you have.

Well, guess what? EVERY person who downloads "Success In 10 Steps" is trying to figure out why MLM is not working for them. When you call them up, they could be in a company already. They could be working the business a year or 2 or 5, 7, 10 years. But why would they download that ebook?

They're divulging some critical information. The business is not working for them.

They want to figure out what the problem is. And they're looking to you for help. THAT is the basis of a long-term relationship, and THAT is the effect you can create with "Success In 10 Steps."

See for yourself. Download your copy now.

About the author:
Jerry Olthoff lives in Apache Junction, AZ, with his wife, Dr. Nancy Olthoff, and their 2 mini-dachshunds. For years he owned an insurance agency. Now he helps people achieve success in network marketing. Get your complimentary copy of "Success in 10 Steps" at http://drolthoff.bigmlmlies.com/?mad=2823

Project Duit Internet

2007-08-16T17:10:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the project duit internet - Internet Business Opportunity

Project Duit Internet:Gateway to your business to business.Project Duit Internet bring to you all about Business Opportunity.

- All about Business opportunity