Archive for May, 2009

The Three Pillars Of Business Success

By John Colanzi

Internet businesses are springing up daily. Many first
time entrepreneurs are lured by the ease with which a
business can be started online and the dream of fast
riches.

The world of online business has fulfilled the dreams of
many an entrepreneur, but for many more it’s become the
“Boulevard Of Broken Dreams.”

Why is that?

Why have the dreams of so many new business owners
become nightmares, while others seem to strive
effortlessly?

That question haunted me for years. I would make a
couple of dollars and then hit a brick wall.

What was I doing wrong?

I finally realized, it wasn’t what I was doing. It was
what I wasn’t doing.

There are three key factors necessary to succeed in
business online or off. I call them the “three pillars
of business success.”

Once I started paying attention to the “three pillars”
sales came easier and running my online venture became
less stressful.

Successful entrepreneurs follow these three rules.

Some do it consciously, others do it naturally.

So what are the three pillars of business success?

1. Knowledge

Your starting point on the road to success is knowledge.
You have to begin a study program. You must learn as
much as you can about your product or service.

You also have to begin a never ending study of how to
market and promote your product.

You have to learn in order to earn. As your knowledge
increases, so will your confidence.

2. War Chest

The second pillar is to evaluate your war chest.

How much money do you have to invest in your business?

Don’t use money you need for maintaining your lifestyle.
Use money you won’t miss.

Once you start dipping into money you need for everyday
expenses, the fear of loss will color your decisions.

Scared money never wins!

What if you don’t have money you can afford to lose?

You have to spend your time.

Periodically evaluate your war chest and decide whether
to spend your money or your time.

3. Marketing Plan

The third pillar is your marketing plan. You have to
develop a systematic plan of marketing and promoting
your business.

Your marketing plan will be determined by your knowledge
and capital.

Having a system will take the guess work out of
building your business.

You won’t have to agonize over every decision.

You’ll be able to “pull the trigger.”

Your marketing plan is your road map to success.

Build you knowledge base, evaluate your capital and
develop your marketing plan.

You’ve been given the “Keys.” Its up to you whether or
not you use them.

***
Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

John Colanzi uses the Plug-In Profit Site
to earn multiple streams of income from
home on the Internet. What about you?…
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
***

Free eBook on How to Make Money on the Internet

Dear fellow like-minded Internet Entrepreneur,

I would like to share with you a free eBook entitled, “Dotcomology” – the science of making money online.

This eBook has already helped thousands of people around the world making money online. If you want this free eBook and give it a try, you can dowload it by visiting the site below:

The Shoemaker And The Elves

by John Colanzi

Remember the story of the Shoemaker and The Elves?

The shoemaker would go to sleep and the elves would
finish any shoes he hadn’t gotten around to.

Our minds function in much the same way.

Our conscious, logical mind is the shoemaker. Our
subconscious is the elves.

Give your conscious mind a goal, gather all the facts
and let the elves do their work.

Many of our greatest inventions and discoveries have
come after the scientist or researcher had given up and
the elves took over.

The structure of DNA had baffled researchers for years.

Finally, the double helix was revealed in a dream about
intertwined snakes.

Around four years ago, I gave my little friends the task
of providing me with an ezine article a week.

I gathered the ideas and they wrote the articles.

They’ve written around 100 articles.

It makes my life so easy.

They do the work.

I get the credit.

When I sit down at the keyboard, the articles write
themselves.

The next time you’re stumped for an answer, gather the
facts and move out of the way. The elves will be more
than happy to do the work.

They’re tireless.

******
Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

John Colanzi uses the Plug-In Profit Site
to earn multiple streams of income from
home on the Internet. What about you?…
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
******

Home Based Business Opportunities – Are They For Real?

By David E. Costa

Home based businesses are becoming more and more popular. People are less and less secure in the “traditional” job market. They have reason to look for change. The days of starting with a stable company out of school and continuing into retirement are no more.

In fact, this has always been fantasy. There are many that think home based businesses are scams but the reality is just the opposite. It is the traditional employee-employer relationship that is the scam. Let me explain.

Let’s define what we are discussing.

Perform an internet search for any of the following terms: work at home, home based business, business opportunity, work from home, etc. There will be vast differences in the search results and at the same time quite a bit of cross-over as well.

There are two main categories of people searching for these subjects. First, is the person who wants to make money at home….with a job. This means that someone pays them something for their time or the performance of a task. The second group is people who are looking to actually work a business for themselves. They may or may not have any understanding of what that entails, but they are looking nonetheless.

What is the process?

Usually the process starts with (1) cold calling or “friends and family” marketing or (2) the prospect responds to an ad. It really doesn’t matter what the business does at this point or what they offer. The early stages all involve lead generation.

Since my business does not rely on cold calling or contacting friends and family, I will focus the professional marketer side of the business.

Respondents to ads are taken to a “filter”. This “filter” is a website, telephone hotline or similar screening method. I talk to many people who say the same thing…”I could not tell much about the opportunity by your website”. This is done on purpose to separate the tire kickers from the serious. My websites are actually designed to weed out a large portion of the people who make it to my web page.

If you are asked to provide your name and email address (or other information) you have “opted-in”, that means you have requested to be contacted by whoever placed the ad. Please realize this before you provide your information. You will be contacted by someone. You are in control. If it is not right for you, simply say so. Professionals will be direct with you and appreciate the same in return. I don’t want to waste my time or yours.

The process varies widely from there. This article is not about how to perform lead generation in your home based business. This article is about what a prospective work at home or work from home prospect should consider before they “opt-in” .

What is the Expectation?

Your expectations are your expectations. There is no right or wrong, as long as YOU are following your passion, as long as YOU have a reason bigger than money for wanting to start your new opportunity. If money is your sole motivator, be careful. You may not have thought through this completely.

I will not discuss “jobs” in this article. I simply don’t believe that jobs are right for achievers, for people with visions and passions.

So, you have a burning desire to create your own business! Congratulations! The best way to create true freedom is with a business of your own.

Why a home based business? Why not some other kind of business? Is there a difference? A business is a business. I don’t even like the “home based” terminology. In almost cheapens the concept. What does it matter where you work from?

A real business requires an investment. It requires start-up capital and it requires a dedicated investment of your time to make it work. If you are talking to someone who is telling you that for $50.00 and 2 hours a day you can make millions….just look somewhere else. Business need not be difficult, but it does require effort.

Create a business plan. It need not be complicated. What kind of “investment” can you make in your own future? Consider the basics, computer, phone, software to make more efficient use of your time, etc.

What about advertising? How will you develop qualified leads for your opportunity?
What kind of business entity will you be? Will you run a sole proprietorship, LLC, Corporation? Do you have an accountant that can help you take advantage of the many tax advantages of becoming an entrepreneur?

Here is the KEY to success!

Have a goal. Write it down.

Realize that you are becoming a business owner. Take that responsibility proudly.
You are not a home based business owner, you are a business owner! You will be compensated in direct proportion to your results, not your efforts. Results matter and they unshackle you!
You will need to make decisions. Continue with certainty as you make decisions to lead you toward your goal!

Now here is where it really gets exciting. Once you make your decision as to what your life looks like, and continue to take action toward that destination, the rest falls into place.

Your decision to pay that initial investment, your decision to be coachable and trainable, your decision to place your advertising, your decision to call people back and ask for a decision….all of this happens before the resources materialize.

Make it happen, find the cash, become the person of YOUR dreams and create abundance for yourself, your family and your associates!

***
David Costa is the founder of Renegade Concepts, Inc. (http://www.RenegadeConceptsInc.com). The mission of Renegade Concepts, Inc. is to offer opportunities that help others achieve abundance, follow their passion and enjoy life. David is a leader in network marketing and personal development (http://www.7FigureRenegade.com) and is available for interviews regarding personal development, real estate re-invented, aviation topics and patient safety. With that varied resume, you can see why he call himself, “unemployable…and grateful for it!”
***

eBay Coupons – How To Get It?

You have to be very lucky to be one of the chosen few who receive an eBay coupon by email. These coupons are just like cash that you can use towards anything you buy on eBay – the only conditions being that you pay using PayPal, and that you are using eBay in the USA, Canada or the UK.

There are two ways to get eBay coupons.

Wait for that Email.

Of course, if you just wait, you’ll be waiting for a long time. You have to do something to make yourself look like the kind of person eBay would want to tempt back with a coupon. If you open an account, buy a few medium-value things and then suddenly stop, the chances are you’ll find yourself with some kind of special offer – but still, not always.

Go Searching.

The better way, of course, is to go and find the coupons that are out there on the web. This is quite hit-and-miss, as eBay don’t always have an offer on, but when there’s a valid code you can guarantee that it’ll be everywhere within a few hours. Just type ‘ebay coupon codes’ into your favourite search engine, but be prepared to pick through some rubbish. You might find you have better luck if you use a more obscure search engine, where people haven’t taken the trouble to game the results.

If going through search engines is too much for you, then just keep an eye out at any community forums you frequent, where someone might just post one. You probably have the best chances if you make a few friends on eBay’s own forums at http://hub.ebay.com/community. It can be fun and educational to chat to the regulars there too, so you really have nothing to lose.

How do You Redeem Coupons?

A coupon is basically a code, with some being quite long. All you need to do is pay with PayPal as usual for the item you want to use the coupon towards. After you choose PayPal as your payment method, you will notice a heading that says ‘Coupons, Gift Certificates and eBay Anything Points’. Type the coupon code in here: they can be long, so you should use copy-and-paste to make sure you get it right. Just click ‘Redeem’, and it’s good to go.

Don’t worry about causing problems for sellers by doing this, by the way – they have no way of even telling that you used a coupon, as eBay just pay them for the item as usual. Coupons are good for sellers as they attract more buyers to eBay, meaning that they get more bids on their auctions. After all, why would they object to getting more money without you actually having to pay it?

Since you’re interested in making your eBay shopping more affordable, you might be interested to know that you can now buy eBay items on credit.

How To Use Paypal On eBay?

PayPal and eBay were made for each other – and now that eBay own PayPal, using them together is getting even easier.

What is PayPal?

People with PayPal accounts can send money to each other securely online. You can deposit money in a PayPal account from a bank account or a credit card, and withdraw money to your bank account. It is the most common way of paying on eBay, as well as being in widespread use on the rest of the Internet.

Opening a PayPal Account.

It’s very easy to get a PayPal account. Just go to www.paypal.com and click the ‘Sign Up’ link. As a buyer, you should get a Personal account – you can always upgrade later if you decide to start selling. Then all you need to do is enter your address, phone number and email address, and create a password, and two secret questions. You’ll be emailed a confirmation, and then you’re done!

If you want to deposit money into the account now, then you need to register a credit or debit card or your bank details, and if you want to withdraw money then you need to register your bank details. There’s no need to do anything like that just yet, though.

Paying with PayPal.

Paying with PayPal is very simple. When you win an auction and click ‘Pay Now’, you’ll be given a list of payment methods the seller accepts. You should always check what the seller accepts before you bid, as there are still some sellers who won’t take PayPal. If the seller does accept PayPal, it will already be chosen for you on the payment page.

Now you just need to press ‘Next’, type in your PayPal username and password and confirm the amount you want to pay. The first time you pay with PayPal you will need to enter the details of your card or bank account, but after that it will remember for you.

Becoming Verified.

You might have noticed that there is a limit to how much money you can send or withdraw using PayPal before you need to be verified. Verification has two steps. First, PayPal deposit some very small amounts of money in your bank account and you need to tell them how much they deposited.

Second, they need to phone you to confirm your address and phone number. Once you’ve done that, all the limits on your account will be lifted. Log in at paypal.com and click on ‘Get Verified’ for more information.

While you’ve been paying for your items, what you might not have realised is that eBay occasionally offers money off coupons. But where do you get them?

SafeHarbor: eBay’s Police Force!

SafeHarbor are the eBay police department. If you break the rules, commit fraud or try to buy something you’re not supposed to, they’ll be after you.

When You Don’t Pay.

This is the most common rule buyers break – it’s all too easy to just change your mind and try to get out of the auction. eBay regards every auction as a contract, and will punish you if you don’t go through with your end of the deal.

If you decide not to pay then expect to get a few nasty warning emails from eBay threatening you with banning if you do it again. Not to mention, of course, that you’ll get a big negative ‘DID NOT PAY’ feedback comment from the seller.

So There Are Things You Can’t Buy on eBay?

Yes, there are: more things than you’d expect. It makes sense that you can’t buy firearms, for example, but you also can’t buy fireworks – eBay are worried about the risks of sending them in the post. Laws in many countries mean that you can’t buy alcohol or tobacco.

You can’t buy illegal or prescription drugs, stocks and shares, or lottery tickets. No underwear, either. You can’t buy any little pet puppies or kittens, as animals are banned. If items infringe on copyright, like pirate CDs or software, then they’re not allowed either.

eBay’s policy is controversial, not least because it is somewhat random in its enforcement – and there have been accusations that they’re more responsive to the copyright concerns of big businesses than to auctions for items that might actually be dangerous. If they do decide to go after you or the seller, though, they will cancel the auction and may also suspend your accounts.

Fraud.

eBay runs remarkably well considering how unregulated it is, but there are still fraudsters. If you are a victim of fraud – for example, you pay for an item that never turns up – then SafeHarbor will investigate for you. eBay’s standard purchase protection will give you up to $200 back if your claim is successful. Be aware, though, that this can take a few months.

In addition, if you paid by PayPal, then they can usually reverse the transaction relatively easily and get you more (if not all) of your money back. This is another reason why many buyers prefer to use PayPal.

Some sellers are a little scared of the effectiveness of the refund system, as they can send out items in good faith only to find that their buyer was fraudulent and the transaction has been reversed. If you’re worried about fraud, as a buyer, you should always use PayPal.

FAQ for eBay’s Buyer

So you have a question? Has something gone very wrong and you don’t know what to do? Well, fair enough. Here are the questions that I hear all the time from buyers.

Does eBay have a Customer Service Department I Can Phone?

eBay are notoriously hard to contact, should you ever need to – it sometimes seems like they expect the site to run itself. You can email them, as long as you don’t have your heart set on a coherent response: go to http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/base/index.html.

You might have better luck in a ‘live help’ webchat here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/basics/n-livehelp.html.

Only eBay Power Sellers (sellers with a very high feedback rating) get to phone customer service. If you really want to try your luck, type ‘ebay [your country] phone number’ into a search engine and you’ll probably find something. Unfortunately, the chances are you’ll have gone to all that trouble for the privilege of leaving an answerphone message.

It might seem cruel, but imagine the number of people who would call eBay every day with the silliest questions if they gave out their phone number everywhere. Its Wild West nature is, in a way, part of its charm.

eBay Sent Me an Email Saying They’re Going to Close My Account. What Should I Do?

This email asks for your password, right? It’s a scam, an attempt to frighten you, make you give up your details and then steal your account. eBay will never ask for your password or any other account details by email. eBay say that you should only ever enter your password on pages that whose addresses start with http://signin.ebay.com/.

They even offer a special ‘Account Guard’ as part of their toolbar, which lets you check that you’re not giving your password to a dodgy fake site. You can read more here: http://pages.ebay.com/toolbar/accountguard_1.html.

It Seems Too Good to be True. How Does eBay Make Money?

For you, the buyer, eBay is free. Sellers, though, pay all sorts of fees: a listing fee for each item they list, a final value fee (a percentage of what the item sold for). They can they pay optional fees for extra services, including Buy it Now, extra pictures, reserve prices, highlighting the auction, putting it in bold, listing it first in search results or even putting it on the front page. You can see a full list of fees at http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/fees.html.

It’s obviously worth it to the sellers, though, or they wouldn’t carry on using eBay. The system is quite efficient, and basically forces both eBay and the sellers to keep their profit margins as low as possible – otherwise prices will simply go too high and the buyers will stop buying.

How Safe is eBay?

All of eBay’s safety services for buyers and sellers are in one place, called ‘SafeHarbor’. SafeHarbor handles fraud prevention and investigation, helps with dispute resolution and keeps rule-breakers in check.

What To Do WHen You Won In eBay Auction?

It’s a heady feeling when you win your first eBay auction: a mixture of happiness and perhaps just a little fear. After all, there seems to be so much to do before you can actually get your item.

What do you do next?

The simple answer is: you send payment to the seller, as quickly as possible. The quicker you pay, the more your seller will like you, and the sooner your item will arrive. But how you go about it? That all depends on how you plan to pay.

PayPal.

PayPal is one of the most popular options for paying on eBay, to the point where eBay decided to buy the company. It allows instant electronic payment across the Internet. Money goes instantly from your credit or debit card to the seller’s PayPal account, where they can either use it for Internet purchases or transfer it out to their bank.

eBay offer incentives for using PayPal, and almost all sellers now accept it. Its instant nature makes sellers very happy, and means that they can have your item packed and sent and leave you some positive feedback within a few hours of the auction ending. When paying by PayPal, you will be covered by PayPal’s own insurances and guarantees, as well as any that your card might have.

Cheques and Money Orders.

This is payment the old-fashioned way, and will lead to a long wait to your item. You need to post the cheque or money order, then the seller has to take it to the bank and get it cleared, and only then do they send the item. The only reason to use this method is if either you or the seller distrusts electronic payment methods. If you’re willing to go to the trouble with these sellers, though, you might get an item very cheaply, as most buyers just can’t be bothered.

When you pay by cheque or money order, make sure to print the eBay order confirmation page (it will be emailed to you) and put it in the envelope with your payment. Underline or circle key information like your mailing address and the item number. Finally, remember to be patient: keep in contact with the seller, as it really can take a month or two before everything falls into place and your item turns up.

Money Transfers and Bank Deposits.

Some sellers may ask you to pay them using a wire service like Western Union, or simply give you a bank account number and ask you to pay money into it. Unless you really trust the seller, this is generally a bad idea – these methods are hard to trace and you’re unlikely to get any money back if anything goes wrong. Paying in cash, it hardly needs to be said, is an even worse idea.

It’s all a lot to take in, isn’t it?

Three Fantastic Ways To Survive Online

Every affiliate marketer is always looking for the successful market that gives the biggest paycheck. Sometimes they think it is a magic formula that is readily available for them. Actually, it is more complicated than that. It is just good marketing practices that have been proven over years of hard work and dedication.

There are tactics that have worked before with online marketing and is continuing to work in the online affiliate marketing world of today. With these top three marketing tips, you will be able to able to increase your sales and survive in the affiliate marketing online.

What are these three tactics?

1. Using unique web pages to promote each separate product you are marketing.

Do not lump all of it together just to save some money on web hosting. It is best to have a site focusing on each and every product and nothing more.

Always include product reviews on the website so visitors will have an initial understanding on what the product can do to those who buys them. Also include testimonials from users who have already tried the product. Be sure that these customers are more than willing to allow you to use their names and photos on the site of the specific product you are marketing.

You can also write articles highlighting the uses of the product and include them on the website as an additional page. Make the pages attractive compelling and include calls to act on the information. Each headline should attract the readers to try and read more, even contact you. Highlight your special points. This will help your readers to learn what the page is about and will want to find out more.

2. Offer free reports to your readers.

If possible position them at the very top side of your page so it they simply cannot be missed. Try to create autoresponder messages that will be mailed to those who input their personal information into your sign up box. According to research, a sale is closed usually on the seventh contact with a prospect.

Only two things can possibly happen with the web page alone: closed sale or the prospect leaving the page and never return again. By placing useful information into their inboxes at certain specified period, you will remind them of the product they thought they want later and will find out that the sale is closed. Be sure that the content is directed toward specific reasons to buy the product. Do not make it sound like a sales pitch.

Focus on important points like how your product can make life and things easier and more enjoyable. Include compelling subject lines in the email. As much as possible, avoid using the word “free” because there are still older spam filters that dumps those kind of contents into the junk before even anyone reading them first. Convince those who signed up for your free reports that they will be missing something big if they do not avail of your products and services.

3. Get the kind of traffic that is targeted to your product.

Just think, if the person who visited your website has no interest whatsoever in what you are offering, they will be among those who move on and never come back. Write articles for publication in e-zines and e-reports. This way you can locate publications that is focusing on your target customers and what you have put up might just grab their interest.

Try to write a minimum of 2 articles per week, with at least 300-600 words in length. By continuously writing and maintaining these articles you can generate as many as 100 targeted readers to your site in a day.

Always remember that only 1 out of 100 people are likely to buy your product or get your services. If you can generate as much as 1,000 targeted hits for your website in a day, that means you can made 10 sales based on the average statistic.

The tactics given above does not really sound very difficult to do, if you think about it. It just requires a little time and an action plan on your part.

Try to use these tips for several affiliate marketing programs. You can end maintaining a good source of income and surviving in this business that not all marketers can do. Besides, think of the huge paychecks you will be receiving.