Personal behavior will take us far in life as well as in business. Doing unto others as we would have done unto us is a core principle of the Christian Faith and one well listened to. “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,” as Paul wrote in chapter three of Colossians, we should wake in gods light and let our light so shine before men, giving God the glory.

It will create success in our lives as well as in our businesses, teaching us the value of Christian Business Principles. One of the first things that Paul tells us to clothe ourselves in is compassion. Compassion is defiantly a personal virtue well worth attaining.

Having compassion on others shows wisdom and understanding and this is something that others will always see. It builds character within us and helps keep us on the write track.

Compassion’s core is in empathy and sympathy, standing with others in their time of need provides support and helps to lift burdens when people need it most.

The next thing Paul mentions is kindness and humility. Kindness is easy and works wonders, humility on the other hand is a bit more complex. Humility some would say is a quality of being modest, not arrogant, and not rude. I like to describe humility as lifting others up rather than focusing on bringing yourself down.

Modesty is defiantly a good trait to have and portray, but if we focus on lifting others up, modesty will come, and as we lift others up we will many times be solving some of our problems with out even knowing it.

Paul next writes that we should be meek and have patients. Check back for part two which will continue our discussion on being meek and having patients.

About the Author
Mark Harriman is a Christian husband and father of two. My team and I are teaching others how to absolutely create success online. Visit http://www.g10netprofits2.com for business tools and opportunities. Article Source

There is so much information on how a Christian can start an online business and how they can get started by taking advantage of Christian business opportunities. Information overload is often the very thing that keeps the newbie that is new to internet marketing from starting their own home business.

If you have been seeking information on the internet for a business opportunity for any amount of time, you most likely have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of opportunities to take advantage of. The internet is full of online business opportunities and it can be very overwhelming for a newbie. There are so many informative programs on the internet that say they can guide the average person into learning how to run a successful business through using their marketing plans.

If you’re a newbie to the internet, don’t wait until after you have spent a lot of money, only to discover that a lot of opportunities on the internet are scams. Scammers are popping up all over the internet. Take the time and do your homework, and make sure it is a legitimate business opportunity with a good marketing plan.

Have you ever seen those business opportunity websites with pictures of cars, boats and a lot of cash, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment of temptation.They say you are going to make an enormous amount of money over night. They even go as far as to say you don’t need any knowledge or understanding of internet marketing, they will take care of every thing for you. Don’t give them your hard earned money only to get nothing in return. There is no such thing as get rich quick programs.

To start an online business and be successful, it is going to take some time and patience, and you have to be willing to learn and work at it in order to make it a successful business. Success does not happen over night, its not the Christian way.

Starting and maintaining an online business means hard work and the ability to learn marketing. You can’t put up a website and just forget it; you need to promote your business to be successful, and this is going to take some effort on your part. The Internet is a powerful marketing tool, if used correctly, and you’re willing to work at it, you will find the reward well worth it.

If your plan was to do a search for Christian business opportunities to find some business ideas to start an online business and you don’t have a lot of money to work with, you will discover that an online business does not require a large amount of money. All you need is a website, a domain name and good way to promote it.

Today, in the world of the internet, we have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to opportunities and business ideas. To start an online business you must understand, you’re going to sell a product or provide a service that can be done online. Let us check out some business ideas for an online business.

1. You can create a digital product and make your knowledge sell. Write a book? A how-to guide? A saleable manual? Your good at cooking and have your recipes that you have been keeping all to yourself, you can create your own e-book to sell online.

Everybody has literally hundreds of starting points! What is it that you love to talk about? A hobby? Golf, fishing, hunting, and so forth? What do you do for fun and games? What do you do day after day, sewing, knitting, making quilts, rugs, without even thinking about it?

Take the time and think about what you tend to do in a typical day, and what you’ve learned from it. What sections of a book store or a magazine shop do you automatically gravitate toward? What kind of TV shows do you tend to like most? Movies? As you can see you have picked up a lot of experience and knowledge and yours is based on what you already know.

2. Start an online business using a drop ship supplier. All you would need is a wholesale supplier who will drop ship products that you want to sell in your internet store, a low cost web site and a merchant account. With an online store you have the opportunity to sell just about anything, computers, DVD movies, small kitchen appliances, jewelry, the list goes on. The wholesale supplier charges you a set price for the products and your profit is the difference between that price and the price you charge your customers in your online store. The wholesale supplier will drop ship the product to your customer with your company name on the package.

3. Start an online business with affiliate programs. There is a lot of companies with Christian business opportunities that try to encourage people to promote their products on their website, blog, or email. In return, the said company will pay you a certain percentage of every sale. You can make anywhere from 5% to 75% profit depending on what company you choose to sign up with.

4. Start your own online auction. If you are into auctions and thinking about starting an online career as an auction seller then you may want to check out eBay. There are millions of people making an income selling on eBay full or part time. You can use eBay to sell just about any item you think of, or you can create your own website. You can sell just about anything on eBay.

5. Start a Christian bookstore. With an online a book store you don’t have the hassles of stocking inventory or shipping and handling products. You will also discover in today’s economy that a lot of people find it convenient to do their shopping online. More and more elderly people are also finding it convenient to do their shopping online so they can enjoy the comfort of their home.

These are just some of the online business ideas for a newbie to keep in mind when you’re doing a search for Christian business opportunities. This will give you a better understanding of what to look for, and help you come up with some good ideas of your own.

Our Christian Site at http://www.christianideas.net helps Christians to start a online business that will enable them with the tools needed to succeed in spreading God’s Word. For more information check out our FREE educational tutorials for Christian Business opportunities. Article Source

Granted, there are some questionable resources and programs out there that will have you spinning your wheels without ever seeing results, but this message isn’t about what is being offered, it’s intended to help people focus on what they DO with materials they’ve chosen to try.

Have you ever watched how people tend to communicate on a work at home message forum…without posting yourself…just to glimpse the potential reasons why so many are failing time and again?

In a nutshell, these people who are prone to repetitive failure are STILL believing they will somehow run across “the ultimate formula”, or they will just happen to stumble upon the “one guarded secret” that will bring them HUGE income…FAST.

Make a mental note here: There is NO SUCH THING.

Ok, so in watching some work at home message boards for a while, you happen to notice that every time someone poses an “opportunity” or Internet Marketing “resource”, or previously unheard of “Get Paid to” program, or promising sales pitch for a new “sitebuilder complete with customizable affiliate ads in place”, 43 members of the forum race hastily to be the first to reply….”Me! Me! Me! Here’s my email address, send me the information!! Hurry! I want to be first! I need to make money online! Right now!”

Another mental note: Posting your email address on a message board is like saying, “I want to be a victim, spam me, I want EVERYONE and his brother to show me their opportunities for $49.95!”.

On with the story…ok, so you happen to notice that the same 43 forum members are jumping at everything they see, all over the boards, from cool sounding Business Opportunities to Click and Earn Marketing, and from Get Paid for Surveys to Work at Home Employment Listings.

Third mental note: The definition of “determination” is NOT a hard drive full of purchased products that a person collects without having a clue how to fully utilize any of them. Additionally, something is NOT a SCAM simply because a person got to step three and then gave up in frustration and impatience.

Working from home is just that…”working”. I would venture to guess that we ALL probably start out acting very similarly to the 43 forum members mentioned above. After all, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the Internet is all about delivering what we’re seeking in a fraction of the time it would take to drive to the library, find the geographical maps section, grab the right resource, and help junior look up exactly where Argentina should be listed on his school project.

In summary: When approaching work at home, approach it as “work”. When applying for work at home jobs, use the same professionalism you would use as if you were walking into H&R Block, with resume in hand, in response to their ad published in the Help Wanted section of your local newspaper.

Appearing as if you’re flighty, scattered, anxious, and in need of Ritalin isn’t going to get you anything but a sideways look after you walk out of the building.

Choose ONE thing and learn to do it WELL. Go through each of the steps fully, looking for answers to end your confusion when you get stuck, and follow through until completion. Go back over the steps, make improvements, learn more, and follow through. Then you can look at the NEXT thing and repeat all of the above.

Finally, do NOT expect instantaneous results. Nurture it, give it time to grow, give YOURSELF time to grasp what you’re doing, continue learning, and remain focused on the end result rather than scanning the web for the “next venture” that MIGHT be “easier”.

Final mental note: Whether or not you “reach” your own definition of success is entirely up to you. Sometimes, altering the way you “perceive” working online, or from home, and analyzing yourself, your strengths, and where and why you’ve failed before, will give you valuable (sometimes painful, but useful just the same) insight to help you alter those destructive habits.

You CAN make a promising career and income working from home, rather than making a career out of trying to make a career…and failing repeatedly.

About the Author:
Polly Taskey is the webmaster of WAHcycle ™, the Official Work at Home Swap, Sell, Share Network allowing members to swap, sell, or share work at home job leads, equipment, training, co-promotion, affiliate programs, articles, ebooks, advice, success stories, and much more free. Polly has overcome many difficult obstacles and has been supporting her family alone while working from home since 2003. She has become self-educated in Web Design, Graphic Design, Internet Marketing, and Freelance Writing. This by-line must be included in full with proper credit given when re-posting this article. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Polly_Taskey

God has blessed you with a vision for a business. You research your market, you write up a business plan and you make the leap. So how can Christians in business be successful? The answer is to stay true to your Christian convictions.

Cultivate a sweet and willing spirit. Read and meditate over Galatians 5. Remember the difference between you and unbelievers. God has called you to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Allow those passages to shape your testimony in business.

Guard your virtues. Keep a distance from unbelievers. In business this means work with believers. Unbelieving costumers are one thing, unbelieving coworkers are another. Be cautious about who you bring into your business. Remember that the act of everyone is a testimony about you and your business.

Be vigilant about your testimony. Christians in business are constantly tempted to cut corners or bend the rules. This is the fastest way to the bottom. Whether you are a sole proprietorship or not, your reputation is all that matters. Walk away from situations that will leave you and your testimony tainted.

Provide opportunity for fellowship. Depending on the type of business you run, you may or may not be able to encourage Bible studies or similar activities. However, there is no law about inviting your employees or costumers to your home. Hospitality goes a long way in making an impression. Also, don’t forget the power of fellowship with your current support system. Bounce ideas off other believers. Perspective is key to finding a stray sheep.

Run a Christian business. Run your business as Jesus would. Don’t let people walk all over you, but don’t walk all over others either. Be proactively helpful. Be fair and a model business person.

Finally, remember there is nothing unchristian about providing for your family. If the opportunity dries up and you are forced to move on in order to provide for you family, do it. Whether you are a head of household or not, God has given you a family; take care of them. Never put your business above your family and never put your business above God. The hardest thing about Christians in business is avoiding idols. Don’t worship your business.

About the Author:
Lori Bell is an entrepreneur and creator of the Kingdom Business Success Blueprint, the step-by-step system designed for Christian business owners who want to use their knowledge, experience and talent to start a successful online business that creates passive income, more time and more fun! If you are ready to accelerate your profits and launch your million dollar idea, visit Kingdombusinesssuccess.com for a FREE audio program of “Package Your Passion For Online Profits: How To Transform Your Own Ideas, Knowledge and Experience Into A Money-Making Kingdom Business”. Article Source

I walked by a summer league baseball field the other day. I noticed a sign on the fence. A huge sign. It read …

MLB players are little league players that never gave up.

I stood there for a moment … watching the little leaguers. They were clumsy. Uncertain and awkward. But they had an interest in
Improving their skills. I knew that some of those little guys would Some day achieve their dreams. They would be winners.

In order to be a winner at Network Marketing, it takes time. Maybe even a very long time.

As a network marketer, you must realize that success doesn’t happen over night.
It happens little by little each day.

Beginning your network marketing journey will be scary and awkward. You will be unsure and uncertain at times.

Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from those. It will help you in your journey to success. As you learn, your network marketing business will grow and prosper. Everyone makes mistakes. Capitalize on them.

Feeling frustrated? That is okay too. Everyone has a bad day. Even the most successful network marketers get knocked down. However, they choose to get right back up and keep going time and time again.

Spend time on personal development. To truly succeed, you must work on yourself
first! Carve out a few minutes every day to focus on YOU. Apply what you learn to your
network marketing business and your personal life. It might surprise you how the two
mesh together.

Think positive. Believe you can succeed at network marketing. Keep negative thoughts out of your mind. Surround yourself with positive thoughts. You need to believe in yourself before others will believe in you.

Building a business is a journey, not a race. It doesn’t happen over night. Take steps every
day and you will see results.

About the Author
Lisa Willard is a life-time learner and online marketer. Are you interested in learning the secrets of building a business online. You can contact me at lwillard@omega1w.net or visit my personal website at http://www.OnlineCandleTeam.com. Article Source

As a mom you have kids running around the house. Some of them may be yours while others may not be, but that’s ok because your kids will be where you can see them.

If you have kids that want to help mommy with her business or if you have kids that want to make money, then you should allow them to help. It will help them have an understanding of business and it will help them with responsibility.

There are so many things your kids can do to help you with your business. What they can do depends on your business, but there is always something you can come up with. Make sure you give them things that are age appropriate and make sure they understand what you want them to do.

Here are a few suggestions that will work with most businesses.

1. If you like to hand out flyers, consider having your children go door to door placing a flyer in the handle of the screen door. Make sure you explain what the sign no solicitations means so they don’t place a flyer on a door that says that.

2. If you send out packages to your customers, you can have your kids help you pack the boxes. Depending on the age of your children, you may need to check each box before it goes out, but they’ll still feel like they helped.

3. Preparing envelopes to include in your packages is another task your kids can do for you. They can prepare the envelope in its entirety or you can have everything prepared and they can put them in the envelopes for you.

4. If your kids are older and enjoy the computer and the internet, you could train them how to do some of your online tasks. Article marketing, blog posts, and email management are just a few of the tasks they can handle. Step by step instructions will make it easier for them to handle.

You need to remember that your kids want to spend time with you. When you have a business to run that can be a challenge. The best way to make it work is to have them help you run your business.

Depending on the age of your kids, you may be able to find the perfect task for them to handle. When you can work side by side with them you will all have fun and you’ll be able to accomplish what you set out to do each day and still spend that quality time with your kids that you all crave.

About the Author
Corrie Petersen runs several successful businesses. She is a success virtual assistant and she successfully runs a Christian jewelry business with her family. Visit her websites at http://www.virtualfreedom4you.com and http://www.heavenlycrosses.com to see what she has to offer.

Summer time means we’re usually outside more, away from the computer, and getting some sunshine. That can make it difficult to stick with some of the marketing plans that rely heavily on the internet. Not sure what to do to stay active with your marketing while busy enjoying summer with your family? Here are a few low-tech and off-line ways you can get in some business marketing while you’re off to the beach or park.

Write Thank You Notes: Real, old-fashioned pen and paper note cards are still available at your local stores. Pick up a few packages and some stamps. Then write a few while you’re watching your kiddos play outside in the yard. You could send them to your top customers, the ones who’ve been with you the longest, vendors who make it easy to work with them, or even bloggers who you enjoy following online. A hand written thank you note can go a long way towards building a relationship with key clients or those you want to connect with.

Carry Your Business Cards & Let Them Out of Your Purse: Keep your business cards ready so you can hand them out when you meet someone who could use your products or services, or who knows someone who could. Business cards are a very inexpensive marketing tool. I like Overnight Prints. Vista Print is also very popular.

Advertise on Your Taxi: Do you feel like a taxi driver hauling your kids around to all those summer activities? Get a nice decal or magnet to stick on your vehicle and get some extra benefit from all that extra mileage. Check out the options from Vista Print here.

Use Your Products: If you sell a product, keep it with you and use it creatively while you’re out and about. Sell Tupperware? Use it for the kid’s snacks when you go to the park. Sew your own hand bags, diaper bags, clothing, or baby carriers? Make sure you’ve got a nice visible logo and website URL on the item and then wear it proudly while you’re away from home.

Make Targeted Donations: Keeping in mind who your ideal client is, choose things to donate to that reach that client and involve your children. For example, most little league type summer activities are always open to donations of items or sponsorships.

Wear Your Logo: Websites like Cafe Press make it easy to custom design t-shirts, baseball caps and more with your designs. Create one for you or your kids with your logo or an appropriate slogan, quote or funny line and your website URL.

About the Author:

And now, let me give you access to some great free resources for small businesses including 101 Free/Cheap Ways to Market Your Business, 119 Things You Can Outsource, and more at MichelleShaeffer.com

Michelle Shaeffer has been a work at home mom for more than 10 years and loves to share the tips and strategies she’s learned to help other home based business owners balance, manage, and market their businesses.

My first step into the work-at-home world was as a data extractor for a company in my local area. Believe it or not, I found that job in the Classified Ads section of the newspaper. That, however, was ten years ago. A lot has changed in the last ten years – the internet alone has grown by leaps and bounds. So, what are some of the best ways for people in today’s market to find a telecommuting opportunity?

Classified Ads
One good thing about the technology available to us today is that most Classified Ads are now not only listed in print newspapers, but online as well. Take a look through these to see if there are businesses in your area looking for local at-home workers.

Online Job Sites
Most online job websites now offer telecommuting listings. Use the search term “telecommute” to help give you the best results. There are even websites that cater to the work-at-home crowd such as HireMyMom.com. Remember – always be sure to read the fine print, and research each company/opportunity that interests you.

Freelance
More and more at-home workers are freelancing on a contract basis. Writers, web designers, graphic artists, and more are finding this a viable option to allow them to work from home. There are websites, such as elance.com, that cater specifically to the freelance community and make it easy for freelancers to connect with companies and individuals looking to hire them.

Start A Business
Other trend among telecommuters is heading out on their own. Taking the data entry and executive assistant skills that they’ve gained over the years, these at-home workers are now launching their own Virtual Assistant (VA) services, Copy-writing services and other such businesses.

There are an amazing amount of resources for telecommuters today. These positions are in high demand, so be sure to polish your resume and tailor it to fit the type of work that you’re searching for. Be persistent – it may take a while to locate the right opportunity, but it will be well worth the wait.

–

Jill Hart’s entrepreneurial career began in her teens when she spent a summer working with her father who ran his own business. When he put her in charge of a Coke machine and allowed her to keep the profits, she saw the benefits of being her own boss. She is the founder of the popular Christian work-at-home website CWAHM.com and mentors business owners at http://SuccessfulChristianWomen.com. Jill is also the co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom (Beacon Hill Press, 2009).

One of the most common questions asked by internet business owners is “How can I increase sales?” Many articles, ebooks and reports have been written on this subject and trying to absorb that information just tends to make us more confused than ever! Below are some easy, innovative ideas to increase sales that anybody can implement into their online marketing strategies.

1. Offer “Freebies” on your site for your visitors. Free reports, ebooks, services, support, ezine, etc. can be great ways to increase your customer’s trust in you, thus bringing you more sales. Another way to offer something free is to offer a free bonus with every order.

2. Add a community message board to your website. Encourage your visitors to be a part of this community. This will also help increase trust and sales. Offer help, advice, support etc. via your community.

3. Use “bundling” to enable your customers to save money by ordering more! This marketing tactic has done wonders for many businesses and it can for you as well. I offer ebook bundles or kits and they have increased my sales immensely. For example: I sell ebooks for one dollar each but by bundling 35 together for just $15.00, I not only help my customers, I help my business increase sales as well. Make up a separate sales page for your “bundles” and offer a variety of bundle specials as well. Remember, helping your customers, helps you as well.

4. Participate in autoresponder ad swaps. If you send out autoresponder messages fine other online businesses who do the same and contact them with an offer of an ad swap. You will place their ad on your messages, if they do the same for you. This can be a great way to get more exposure for your business. Find businesses that complement yours. For example: if you sell jewelry find business owners who sell clothing as this would help your business not compete with it.

5. Post a tip board on your site. Change the tips daily or weekly to keep people coming back for more. Make sure the tips are helpful and contain useful information and/or resources.

6. Follow-up with customers and potential customers to make sure their experience was satisfying or to offer your help and assistance when needed. When a person emails me with questions about selling ebooks, I answer promptly and then in a few days I send a follow-up. I ask them if they have received my reply and if there is anything else I can do for them. This simple task takes about two minutes, yet brings in a lot of sales. It shows the customer you care about providing a good experience for them and are willing to help them if they need it.

7. Create a survey for your site and encourage your visitors to participate. Give them something in return such as a free gift or discount on their first order. Surveys can help you determine if something needs to be changed on your site or in the way you conduct your marketing. This information could be invaluable to your business! Do a search for “create free survey forms” and you should find lots of services that will help you do this.

8. Keep your website fresh and update it regularly. If you never add anything new people will stop coming. Add new articles, new sales, new contests, new freebies, new information, etc.

9. Always tell your customers thank you and let them know they are appreciated. Never treat them as if they are a bother or a waste of time. Even if a potential customer does not buy from you, they might tell someone about their experience and that person could come and order from you. Unfortunately, these days, many businesses forget that it is the customers that keep them alive!

10. Write a report or ebook and offer it to people and let them know they can give it to their visitors and subscribers. Webmasters are always looking for good resources to offer their visitors, why not make it yours. Think of the possibilities – you give it to 5 people, they each give it to 5 more people and so on and so on. The free exposure you get is limitless!

There are limitless ways to build your business online and increase sales. Many are free so don’t be afraid to try new things and contact other business owners for joint ventures, ad swaps, etc. This article is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, so start today and get more sales for you and your business!

About the Author:
Terri Seymour (also known as “The eBook Lady”) has over ten years online experience and has helped many people start their own business. Visit her site at www.seymourproducts.com for resources, $1 resell ebooks & software, free tutorials, affiliate programs, free ezine and free business ebook with Master Resell Rights. www.seymourproducts.com/free.shtml

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Social media is definitely hot now as a means to get clients and more exposure for your business. But understanding it all can be a challenge. Not anymore. This week we are going to break it down and show you the different social media tools and just what they can be used for in your business.

First the granddaddy of them all, Facebook. No need to tell you what Facebook is, but let’s concentrate on how it can drive sales to your business. It’s important to use your Facebook page itself as marketing tool by providing information on your business and a means to connect to you on there. It allows you to brand your business, drive more traffic to your site, post events, etc. I’ve also discovered that the advertising feature of Facebook ads works well too.

Twitter next – I for one am definitely a Twitter addict. I love it. Not only because I can connect with my friends and associates, but because it drives people to my site and the events that I host. For example, I’m doing a PR class now, and being able to tweet about it gives me more signs-ups. You just can’t beat that added exposure.

YouTube – There is no denying the power of videos. People love to feel more connected with you personally online and this is a means to do it. We recommend not only doing a single video about your business, but developing a whole series on tips that show your expertise. Just make sure these add value and aren’t just an advertisement.

TubeMogul – For video uploads and syndication, this allows you to upload a single video to dozens of video sites including YouTube. Oh yes, it’s that easy!

Flickr – This allows you to download photos and easily add them to your blogs and presentations. This is especially beneficial for real estate agents, wedding planners, event companies, etc. When you can show what you can do for clients and have done previously, it entices people to want to know more.There are so many more, but this should get you started. Isn’t it amazing what’s out there today. Until next time, happy marketing!

About the Author:

Diana Ennen is the President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com where she specializes in PR and marketing and business startups. She is the Co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom. Contact her at Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com or @dianaennen on Twitter.

Over the last several years blogging has become the foundation for social media campaigns of businesses big and small. Where Facebook and Twitter help keep companies in the limelight, spreading the word about special events, discounts and newsworthy items, blogs are the place where companies build their reputation and make sales.

As popular as blogging has become, I often hear from home-based business owners who are trying to figure out exactly what a blog consists of and how they can use one to benefit their business. Below are three tips that can help maximize the impact of your business blog.

1. It’s All In The Name

Be sure to choose a name for your blog that is both descriptive and easy to remember. Try to stick to either your business name or the name of your star product/service. If none of these are available consider using your name or business tagline.  Also, consider possibly adding in your keywords … such as Publicity Virtual Assistant.

2. Use Keywords Effectively

When you write posts for your business blog be conscious of the words that you choose. Pepper your posts with keywords relating to your business, products, services and brand. These keywords will trigger Search Engine results and help you reach the top of the results for your keywords. Be careful not to overuse keywords, though, because readers will get frustrated  and the Search Engines consider that against the rules.

Also, consider keyword phrases – often called long tail keyword phrases (why, I’m not sure!).  Long tail keywords are simply a sting of words that make up a phrase that represent your keywords. Think, what would people type in Google to find me.  Examples, “how to start a business.”  Think … how can I define my blog more (or this particular post). I wrote this blog post on … (fill in the blank), now what keywords do I need to put in so others can find me?

3. Quality Information (No Fluff!) & Fresh, Regular Content
Another thing to consider when writing business blog posts is to keep your posts informational. The more quality content you offer to readers, the more often they will visit your blog. Also, by posting regularly your readers will get to know the schedule and tend to visit your blog on a regular basis because of it.

You know your audience best.  What do they want to hear?  Need to hear? Solve that problem that you’ve been having and you know others are having too.  Consider adding in reviews, recommendations, etc.  Your blog can be so much more than you talking about your business.  What fun thing can you add?  Contest, giveaways, etc.

There are many ways to use a blog for business use. If used correctly, a blog can be a terrific tool to inform potential customers of your business. Be sure to update your blog regularly so that the content remains fresh and people coming back for more great information.

–
Tips from Jill Hart of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com and Diana Ennen of VirtualWordPublishing.com. For more tips visit http://SoYouWantToBeaWAHM.com. These tips can be used if you include this short bio.

Today one of the most important aspects of running a successful business is to make sure that you streamline the payment process. You want to make it easy for your business to not only bill clients, but also easy for your clients to pay those invoices.

The best way to do that is to set up your invoicing online. Online invoicing allows customers to easily create, track, and send invoices and accept credit card payments instantly. This alleviates the stress of all the paperwork involved and allows businesses to focus more on the important aspects of running their business.

Also, it ensures that the credit card payments you receive are good and won’t be declined once you process the credit card and that you get paid in a timely fashion.No more the check is in the mail or I’ll pay that invoice tomorrow. By setting up auto-billing you can automatically charge your client’s credit card.

This is perfect for retainer and membership fees whereas billing is done on a regular basis. The bottom line is that you now have control. You’re back in charge of your finances. And it’s so easy to do.

The key is to find the right company that offers all the features you need. You want a company that can offer the following:

* The ability to collect payments online and get paid immediately with a credit card.

* The option to create, email, print, and manage all invoices.

* The ability to set up automatic and recurring billing.

* The ability to create professional looking invoices.

* The ability to send notifications on recurring transactions that a charge is going to be processed.

* Easy processing. Many companies make it so that you can start accepting payments within minutes.

One method for setting up online invoicing is through a virtual terminal, which is basically accepting payments virtually. Payments are made remotely with 24-hour access to a secure network providing instant authorization on credit transactions. Some systems also allow shopping cart capabilities and the ability to add a merchant account to an existing shopping cart or establish a new shopping cart.

Some credit card processing companies also offer additional services including the ability to accept payments over the phone. This is perfect for businesses that conduct work in and out of the office allowing them the ability to not only accept payments online but also through their existing phones, even their iPhones. So even when out in the field conducting business, sales can be processed.

Businesses that can benefit with online invoicing include virtual assistants, home-based businesses, service-oriented businesses, online retailers, those in direct sales, speakers, coaches, and so forth. Anyone who needs the ability to accept credit card payments quickly and efficiently can benefit.

Getting paid for your services and products is so critical to a company’s bottom line. To make sure you get paid regularly by your clients find the merchant account processing company that meets all your needs today and in the future. **

Author Bio

CellCharge, Inc., specializes in setting up merchant accounts and offers credit card acceptance by phone and online invoicing. Perfect for small businesses & others who want the convenience of offering their clients credit card processing anywhere, anytime. http://www.cellcharge.com

When many “brick & mortar” small business owners think about the internet and websites, they see it as advertising, just like a billboard or maybe even a television or radio commercial. Even though a website is a form of advertising it can be so much more. First and foremost a business website provides you the opportunity to inform and educate your clients about your products and your industry. When you take the time to honestly educate your clients they will naturally begin to see you as the expert that you are. That education leads to trust and lays the foundation for an ongoing relationship between you and your clients. That foundation will help your clients be able to shop with confidence knowing which products or services will best suit their needs.

We all know as business owners and consumers that a company’s customer service department can make or break the business. Providing excellent customer service or helpful client relations departments is crucial to maintaining your client’s confidence in your product and business. With a business website you are able to provide efficient and helpful customer service through a “frequently asked questions” section and “contact us” web pages. Nothing takes the place of personal help for problems, however as a small business owner you can free up some of your valuable time by addressing “frequently asked” client questions on your website. Also, many customers may want to discuss an issue or purchase with you but may not have the time available for an in-depth phone call. With a website you can have a contact form on your contact page for questions, comments and even testimonials. Your clients or prospects type their information: first name, email address and question or comment. Then they click submit and the information is sent directly to your email address. They never have to sign-in or out of their own email account, which will save them time resulting in increased feedback about your products or services. This feedback alone could be worth a fortune to your business, allowing you to better understand what prospects and clients are really in need of and how you can help them get it. Not only is the feedback great for helping you re-evaluate products, services or approaches, but it will allow you to gain client testimonials with ease.

Think back to your last big purchase. Were you referred by a friend or relative? Our human nature wants to know that we are not alone in our problems and struggles so naturally when we discover a business that has been successful in helping others with those same struggles, we are ready to listen. If that business has clients that are willing to boast about the service, products or company then we are even more likely to purchase from that business. Why? Because “so-and-so” said that they did a fantastic job, or the product was amazing and helped them tremendously. Those little blurbs of praise from satisfied customers can really turn a prospect into a client.

Not only can you use your website to educate and inform consumers about your services, products and industry, but you can provide on-going education through a weekly or monthly e-zine or newsletter. As the mother of a very “picky-eater” I struggled to find information on “How to Get my Child to Eat New Foods”, after searching I found an article many years ago that discussed a child’s need to be introduced to new foods several times before they will even try it. In fact the article recommended that you offer a new food 10-15 times before even expecting the child to eat it. Eventually, the youngster will consider it “o.k.” to consume. Well the same is true for adult consumers. We need to be familiar with a product or company before we will feel that it is safe to purchase. Most consumers need to be exposed to a product or business approximately 10-20 times before they will purchase from the company. Well unless you plan on calling folks, or stopping by to see them 10-20 times you have to find a better way. Many businesses will send flyers or sales letters which can be beneficial. However if you are a small business you will want the cheapest and most effective way of exposing your products. Almost every American consumer has access to a computer, either at home, work or even the public library. The result is that most consumers have an email address and would love to get informative updates on products or services that you offer, especially when there is a discount or promotional code in the email. For the best results in your business I would not dream of suggesting that you stop talking to customers by phone or in person, but you should consider the possibility of incorporating all four approaches to your business. Contact them in person, by phone, by mail and by email to create variety in the exposure of your business this will also provide a selling option for those customers that can not get to your “store-front” on a regular basis. It is important to understand that no one wants to open their email inbox to find 20 messages from a business. People do not want to be sold, they want to be informed. Educate them through your newsletter with genuinely helpful articles tips and resources and they will show their appreciation. Quantity is not the key! Quality is! With email newsletters it is best to use an email marketing company such as Aweber or Constant Contact to provide sign up forms and unsubscribe links, that way your clients have the choice to subscribe and unsubscribe in each email that they receive. This helps to keep you from being considered “SPAM”. These features are a requirement for any emails from businesses, so check into it before you send your first email.

Unless you are a non-profit organization, you are in business to make a profit. Let’s not kid ourselves, yes we want to help people and that should be our main concern, however if you are not making a profit then your ability to help others is strained. Having a business website can help provide another source of income for your business. Depending on your business type, you may be able to offer products directly from your website through an e-commerce section, or e-store. You do not have to offer every item you sell in your “brick & mortar” store-front, however you could make a considerable amount of money by offering a few products online. Let me give you an example. I had been talking with a small business owner not too long ago about monetizing his website. He already had a basic website developed and was happy with it. So I decided to check out his website. It was a nice site, good graphics and was simple to navigate, but I noticed that he was not offering any products online. So I did some research for him. I discovered that the website had gotten approximately 2,800 page views over the first six months it was published. That was good except he was not able to “do” anything with those clients that had viewed his website. So I took him the following information:

If only 12% of the 2,800 page views were individuals that wanted to purchase something online, and they purchased only $25.00 worth from your website each, then you would have made around $8400.00 in sales over that six month period! That is a nice chunk of change!

That business owner was missing out on possible income from his website, above what he was making from his store! Do not make the same mistake, no matter what you offer in your “brick and mortar” store-front there are ways to offer products online without “paying through the nose,”. Even if you only offer a service you can still make money through referrals to other companies, offering your own information products, or even offering company branded products such as t-shirts, mugs or something related to your service or industry. Do not miss out on your website income!

Your client’s confidence and trust is vital to your business. You can help to build that foundation by providing excellent customer service; honest resources about your products, services and industry; and by creating your own business “branding”. That “branding” is what will help clients and prospects recognize and choose your business over the competition. One of the easiest ways to accomplish these goals for less money than traditional advertising attempts is to create a business website and learn how to market online.

About the Author:
Sherry Pence is a wife, mother, educator and freelance writer. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early to Middle Education. She is the owner of SSP Life Lessons and creator of http://www.womansguide.net. Her website offers free resources and articles for women on topics of weight-loss, small business, spiritual growth, and life as a Mommy.

Could you make money from home as an entrepreneur? As you leave behind your kids, your hopes, or your dreams for another day at the office, you catch yourself wondering if it’s possible. When you see work at home moms and entrepreneurs loving the work they do and enjoying the lifestyle they created, you may be contemplating  if you’re ready to make money from home too.

If your situation is similar to mine at all, you may have started out enjoying your career, the status or even the money that would help you and your family reach your personal and financial goals. But instead, the quality time with family, financial security and future you dreamed of seems more distant every day. You know that the possibilities of becoming an entrepreneur and making money from home could be the solution.

You also know that you’ll need a lot more than a sense of disillusionment to become a successful entrepreneur. You’re going to need a solid plan and the ability to follow through on that plan.

As someone who does successfully make money from home and is enjoying the lifestyle I dreamed of, I have come up with 10 ways to know if you’re ready to make the transition and become a successful entrepreneur.

1. You’re a true leader. An innovative leader who can tackle any challenge head-on with a positive mindset is well-positioned to become a successful entrepreneur.

2. You’re committed to your success. Failure is not an option and you are committed to following a plan proven to help you gain success.

3. You want to create financial stability for yourself and your family. You no longer want your income to be dependent on your monthly paycheck, the economy, or corporate decisions beyond your control.

4. You are not enjoying your current quality of life, and long for the freedom to stay home with the kids, travel when you feel like it, or pursue your favorite hobby. As an entrepreneur, you can create the income, the time and the freedom to enjoy the lifestyle you choose.

5. You know you need to gain and sustain a healthier lifestyle. As an entrepreneur, you’ll have the flexibility to make time to care for yourself, get the rest you need, eat healthier meals and exercise.

6. You want to lower your work-related stress and stop worrying about money. When you live the entrepreneurial lifestyle, you have control over your daily routine and can choose how much money you want to earn.

7. You want to genuinely help people and make a difference in their lives.

8. You’ve hit a ceiling in your current career or pay scale, but you know you could accomplish more if the opportunity was available to you.

9. You are committed to personal development and are coachable.  You may not have the knowledge, skills or experience in all areas, and are open to learning best practices that will help you to soar with a spirit of excellence.

10. Most importantly, you have access to a business opportunity with a proven plan that can realistically bring you the results you need.

If the items on the above list resonate with you, you may be ready to embark on your own entrepreneurial journey that will enable you to earn income from home

While the desire for success is key, it is important to remember that you will also need access to a business opportunity with a proven plan for success in any economy.  Direct sales is a great option.    Look for a business that’s as strong a leader as you are to put you on the right path to make money from home.

To discover a legitimate home business opportunity that can offer you give the financial freedom you’ve always dreamed of, I invited you to visit http://www.stepuptofreedom.com and fill in the form for information.  You’ll receive detailed information and a step by step plan for launching your way to success!

Natural health expert and Entrepreneur Rita Canada helps busy Executives, Entrepreneurs and Work at Home moms detox their bodies, lose inches, get in shape, and feel great so they have more energy for their life and business. She also helps those who desire to transition find their way to financial freedom.  She previously held several Presidential and Vice Presidential Executive appointments, and is currently a Diamond Leader in her direct sales company, a mother and a founding member of a Foundation that benefits children in Africa.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Picture yourself driving down the road in your car. You’ve got so many things to focus on at once. Kids in your car. Other drivers on the road. Your rear view mirror. Your side view mirrors. The speedometer, the gas gauge, the check engine light. The traffic lights. Road signs. Your destination. If you’re unfamiliar with the territory you’ve got to get in the right lane for the right exit. Feeling anxious at the thoughts? For most of us, driving is not a stressful experience. We’ve learned to juggle everything that needs our attention so we can successfully and safely drive our cars from point A to point B.

Running your business is a little like driving a car. At times it might seem hectic and overwhelming, especially for new business owners, but just give yourself some time and you’ll find your groove. Once you get your systems down it gets easier.

Let’s take this little car metaphor and apply it to your business focus. There are twelve “focus checkers” listed below.

Where did you begin your journey?

Take a few moments to remember where you began. When did you start your business? Why did you start your business? What was your dream?

What are you driving in? Got your bumper stickers?

The car we drive makes a statement. So must our businesses! Your business has got to have it’s brand. It should be recognizable and plastered everywhere. Bumper stickers, door magnets, window clings. Build your brand and then surround yourself with it.

Who else is in your car?

Sometimes we forget that in building a business we’re not the only ones affected. Our spouses and our children are in this ride along with us. Remember them. Take time to stop and evaluate the way the business is affecting your family. Make changes if you need to. The journey should be fun and rewarding for everyone involved.

Are you wearing your seat belt? Carrying proper insurance?

Do you have a safety plan for your business? Just knowing what will happen when you’re sick or have a family emergency can relieve stress in your day to day operations. Even if your back up plan is as simple as finding out how to setup an auto-responder for incoming email to let people know you’ll be out of the office for a day or two, put some sort of plan together. Then put it in writing so someone else can care of this for you if you have an emergency situation.

Checking the rear view mirror?

Where have you been? Evaluate your last year. Did your business grow? Did it grow in the direction you wanted it to? Or did it overwhelm you? Look at what you did right. Look at what you wish you could change. Consider it all a learning experience and allow it to help you guide your business in the coming year.

Looking at your side mirrors?

Who else is on the road you’re on? Who are your surrounding yourself with? Be careful who your friends are. You need to surround yourself with people who will inspire and encourage you!

Do you have gas in your car?

Is the gas tank full? Or is it empty? When was the last time you took a few minutes for you. Just for you. Every day you need time to recharge. You cannot give what you do not have. All work at home parents understand the “running on empty” feeling. I encourage you to plan time into your day, even if it’s only 5 minutes, to step back and relax. Be thankful. Appreciate the good things in your life. And focus on one day at a time.

Check your speedometer!

Working from home can take over your life. It can become a 24/7 obsession. Stop. Yes, it’s great to be passionate about your business. But remember who else is in that car and if you need to slow down, then slow down. Of course on the opposite end, if you’re not moving, then get that car moving! No one else is going to build your business for you if you aren’t working.

Is your check engine light on?

Have you heard the saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail?” If your businesses doesn’t have a solid plan behind it, it’s going to sputter, it’s going to choke, and it’s going to be a constant struggle. It doesn’t have to be! Check what’s “under the hood” of your business. Get a business plan together. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated.

The traffic lights are everywhere.

Stay open to the signs around you. To grow your business and be successful you need to be in tune with the stop, go, and wait signals. There are times it’s important to slow down. Other times you may see a new market or a need of your niche that you can pursue. Don’t be afraid to go when it’s green!

Watch the road signs along the way.

Do you know what road signs you are looking for? You need measurable goals. Not just “I need to survive until next month.” You need to THRIVE, not just survive. Write down one goal for your business or personal/family life this month. Make it realistic. That’s the road sign you’re watching for next.

Are you at your destination?

I encourage you to rethink this concept completely. Life is not in reaching the destination, it’s in the journey. Your business should be something that you are passionate about and that you enjoy. So focus on your journey. One step at a time. Breathe.

Michelle Shaeffer, The Small Business Muse, publishes The Muses Brainstorm, a weekly ezine with tips to help you balance, manage, and market your home based business. With your subscription you’ll also receive access to free gifts including 101+ Free/Cheap Ways to Market Your Business, 119 Things You Can Outsource, and more. If you’re ready for inspirational guidance and bright ideas sign up free at http://www.thesmallbusinessmuse.com.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Affiliate Marketers make their money by selling other people’s products or services. These affiliate programs allow them to earn commissions based on the sales generated through the affiliate marketer’s special link. In some cases, they can earn money by getting people to sign-up to a special list or offer that the affiliate company provides.

These programs can be good income generators, provided you put in the work necessary to make your commissions. There are numerous affiliate marketing opportunities out there for anyone to choose from and each one offers differing monetary rewards for the commissions. The problem is, that not all of those opportunities are legitimate ones. Yes, the annoying scammers have gotten to this part of the internet too.

So, as an aspiring Affiliate Marketer, what can you do to avoid falling into one of these Affiliate Marketing traps? Here are some things to look for when deciding on one of those opportunities:

Website

Take a thorough look at the website of the product, that you’re considering taking on in your affiliate marketing business. The website should contain a decent amount of information about the product you would be taking on. It should also provide good information on the affiliate program that they are offering. Make sure that the site has contact information in case you need to ask questions or get support.

Any website, offering affiliate programs, that have no contact information is not worth your time. If you can’t get a hold of them when you need to, how can you be sure you’ll get the money due to you. Also, if the site has more information on how much money you could make from their program and less on what the product is and does; then it’s not likely the program is legit.

Research

As with anything on the internet, you should be doing your research to determine if the program is on the up and up. Look to see if anyone else might have used that program and find out what their experience was. Also, look for information about the company, if any is available, to see if they seem legit.

Don’t Pay

Legitimate programs will not charge you to sign-up with them to sell their products. There are some cases where you may be paying for other items, like their magazines, special software or some other type of service. But, as far as signing up to simply market and sell their items, there shouldn’t be any charge for you.

Affiliate Marketing is a legitimate business opportunity. You’ll just have to sort through a lot of programs to make sure you’re signing up for one that won’t scam you. Take your time and thoroughly research the programs that interest you and you should be able to avoid some scams that could cost you a lot of money in the long run.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Smart business owners know that outsourcing can be an affordable way to get more stuff done in less time. Article writing is one of those routine marketing tasks that can easily be delegated to another professional. But since you’re looking for a ghost writing service, you already knew that!

What you may not know is how to work with your ghost writer so you get the results you’re looking for.

As someone who has been ghost writing web content for several years now, I’ve learned that not everyone understands how the ghost writer/client relationship works best. Take these three things to heart, and you will be on your way to getting more than your money’s worth from the ghost writer you hire.

Generic articles get generic results.

Many small business owners will approach a ghost writer for the first time by saying, “I need a 500 word article on such-and-such a topic.” Your ghost writer will be able to produce that for you, of course. But if that’s all the information you give your writer, you’ll likely get a generic-sounding article that anyone could have written. And, more importantly, that no one will want to read.

Web content is most effective when it is written in your unique voice and contains your one-of-a-kind ideas. Articles like that are the ones that will help you gain trust with your audience, and eventually turn them into clients.

To help your ghost writer produce a relationship-building article for you, give her some insight into your thoughts and ideas so they can be included. Alternatively, be prepared to add your own original ideas to the article after the ghost writer is done with it.

You’re in a relationship now.

Once you’ve found someone you think you could have a good working relationship with, it’s worth investing the time to foster that relationship.

The longer you and your writer work together, the more she will understand your web content needs. As she learns about your business, she may even be able to help you plan your article topics and develop your article marketing strategy.

If the content you get from the ghost writer the first time isn’t exactly what you had in mind, don’t assume that using a ghost writer is not for you. Perhaps you need to communicate your ideas more clearly. Or perhaps it will just take some feedback to get her on the right track.

Maybe what you really need is a virtual assistant.

There are ghost writing services. And then there are virtual assistants who specialize in ghost writing.

What’s the difference? A ghost writer is just that.

A virtual assistant, on the other hand, has business sense and experience and can help you use the content she writes for you in strategic ways.

A virtual assistant can repurpose your content into blog posts, tweets, Facebook updates, ebooks, even teleseminars. If you don’t have a blog or don’t get social media, she can help you with that too. She can also help you find new places to publish your articles, and keep track of them for you.

The one article you paid for can be used in so many ways to find new prospects and win new clients. That saves you time and money, and makes you look really smart.

Business owners who decide to outsource their content often initially wonder if it’s worth the money they’ll spend. Or they wonder if the ghost writer will be able to produce the articles they need. By keeping these points in mind, you’ll be on your way to building a positive relationship with the writing professional you hire.

Denise Willms is a freelance writer and virtual assistant at http://CassidarInk.com . Stop boring your website visitors! Subscriber to her bi-weekly newsletter, Inspiring Ink to get more tips on writing for the web. When you sign up, you’ll also get a copy of her exclusive article marketing checklist.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Blogging seems to be growing in popularly everyday and this present a unique and wonderful opportunity to us as Christians.  We are able use blogging as a way to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) and teach others about the Word of God.  Blogging give us an opportunity to reach people regardless of location, race, or nationality.  It gives us an opportunity to tell others about the love of Christ and also to encourage other Christians.

There are various ways to include the Bible in your blog and one way is by actually using and referencing Bible verses in your blog posts such as writing devotions.   Another way is to simply share your testimonial and to make sure you are acting and reacting in a Christian like manner.  One of the best ways for someone to see the love of Christ is for them to see it in you.  Letting your readers know how God is working in your life can change their life as well.

As we just discussed there are many different ways one can blog the Bible but the most popular and more common ways is to actually include Bible verses in your blog posts.  If you are using the WordPress.org blogging platform, then WordPress makes this very simple to do by using plugins.  By doing a simple search on Google for “wordpress bible plugin” you will get a number of results that will help you in your quest of blogging the Bible.  There are plugins that will add a Verse of Day functionality to your blog sidebar, add a list of your favorite verses, and even automatically include links from your posts to a the Bible verses you reference to an online Bible.

By including Bible verses in your blog you can make an impact on your readers by showing them the truth, the Word of God and WordPress plugins make it easy to do this.   Of course in order to use the WordPress plugins, you must be using the free Wordrpess.org blogging platform.  If you use another blogging platform such as Blogger or Typepad, there are other ways to automatically include Bible verses in your blog as well in which you just copy a piece of code.

The important thing to remember when blogging is that as Christians we are God’s ambassadors.  We are here on Earth to represent Him in all we do.   The Lord is capable of effecting the lives who those who seek Him, even through something as simple as a blog.  The Lord can show them that to follow His word and His teachings will change their lives in more ways that they can possibly imagine. All this can be achieved through an online blog if you have faith and believe in the Lord’s blessings.

Courtney Chowning is a Christian blogger who writes about blogging the Bible at her blog CourtneySpeaks.com.  You can find out more tips about blogging the Bible by signing up for her newsletter, “Faith, Family, and Business” where you will also find a free report about mixing Christian virtues in your blog.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

One of the most common questions asked by internet business owners is “How can I increase sales?”  Many articles, ebooks and reports have been written on this subject and trying to absorb that information just tends to make us more confused than ever!  Below are some easy, innovative ideas to increase sales that anybody can implement into their online marketing strategies.

1.    Offer “Freebies” on your site for your visitors.  Free reports, ebooks, services, support, ezine, etc. can be great ways to increase your customer’s trust in you, thus bringing you more sales.  Another way to offer something free is to offer a free bonus with every order.

2.    Add a community message board to your website.  Encourage your visitors to be a part of this community.  This will also help increase trust and sales.  Offer help, advice, support etc. via your community.

3.    Use “bundling” to enable your customers to save money by ordering more!  This marketing tactic has done wonders for many businesses and it can for you as well.  I offer ebook bundles or kits and they have increased my sales immensely. For example:  I sell ebooks for one dollar each but by bundling 35 together for just $15.00, I not only help my customers, I help my business increase sales as well.  Make up a separate sales page for your “bundles” and offer a variety of bundle specials as well.  Remember, helping your customers, helps you as well.

4.    Participate in autoresponder ad swaps.  If you send out autoresponder messages fine other online businesses who do the same and contact them with an offer of an ad swap.  You will place their ad on your messages, if they do the same for you.  This can be a great way to get more exposure for your business.  Find businesses that complement yours. For example:  if you sell jewelry find business owners who sell clothing as this would help your business not compete with it.

5.    Post a tip board on your site.  Change the tips daily or weekly to keep people coming back for more.  Make sure the tips are helpful and contain useful information and/or resources.

6.    Follow-up with customers and potential customers to make sure their experience was satisfying or to offer your help and assistance when needed.  When a person emails me with questions about selling ebooks, I answer promptly and then in a few days I send a follow-up.  I ask them if they have received my reply and if there is anything else I can do for them.  This simple task takes about two minutes, yet brings in a lot of sales.  It shows the customer you care about providing a good experience for them and are willing to help them if they need it.

7.     Create a survey for your site and encourage your visitors to participate.  Give them something in return such as a free gift or discount on their first order.  Surveys can help you determine if something needs to be changed on your site or in the way you conduct your marketing.  This information could be invaluable to your business!  Do a search for “create free survey forms” and you should find lots of services that will help you do this.

8.    Keep your website fresh and update it regularly.  If you never add anything new people will stop coming.  Add new articles, new sales, new contests, new freebies, new information, etc.

9.    Always tell your customers thank you and let them know they are appreciated.  Never treat them as if they are a bother or a waste of time.  Even if a potential customer does not buy from you, they might tell someone about their experience and that person could come and order from you.  Unfortunately, these days, many businesses forget that it is the customers that keep them alive!

10.      Write a report or ebook and offer it to people and let them know they can give it to their visitors and subscribers.  Webmasters are always looking for good resources to offer their visitors, why not make it yours.  Think of the possibilities – you give it to 5 people, they each give it to 5 more people and so on and so on.  The free exposure you get is limitless!

There are limitless ways to build your business online and increase sales.  Many are free so don’t be afraid to try new things and contact other business owners for joint ventures, ad swaps, etc.  This article is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, so start today and get more sales for you and your business!

Terri Seymour (also known as “The eBook Lady”) has over ten years online experience and has helped many people start their own business.  Visit her site at http://www.seymourproducts.com for resources, $1 resell ebooks & software, free tutorials, affiliate programs, free ezine and free business ebook with Master Resell Rights. http://www.seymourproducts.com/free.shtml

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

With people losing their jobs and financial setbacks being what they are, there are more people starting internet home based businesses today than ever before. And why not?  The internet accounts for over a hundred billion dollars a year in sales. Who doesn’t want a piece of that pie?

But before you even think about starting an internet home business yourself, there are a few things you need to consider that will help ensure your online success.

First off you need a solid business plan.  This will include research for what market you want to be in, what products or services you want to sell or promote and close examination of your financial situation.

So keeping those things in mind, the following list of practical guidelines will help you get started planning your internet home business.

Be Sure You are Financially Ready

Although it is true that starting an internet home business is cheaper than starting an offline business, that doesn’t mean it’s free.  Your research and planning will require some time and building a website, finding a web hosting service as well as business tools and training will require a small budget.

Depending on the tools and services you use, starting an internet business could cost you $100 or less to get started or it could be as much as a few thousand dollars, it simply depends on what you decide to do. That’s where a good business plan is so important.  You want to know right from the start what your business will be costing you so there are no surprises down the road.

Marketing will also play a big part in the success of your business. Your website, which will be your business, needs traffic and lots of it, so you’re going to have to find effective ways to drive traffic to your site.  Whether you are using paid traffic options or free ones, keep in mind that it could take anywhere from one to six months before you actually see income coming in.

So be sure you draw up your business plan so you will know how much your business will cost, how much time you will need to spend at it and what tools and resources you will need to be successful.

Choose Your Online Business Model

There are many online business models to choose from. Legitimate business models include offering services, consulting, selling tangible items or information products, affiliate marketing and dropshipping to name a few.

But whatever business model you choose to be in it’s important to do something that you enjoy.  If you are in a service based business where you create websites for example, but don’t especially love the service industry, you’ll want to consider that carefully before choosing that sort of business.

You may decide that you want to sell items on the web but don’t want to carry inventory, a dropshipping business may be ideal.  Dropshipping allows you to sell items from your website but get shipped to the customer from a dropshipping supply house. When an order comes in through your website, the dropshipper packages and sends the item.

If you don’t especially love the customer service aspect of shipping products and dealing with inventory and returns, you may want to consider affiliate marketing where you don’t have products yourself, instead you simply promote other peoples’ products for a commission of the sale.

If you love to write you may want to create an informational website or a blog or write your own digital products that you can sell online.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure it fits with your personal, financial and business preferences.  A business should meet your financial goals but it should also be something you enjoy. The more you like something, the better you will do at it.

Beware of the Online Schemers

There are lots of lures, schemes and tactics that trick people into thinking the internet is their ticket to fast riches.  Don’t be mistaken. These are scams disguised to look like genuine plans. Only after it’s too late do you realize you’ve been scammed.

If you are not sure of a certain opportunity, check with the better business bureau, or check with ripoffreport.com before making any monetary commitments.

The simple truth is there is no fast and easy method for getting rich. If your true desire is to start an internet home based business, then just as in the offline world, you will need to invest time, effort, have a good plan in place and invest in your business.

Your business whether offline or online will be part of your future financial success, so treat it as such.

For  Internet Home Business ideas , resources and personal guidance, Elizabeth McGee invites you to visit her  Internet Home Business website and start building your financial future today.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

How do you find home based business ideas that will have a good chance at success?  Many people desire to own their own home business, but get stuck right here.  They don’t know what they can do as a home business that will be profitable.   This was where I was years ago when I first began thinking about starting a home based business.  I kept getting stuck at the “what can I do?” question.

Think about the following.
-  Interests – what interests do you have that could be turned into a business?
- Knowledge and skills
- Education and experience

Just do some brainstorming and write down anything that comes to mind.  Then take a look to see if there is any overlap.  Maybe one of your interests is photography and you have done some courtesy photographing of family and friends. Could you take your experience and interest and turn it into a business?

After you have come up with some ideas for a home based business, you will need to research the market.  Is this a niche that people are actively seeking  products/information in?  Are they spending money within this niche?  These are two essential ingredients when embarking on your new business.

If you are considering offering your products/services locally, determine what group of people would be interested in them and where you would find these people.  This is where you want to have information available about your business.

If you are thinking of an online business, check out how many online searches there has been for what you want to offer. You can use a free tool, Google Keywords to check this out. Join some online groups or forums in your niche and be aware of what people are talking about and looking for answers to. Yahoo groups are a good place to start. You can also go to Google, type in your niche + forums and join some of them that are active.

When you are looking for home based business ideas, listen to what others are talking about.  What are their challenges and concerns?  If you can provide a solution, you might just have a winning idea for a home based business.
There are a lot of home based business ideas out there, and you want to choose wisely so you can have the best chance at success.  It takes quite a bit of time and effort to starting up a business, so you want to ensure you are putting your time into something worthwhile.

One of the keys to finding home based business ideas that you will really enjoy and profit from is to put to use your assets (interests, skills, gifts, knowledge, experience, etc.) to solve problems or challenges for people. None of us like problems or challenges, and will gladly pay to have them taken away.

Laurie Neumann has compiled a listing of LEGITIMATE home based business opportunities and resources to help get you started on your own business. Don’t waste your money on the scams that are out there. Grab her guide at http://www.legitimate-homebasedbusinesses.com and be on your way!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

If awards were given to people who have the best of intentions, I would be working on my acceptance speech right now. However, I know that intentions are only as good as the one who crafts the intention.

Recently, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage needed to go and visit her parents. This necessitated her being away for five days. In her absence, I was in charge. As they say, I was the chief cook and bottle washer. Unfortunately, I did not know the proper way of cooking a chief or if it was legal, and there were no bottles around for me to wash. In her absence, I would have to do a lot of improvising but I did not think I needed to bother her with such trivial information while she was packing.

Finally, she was off and I, as they say, was on.

The first thing I did was evaluate my situation and formulate a game plan. After all, I was in charge. I wanted to make sure I got the most out of every hour. I hate waste, and I hate wasting time. I fully intended to use the time at my disposal for my greatest pleasure.

After several moments of this, I was exhausted, got a soda from the refrigerator, went to the back porch and reclined on my lounge chair. I would unwind and think through the things I wanted to do in her absence.

I was finding out that this being in charge is rather hard work. Therefore, a nap was in order. I smiled as I leaned back and allowed my body to relax. It felt wonderful. A nap before lunchtime was something unheard of when You Know Who was in charge. Now that I am in charge, a nap is whenever I want to take it. This being in charge has real advantage.

I made it through the first day. Looking back, I am not quite sure how I did it.

Late in the afternoon, I had come up with an excellent plan for my evening arrangements. I plan to party the evening away until the wee hours of the morning. No curfew tonight. I would let down my hair, what hair I had, and throw caution to the wind. Look out wind. Tonight would be the beginning of my free-for-all. The refrigerator was well stocked with goodies, and I had a plan. I love it when a plan comes together.

My intentions were to stay up until the wee hours of the morning. Along about 11 o’clock my eyes became so heavy I could hardly keep them open. I grabbed a soda and another apple fritter and went to bed. I would do something not permitted under normal circumstances; I would have a snack in bed while watching television.

I do not know what happened. Maybe it was all the apple fritters I had, but the next thing I knew the sun was coming through the window and it was morning. Whatever happened to my all night party?

There on my nightstand was a half-empty can of soda and a partially eaten apple fritter. I then smelled something I have never smelled before. I sniffed, but I could not identify the strange odor. I sniffed again, but no better luck. No matter how much I sniffed, it was always the same.

Every morning when I get up I smell freshly brewed coffee floating in from the kitchen area. Now, for some strange reason, I smelled no such smell. The morning air was bankrupt of any delicious aroma that I could identify.

I walked into the kitchen and there was the coffee pot where it was supposed to be, but to my chagrin, no coffee was brewing. I cannot understand that because every morning I wake up to the smell of fresh brewed coffee. There is no better way to get up in the morning than that. The best way to start every morning is with a nice hot cup of coffee.

For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed the morning fragrance of freshly brewed coffee. Why should today be any different?

It then dawned upon me. I did not fix the coffee pot the night before, like my wife always does. That was just the beginning. Where were my eggs over easy, bacon, fresh biscuits and gravy? I always have that for breakfast. I looked in the refrigerator and saw them in their natural habitat, which was raw.

I sighed deeply and said to myself, “Where in the world is my breakfast?” And myself replied, “Silly, you have to make it yourself.”

Well, I had a real good talking to myself. Then, I do not know how it happened, but I heard my wife talking. Out of my mouth came her words that I have heard a thousand times before, “Breakfast does not make itself.” In that brief moment, I had become my wife, which was not my intention.

The only area where personal work does not count is in salvation. The apostle Paul writes, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV).

God does not intend for us to save ourselves. His full attention is our complete salvation, and God is always as good as His Word.

The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.

With people losing their jobs and financial setbacks being what they are, there are more people starting internet home based businesses today than ever before. And why not? The internet accounts for over a hundred billion dollars a year in sales. Who doesn’t want a piece of that pie?

But before you even think about starting an internet home business yourself, there are a few things you need to consider that will help ensure your online success.

First off you need a solid business plan. This will include research for what market you want to be in, what products or services you want to sell or promote and close examination of your financial situation.

So keeping those things in mind, the following list of practical guidelines will help you get started planning your internet home business.

Be Sure You are Financially Ready

Although it is true that starting an internet home business is cheaper than starting an offline business, that doesn’t mean it’s free. Your research and planning will require some time and building a website, finding a web hosting service as well as business tools and training will require a small budget.

Depending on the tools and services you use, starting an internet business could cost you $100 or less to get started or it could be as much as a few thousand dollars, it simply depends on what you decide to do. That’s where a good business plan is so important. You want to know right from the start what your business will be costing you so there are no surprises down the road.

Marketing will also play a big part in the success of your business. Your website, which will be your business, needs traffic and lots of it, so you’re going to have to find effective ways to drive traffic to your site. Whether you are using paid traffic options or free ones, keep in mind that it could take anywhere from one to six months before you actually see income coming in.

So be sure you draw up your business plan so you will know how much your business will cost, how much time you will need to spend at it and what tools and resources you will need to be successful.

Choose Your Online Business Model

There are many online business models to choose from. Legitimate business models include offering services, consulting, selling tangible items or information products, affiliate marketing and dropshipping to name a few.

But whatever business model you choose to be in it’s important to do something that you enjoy. If you are in a service based business where you create websites for example, but don’t especially love the service industry, you’ll want to consider that carefully before choosing that sort of business.

You may decide that you want to sell items on the web but don’t want to carry inventory, a dropshipping business may be ideal. Dropshipping allows you to sell items from your website but get shipped to the customer from a dropshipping supply house. When an order comes in through your website, the dropshipper packages and sends the item.

If you don’t especially love the customer service aspect of shipping products and dealing with inventory and returns, you may want to consider affiliate marketing where you don’t have products yourself, instead you simply promote other peoples’ products for a commission of the sale.

If you love to write you may want to create an informational website or a blog or write your own digital products that you can sell online.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure it fits with your personal, financial and business preferences. A business should meet your financial goals but it should also be something you enjoy. The more you like something, the better you will do at it.

Beware of the Online Schemers

There are lots of lures, schemes and tactics that trick people into thinking the internet is their ticket to fast riches. Don’t be mistaken. These are scams disguised to look like genuine plans. Only after it’s too late do you realize you’ve been scammed.

If you are not sure of a certain opportunity, check with the better business bureau, or check with ripoffreport.com before making any monetary commitments.

The simple truth is there is no fast and easy method for getting rich. If your true desire is to start an internet home based business, then just as in the offline world, you will need to invest time, effort, have a good plan in place and invest in your business.

Your business whether offline or online will be part of your future financial success, so treat it as such.

For Internet Home Business ideas , resources and personal guidance, Elizabeth McGee invites you to visit her Internet Home Business website and start building your financial future today.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

As rocketing gas prices and food costs increase, consumer spending is down. If people aren’t spending as much on your products or services as they used to, you can’t rely on sales or discounts to bring them in.

The hit to your bottom line might not make up for the brief period of increased customer activity.

Instead, you need to rely on customer loyalty. The Pareto Principle says that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers. To keep these customers coming back, you need to help them remain loyal to you. That’s right; you can take steps to build customer loyalty. Here are a few ideas to do that:

Get to know your customers

To create a loyalty program or to know what products your customers want (and keep stocking them), you need to get to know your customers. First you need to identify what type of customer you want to remain loyal to you and figure out which products or services they value the most. Having this information will allow you to create an appealing rewards program targeted right to this customer base.

In order to do this, you need to use a combination of customer satisfaction surveys, market research and customer feedback. According to an article by Thomas O. Jones and W. Earl Sasser, Jr. in the Harvard Business Review, these three tools will help businesses understand their customers better than anything else will.

You can also use customer information to send greeting cards on their birthday or on holidays. This shows that you care about them at other times of the year, meaning other than when they’re spending their money with you!

Your customer service needs to exceed expectations.

Good customer service is expected nowadays; you can’t just maintain the status quo and expect customers to be loyal to you. You must exceed customer expectations by offering extra services that they don’t expect and you need to do it on a regular basis. Show customers they are valued by asking their opinion of your latest product or a product you’re thinking about adding. Treat customers like your life depends on their business. Give them whatever they need and want and try to anticipate what they’ll ask for next.

Give them incentives for using loyalty cards.

A loyalty card program, like the Best Buy reward card that Best Buy department stores use is a great way to keep customers coming back to you. You should give these customers with loyalty cards an incentive, like bonus points for each purchase that they can redeem for cash or a gift card. Using a loyalty card lets you track purchases so you know what’s popular and what you may want to eliminate from your shelves. It also rewards your customers for being loyal. A win-win situation!

About the Author: Katie Marcus writes information about the greeting cards technologies. Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten about writing sales pages is to think about them in terms of having a conversation with someone.

Whether you have a tiny list or thousands of people on it, you can still give all your sales communications – whether it’s a long sales letter, sales copy for an ad, or short sales copy for the products page of your website – the feeling of being personal if you write it as if you were talking to your ideal client or a friend.

Here’s what I mean:

1. Tell A Story

One of the most effective ways for you to write sales pages that convert (meaning people take the action you want them to take) is by relating in some way to your reader.

If you’ve been where they are at now, telling your story can go a long way in engaging your reader, building your credibility, and providing a feeling of comfort to your reader that you know what you’re talking about.

2. Ask Questions

To introduce your story, you might ask a series of questions that your reader would answer “yes” to. When your reader says “yes, that’s me” you’ve hooked them right away and enticed them to read further.

For example, on the back of my business card (which is a sales tool in that I use it to entice people to sign up for my ezine), I ask, “Are you sick of struggling to attract enough clients for your business?” and “Are you really good at what you do, but marketing yourself effectively eludes you?”

You could do the same on your sales pages. For example, at the beginning of my sales letter for my How to Write Sales Pages that Sell teleseminar, I ask, “Do you currently have sales pages online, but they aren’t converting, meaning you’re not making many (or any!) sales from them?” and “Are you planning on launching a product or service in the next 90 days and know you need to write the sales page for it, but have no idea how to go about it?”

3. Touch On The Pain

A very effective way of bringing your reader along in your sales page is to touch on the pain of the problem about which you are offering the solution.

For example, a few years ago, our neighbor’s two dogs barked incessantly, often waking my daughter from her nap, and making it difficult for me to focus when I was working. We tried everything, including talking to the neighbors a number of times, calling the dog warden even more often (unfortunately the neighbor is friendly with the dog warden), chasing the outdoor cats away when it’s them that they are barking at, and even trying to just tolerate it.

But when it became apparent that the dog warden was not going to be effective and since we live in a very small village where the mayor is also our neighbor and it didn’t seem like we were going to be able to have this issue resolved via the proper channels, I started searching for other solutions.

What I found was a humane dog training device, and the reason I was willing to plunk down almost $100 for it was this one sentence on its sales page:

“Have you tried EVERYTHING to silence the nuisance barking of your neighbor’s dog?”

Sold!

4. Focus On The Top and the Bottom

The two most-read parts of your sales pages are the headline and the PS. There are certain very effective ways that you can utilize these two components, and one of them is to use them to relate to your reader in some way.

I’ve seen sales pages without a headline – just the title of the product they are selling, and I’ve seen many sales pages without a PS at the end.

Not have compelling copy in your headline and a gentle nudge in a PS can really hurt your sales. Make sure you focus on these two areas of your sales page with the utmost of care.

5. Offer A Strong Guarantee

Most of us are skeptical to some degree and often ask the question, “yes, but will it work for me?” Remove that doubt by offering a strong guarantee.

Research proves that the longer the guarantee, the better. And even better is making it clear that your buyer can get a refund without having to give a reason for requesting it. Offer a minimum of a 90 day guarantee and a no-questions-asked refund policy, and you’ll make more sales and get less returns, even if it seems counter-intuitive.

A final note: writing sales copy is a skill that anyone can master, given a little practice and guidance. There are loads of good sales pages online that you can model. To get you started, just think of the ones that really spoke to you and from which you made a purchase. Think about what it was that made you enter your credit card number and reflect that in your own sales copy.

About the Author: Alicia M Forest, MBA, 6-Figure Business Breakthrough Mentor, teaches self-employed professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild abundance in your business, visit www.ClientAbundance.com. Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo…even Outlook users listen up! I have been a long time loyal AOL user. My AOL email address spans back a decade. Though it can be easy to switch e-mail addresses, I have always seen the importance in keeping my e-mail address the same, so as to maintain connection with my valuable contacts in the process.

Moving away from AOL has not been a quick or easy decision. That was before I learned the virtues of Gmail, especially entrepreneurs, direct sellers, and sales consultants.

I have become a Gmail (Google’s email) guru. Google products help me to save time, money and ultimately increase revenues. Gmail is Google’s solution for bringing email, chat and (with their newest addition BUZZ) social networking to one place. The Google site states, “Gmail is built on the idea that email can be more intuitive, efficient, and useful. And maybe even fun.”…and I agree. This is why I want to share some of the key benefits that I enjoy.

Best Benefits of Gmail

1. The Price is Right! Gmail is FREE. And you will not be bothered with desktop software (i.e. Outlook) to purchase, update or upgrade!

2. Gmail Goes with You! Gmail is web-based. You can access your email and sales leads anywhere you can get online unlike a desk top software solution.

3. Gigs of Space! Gmail offers users abundant storage space; over 7 GB (and counting, because Google keeps improving its product) meaning most of us will never have to delete a message. This amount of storage is double the amount of space than its competitors. They even offer a premium service option that allows businesses to their increase storage and enjoy up to 33% savings by converting to Google applications. Compare yourself. Use a Calculator to project your business savings. (site below)

4. Gmail Chat – Conduct real time communication with Gmail subscribers. Build your base of Contacts, Customers, and (staff) Team members. You can opt to save chats and later access them through the search feature. This is useful when sharing web links and other details.

5. Less Spam – Gmail filters spam so you do not have to.

6. Contained Commercial Ads – Google does not incorporate advertisements into the message body as AOL does. Related advertisements appear on the side panes, although these do not interfere with your message. These advertisements are predicative matches populated by key words in the current emails. Ads are machine-matched.

7. Reliable Retrieval of Information – Email is searchable by topic, sender, keywords, date, etc. Google does not search spam or trash which means your results are more inclined to be relevant.

8. Greater Organization – File topics under multiple labels for ease in searching. For those who are used to working with folders, this transition may take some time to adjust. Emails can be filed under multiple labels: For example: Future interest, Past Customers, Possible Recruits, and Spring Call Backs. The ability to classify emails with multiple labels gives you fast access to archived information. Archived emails are still searchable. Use filters, stars and constantly archive incoming mail to reign in your inbound communication.

9. Maximum Mobility – Receive Gmail on your mobile phone. My Gmail arrives on my Blackberry, which has pleasantly eliminated the need to tote a laptop.

10. Mesh Your Other Email Clients – Integrate Gmail with your other email clients so that all of your email goes to one account. Reply to emails from the email address your originating email address. You can automatically reply from the same address or reply from the account of your choice. (For example, I forward my personal email and my business email to my gmail account. You can automatically reply from the same address or reply from the account of your choice.

Google Calendar Saves You Time and Helps Your Organize Multiple Schedules

Combine Gmail with Google Calendar

Google Calendar is free (The Price Is Right!) Internet based calendar where you can organize your time and share your open, busy and even your detailed appointments with others. You can import events from Outlook, I-cal or Yahoo calendars.

Benefits of Google Calendar

1. Create Multiple Calendars – Whether you are managing your direct reports, training team members and staff, or balancing your personal and business calendars, the Google Calendar helps you to organize more efficiently by using color coded calendars. You can maintain separate calendars for personal, business, team and family engagements. These calendars can all interface into one so you can see the big picture.

2. Use Event Invites – Schedule team meetings, events and one-on-one coaching. Send Invites for family events, conference calls and parties and collect RSVP. This is similar to evite.com without the graphics.

3. Track Team Performance – Follow goals and objectives of your team members and staff.

4. Online/Offline Visibility – Print and view your Calendar in a variety of formats (agenda, daily, weekly, monthly)

5. Determine, Decide & Delegate – Determine what needs done. Decide who will do it. Delegate activities. Assign tasks to team members, staff and participants for team meeting preparation.

6. Share the Responsibility – Google has superiority in this area. You can transfer calendar ownership and grant or deny permission rights to allow others to manage and update information. If you are part of an organization and want to schedule meetings, collect RSVPs and arrange meeting locations like we did for our NAWBO round table, calendar sharing makes this easy.

7. Generate Task Lists – Tasks will show up on your calendar by due date. You can satisfyingly check off the items you accomplish.

8. Publicize Your Calendar – Embed your calendar into your web site and visitors can see what your upcoming events. See my public Google Calendar.

What’s the Downside?

Periodically Google’s server is slow, however this is rare. Some of the features and functions may take familiarizing time, but it is worth the investment to learn about these tools. Once you learn your way around, you will find the technology is created with simplicity in mind. So you can see – Gmail is much more with it than AOL and other competitive products! Enjoy the speed, simplicity, search-ability, spam-LESS, storage, star features and functionality. It is time you consider a change.

Site referred to in this article.

http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/details.html

(C) 2010 All Rights Reserved. Barb Girson original work.

Site referred to in this article.

www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/details.html
(C) 2010 All Rights Reserved. Barb Girson original work.
Permission to reprint this article is granted with inclusion of “About the Author, contact information, & active web site link”.

About The Author

Barb Girson, International Direct Selling Industry Expert, Trainer & Coach, helps companies, teams & entrepreneurs gain confidence, get into action, & most importantly… grow sales by sharing her “Strategies That Stick™”. Barb is a highly interactive, creative speaker and author offering customized, professional skill development programs for workshops, meetings and teleclass training programs. Visit www.MySalesTactics.com to join her mailing list & get invited to her next FREE teleclass. Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Because the internet is the primary tool people use to find information, offering an information product and promoting it online is truly an ideal way to build wealth. So think about this, if you have precisely the information someone needs, they will buy it.

Now, you may be thinking that writing reports takes time, research and energy and that’s true, but we’re not talking about creating a 300 page book, this is about creating a small but comprehensive 10-20 page report, and the truth is …it makes money like nothing else!

The reason it works so well is because you are giving people information they are interested in. People are always in need of how to do things themselves, how to resolve problems, how to find more time, how to save more money or how to feel better. If you can resolve these issues and others like it, you are in business.

Small reports can also be used as valuable marketing tools. They can be given away as a free add-on bonus, product promotions or as an incentive for a newsletter or ezine sign-up.

If you’re beginning to see the potential that small reports can give you with regard to profiting online, then keep reading for some essential tips on how you can get started.

1. Find a Topic
Think about problems people encounter every day. How-to or do-it-yourself books are very popular. For example, things like how to sell your own home, how to get into the stock market safely, how to buy a computer, etc. Create a small report that addresses a problem and then provide a realistic solution on how to resolve it. Don’t let your lack of experience or knowledge become a deterrent, you can always have your document written for you. Remember this is something you will do once and sell forever, the cost of having it written for you will pay for itself many times.

2. Get Ideas on What to Write
Once you have a topic, you need to come up with ideas on what to write about. It helps to talk to others for ideas. This can be friends, relatives or business partners. Simply ask people what they would be most interested in knowing about regarding your specific topic. In addition to getting ideas from others include your own personal knowledge or personal experiences that might contribute to your information. For additional information pick up a book or two on the topic, collect ideas, visit topic related forums or set up an interview with an expert.

3. Get Organized
You won’t get far if you are not organized. Getting organized means outlining the focus of your report and what the message is that you want to deliver. Next, create and order the categories you will be covering. Determine what research you will be doing and conduct it in an orderly fashion.

4. Create an Outline
Don’t be so eager to begin writing that you don’t organize your thoughts. Begin by jotting down ideas and then organize them into a logical flow. Don’t think about writing perfectly at this point. Simply jot down ideas. As you begin to write your report you will easily be able to create a paragraph or two for each idea.

5. Have a Unique Approach
Don’t worry about competition; many writers are in very competitive markets. What sets them apart is their unique approach or their angle? For example, how can you present your information in your own unique way? Perhaps you offer cheaper or faster solutions or perhaps you offer more personalized service. Stress your benefits and give your audience a reason to buy from you. They need to feel that you are their best source for whatever it is they are looking for.

6. Provide Quality Information
Create a report that delivers quality. Your report may have a cost value but it should also have a worth value and it should be worth more than it costs. More simply put, always deliver value first. Don’t fill a report with information that can be found anywhere or is common knowledge. Deliver information that a reader can use. Personal tips, secrets or handy and unusual ways to do things are what benefits the reader. If you provide information that a reader can get anywhere or offer secrets that are not really secrets, your credibility will be tarnished and your refunds will be more than your sales.

7. Spread the Word
Once you have created your report it’s time to spread the word. Here are several great ways to promote your report. They are all fairly easy to implement and are designed to generate lots of traffic for your report.

- Your Ezine
If you publish an ezine, promote your report to your subscriber list on a periodic basis.

- Forums
Include a link to your report in your signature file on your favorite forums, and then every time you make a post it will include the link to your free report.

- Your Website and/or Blog
Display your free report on each page of your website or blog. You can also create a free report that you can use to encourage people to sign up for newsletter, ezine or opt-in list. If you have a blog, make occasional posts promoting your free report.

- Your eBay Auctions
Use a free report as an incentive to get visitors to bid on your eBay auctions.

- Articles
If you write articles, include a text link in your byline that directs your readers to your report. This is an excellent way to bring free traffic to your site and get your report in front of thousands of readers.

- Your Email Signature File
Whoever you send emails to, personal or business include a P.S. that contains a link to your report.

- Your Social Networking pages
Create profiles on your favorite social networking pages that include a link to your report.

- Get Others to Help You Promote
Create an affiliate program for your report and offer a percentage for each sale. This is a perfect way to encourage others to promote your report and increase sales tenfold.

Don’t underestimate the income and marketing potential of creating small reports. But the best part is, you do the work once and reap the benefits forever.

About the Author: For more information on writing internet content visit the Homenotion Writer’s Corner and get free tips, guides and lessons on how you can easily create small reports, e-books or use them as creative marketing tools. Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Every day at least one person will ask if a particular data entry job is legit.
Every day at least one person will ask to find a data entry position.

Data entry jobs are the most desired, most favourable and most sought after position online. You will hear often data entry jobs are rare, few and far between and it’s true. If that’s the case, why do you see them scattered online so much?

Here’s the difference between data entry jobs and data entry programs.

Data Entry Jobs
Data entry keyers inputs lists of data (alpha and numeric) into a spreadsheet or computerized database. Most reputable companies hire based on keyboarding skills, keystrokes per hour (KPH), accuracy and speed. These positions also require a cover letter and resume from the applicant and the applicant may be asked to take a typing test. They never ask you to pay for registration or training material fees.

Data Entry Programs
These are the ones people always ask about…especially for its legitimacy. Anything that promises or guarantees high returns for very little work is mostly a scam. I say mostly because the word scam is thrown around in a much too general way…just like the words data entry is.

These are not real data entry work or positions per se. These are business opportunities or programs which require upfront fees. The websites are colourful, bold and they almost always have screenshots of how much money can be made each day.

So, where’s the data entry?

These programs consist of using Clickbank, a retailer of digital products. You would sign up for a free account with Clickbank, choose a digital product and then use Google Adwords (pay-per-click) to promote. Filling out the information on Adwords is where these companies label it data entry. Misleading? Yes to a point because primarily you’re selling a product; you’re an affiliate and you’re not paid for the information you input, but you’re paid a commission based on how many sales you make.

Is it legitimate? I would not pay for something I know I could do free. They may throw in some e-books to help you become a better affiliate, but the Internet is a huge source of information and all of it can be found for free.

Now you know the difference between data entry jobs and programs pretending to be data entry, there are real companies who pay you as an Independent Contractor or employee. Although these highly wanted positions aren’t so readily available or highly publicized, don’t give up on your search. Don’t stop looking because your desired job may be just around the corner.

About the Author: S McIntyre owns Work At Home Space www.workathomespace.com a free work at home resource focusing on telecommuting companies, daily telecommute job leads, articles, business resources and other work at home related topics. You can also visit her blog Healthy Perspectives healthyperspectives.blogspot.com featuring an array of health topics, nutrition, recipes and fitness for maintaining a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

For most people it is not an easy task to earn a steady income from home. It involves commitment, perseverance, and hard work.

There are so many homewokers who concentrate on earning money from just one source of income. But who’s to say you can’t earn more? If you’re in it for the long haul, you would like to make as much money as possible, correct?

Well, of course you would!

Below are six tips to earning an income from various sources:

1. Steady Traffic To Your Website
If you have good traffic coming to your website, that automatically opens the door to making money from more than just one source. Include text links and/or banners on your existing website to different types of affiliate programs you have joined. Join programs you are confident that you can realistically make money with.

All it takes is getting the desired traffic to your website. The more traffic you get to your site…the more traffic your affiliate links will get. This creates a domino effect and you end up with the most profitable results.

2. Blog About What You Offer Or Sell
Blogs are being created everyday. They are easy to create and easy to promote. Start by creating one at blogger.com or wordpress.org and keep your blog updated with written entries about your website, your services, and/or any products you sell. Include those same text links on your blog that you are making money with that are on your website.

Stay consistent with your blog. Posting daily entries would be ideal. But even two posts per week would be a good goal to shoot for.

Exchange links with other bloggers. Network with your fellow bloggers and comment on their blogs. This in itself may get you a sale or a recruit and also will help your blog ranking at the same time.

3. Blogging For Pay
Blogging for pay is getting more popular among bloggers. Many bloggers simply do not have the time and they are willing to consider outsourcing (paying someone to write on their blog). If you enjoy writing and blogging…give this some thought. It could be something you would enjoy and also get paid for.

4. Write Articles For Pay
If you like to write…and especially if you’re already involved in article marketing, why not get paid for writing them? There are a few sites that will pay you for the articles you write.

Here are two of them…

associatedcontent.com
ehow.com

Important Note: Only members of the US can be paid for articles submitted to the sites above.

Try it and see what comes of it. You never know unless you try.

5. Google Adsense
If you haven’t done so already, create a Google Adsense account and place your Adsense code on your websites and blogs. There is no charge for this…absolutely free. The ads that will appear on your sites and blogs will depend on the content you have on them. If you have a work at home site, there will be work at home Google ads on your site. If you have a parenting site, there will be Google ads associated with parenting. Go to google.com/adsense/ to read how you make money. This will be yet another good source of income for you.

6. Telecommuting
You can also make money working for various telecommuting companies. However, for most of these companies, you do need some experience. There are real online companies that hire and many people are making a nice income from these companies. Some people are working for just one, and some are working for various different ones.

The truth is…you CAN make money at home from many, many different sources. You don’t have to stick with just one way of earning an income. It’s really up to you. The Internet is chock-full of opportunities. Use it to your advantage.

About the Author:
Tammy Embrich owns and operates two work at home websites, a work at home forum, a recipe site and three blogs. She offers free work at home job leads for the job seeker, business work at home articles, tips, and more. You can visit Tammy at Work At Home Jobs and Real Work At Home Jobs. Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

When looking at work at home ideas on any directory, it is important from the beginning to know what you want. Do you want a work at home business or a work at home job?

Let’s examine both. A work at home business is just that: a business. As with any business, a work at home business contains its ups and downs. The best way, I have found, to go about having your own business on the Internet is to have your own website and domain name. Both of which can be had for very little cost. With the website you either design it yourself with various WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) programs or pay someone to design it for you. Whichever you do be advised that your website will constantly undergo changes.

You then will sign up with various affiliate programs on the Internet. The easiest way to find a wide variety is to find a affiliate program directory. There are many such directories on the Internet and are relatively easy to find. Once you find the affiliate program, you sign up as an advertiser. As an advertiser you are agreeing to promote the affiliate site and/or any one of the various programs offered. These offers vary greatly and they cost nothing to join. So be sure and keep some kind of list of the different sites you want to promote on your website.

Once you have established your website and the programs you wish to advertise, it is now time to start promoting your website. You can do this by free advertising on the Internet, advertising offline, or doing a pay-per click advertising on the web.

As a the business owner you are responsible for all advertising, keeping your site fresh with new offers, and any losses that incur. No one is telling you how to run your business, the decisions are in your hands only. So success or failure is entirely up to you. Profits will be slow coming in as with any new business. So be patient and persistent.

A work at home “job” is different in that you are joining the programs the business owner is promoting. Most often you are paying a small fee to join the programs. The fee covers the costs of training and any materials you might need to complete the “job”. Remember you are paying for someone else showing you how to do the program the right way, and as with any program if you follow the instructions, you should be making money with them. You will never need to build a website or have a domain name as these are provided by the company.

There should always be a money back guarantee. If there is not, do not sign up with the company. You should always have access to contact information, in case there is any question about your paycheck, how often you will be paid and so forth. All of this should be upfront on the sales page. If you feel it is too vague, pass the opportunity by and go on to the next.

This is a job, but unlike the jobs in the real world, you set your hours, how and where you want to work. So if you only make $20.00 your first month, look back and see if you put the effort into earning money. There is no one looking over your shoulder telling you that you have to work. Like any business success or failure is in your hands.

About the Author: Nancy Kraska has been involved with Affiliate Marketing for eight years. Her website Home Work for You offers legitimate work at home opportunities as well as home business ideas. Visit her website at: http://www:hmewrk4u.com. For a list of work at home affiliate sites go to:www.hmewrk4u.com/pages/affiliatepage.html. Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com