Forgotten Marketing – Who Is The Customer?

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

Forgotten Marketing – Who Is The Customer?

I have witnessed a couple of discussions recently, amongst
“internet marketers”, that made me recall the real world of
offline marketing and how it relates to the world of the
internet as it presently stands. Both discussions revolved
around Google, which is not unusual; and both led me to believe
that many online money seekers, who regard themselves as
internet marketers, are a long way from understanding what
marketing really is.

As is often the case, there were those who saw Google as a
great ogre out to stop them making a living, and these people
were the ones stimulating a discussion on Google Adsense.

Google Adsense – Who Is The Customer here?

As far as online advertising goes, Google is a market leader,
and deservedly so. Their pioneering approach has always been
well ahead of the opposition, although others are trying hard
to catch up. However, they have a dual role, as reflected by
two products, Adsense and Adwords.

For the purpose of this discussion, I will concentrate on
Adsense, as this was where many online “marketers” seem to get
confused. For those who do not know about Adsense, this is a
partnership product of Google, through which Google and web
site owners come to an agreement for the web publisher to show
Google ads on their web sites, and share on any income when
somebody clicks on the ads. Adsense has given many web site
owners the chance to bring in some extra income.

What I found so strange about one of the discussions I
mentioned in the first paragraph, was that some people who own
web sites see themselves as the customer, and Google as the
supplier, when it comes to Adsense. Coming from the real world
of magazine advertising, I have no problem understanding that
it is the publisher who is the supplier, and the advertiser, or
their agent, who is the customer.

Those who seek to attract advertising of any form to a magazine
know that, as a publisher, they need first to look after their
reading customers. To do that, they seek to provide good
quality material for the magazine, and present it in an
attractive way that will attract and retain readers. Only when
they have done that can they expect to attract good advertising
customers.

Ultimately, those who survive in online publishing in the long
term, and who will depend on advertising revenue, will
recognize that an advertiser is a customer, and needs to be
treated like a customer, not a provider of a service. Google
may not be a traditional media buyer, but they are the first of
a new wave of media buyers who will yield a lot of power for the
long term.

For now, though, it appears that many web site owners think
Google owes them a living, and that they, the publisher, are
the customer. Such people may well benefit from a journey into
reality, to a bookstore or magazine stall where they can browse
through magazines and see what publishing is about.

Why Should Web Site Owners Write Copy?

The second discussion was, in a way, related, as it reflected
the way many internet marketers do not see themselves as web
publishers, but people who have to use the latest tools to
trick the search engines. That discussion related to duplicate
content, and whether using such content will get publishers
banned by Google. It rapidly moved on to public label rights
articles, and the degree to which, if any, that they should be
rewritten.

Some, like I, argued strongly for rewriting to make a web page
competitive. There was no notable disagreement on that, but
when one individual took the idea on board, the reaction was:
“Ok, what tools do you use?”

This reflects a tendency, amongst those trying to make a living
online, that the solution to any problem is a tool, a piece of
software that does the work for you. That’s all very well for
some things, but for writing an article? Would a genuine
publisher want software to do an article rewrite? No, of course
not.

In the long run, it is those businesses that understand their
market place which will survive and prosper. Recognizing a
customer is not a bad place to start; and understanding that
they will expect good quality publishing is another.

About The Author: This internet marketing
http://www.change-direction.com/What_Is_Marketing.htm article
was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Change
Direction web site http://www.change-direction.com.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Burglary

The detective was interviewing the man whose clothing shop had just been burglarized.

“It’s bad,” said the proprietor, “but it’s not as bad as it could have been if he’d robbed me yesterday.”

“Why is that?” the detective asked.

“Because today everything was on sale.”

Thought for Today:
“You’ve got to continue to grow, or you’re just like last night’s cornbread-stale and dry.”
– Loretta Lynn

Tips and Techniques

What can you do today to keep your customer in mind? What can you do to insure that he or she gets what she needs? Are you first or is your customer?

Happy designing!

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Increasing Your On-Line Sales

Being an internet businessman, the most important tools your
business is your website. Your website reflects you and your
business and is of paramount importance to you. This is the
main reason why you should look at more considerations than
just good design while designing your website. The following
are a few suggestions to create a website that sells:

* Keeping in mind the old idiom “First impression is the last
impression”, a visitor’s first look at the website is going to
determine, whether a sale will be made or not. A professional
look with soothing aesthetics, properly organized, quick
loading and easily navigable website is the most important tool
of your business.

* Design should be such that your websites ranks very high in
search engines. The factors that determine this are – META
tags, Title, Image, Keywords, ALT tags and the overall design.

* Use effective sales copy. Your business is founded on the
words you use in the sales copy.

* Traffic generation is the most important part of internet
marketing. You need to create a steady stream of traffic to
your website by making sure that the visitor will continue to
come back to your site. Keep updating or changing content.

* Try and provide free service through the website. For
example, a free tutorial on using the product or service, using
articles, e-books or auto-responder based instruction.

* Always showcase your testimonials. Recommended is to dedicate
a page to the testimonials of your existing customers.

* Provide complete contact details. This will show the visitors
that you are completely transparent. Include address, phone
number and email addresses for requesting information or
support.

* Assure the visitors about their privacy. Create a “Privacy
Statement” page tell the visitors, exactly how the personal
information you collect is used.

* Provide a free sample or demo of your product or service.
This might not directly enhance the sales, but will contribute
towards generating more traffic.

* For enhancing sales, provide a guarantee on products and
services you are offering. If it suits your portfolio, you
could also offer money-back guarantee.

A professionally designed website is one the most important
factors in determining your on-line business success. For more
details and tips visit http://www.cobbwebdesign.com.

About The Author: A professionally designed website is one the
most important factors in determining your on-line business
success. For more details and tips visit
http://www.cobbwebdesign.com.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
A System of Taps

During an attack of laryngitis I lost my voice completely
for two days. To help me communicate with him, my
husband devised a system of taps.

One tap meant, “Give me a kiss,” two taps meant “Yes,”
seven taps meant “No,” and 95 taps meant “Take out
the garbage.”

Thought for Today:

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face… You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
Social Activist and Former First Lady

Tips and Techniques

Focus is not just important in achieving your own goals, but it is important no matter what it is you’re doing. As our guest article author states you web site is a big part of your marketing efforts. Keep your focus to a single main subject or product. When your focus is scattered so will be your income.

Happy designing!

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Affiliate Networks: A Basic Overview

Affiliate marketing networks are an outstanding way for websites to increase their customer base in a cost efficient manner. By building a network of affiliates, a business can tap into an extremely large number of independent contractors who will actively promote their products and services in exchange for a commission. Affiliate networks have the potential to greatly boost sales for both online and offline businesses.

An excellent example of an affiliate network is Amazon, which happens to be one of the most successful online. Amazon has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success, in great part due to their massive number of affiliates. After seeing the success of Amazon, many other businesses have utilized affiliate programs to expand their businesses and boost sales with great success.

Affiliate networks have even spread to businesses such as executive recruitment and career searches. The most well-known programs in this industry are Monster, Hotjobs, and CareerBuilder. By allowing affiliates to sign up and promote their websites for a commission, they’ve been able to spread the word of their services virally all over the internet in a
very short amount of time.

To see affiliate marketing in action and to see firsthand just how popular it has become, simply look at the next webpage you view. Chances are, you’ll be staring at colorful banners promoting affiliate products for a commission. I would encourage you to get involved in the world of affiliate marketing, it is an outstanding way to earn a living and one that can certainly make all of your financial dreams become a
reality. Massive incomes are being earned every single day by super affiliates who have grabbed hold of the affiliate marketing concept and created businesses around it.

To get started earning money with affiliate marketing, you don’t need a certain level of education or credentials. Simply sign up as an affiliate for various programs, put together a game plan, and work towards your goals every single day until you achieve them. Just remember, with affiliate marketing, there are no limits and anything is possible!

About The Author: Discover the secrets to becoming an online
poker super affiliate today at http://www.epokeraffiliate.com/

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Start every day with a smile Ice Breakers
Is Everything Okay

Working on Capitol Hill, my husband was under constant
pressure.

After one late-night session, he came home exhausted and went straight to bed. When I turned out the light, he sat up in a panic. ” Is everything okay in the house?” he asked.”

Yes, honey,” I answered. “I locked the doors and turned
down the heat.”

“That’s good,” he said, lying back down, his eyelids heavy.

“What about the Senate?”

Thought For Today

“The heart will find the pathway home. ”
– Wilbur D. Nesbit

Tips and Techniques

New to the net or don’t have a product of your own to sell, then affiliate sites are one way to earn an income on the web. Done right it can replace a full time income on the job.

Happy designing!

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Preparing for Article Marketing

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

Article distribution is a very effective method of promoting your business. There are a number of direct benefits from doing regular article distributions. When done properly you can receive loads of extra traffic to your website. You can increase your search engine rankings, and of course you position yourself as a knowledgeable person on your topic – an expert.

However you need to do article distribution properly in order to get the most benefit out of your time and money. What follows is a list of important things to do in order to make sure your articles perform at peak capacity.

1) Take the time to write your articles for a very specific audience. You need to understand who it is that is consuming your information and then write articles that they need and want. Find out what are important issues for people in your market and then produce articles that provide relevant and useful information and solutions for these people. The better you do this, the more likely ezine publishers and webmasters will pick up the article and use it in their publications.

2) Extending the first point a bit here, be sure that you provide useful information for readers. If you want maximum exposure for your ideas, you need to give people a reason to use your articles. The best way to do that is to write valuable content that provides real information and real solutions for the readers.

3) Have a plain text and basic HTML version of the article and resource box prepared. Many (most) article directories do not allow html in their articles, so all your articles should start their life as plain text. However you should also have a simple HTML version of each article and each resource box. In the HTML versions, simply add hyperlinks with anchor text to make any URLs in your article “live”.

4) Don’t forget search engine spiders when you write up articles. Before you start writing spend a few minutes researching relevant keywords and then be sure to work them into your articles. Not only does this help your articles rank a bit better in search engines, but more importantly it gives extra relevance to the links pointing back to your site.

5) Spend time on the by-line and/or resource box of your article. Be sure to make it a call to action. In many cases your resource box is the only place you are allowed to put links to your site. Make sure that yours gets people’s attention and get’s them to do what you most want them to do. An effective practice is to change the resource box slightly to match each article and each audience.

6) Use very a clear reprint permission statement that is as unrestricted as possible. Putting rules on the use of your articles, results in fewer people actually using them. Since you want maximum distribution, make it very clear and very simple to use your articles. A simple statement like the following is enough: “You have permission to use this article
freely in any publication as long as the resource box and byline are included as-is and any weblinks are made ‘live’ when published on websites”.

7) Don’t fill your articles with tons of links. While there is clearly no set rule about how many links are too many links, human editors will treat heavily linked articles as spam and will be much less likely to use your them. One or two links within the body of an article and one link in the resource box is reasonable, much more than that will start to have a
negative impact.

8) Don’t be shy to target specific publications with your articles. If you know of a big player in your industry, follow them a bit (get on their ezines and watch their websites) and then write articles specifically for their needs. Often you can simply write an email and ask them if there is anything specific that you could write for them, in exchange for a link or two back to your site from within the article.

Remember that you want to get the most bang for your buck when
you distribute articles. Ezine editors and website publishers are our friends, but they are also a filter between your ideas and possible readers. Anyone can just throw together an article that will sit in an article directory. What you want is an article that gets picked up and republished in ezines and on websites as well as being in the article directory. If you want to get past the human article filters, you need to give them quality content that is easy to use.

About The Author: http://reprint-content.com makes article distribution easy for anyone from a fumbling Newbie to a saavy online marketer. For details on how you can improve your article distribution efforts, please visit: http://www.reprint-content.com

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Surveillance

It had been a nerve-racking experience for my attorney husband.

He was working with the FBI on a federal sting operation.
Worried for his safety, they put him under protective surveillance.

Finally the FBI told him they had rounded up all the criminals and were lifting the surveillance.

A few days later my relieved spouse was on the phone, telling his brother about the whole adventure.

“Did you happen to mention to the FBI that you have an identical twin?” his horrified brother interrupted. “Who lives next door?”

Thought for Today:
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
-Oscar Wilde

Tips and Techniques

To love oneself means being able to be totally honest with oneself, yet most of us absolutely cannot be. Mention writing articles or public speaking and the first thing you hear is, “I can’t do that.” Are you being honest? Is it a fear of success and responsibility? Is it truly a fear of failure?

Happy designing!

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More Website Activity Through Email Newsletters

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking
When you own a business website, you may find if helpful to have a weekly or monthly newsletter full of useful information about your products. Newsletters can be a great way to navigate more website activity your way. Emailing weekly or monthly newsletters can be the best way to update or remind past visitors of your services or products. Extending special offers
in those newsletters can generate more website traffic,
purchases of services or products and possible referrals from the visitor’s friends and family. Customers and prospective customers are the backbone of your business. Without customers, you would have no business. Businesses know this and they know how important it is to maintain communication with their
customers in order to build a stronger relationship. Good communication and strong relationships generate loyal customers that will keep coming back to you for more.

Email newsletters are a form of email marketing. This is a
great marketing tool for small businesses to operate productive
websites. It is a matter of communicating with your target
audience. For example, Jane has visited your website looking
for a birthday gift for her husband and she decides to opt-in
and sign up for your business newsletter. Even if Jane decides
not to make a purchase at that time, in a week or a month when
she receives your newsletter with a special offer or discount,
she may be encouraged to return to your site to make a
purchase. If she is satisfied with her purchase, she may become
a loyal customer and refer your services or products to her
friends and family.

Why send newsletters via email instead of through the postal
service? Customers prefer receiving emailed newsletters over
regular postal mail because it is fast and convenient. In
addition, there is never that extra piece of mail that ends up
clogging your mailbox. Businesses like sending newsletters via
email because it is easy, fast, and more affordable than
regular postal mail. It is also less paper and ink used, and no
postage or printing costs. Emailed newsletters are simply more
economical and no trees have to die.

When building your website, it is best to offer the opt-in
newsletter as a way to maintain communication with visitors and
customers through the information they provide. You can also
provide special discounts or promotions to encourage visitors
to sign up for your website’s newsletter. Offering appealing
incentives in the subject line of your emailed newsletters will
encourage the recipient to read your newsletter right away
instead of sending it straight to the trash bin. This type of
marketing will help you to navigate more website activity and
boost sales of services and products, not to mention all the
recognition your website will receive.

Writing compelling newsletters can help build trust and win the
loyalty of your target audience. By sending newsletters on a
weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis, you can remind the
recipients of your services how they can benefit from your
business and why they need your service or product. This is
also a great way to encourage them to buy your services or
products with limited time offers, special discounts or extra
bonuses. It would also be a good idea to include simple
how-to’s in your newsletter. Many people enjoy reading how-to’s
and learning how to do something new.

You can easily navigate more website activity through sending
emailed newsletters to visitors. Newsletters are a great
promotional way to build a stronger and better business through
your website and for gaining loyal customers.

For those entrepreneurs who are skilled enough to create a
newsletter on their own, this can be a very rewarding
challenge. Moreover, it is a challenge that can bring you more
website traffic and generate more customers that will
eventually create more purchases. Alternatively, you can choose
from many reputable businesses that specialize in creating
email-able newsletters for you. Many small businesses find
themselves too busy to keep up with the demands of creating
newsletters and if it is in your budget, you may consider
hiring the professionals to take care of it for you. It takes a
load off you, but you still get a great newsletter. This way you
can focus on promoting your website and in all areas of customer
satisfaction.

About The Author: Here’s the Ultimate Solution to Falling Email
Response Rates, Wasted Email Marketing Efforts and ALL Your
Email Nightmares, Problems, Weaknesses and
Shortcomings.Direct2Client Frees You from Email Publishing
SLAVERY! Check Out: http://www.thedirect2client.com

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Stair Stepper

My husband goes to the health club five mornings each week, gets on the stair stepper, sets the timer, and buries his nose in a book.

Recently, he told me of a middle-aged woman he’d seen get on the stepper next to him. She was in amazing shape and seemed to run circles around everyone, took very few breaks, and rarely even broke a sweat.

“It’s just not fair,” he complained one day. “By the time I’m
dragging myself off to the showers, dripping in perspiration, she’s hopping back onto the stair stepper for yet another session, as fresh as a daisy!”

One day he came home wearing a sheepish grin.

“Well,” he says, “I just found out that ‘she’ is identical
twin sisters.”

Thought for Today:

“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to achieving your dreams.”
Og Mandino
1923-1996, Author of The Greatest Salesman In The World

Tips and Techniques

Og Mandino’s success story is one of those Horatio Algere rags to riches stories that everyone should read IMHO. If you haven’t again I will say everyone should read this story.

Happy designing!

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Why Article Marketing?

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking
Recently, the concept of marketing your website with articles has gained popularity. Many site owners are having articles written and published on various article directories. The reason is simple, traffic.

Why Article Marketing?

The demand for quality content online never ceases. Smart webmasters realize that by providing this quality content and giving permission for other webmasters to republish their articles results in an excellent opportunity to expose their website to their target audience.

The demand for quality content online never ceases. Smart
webmasters realize that by providing this quality content and
giving permission for other webmasters to republish their
articles results in an excellent opportunity to expose their
website to their target audience.

Each article that you write and distribute gives you the chance
to plug your site or newsletter in the about the author section.
You can typically link directly to your site, and sometimes even
can use HTML and link your primary keywords in the anchor text.
This gives you some nice, relevant backlinks. Its not uncommon
to receive thousands of unique backlinks for each article
submitted, as over time your article will continue to be picked
up for redistribution by other webmasters.

That’s why article marketing is so popular, its a winning
situation all around. Other webmasters can add your quality
articles to their sites for free, and you get exposure and
links. Everybody is happy.

But I cant Write!

Writing a good article is actually surprisingly easy,
especially if you are already an expert on your topic. Articles
only need to be about 300 – 500 words, and be well written and
without spelling and grammatical errors. Even if you are trying
to write about a topic that you are not as familiar with, you
have options.

Many webmasters outsource the creation of articles. If you
visit any web freelance site, such as elance.com, you can
usually find someone to write articles for you on any topic for
between $10 to $40 per article. As with anything, buyer beware.
Its best to give a prospective writer a small assignment first
of only a few article to get a feel for the quality of their
writing. Remember, the articles that you submit are
representing you and your website. Quality matters.

How and Where to Submit Articles?

So, you have written your article, checked it for spelling and
grammar and its ready to go…now what? You need to distribute
your article to Article Directories, Article Announcement Lists
and you can even submit your article directly to industry
specific sites.

Many article marketers find that using an article submission
software can speed up the time it takes to submit your
articles. Article submission software also can help with the
“where do I submit to?” question as well. The article
submission sites and announcement lists come pre loaded with
directories and other sites that accept submissions. You can
also add your own sites to the list.

I highly recommend using an article submission software package
to submit your articles. The time savings alone is substantial.
Personally, I use the article submission software to submit to
the “basic” directories & portals. Then, I go to Google and
type in my topic and “submit article”. Usually, I will have
tens or even hundreds more sites that cater specifically to the
niche I am promoting. I then submit to those niche sites as
well. This technique is not something I see being widely done,
however, so there’s a good tip for you!

The traffic from articles submitted to niche sites as well as
the directories is substantially higher than the traffic from
articles submitted to directories alone.

There you have it. Marketing your website with articles is a
great way to get traffic, links and expose your website to new
visitors. Its easier than it sounds, even for those that think
they cant write. Just try it! Chances are you will be adding
Article marketing to your standard internet marketing box of
tricks.

About The Author: Looking to try article marketing? Download
our FREE eCOURSE – “5 Easy Steps to Writing Killer Articles”
from http://www.articlepublicist.com – To learn more about
marketing with articles, check out
http://www.articlepromosecrets.com

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Jumping on Beds

Vicky told her 3-year-old grandson, Cooper, not to jump on the beds.

After several warnings she punished him, explaining that should he fall, he would hurt himself badly.

Several minutes passed and he was back to jumping on the beds. Vickey said, “Coop, you weren’t jumping on the beds again, were you?”

He stood with his little head dropped low and said,

“Grandma, I’m trying, but it’s so hard to quit.”

Thought for Today:

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
– George Eliot

Tips and Techniques

You will never know if article marketing will work for you until you try. My advice – try it. It might surprise you that you actually can get traffic that way.

Happy designing!

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Saying A Lot With A Little: Powerful Classified Ads

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

Classified ads are perhaps the most popular form of
small-business advertising available today. The reasons are many, ranging from cost, to simplicity, to effectiveness when seen by the right kind of audience. What you choose to advertise is up to you, but one fact remains: if your ad is going to get big results in a small space, every word has to count.

First, make sure your ad grabs the attention of your readers
with a good headline. Asking a question works well (HOW WOULD
YOU LIKE TO EARN $60K PER YEAR, PART-TIME?), as does telling
people what the result of taking advantage of your offer will
be (SAVE HUNDREDS ON YOUR LONG DISTANCE BILL!).

Next, try to make your product or service sound useful or
exciting, without overdoing the hype or making promises you
aren’t going to keep. These tactics will only undermine your
credibility, which you can’t afford to do.

Using words like FREE, BONUS, and MONEY will also grab reader
attention and make your ad stand out. Highlight or capitalize
important words for emphasis, but try to refrain from using
lots of exclamation points. Simply yelling at your prospects
will get you nowhere!!!! See what I mean?

Once you’ve written your ad, use your spell checker. Even small
mistakes in spelling or grammar can make you look careless or
unreliable. When you’re reading an ad and see typos, what do
you think? Keep in mind the fact that your audience most likely
ISN’T full of idiots.

Overall, make sure your ads will get noticed, convey the facts,
and tell people what your product or service will do for THEM. A
good ad will show people the benefits of your product, get them
interested, then give them an EASY way to contact you. If you
can do all these things, your classified ad will serve you
well.

About The Author: Professional classified ads just $25 (up to
50 words)! We do the writing, YOU reap the results. Quick
turnaround, too! See http://www.FastAdKing.com. Meredith has
been writing successful marketing copy since 2000. Get FREE
advice at meredith@drnunley.com.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Start every day with a smile
Just Do It

A class professor was giving a lecture on company slogans and was asking his students if they were familiar with them.

“Joe,” he asked, “which company has the slogan, ‘come fly the friendly skies’?”

Joe answered the correct airline.

“Brenda, can you tell me which company has the slogan,

“Don’t leave home without it?”

Brenda answered the correct credit card company with
no difficulty.

“Now John, Tell me which company bears the slogan,

‘Just do it’?”

And John answered, “Mom….”

Thought for Today:
“Without the rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tips and Techniques

Are you always honest with yourself?

I am willing to bet not.

Next time someone asks you “do you want to buy___?” It is something you really want … but what follows?

The lie.

Happy designing!

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Starting a Business

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

With the cost of living quickly surpassing the wages (we make) necessary to maintain an “average” lifestyle, more and more employees are beginning to seriously consider the option of working from home.

Being your own boss, setting and keeping your own hours, keeping all (or most of the proceeds for yourself), saving on travel time and gas, allowing for as much vacation time as “necessary”, it all has its perks. It certainly seems that way, especially for many woman who may not want to stop working or can’t afford to, but also want to stay home with the kids or be home when they get back from school.

But, this growing trend, even with all its apparent benefits has many experts cautioning stay-at-home workers and warning them about the potential perils of home-based businesses due to common human error.

Some of the most common (and most damaging) include:
· Going In Blind: Sure you need confidence, guts and faith to start your own business, but you also need to know what your getting into, and that means diving FIRST into doing the necessary research about the type of business you are interested in starting. Experts suggest finding out as much as you can about your potential venture and about its potential for success in your area. Find out about your competition, note
how much they are charging and pinpoint your target market. Rely
on books, trade shows, conferences and the net to gather your materials and information.

· Becoming A Lone Venturer: Keep in mind that starting ANY business is difficult, especially in its initial stages. This is the most crucial time for you and your venture and you’ll need all the love and support you can get. One of the biggest mistakes, say experts that new entrepreneurs make is not getting the necessary support from spouse of family. Besides
maybe helping with the housework or kids, he or she may also want to lend a hand in your business or at least lend support and encouragement as to work to get things going.

· Leaping Without A (Financial) Safety Net: Most of us are use to bringing home a specific amount of income (give or take) each week, an idea of having a “comfort” zone that most new business owners need to give up say experts. According to professionals, most new business owners won’t see a profit for several months. In fact, they suggest having at least six months (monetary) reserves on hand.

· Spreading Yourself Too Thin: While you certainly want to please the consumer and build your client base, it’s important to remember, that you won’t be able to please all of the people all of the time. They suggest not spreading yourself too thin by creating a mission statement for your business defining your purpose and your goals. Include what your business involves, what makes it stand out, and where you see yourself a few months to a year down the line. And, they add that you should make it a point to check your statement periodically and make
all the necessary adjustments.

· Getting Too Comfortable: It’s easy to take advantage of being at home, especially when you don’t have to punch or Watch the clock. But, according to experts, sticking to a regular work schedule is imperative. Keep your schedule flexible (that’s what working from home is all about) but set limits and boundaries that will allow you to focus without any interruptions and be productive.

· Not Having A Space Of Your Own: For some a private office may not be feasible, especially if you’re a stay-at-home parent. But, according to experts, it’s imperative that you designate a specific space to conduct business. It is also important that you have all the necessary office essential to properly conduct your business. Sharing space and sometimes supplies is necessary, but you really should have your own for maximum efficiency.

· Selling Yourself Short: Want to beat your competition (price-wise) is a smart move, but seriously underbidding yourself and your worth may not be. Know what the competition is charging and make reasonable adjustments remaining firm and confident in what your product and ability…and always leave a little room for “play”.

· Putting Off The Paperwork: While most of us don’t enjoy the paper trail that often goes along with owning a business, it’s an essential part of operations, especially when it comes to keeping track of inventory and finances. Make sure to do all you shipping and receiving and related filing promptly, as well as sending out timely invoices. Keep in mind that most consumers take up to 90 days to pay, so you’ll need to bill them as soon as possible. And also, don’t forget to keep track of your own
expenses to know what is coming in and what is going out.

· All Work And No Play: Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you never leave the house again. In fact, a very important part of any business is networking. So, think about maintaining your professional appearance and joining some professional organizations that can put you in touch with all the right people….and even though chat boards and blogs can offer you the same, making a personal appearance is ALWAYS a nice touch.

· Expecting Too Much: Considering working from home as anything but “work”. While you may have the freedom to make lots of your own decisions, you’ll also have a lot more responsibility, and that means learning how to manage your time (between work and career) like never before.

About The Author: http://www.lifamilies.com – Community resource for Long Island

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Bill

A patient at the dental office where I was a receptionist stopped by my desk to pay her bill. She began rummaging through her purse, as so many patients did when they had a check to write.

“Do you need a pen?” I asked, offering her the use of mine.

“Yes, thank you,” she replied. She took it, put it in her handbag and proceeded to pay in cash.

Thought for Today:
“Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel.”
– Anonymous

Tips and Techniques

“Patience is a virtue” but sometime it is very hard to come by. What happens when you lose patience with your work, co-workers, friends and family. Whatever you have to do to get back into perspective, do it!

Happy designing!

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Management and Leadership

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

It is a common belief that management and leadership are the same role. While it is common that a manager also plays the part of the leader, these two roles are truly separate in function and in the way they add to the success of an organization. By understanding the difference between management and leadership you will become more effective in helping others see the road ahead.

To understand the difference between management and leadership,
consider the construction of a new road. To build that road there are workers, machinery and tools which are all vital in the road’s construction. Managers help ensure those workers,machinery and tools work together in the most efficient way possible. A manager makes sure those workers are well-trained, motivated, rested and that they know what they’re supposed to do next. The manager does the same thing with the tools and the machinery to make sure that they’re working correctly and that the workers are able to use them efficiently and safely. This is the role of management. On the other hand, a leader makes sure that the road is going in the right direction before the
construction begins. That leader also monitors conditions in new situations to ensure that the road under construction is still the correct one and is still going in the right direction.

How does this affect you as a leader? Are you spending your time managing people when you should be making sure that the road ahead is the one that you want to be on? To expect to be an effective leader you must present a clear vision and a trail you are willing to walk on first. While there are times when it is appropriate for a leader to fill a management role, it is vital to understand the difference between leadership and management so you can be effective no matter which role you happen to be filling at a given time. If you are a leader
overseeing managers, it is important that you provide them with
the correct perspective so they may be effective in their management role. Don’t manage the managers. Lead them.

If you are not in a formal leadership role, it is also important that you understand that when a leadership opportunity arises there is a difference between being a leader and managing the effort. Even if you end up filling both sets of shoes it’s important to understand the difference in roles in order to fill them effectively. If, on the other hand, you learn how to lead by showing people that you are walking down
the right road, you will become a natural leader and will be able to help many others find success as your achieve your own.

Learn more about effective leadership by reading “12 Winning Leadership Qualities: Unleash the Leader Instinct Within You” at
http://www.unleashtheleaderwithinyou.com/

We are on the look for leaders in the Internet Niche Lab teach your class free http://www.internetnichelab.com/teach_form/form.php

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Farmers Aren’t Stupid

A Department of Water Resources representative stops
at a Texas ranch and talks with an old rancher. He tells
the rancher, I need to inspect your ranch for your water
allocation.

The old rancher says, ‘Okay, but don’t go in that field over
there.’

The Water representative says, ‘Mister, I have the Authority of the Federal Government with me. See this card? This card means I am allowed to go WHEREVER I WISH on any agricultural land. No questions asked or answered. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?’

The old rancher nods politely and goes about his chores.
Later, the old rancher hears loud screams and spies the Water Rep running for his life and close behind is the rancher’s bull.

The bull is gaining with every step. The Rep is clearly terrified, so the old rancher immediately throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his
lungs………………………..

‘YOUR CARD! SHOW HIM YOUR CARD!’

Thought for Today:

“Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously and never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop this picture!”
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
1898-1993, Author of The Power of Positive Thinking

Tips and Techniques

A good leader does not always have to be a manager. People will follow a leader if he proves to make good judgements.

Happy designing!

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Setting Your Goals – Easier Said, Easily Done

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

The basics of setting a goal is an open secret known by top-caliber athletes, successful businessmen and businesswomen and all types of achievers in all the different fields. The basics of setting goals give you short-term and long-term motivation and focus. They help you set focus on the acquisition of required knowledge and help you to plan and organize your resources and your time so that you can get the best out of your life.

Setting clearly defined short term and long term goals will enable you to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction once you have successfully met your goals. Charting your progress will also enable you to actually see the stages of completion leading to the actual realization of your goals. This eliminates the feeling of a long and pointless grind towards achieving your goal. Your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve as you will be more aware of your capabilities as you complete or achieve your goals.

The basics of goal settings will involve deciding what you really want to do with your personal life and what short term and long term goals you need to achieve it. Then you have to break down goals into the smaller and manageable targets that you must complete in your way to achieving your lifetime targets. Once you have your list waste no time in tackling your goals.

A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this you will be always in the position of going towards you life plan goals. Everyday will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving you the feeling of accomplishment.

Here are some pointers that should be taken into consideration in setting goals and achieving them.

Attitude plays a very big role in setting and achieving your goals. You must ask yourself if any part of you or your mind holding you back towards completing your simplest goals? If there are any part of your behavior that is being a hindrance or puts your plans into disarray? If you do have problems in these areas then the immediate thing to do is to address this problem. Solutions may include a visit to a doctor or psychiatrist to control your emotions.

Careers are made by good time management practice. Failing in a career is often attributed to bad time management. Careers require a lot from an individual which often makes the career the life of the individual. Plan how far do you want to go into your career.

Education is key in achieving your goals. If your goals require you to have a certain kind of degree or require a certain specialization or demand a certain skill to be developed, make plans in getting the appropriate education.

Your family should never be left out of your plans. If you are just starting out then you have to decide if you want to be a parent or when you want to be a parent. You also have to know if you really would be a good parent and how well would you relate to extended family members

Personal financial situations also play a major role in achieving your goals. Have a realistic goal on how much you really want to earn. You also must be able to create plans or stages by which you will be able to reach your earning potential.

Physically gifted individuals may be able to achieve sports related goals like being in the National Basketball association or National Football League. Determining your physical capabilities should be one of your priorities. Physical limitations could however be conquered with proper planning.

As the saying goes -‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’, or something to that effect, is by all means true down to the last the letter. Giving yourself a little pleasure: should be included into your plans.

To start achieving your lifetime goals, set a quarter of a century plan, then break it down to 5 year plans then break it down again to 1 year plans, then 6 month plans then monthly plans, then weekly, then daily.

Then create a things-to-do list for the day.

Always review your plans and prepare for contingencies.

The basics of goal settings should not be so difficult once you get to be familiar with them. We cover these points and more live in the Reach to Achieve Conference in the Internet Niche lab tonight and each Monday Night

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Defendant

The judge read the charges, then asked, “Are you the
defendant in this case?”

“No sir, your honor, sir,” replied Jim-Bob, “I’ve got a
lawyer to do the defendin’. I’m the person who done it.”

Thought for Today:
“Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win. ” -Nadia Comaneci

Tips and Techniques

A goal and a task are definitely two different things. The goal is what you want, the task and sometime there are many are the actions to take to accomplish the goal.

Happy designing!

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