Discover the Power of 3×5 Cards
June 25, 2008
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”
Mark Twain
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all there is to do and all that’s on your brain? It’s so important when you feel overwhelmed to STOP and regroup. That feels counterintuitive to us since when we feel stress the logical thing is to try and work harder. But that’s not what you should do. Take time to think about all that has to be done.
Go out and purchase some really cool colored 3×5 index cards. My favorite color for the cards is neon green! Then when you feel overwhelmed take out the cards and write down one thought on each card. Perhaps one says go to the grocery store, another says call Mary, and another says clean out e-mail inbox. Keep going until you feel like your brain is completely drained. Then look at all the cards and ask yourself “What is the most efficient use of my time right now?” Take that card and turn it over. Then ask “What’s the 2nd most important thing to do?” Take that card and turn it over on top of the 1st card. Keep going until all the cards are turned over. Then flip the pile over and you have your thoughts in a logical order and in the priority in which they should be done.
If any of the cards is a large project take the project and break it down into small tasks with a card for each task.
Other uses:
To get the kids to help:
Write a chore down one per card, let the kids each pick 1 or 2 cards from the deck (they can’t see them) and send them off and watch things get done. Put a reward on the back that they get when they hand the card back in.
When you’re on the road:
Take 12 - 3×5 cards and clip them with a small colored binder clip – keep in your purse or pocket. As you’re out and about and think of things that you need to do write one item per card. When you get back home or to the office put them in your “In” basket and you won’t have to try and remember all those great things you though of when you were out.
Getting organized:
Look around the room and write down one area that needs to get organized on each card. Kitchen areas might be refrigerator, pantry, south cupboards, north cupboards, etc. Shuffle the cards around and whatever one ends up on top – DO IT!
Discover the power of 3×5 cards! They are the most inexpensive and simple way to get control back of your day and your life!
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Elizabeth Hagen is a dynamic and inspiring speaker, author, and consultant who has motivated thousands to take action and get organized. She is President of ElizabethHagen.com and works with overwhelmed people to help them get more focused, more organized, more confident and more productive. Her latest book “Organize with Confidence!” is a pocket book and manual that will change your life! Subscribe to Elizabeth’s free ezine “Extraordinary Results” at http://www.Elizabethhagen.com and receive the “31 Tips to Simplify Your Life” as her gift to you. |
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Finding a Good SEO or Internet Marketing Company Tip #1 - Ask for a FREE Analysis
April 26, 2008
There seems to be a lot of SEO and internet marketing companies popping up all over the place along with traditional advertising and marketing companies offering these services along side there normal offerings. So how do you sort the good internet marketing consultants from the bad and the ugly.
Well one way is to check if there a member of a recognised professional marketing body, however they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating so why not ask for some free analysis work. This should come as a document giving you a snap shot of were your current site stands within the rankings, some simple keywords research, content and site user experience suggestions along with an easy to understand explanation of each point and some form of conclusion at then end.
Any SEO or internet marketing consultant worth their salt will happily offer you this service for free, this is certainly the case when you talk to a senior SEO consultant John Hardgreves
“We have always offered our clients a no obligation free initial analysis. The reason for this is a good SEO or internet marketing consultant should be going through most of this process anyway when looking at a new clients website to determine the amount of work and therefore the cost of reaching the desired results of the client. You wouldn’t employ a builder or other contractor to build a house without an initial estimate, sadly people seem to think the normal common-sense rules don’t apply when looking at the internet maybe it’s because of a lack of understanding or lack of confidence with dealing with the subject but it can lead to a very poor return on your investment.”
John also pointed out that unfortunately a number of the clients have approached his company of the back of a bad experience with other firms. This can be avoided entirely by doing a little home work and asking for some free analysis upfront.
Its also good practice to employ a specialist to handle your internet marketing and SEO requirements rather than use your web development or hosting company . The main reason is an independent SEO or Internet marketing expert will be able to give you an unbiased and highly objective view of your site compared to the company that either built or hosts your website. It is often the case that there maybe an issue with the way your site is coded or hosted and your current suppliers are understandably not always going to be forth coming with admitting that an error on their behalf is effecting your traffic.
So in conclusion do a little home work and ask questions and ask if your not offered, for some free initial analysis and you should be well on the way to developing a great working relationship with a reliable internet marketing or SEO company.
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Mike Harding - Chief Consultant at ‘SEO dynamiks’ search engine optimisation consultants. |
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What is the Difference Between SEO and PPC ?
April 25, 2008
If you are looking for a way to maximise relevant traffic to your website and to increase your sales as well as advertise your presence, you’ll find that there are some techniques that you must be aware of when it comes to ensuring your online business’ survival. When you are considering the advertising options that are open to you, you’ll find that search engine optimisation, often shortened to SEO, and pay per click advertising, often shortened to PPC, are both tools that are vital that you become familiar with. Take a look at some basics to get you started when it comes to both of these valuable tools, and you’ll soon see why they are so popular.
SEO is the process whereby your site becomes more attractive to the search engine, resulting in the search engine giving your site the top ranking when someone does a search for a term that is related to your service. When you are considering SEO, think about how your site is set up. Do you have a lot of keywords that are relevant to your business used on it? A search engine will look for things like how often you use certain key words, and what context you use them in to rank your site in order of desirability to the searcher. You’ll also find that the popularity of your site, as judged by how many people will link to you without your linking back, plays an important factor in deciding how high your search engine ranking is.
PPC, on the other hand, is a specific service that you will pay for. Essentially, at the most basic level, PPC advertising causes a link to your business to show up on the sidebar of a site. Whenever someone at that site clicks on that link, you’ll pay the advertising company a very small amount. This is quite appealing, given the fact that you only pay when a person comes to visit your site. Google AdWords is one of the most popular PPC arrangements out there; whenever anyone types in a specific search that you have designated, you’ll find that your link will show across the top or along the sidebar.
Both SEO and PPC are very important concepts for any internet businessperson to grasp. They can bring your site a great deal of attention, but the real issue is making sure that it is the attention that you want. For instance, if the keywords that you pick are too general, your business will be deluged with people who are only tangentially interested in what it is you do, while if the keywords are too specific, you’ll find that no one who is not in the business already will find them.
If you really want to put your business on the map, you’ll find that both SEO and PPC are excellent ways to do this. Take some to learn about these concepts or hire an internet-specific marketing company to help you out. You’ll find that this is quite important if you are to stay in business!
Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who represents many UK businesses. For Pay per Click and Search Engine Optimisation, he recommends Impact Media Ltd, one of the UK’s leading specialists of Search Engine Marketing.
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How to Establish Business Credit in 90 Days
April 24, 2008
By Paul McDonald, MBA
Business Credit—every small business needs it at some point in time. Unfortunately, the age-old rule so often seems to be true—the only way to qualify for a loan is to prove that you don’t need it.
But that isn’t necessarily the case… here are some simple strategies that will help any small business move toward a good, strong credit relationship with a bank.
I am speaking from experience here. One of my major mistakes early on in business was not creating and working a plan to have established business credit. Had I taken these measures I could have avoided some hard times through the early years of my business.
Be a Good Customer of Your Bank
Remember that if you apply for a business loan at a bank where you have your business checking account, the first thing that the loan officer will do is call up your checking history. If it is constantly in a state of overdraft or is very low, they are unlikely to consider a loan proposal any further. However, if your account shows a regular inflow of cash from many customers, that is much more appealing to a loan officer.
There is another reason to have an account at the bank where you are taking a loan—you can have several months payments at that bank ready to be transferred over at any time. Make arrangements with your loan officer to set up such a program if you can—this can help you to avoid late fees from forgetting to make a payment.
Have Great Financial Records
Get your financial records in shape. Have a nice summary booklet prepared to show to your banker. Include a brief confidentiality statement. Also, have a brief description of what you do, how business has been, and what your future plans are for your business. Include some photos of your business and work. While these measures aren’t really required for a bank loan, they do show that you are serious about your business and help the loan officer to more understand your business.
Letters of reference also help a lot. Ask a few of your best customers to write letters for you to include in your record book. Ask them to state that they intend to continue to do business with you in the future, and at what level they expect to do business. Letters like this will go a long way to convincing a lender to work with you to set up a line of credit.
Most loan officers like to see at least six months history for new businesses, but one banker commented that two years is much better. But wherever your situation is right now, be sure to show summaries for every year you have been in business—even the “bad years.” This disclosure goes a long way to helping a loan officer make a decision about lending to your company.
Establish Secured Loans
This method is widely taught to help people establish credit. You’ll need about $1,000 to start—go to your bank and set up a $1,000 Certificate of Deposit (CD) and use that CD to secure a line of credit for the same amount. You can then use that money borrowed to complete the same move at a second, and then a third bank. You’ll have $3,000 borrowed at with $3,000 on deposit to secure those loans.
Pay the loans as agreed and in about 90 days you should have a good working relationship and history with three banks for your business line of credit.
If you want to improve your position, start with more than $1,000. In fact, one banker I spoke to suggests starting at $3,000. “Most banks do not like small loans (under $3,000 to $4,000) because they are not very profitable.” Because of the fixed overhead of the loan, smaller loans tend to have higher rates even when secured by a CD. The banker concluded by saying: “One $3,000 loan would probably be better, especially if it was paid off early.”
If you don’t do anything else, do this step.
Establish a Floor Plan with Wholesale Suppliers
I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t always the best idea. In fact, I know of several businesses that went completely under by having too much money and profit tied up in their “floor plan” of products with their vendors.
That’s the key phrase, though… “too much.” If you are in a business that sells products that can be acquired by a floor plan, those items in your inventory are used to secure the credit. While I don’t recommend having 100% of your inventory on a floor plan, it is a good idea to establish some credit with one or more wholesale vendors.
Buy a Company Car on Credit
Sure, if you have cash then sometimes it is a good idea to pay in full for a car… but this isn’t about being debt-free, it’s about establishing credit. Get a company car from a dealer and arrange the financing through your business. Many automotive financing companies and banks will issue business loans for automobiles because the loan is secured by the vehicle.
Leasing a car is sometimes better than buying a car for a business. You can generally write off all the lease costs which is usually greater than depreciation and deducting the loan interest. Business owners considering this move may want to ask their accountant which option works best for them. However, there is no need to worry about which option is better for establishing credit. Leases are usually reported the same way bank loans are for credit purposes.
Include a photo of the vehicle in your financial statement.
Get a Line of Credit Established BEFORE You “Need It”
This is the most important step. You have to be prepared in advance. Establish business credit before you need it for your business. Have a strategic plan to establish credit for your company and work that plan. Don’t be afraid to meet with your banker and discuss the plan—their job is to loan money to good credit-worthy low-risk businesses.
I have never found a business of any size or profitability that didn’t need credit at some point during its growth stage. Plan ahead, establish your business credit as soon as you can and you will not regret it.
Work with More than One Bank
In his book Sharkproof, author and businessman Harvey MacKay explains one of his business mistakes. He had given all of his banking business to one and only one banker for many years. When the market turned hard on the bank and on his business, his one and only bank had pulled his line of credit and it severely hurt his company’s operations.
He continues to explain that he “should have taken his own advice” and spread his business around to several banks. While you may not have a company the size of Mackay Envelope Corporation, it’s still good advice for something as critical to your business as banking relationships—spread the business around.
But remember not to go too far with this idea. It is a good idea to have a couple of banking relationships, but too many makes the other banks nervous. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, but don’t have too many baskets either!
Refer Business to Your Bank
When you go about your daily business, it is not uncommon to find people who have moved to the area or are unhappy with their current bank. Recommend your bank to them. Write them a great note and tell them how you really do like your bank. Include a business card of your banker for them to contact. You then should send a copy of that note to your banker with another note attached stating that you are truly happy with them and that you are always looking to help their business as well as your own.
Is this sneaky? Maybe. Do it anyway—your banker will love you for it and will remember you when the time comes for you to increase your business with that bank. One banker I know made the comment that referring business to your bank is a very good idea and will pay many dividends to the person making the referrals.
Summary
Not every strategy listed here will work for every company and with every banker or lender. Nothing works 100% of the time, but these eight ideas are enough to get any profitable business started toward establishing good business credit.
Paul McDonald, MBA has been a financial advisor for 20 years and lives in the Kansas City area with his wife Kristine. He enjoys cooking new recipes, reading new books, and fishing. Paul maintains several active blogs on his favorite topics and makes them freely available for syndication worldwide. People who read his work find it entertaining and educational.
Paul can be reached at 1-877-711-1264.
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New Ezine Marketing Strategies for 2008
March 27, 2008
I was fortunate to be on Part 1 of Alexandria Brown’s teleseminar the other night and part 2 is about to take place (you can listen to the recordings of both calls when you register for the
“Ezine Marketing Secrets” teleseminar at this link:
http://www.netofficetoolbox.com/app/?af=611149
Part 1 received RAVE reviews (over 6,000 people registered to
attend) and Part 2 is going to be even better, as Ali will be
interviewing 6 solo-preneurs just like us who are using their
ezines to skyrocket their business in many different ways.
You’ll hear how:
* a family lawyer has used her ezine to help grow her million-
dollar law practice, she gets to work part-time, and now her
clients LOVE hearing from their lawyer!
* an ex-corporate sales guru from Sydney learned that sharing a
heartfelt story about his son opened an entire new channel of
communication with his clients and readers (and increased sales
too)
* a personal coach from Oregon gave up expensive print
newsletters for an ezine, and now attracts clients and speaking
invitations like crazy
* a Dallas-based marketing consultant used her ezine to garner
her $20K in new revenues in just 45 days
* a professional organizer from Orange County is raking in
thousands of dollars in new clients and is also getting a 50%
average click-through rate on each issue
* a California fitness trainer tripled her sales with her very
FIRST ezine issue!
Remember, Ali’s methods have helped her students make MILLIONS
more dollars in their businesses by using low-cost online
marketing, and she has the testimonials to prove it.
And this is her LAST call on ezines EVER. So if you haven’t yet,
register now or you’ll miss the boat forever! Sign up now at
http://www.netofficetoolbox.com/app/?af=611149
Best,
Jill Koenig
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Discover the Amazing Profit Pulling Power of Marketing with Audio
December 1, 2007
Audio is a great tool for your lead generation and relationship building, and it also makes a relatively easy-to-produce info-product that you can use to generate revenue. If you have a service business, especially any service that is very personal or intimate, or if it’s very important that your prospects trust you and really feel comfortable with you before they would consider becoming your client, then audio would be a great asset to your marketing mix.
Audio adds the human factor to your business and, as we all know, people do not do business with businesses, they do business with other people. By using audio, you become a “real person” instead of a total stranger and you start the rapport building process.
With audio, you can convert most prospects into customers. In general, audio is much more entertaining than, say, a brochure or a sales letter, so it allows you to elicit more of a response from your prospects. Because you’re tapping into the listener’s senses, your prospect becomes more engaged in your message. As you know, it’s impossible to convert a prospect into a customer if he’s not receiving your message, and audio delivers your message in a more intimate way. Studies show that people remember only 20% of what they read but they’ll remember up to 70% of what they hear. If you want your prospects to act on your message, they’ll need to remember it!
Audio also allows you to distinguish yourself from your competition. Because even though audio is easily available to even the smallest businesses, most companies are still not taking advantage of this unique marketing opportunity. So by adding audio into your own marketing mix you’re really differentiating yourself from the others in your industry.
You can use your audio, whether it’s a CD or a podcast or web-based, as a means of introducing yourself to your prospects, and explaining the products and services you offer. If you offer a product or service that is technical or somehow requires training for your customers, audio is a great way to provide this training, or this in-depth information. It’s much more personal than a written instruction manual, and it can also be used in conjunction with a written manual.
According to educational psychologists, up to half of the population learns best by listening. Now consider this - according to those same educational psychologists, learning is increased exponentially with repetition. So when you’re using audio to present any technical aspect, your prospects can listen to it over and over again, and this repetition aids in learning. And since you, in effect, are the one who taught them, you become the expert.
You can use audio to present your client testimonials. You can have a full CD of client testimonials, or you can include audio testimonials on your web site. Similar to testimonials are audio product reviews, we’ve been using audio testimonials for a few years now, but even more powerful than testimonials is the audio product review.
You can also use audio to present tips, or frequently asked questions, and it’s a great branding tool. Plus, it’s portable, so your prospects can take your marketing message with them. They can pop your CD into their car stereo or download your mp3 onto their ipod. Distribution is very easy.
By using audio as a marketing vehicle you can free up your time and reduce the number of hours you work. Audio allows you to automate your sales process, because you create your presentation one time and it gets delivered over and over again. You make multiple copies of your CD or upload an mp3 to your web site and the audio is distributed to tons of different customers. And each time, it’s a very personal, rapport-building presentation.
Another way audio allows you to leverage your time is because it helps filter out your prospects. Through your CD or your mp3 not only are you presenting your marketing message, but you’re also presenting yourself. Your prospect gets to know you on a more personal level and he can then decide if you and your services are a good fit for his needs. The prospects who respond to your audio message already feels a bond with you - you don’t need to waste a lot of your time trying to personally convince your prospect. He’s already made up his mind by listening to your audio. So you end up with more time to work with prospects who are, in a sense, pre-qualified.
In general, adding audio to your marketing mix helps:
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- reinforce your brand
- create “top-of-mind” awareness of your products and services
- intensify your exposure with your prospects
- increase impulse purchases
- provide greater reach than display ads
- free up staff by presenting your sales and marketing messages an unlimited number of time
Ready to take advantage of this great marketing medium? Be sure to request a copy of my FREE Quick Start Guide To Using Audio In Your Marketing Mix at http://www.modernimage.com/freereports/audio.htm.
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Karen Scharf helps small business owners attract and retain more clients. Karen coaches and trains website owners on various tricks and techniques that have been proven to increase website conversion. She offers coaching programs and a Marketing Makeover to turn your ineffective advertising into a profit-pulling system. Grab your FREE checklists, whitepapers and reports, You can also get a FREE subscription to Successful Site Secrets at http://www.SuccessfulSiteSecrets.com |
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Making Web Traffic Come to You
November 28, 2007
If you want online business to be successful you need to have traffic to your website. Your can spend hundreds on website design and have the best products on the market, but the only way to sell your products and services is to have consistent and targeted traffic. It’s not always easy to get the kind of website traffic that you’re looking for. In order to get the correct type of website traffic you will need to expend your time, energy, and possibly money.
There are many different ways to get traffic for your website. You should research, evaluate and implement the various strategies and methods that are available to you. You do need to realize that it does take time for any traffic generator to produce results. The amount of time required depends on which method you select. Some approaches to targeted and qualified web site traffic may take longer than you expect, so don’t give up.
It is essential to test different methods or approaches in getting traffic to your site. You should keep trying different methods until one works for you. The more common methods of generating web traffic are search engine optimization, pay per click search engine advertising and link popularity.
Search engines are the number one way of driving visitors to web sites. They are very useful in helping people find the information they need on the Internet. Major search engines develop and maintain their own databases of web sites. These web sites can be searched by using keywords in the search boxes. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of studying search engines to determine how to get your web site ranked higher on the user searches. Search engines account for over 80% of visitor traffic to web sites. There is available software that helps in search engine optimization and ranking report generation.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is when an advertiser pays for every click that sends a search engine visitor to an advertiser’s web site. This type of advertising requires an advertiser to bid on key words or phrases chosen by the advertiser. The PPC search engine allows you to buy a top position in results for a particular word or phrase that you chose. These types of search engines deliver targeted and qualified visitors to you web site at an economical advertising cost.
Link popularity advertising depends on the number of web pages that link to your website. Link popularity is important because it increases the number of visitors to your website and the different ways people can find your website. If you only have a few links it will be hard for people to find your website. Your search engine rank can also be improved by increasing the number of relevant and quality websites that have incoming links to your website.
Although there are other ways to advertise your website these three ways are the most popular and have had the most success in the past. If you are new to internet marketing you should try a few of these methods until you find the one that works best for your site.
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Member of IAHBE (International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs), Thierry Goho constantly tests and provides through his site, some of the most trusted, easiest and profitable home business opportunities on the net. Click here to see which money making programs are best today. http://www.gohomoney.com |
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Seven Sure Ways to Profit with Ezine Publishing
November 25, 2007
There are currently seven lucrative ways to make some great income with free ezine publishing. In this article, you are provided with these very same seven ways that will help you to see some quick rewards with your ezine publishing business.
1. Ezine design is crucial. When it comes to free ezine publishing make sure that you have access to someone who is capable of providing you with a great design for your ezine work. Remember, with some of your readers, appearance means everything.
2. In free ezine publishing, you must remember that “Content is King”. Therefore, you need to ensure that you have the highest quality content when it comes to your ezine publication.
3. In free ezine publishing, targeted marketing is key. You need to make sure that the ezine that you are publishing is geared towards an appropriate market.
4. When doing free ezine publishing, you must make sure that you have a system in place to market your publication. You have to have a way to get people connected with your publication if you are to enjoy free ezine publishing success.
5. Don’t underestimate the value that a professional or expert can provide to you when you’re embarking on free ezine publishing. In the end, you can enjoy even greater profitability if you rely upon the assistance of experts and professionals in the first instance. This will also help you to avoid the many mistakes that people make when they first start off with ezine publishing.
6. You also need to make certain that when you are developing a free ezine publishing plan that you include the building of a website in that process. A website is important to have, especially if you are publishing an internet ezine.
7. Finally, you will want to continually review and modify the plans and operations that you have in place when it comes to your free ezine publishing business. The internet world is constantly evolving and changing almost everyday. Therefore, it is important that you stay on top of current trends in order to provide fresh ezine presentations to your target market.
Melvin Perry is an internet entrepreneur that specializes in building large email lists within a matter of weeks. He currently teaches marketers via free step by step videos how to earn thousands monthly through the list building model. You can snatch these 2+ hours of videos at no cost by visiting
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