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How To Respond To Customer E-mails In Online Business

Let's say you  already have your online business running sales are good,  and your marketing campaign is bringing in new customers, so your business is growing.  

Then you are now receiving emails about your service or product now what ?

A person who emails you has an interest in your business. To delay a response or ignore this person may be the start of your business decline. 

This of course may not happen immediately but eventually word of mouth would spread around, that you mostly do not care for your customers or potential customers enough to provide good customer service.  

 This may then lead people to go somewhere else for their purchases and services. So here are Some tips for effectively dealing with emails from Customers.

Try to answer most emails within 24 to 48 hours minimum. The maximum time frame you would want is  about 48 hours.

To accomplish this you will want to set aside time each day just to respond to emails. 

Some say three times a day, morning, mid afternoon, and evening is best as it ensures everyone gets a timely response.

Make sure you are courteous and professional.  

 There are some times you just don’t feel like answering a question that has an answer plainly on your website or sales letter, or some question you feel is irrelevant or foolish.   

The urge to send a fiery response is there. If you do not feel you can politely and professionally answer, take a break.  Come back after you took some time, so you can cool down. 

To the customer who asked this is an important part of their decision on whether they will do business with you or not. Do not push away a customer or potential customer with a hasty emotional response.

If you really dislike answering email or it becomes too much for you to keep up with.  Hire someone to do this task for you.

You will want to choose this person carefully.  Get someone who is friendly and knows your business. 

  Find someone who has the time and English skill necessary to get a prompt and understandable reply back to the customer.

There may be some questions you will get over and over. 

For these have a standard response that set aside that you can cut and paste into your response and then tailor the rest of your response to that particular customers email.

Learn to use your email filters.  This will automatically sort your email along with any junk mail you receive. 

The advantage now is if you set up folders for sales, customer inquiries, feedback and others.  

 You can then prioritize your responses.   

Answer your email them in an order that you feel is important. 

You may want to respond to inquiries and feed back faster than sales. 

 By using email filters you save time from having to separate into groups yourself.

We all understand that things do come up unexpectedly.  This can cause a delay in responses.  

 Make use of an auto responder, post it on your website, or send out a newsletter quick if something comes up. 

People are aware that things can happen and will understand just make sure you keep them informed on when they can expect a response.

If you pay attention to your customers and potential customers comments, questions, or concerns you will make them a happy and loyal group who will help your sales.

  If you ignore them, they will then go somewhere else. 

This will also have an effect on your sales, and it will mostly be a negative effect.

How To Increase Online Business Profits

You must have heard the saying “work smarter not harder” this is basically true for your online business as well. Your goal is to increase profits not increase your work load. Importantly, offer an up-sell for your product or services. 

A good example of an up-sell is if a popular game console sells a basic edition for $195.95 now they also offer a premium edition for $295.95.  The difference is two components that are required for specific game play. 

To upgrade at a later date those two components would cost approximately $150.00 dollars more.
 Most people will purchase the premium edition as they see this as a good deal and getting more for their money.

You will want to test various methods of providing an up-sell for your particular service or product. You can offer this premium edition or enhanced service prior to customer purchasing or after they have purchased and before final purchase settlement.

Subscriptions are an excellent way to increase your profits.  If customers like your service they will be happy and renew each year.  It requires little time, effort, and cost to keep them as customers and happy. 

It is much easier to keep someone happy than to build a new relationship from scratch. A subscription service is easily done. By using your imagination you will find one that fits your target audience. Here are a couple of suggestions to help start. Have a popular site category on your website. 
Charge a yearly fee for inclusion in your links or directory.

 This will pay for your time and effort to review each link request and also allows discourages the casual link requester which also improves the quality of your links.
Offer a printed copy of your newsletter.  Include expanded details on information and also coupons or discounts that readers of the regular newsletter would not receive.

Create a subscriber only service and offers information or services that are not immediately available to someone visiting your site.  An example would be. If you have a housing referral site that gives housing information. 

 For a fee they can also get contact information for any of the rentals or for sale homes on your site.
Continually follow up with customers and potential customers. Let them know you are available for any questions or concerns they may have. If you have any new products or services just in and not announced on your site as of yet.

  Be sure to inform the customer who has purchased a companion service or product of these new offerings first. An auto responder can make this task much easier than manually doing each one.
Work on building relationships. You want your online business to be considered friendly, reliable, and trustworthy. 

Offer to go above and beyond expectations if possible. You will set yourself apart by gong from the online world to the outside world even if it is just a simple thank you card sent in the regular mail. 
People do remember such acts and will reward you with future purchases, and a word of mouth recommendation to others.

If necessary get rid of the high maintenance customer.  You will never be able to make everyone happy. 
 Some customers are so constantly demand extra’s but not willing to pay for them; others are just rude to you on a regular basis. 

Be polite but explain that you will no longer be able to supply them with goods or services for them. 
You can direct them to a competitor’s website if you wish. But it is your online store and you have the choice as to if you want to serve them or not. The goal is to make money and increase profits not increase your work load and headaches.
All the best and have a wonderful day.

How To Securely Shop On Ebay

EBay’s online shopping by millions of people have made them the largest and most successful auction spot on the Internet.

So how do you cash in on the Internets largest flea market?

Ebay online shopping has big as it has grown still only occupies a share of about the less than 7 percent of all retail sales revenue. 

 This is part of the over 150 Billion dollars worth of transactions a year.  

 It is estimated that internet sales will account for about the total for computer software and hardware a year.

Also it will account for 28% of tickets, 26% of travel and 20% of book purchases.

Ebay online shopping auctions are attracting because of lower prices, the large selection of products and services.

It is easier than going out to yard sales; live auctions and you can shop in your pajamas if you like.  

 A complete retail store at your finger tips.  Also it is international; you can buy not only in an auction form against others or a fixed priced environment. 

To participate in the Ebay online shopping adventure there are a few things you must do. 

The first being you must be at least 18 years old and register.  This is just to verify your identify.  

 You must also accept the terms of use and privacy policy. 

Next you must create a user id and password.  This is how others will know you as when you are dealing with them. 

  You then will receive an e-mail confirmation.  This is possibly the most important since it is the way you will correspond with sellers.

Ebay online shopping is very easy.  You are able to search for specific items you are looking for. 

 You can just browse thru categories to see if any items are there you would be interested in.  

What happens when you find a item?  If the item has a buy now price.   

You can purchase it at that price.  If it is a auction type format you then are able to place a bid for that item.  

 There also is the option of setting an amount that is the highest you will go and then the ebay online shopping system will bid for you up to that amount.

The bottom line is bid and walk away, don’t get caught up in the auction hype and pay to much.

You can make your Ebay online shopping experience safe and enjoyable by following a couple of guidelines.

  One of the basic things to watch for is shipping and handling charges these can significantly add to the price you pay. 

Know who you are buying from.   

Be sure to check the feedback from other buyers regarding the seller. Make sure the other party has a rating as a seller and not just a buyer. 

 Read the auction description carefully and request more information by e-mail if necessary. 

 Look for auctions that have no minimum winning bid.  Sometimes these minimums are as high as retail prices. 

 Try and bid on auctions that have a return policy in case of damage, misrepresentation, or in some cases turned out just wasn’t want you expected. 

By biding on auctions that have pictures is a much better way of buying since you can see what you are bidding on.

Other tips for ebay online shopping are research your items value, make sure the item is legal and allowed. 

 Consider buy it now if available and is within the range you are willing to pay.   

Finally make sure your contact information and email information is all up to date to make sure you are able to communicate with the seller. 

Consider signing up for a free PayPal account to ease the payment process.  

 It is free and secure also some sellers will only accept PayPal as a payment method.

You can see ebay online shopping is secure, fun, and cost effective if approached correctly. 

 Also you can do it from the comfort of your home.

Stay Safe.

The Importance Of Ebay Feedback

Ebay feedback was designed to let you know a bit about who you are dealing with online.  Is the seller ethical, does the buyer pay immediately or not at all?

Ebay feedback was originally put in place to view buyer and seller reputations.  It is based on member to member comments to share trading experiences with others in the online community.

Ebay feedback is set up so that for each sale, the seller and buyer get to rate each other. 

  Every ebay feedback consists of positive, negative, or neutral. 

 Then there is a place for a short comment.  Now for every positive you get one point, negative you get -1 point and neutral you get no points.  For every 10 comments or ratings you receive a star.

Ebay feedback is then broken down on a member’s profile into subsections.  Feedback score is how many members were satisfied with their business transaction with you. 

 It is usually the difference between the number of buyers who left a positive score and those who left a negative score. 
 
You then have positive feedback which is the positive feedback left displayed as a percentage.  If one person had multiple dealings with one person the feedback is considered as only one.   

Negative feedback would then be the number of negative feedback that members have left.  

 As in the positive feedback above if there has been more than one dealing with an individual all that feedback is still considered one.  All positive feedback is all the positive feedback the member received. 

  Recent rating is a tool used to show all ratings left for this individual in a certain customizable time frame such as 30, 60 or 90 days.  Ebay feedback can be left up to 90 days after a sale is complete.

Ebay feedback does have its opponents.  Some point out the ratings for ebay feedback is overly positive.  They view this as the fear of retaliatory negative feedback.  

 You gave me a negative ebay feedback (even if it was deserved) and now I am going to give negative feedback. (even if not deserved) one of the proposed remedies for the ebay feedback is to not show feedback until after both the buyer and seller submitted their ratings. 

The other concern of some is that the only way you can submit feedback is if you purchased the item. 

For example, if you saw what was a fake or misleading auction you can not leave any type of feedback to alert others.

There have also been reports of Ebay doing nothing on a complaint and leaving the only option of the ebay feedback.  The fear then of negative feedback in return means that nothing is done. 

 The idea of seller being treated better than the buyer has also been explored. 

  It seems that for a buyer to have an account canceled it takes only 4 uncompleted transactions.  

 However, a buyer has to make a complaint to ebay and the seller’s ebay feedback is looked at to decide if something should be done.  This as stated above is questioned since they feel the feedback may not be accurate.

Ebay feedback is a possible indicator of the type of buyer or seller your dealing with.  You should use other avenues to protect yourself.  As a buyer ask questions of the seller and note how they react. 

  If they answer in a timely manner and offering you a straight forward answer goes a long way to helping you make a decision on if you want to do business with the individual. 

 Ebay feedback can help but is not the only answer to the question of an individual seller or buyer’s integrity in business matters.

6 Polite Tips To Respond e-mails

1. Be concise 

Less definitely means more. When you are answering an email you don’t have to include the original message as well. 

The person that sent it to definitely has a copy of the message, and if you are planning to say just “so do I”, it really wouldn’t make sense.

Experts say any message of more than 100 lines is considered long and it will probably end up not read. 

Some companies are taxed for every second of internet connection, so they will not gladly accept messages that are too long.

2. Be careful with attachments 

They are a great invention, but they should be used carefully. If you send a short message as attachment, you will certainly annoy the reader. 

He will open your email, wait for another program to open the attached document, and find out that you only wrote in the attachment is that you will meet at 2pm at some restaurant. 

If an attachment is required, let the recipient know what it contains. Attachment with strange extensions can contain viruses.

3. Be careful when you send mail to multiple recipients
  
Before doing this, ask yourself if every person in your list really wants to find out details about how you spent your weekend. 

Recipients will get annoyed if the information is of no interest to them. It can even be considered spam if repeated many times.

And also, remember all the addresses you have in you address book before sending the email. Some years ago, an employee forgot the addresses in his address book and sent a message in which he critiqued the boss. 

The message got to the boss as well and, of course, the employee got fired.

4. Be careful how you write 

Emails that are too familiar are not appreciated by everyone, and "john doe" emails are not appreciated at all. 

If you are not addressing a person you know, don’t use short phrases. you shouldn’t use the quite emoticons either, that might seem too forward.

Then check your text to correct the misspellings. 

Emails with lots of mistakes don’t look to good and make a bad impression.
 
5. Formatting problems 

Not all email programs are simple, so keep the simplest format possible. Maybe the recipient cannot see the green font and the flower send by you.

 Email is for communication, not a design exercise, so keep it simple.

6. Starting and finishing 

Don’t start a message with at least a simple “Hello”. Lots of people jump right to the subject. It doesn’t have to be formal, just something polite. “Dear” or “hi” are very appropriate. 

At the end “Sincerely” might seem too formal so use “All the best” or “Yours truly”. 

How To Plan Starting Your Own Business

There are many reasons for wanting to start your own business, and most of us get to this point. Which one of the following applies to you?

  • Freedom from daily routine.
  • Doing what I want when I want.
  • Improve my living standard.
  • I want creative freedom.
  • I want to fully use my skills, knowledge and education.
  • I have a product/idea/service that people need.
  • I’ll have more time with the family.
  • I won’t have a dress code.
  • There are good tax breaks for business owners.
  • I’m a Type B person and work best alone.
  • I want to be my own boss.
  • I want to make the decisions.
Now granted, every one of the above is a good reason for wanting your own business. The rub is that not many people think the process through – step by step. 
There are 7 phases to business planning.  They are:
  1. Investigation Phase
  2. Planning Phase
  3. Start-up Phase
  4. Operating/Monitoring Phase
  5. Problem/Challenge resolution Phases
  6. Renewal/Expansion Phase
  7. Selling, Transferring, Retirement Phase

In the Investigation Phase you take a look at yourself and also your business options.  There are careers that are suited to personality types, so the first thing you must discern is “Which personality type am I?”
Duty Fulfillers
            This is an introverted personality who is serious, quiet, thorough, orderly, matter-of-fact, logical, realistic, and dependable. They take responsibility, are well organized, know what should be accomplished and work steadily toward it disregarding distractions. They are careful calculators, and 20% of this group become accountants.
The Mechanics
            These are also introverts and are cool onlookers.  They are quiet, reserved, observing, and analyzing life with a detached curiosity and have unexpected flashes of original humor. 
They’re usually interested in cause and effect, how and why mechanical things work, and in organizing facts using logical principles. They usually are craftsmen, mechanics, or handymen with about 10% becoming farmers.
The Doers
            These people are extroverts who are good at on-the-spot problem solving, don’t worry, enjoy whatever comes along, are adaptable, tolerant, and generally conservative in values. They tend to like mechanical things and sports, and dislike long explanations. They are best with “real” things that can be worked, handled, taken apart, or put together. About 10% of this type go into marketing or become Impresarios.
The Executives
            These are another extrovert group and are hearty, frank, decisive, leaders in activities and usually good in anything that requires reasoning and intelligent talk, such as public speaking. They’re usually well informed and enjoy adding to their fund of knowledge. They may sometimes appear more positive and confident than their experience in an area warrants. They’re sometimes called “judgers” and “thinkers” and 21% of this group become legal administrators. To go into each personality type would be far too complicated, but to give you an idea of the roles that personality types could fall into look at the following list. Beside the categories we covered in depth here are some simply broken down into Introvert or Extrovert Personality.
Introverts choose careers that satisfy being:
  • Nurturers
  • Guardians
  • Artists
  • Scientists
  • Protectors
  • Idealists
Extroverts  are usually:
  • Performers
  • Visionaries
  • The Inspirers
  • Givers
  • Caregivers
The second part of the Investigating Phase is looking at your business options.  When choosing the business you want to start consider the following:
  • Do you like to work with your hands or brain, or both?
  • Does working indoors or outdoors matter?
  • Are you good at math, writing, puzzles, blueprints, installing things or fixing things?
  • What interests you? What are your hobbies?
  • Do you like to work alone or as part of a team?
  • Do you like to plan things, or go to events?
  • Do you like machines, computers?
  • Do you like to drive or operate equipment?
  • Do you like to travel, collect/display things, give/attend shows, or take pictures?
  • Are you small, large, strong?
Make a list of your likes and dislikes. Keep a diary of things you do that relate to business and rate each entry from 1 to 5 based on your interest. Then prepare a list of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and concerns.  After doing all that, you should have a list of candidate businesses that are right for you. Then you can make a list of the “candidate businesses” and rate them from 1 to 5 based on your own chosen criteria. Some criteria could be is it feasible, low in cost to establish, meets my objectives, will make money, there is a “niche” market of existing customers, or it will produce residual income to name just a few. By the time you’ve accomplished all that, you should seriously consider visiting the local chapter of S.C.O.R.E. or your own mentor to use as a sounding board for your plan. All the very Best.

Spend Wisely To Save Money

Have you ever noticed that the things you buy every week at the Shops, Supermarkets and hardware stores go up a few cents between shopping trips?

Not by much…just by a little each week but they continue to creep up and up.

All it takes for the price to jump up by a lot is a little hiccup in the world wide market, note the price of gasoline as it relates to world affairs.

There is a way that we can keep these price increases from impacting our personal finances so much and that is by buying in quantity and finding the best possible prices for the things we use and will continue to use everyday… things that will keep just as well on the shelves in our homes as it does on the shelves at the grocery store or hardware store.

For instance, dog food and cat food costs about 10% less when bought by the case than it does when bought at the single can price and if you wait for close out prices you save a lot more than that.

Set aside some space in your home and make a list of things that you use regularly which will not spoil.







 Any grain or grain products will need to be stored in airtight containers that rats can’t get into so keep that in mind.

Then set out to find the best prices you can get on quantity purchases of such things as bathroom items and dry and canned food.

You will be surprised at how much you can save by buying a twenty pound bag of rice as opposed to a one pound bag but don’t forget that it must be kept in a rat proof container.

You can buy some clothing items such as men’s socks and underwear because those styles don’t change, avoid buying children’s and women’s clothing, those styles change and sizes change too drastically.

Try to acquire and keep a two year supply of these items and you can save hundreds of dollars.

How To Choose A Multi Level Marketing Business Opportunity

A good Multi Level Marketing opportunity is to work from home. Working at home can give the freedom you want and the income that you deserve.
This way, you can be there for your children, cook dinner, and still get in a few hours of work before bed.
 A work at home Multi Level Marketing business opportunity can be very attractive but you must be careful to select one that works for you. Technology has improved customer service, and relationships with Multi Level Marketing workers and commissions can be utilized in ways not possible before.
All of this started in the 1950's with nutritional supplements, household products, and cosmetics. It can be noted that Multi Level Marketing opportunities boomed in the 1980's with insurance and long-distance telephone services.
As the twenty-first century approached, improvements in technology really helped the Multi Level Marketing industry. The industry has expanded into credit cards, travel, and pre-paid legal services already. MLM opportunities can adapt as technology evolves.
The combination of the latest technology and old-fashioned salesmanship makes MLM popular for everyone including those in the business world. You can earn money from the down line of your recruits' sales and their recruits' sales and so on. There is no overhead if you work at home, and advertising can be based on word of mouth. There is also no inventory, no collections, and no receivables.
You do not have to see the customer, and the product is shipped to them. MLM has acquired a bad reputation through media reports, but many companies including mainstream ones do it legally and successfully. Take note.
When selecting a MLM business opportunity for your own, look for one that has been in the business for a number of years. Take note that many scams are often fly-by-night operations. But this does not mean that you have to avoid younger companies. Look carefully before you take a leap of faith.
Make sure that they have a good training program in place, a fair compensation plan worked out and products that have already been tested for quite some time. A home-based MLM opportunity has three qualities; control of time and money, continual salary, and steady growth that multiplies.
By trying to control your time, you can reap from your efforts. When comparing MLM opportunities, think of yourself first. Choose a business that fits your interests and talents. Do not think you can be molded to fit others. Examine what you want and the one that is fitting to your knowledge and background. Many times your life experiences can add greatly to a company’s offerings to create a perfect blend. Take time to select the Multi Level Marketing opportunity that is right for you. Many who become involved in a MLM business start out on a part time basis. This is a wise advice for everyone considering the opportunity to get into self-employment. Keeping your day job will insure adequate income to meet your household and buy you enough time to get the business established.
By keeping your current ties in the business world, you can attract them as customers to the new endeavor you wish to take. Multi Level Marketing opportunities are waiting for your first chance to grab them.
When choosing, remember that if something is too good to be true, it probably is. Many companies sky-high dreams with little else. Keep your wits when looking at Multi Level Marketing opportunities and you will definitely land with your feet on the ground. Have a wonderful time.

The All Important Opening

A lot of times we get wrapped up in our products.  And why not?  

 We’ve worked for months putting our business together and our products are what people want to buy. 

When it comes to putting together a sales letter we want to explain every little detail so our prospect can see exactly what they’re getting when they make their purchase. 

Isn’t this the way it should be?

NO! The customer doesn’t care about the late nights you spent meticulously researching your product. 

The customer wants to know just ONE thing:  What’s In It For Me? (WIIFM)  If you can’t answer that one simple question, you’ll never be able to consistently sell your product or service.

In a sales letter or ad, you have less than two seconds to gain your prospect’s attention.  The first major mistake most people make is to start out with a weak headline.


If your headline doesn’t grab attention, then whatever you say in the body copy is meaningless.

The next biggest mistake is starting any piece of copy with a “me” message.  A “me” message is all about you and your company.  To your prospect “me” messages are boring!   

To get your prospects attention you must talk about THEM, not you. 

You must talk to their pleasure, their wealth, their challenges, their fears, their problems, and their joys.  Every prospect is tuned into the same radio station – WIIFM (as in “What’s In It For Me”).

One way of avoiding this after you have written your ad or sales copy is to reread it and circle all the “me” words.  Words such as “I, me, we, and our” are “me” words. 

Rewrite the copy using “you” and “your” words, making it more interesting and exciting to your prospect.

Imagine how much fun it would be to see your profits go through the roof.  To do this, you must clearly make your business stand out and apart from all your competition. 

You must convey your uniqueness without spending a fortune, and the secret is all in the sales copy.

You must create a Unique Selling Proposition (U.S.P.)  What do you offer your prospects that your competitor doesn’t or can’t?  Maybe it’s a better guarantee, better service, availability (reachable after 9 to 5), better location, or better customer treatment. 

Whatever you can do to set your business/services apart from your competition gives you the “edge”.

Something many business owners don’t realize or are mistaken about is the “length” of guarantee they offer.  Giving your prospect a “2-Year, No Questions Asked Guarantee” is much better than a “90-day,
Money Back Guarantee.”

The longer the guarantee, the more credible you and your business are “perceived” by your prospect.  Typically the majority of your customers will never make use of the “2-Year Guarantee.” 

 Let’s face it, by that time they like using your product, and/or they’ve long ago lost the sales slip. 

 BUT, when a prospect reads about the longer guarantee you’re offering, it raises their comfort level and makes them choose you over your competition.

Always remember that when you’re a small fish in a big pond – you must be different to stand out.  

 Making use of good advertising copy filled with words that make prospects eager to satisfy their WIIFM (as in “What’s In It For Me”). is the answer.

Who Is And The Functions Of A Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant is a self-employed business owner who provides administrative support to their clients.  The clients may want a one time job, or a long term position. 

 A virtual assistant may do secretarial duties, such as writing up letters and memo’s or contacting other business people for the client. 

Other duties a virtual assistant may cover are customer service, messaging services, email blasts or autoresponders, email support, fax paperwork, and many other duties.  

 A virtual assistants duties really does vary drastically. 

There are a few key attributes to a great virtual assistant.  



 Good grammatical skills are necessary; no spelling errors are going to be acceptable. 

 A virtual assistant must be extremely organized because no one will hire an assistant who doesn’t have their files arranged and handy. 

A virtual assistant with a wide range of skills is sought after.  
Being technically savvy is essential especially when you are a virtual assistant because it is what people expect and need in such an internet related business world. 

 Also, in this technological world, you must be able to take directions, understand them without too many questions or issues, and get the work done, perfectly. 

 A virtual assistant must be on their toes, on the lookout for unforeseen issues that may have been overlooked. 

 Virtual assistants have great communication skills, negotiating rates, deadlines, and project plans.  

 But, unfortunately, these assistants must make sure that they make time for work.  It is really easy to get caught up in housework or the kids and not set aside work time at home. 

When deadlines are missed, it looks bad on your reputation as a virtual assistant.

A virtual assistant can make their own hours, as stated before, but they can also make their own rates, which is excellent. 

They do not have to settle for getting paid too little for a big job.   

They do not have to worry about long commutes, and therefore expensive gas, leaving their children at daycare, and stressful co-workers and bosses.

The Main Reasons Why People Blog

Now, let’s talk about the reasons why people use blogs.

Imagine where anyone could go to the local store and they knew you by your first name, for example, "Ayojide".

 when you walk into the shop and hear, “Do you want your usual?” and the answer many times was almost always a yes. 

Not only did they know you name, but also know where you work and do ask how you were doing.

Then you would ask about their families too. In other words,  there were personal interactions.

One of the things most companies don’t have a lot of anymore is this type of personal social interactions online.

People simply become a number to them and selling the product is more important than getting to know their consumer.

What is even more daunting is that the customer knows nothing about the sellers.

Imagine if you could stand against everything they believe in and they wouldn’t be any close to know about it.

You might think this is a good thing, but I can tell you that if people know where bloggers stand (Drug abuse ?, no way!) then they may more likely to purchase your products or they may NOT!.

Blogging your thoughts, especially in Business is a great way to let your customer know who you really are and what you stand for.


 By sharing your feelings and day-to-day life, your customers feel as if they know you as a person and not just a company.

Blogging is just putting a simple thought, perhaps a paragraph long, onto your website.

 The blog of some Authors or Marketers or  Companies are actually very well done.

Not only do they promote their products, but also voiced out their thoughts and opinions on day-to-day activities that they are involved in always or Most times in a positive manner.

  some people got to know and respect them on many levels because of their blogs.

When you rant on a certain subject in your field, it can cause controversy.

Controversy gets people talking thus driving more readers to your blog. Use it carefully and sparingly.

You don’t want to rant on every single post. ,,,Hehe.... Have a wonderful day.

How To Make Money On Ebay

You have your business set up, your name chosen; you’re signed up and registered. 

Now what do you need to be making money on Ebay?

When you first start out making money on Ebay you need to decide on a product that you would like to sell.  It is suggested that you start by choosing one type of product.   

This will allow you to become an expert with them so you can advertise and sell them effectively.

  You will want to expand your product line as you become more effective in online marketing.

You can try different selling and advertising methods until you find what works the best for your particular product or products.

You will want to limit the number of items you place on auctions. The goal for making money on Ebay is to sell your items at the highest possible price.   

If you are selling several of the same things at the same time, it will be much harder to get a high price for them.


Finding quality and unique items to sell for making money on Ebay can be difficult as ebay gets more popular.   

 Some sources are Estate attorneys who get requests from families to help dispose of the deceased items.  

 Taking an ad out in your local paper and offer to take on consignment to sell could be a very good source of items and products. 

You will want to charge a small upfront fee and or a percentage of the sale.  

By pursuing this avenue to gain products and items be sure and check your state and local laws to be sure you do not need to have a auctioneers license.

You may also find items from other Ebay sellers who have bought items in bulk or by the lot. 

They may have items they choose not to sell. 

If you make other sellers aware you may buy excess items of a certain product, you may have another source of changing items or products.

A couple of important points to remember as you’re attempting to make money on Ebay.  Make sure you sell only legitimate items.  

 If you are selling illegal or counterfeit items, and the real manufacturer or another Ebay seller or buyer reported you Ebay would cancel all your auctions. 

 Do not allow friends, relatives, or even be tempted yourself to bid against other bidders on your auctions in an attempt to drive up the price. 

 This practice is known as shilling and is illegal.  Not only will Ebays fraud department shut you down. 

In some states the attorney general will bring criminal charges against you with the help of Ebay.

To help you make money on Ebay you may want to promote your auctions. 

You can do this with a personal web page just to promote you Ebay sales.  

 You can also run a online store with links going back to your auctions. 

 This will give you a more professional appearance on the Internet and helps your customers a better idea of who you are. 

Finally a very good way to assist in your quest to make money on Ebay is build a mailing list.  Send out email to your subscribers on a regular basis and promote your current auctions.

Currently there are approximately 450,000 people who are making money on Ebay.  This is because it is a efficient and low cost way to reach 45 million people. 

You can see there are many ways to for making money on Ebay.  It is not a get rich overnight excursion.

  Do not be fooled into buying guides that claim instant success.  Many of these are just bought e-books or some are actually copy write protected articles reproduced without authors consent. 

Do you homework, expect to have some expenses, make a plan and follow it then you to will be making money on Ebay.   

Steps To Find Topics And Niche Ideas To Write About

If you have a good idea of what people within your niche want, but you’re having a hard time nailing down specific topic ideas, don’t worry, there are a few things you can do.

Amazon.com - This website contains a wealth of ideas that you can implement into information products.

 For example, A search of “silk floral arrangements” in the books category brought up 107 results. The first page listed books with titles like these:

- Decorating With Silk & Dried Flowers: 80 Arrangements Using Floral Materials
Of All kinds

- Creative Floral Arranging: How to Decorate With Fresh, Dried, and Silk Flowers

-  Fabulous Silk Flowers for the Home

- Silk Florals for the Holidays

- Garden Inspired Silk Florals

- Faux Florals for Your Wedding: Fifty Easy and Original Projects

- Creative Wedding Florals You Can Make

Imagine the ideas that will flow after you use Amazon! Use the titles to create your own
information on the same topic.

Search Engines - Head over to your favorite search engine and type in an idea to see what kind of listings come up. Let’s say you're interested in silk wedding flower arrangements as a topic, but you’re not sure where to head with it.

Do a quick search and scan the listings to see if anything grabs your attention. Perhaps the site that says “Silk Flowers for Your Hawaiian Wedding . . .,” will spark an idea.

 You could create an entire line of how to e-books that will teach brides-to-be, how to make silk flower arrangements for various wedding themes (country, Victorian, medieval,
fairy tale weddings, winter wonderland, etc.).

Article Directories -By reading what other people are writing about within your niche you can create a large list of topic ideas.

A search at ezine articles.com for “silk floral arrangements” resulted in 428 articles and a few of the following article titles showed up on the first page:

-Silk Flower Arrangements: A Great Way to Spruce Up The Dining Room

-Christmas Flower Arrangements

-Contemporary Flower Arrangements

-Tips for Making Your Silk Floral Arrangement Beautiful

-Silk Flowers: Are They Better Than The Real Thing?

-Silk Flowers for Home Decoration

Magazines and Books - Flip through your favorite magazines and books written about your niche, and make a note of anything that catches your attention.

Headlines are particularly interesting and can spark some great ideas.

Remember, when it comes to creating your own information product, you don’t have to “re-invent the wheel,” find out what others are doing that has proven successful and follow their lead.

Simple Tips To Grow An Online Business

Do you have your online business up and running.  But are you making as much as you could?  Do you want to stay at current level or do better and make this a full time income?  If you are thinking this way you may want to consider some making some changes. 

The first thing to consider would be changing your website or sales letter.  There are some sites that offer free content to help attract customers and establish your credibility. Then you have sites that are just one single sales letter. There are many people who believe that the creation of mini sites is better for creating sales.  
 
The reason is they don’t have any other content and will concentrate on you message.  If you do not feel you write well it is a very worthwhile expenditure to hire someone.
 
  A well written sales letter will pay for itself many times over. Be sure to keep copies of the older versions of letters since things can change quickly so you will be able to go back to a previous version if you find you are getting less results from the new copy. 
 
Try sending postcards to potential customers.  Many people prefer to be contacted by mail and with today’s email having a multitude of offerings a post card very well can set you apart.  
 
You do not have to rely strictly on contacting people thru an online medium.  There is a world outside of the Internet that can be used very effectively to get customers to read your message.
 
Can you online business bring repeat customers?  What kind of ideas do you have about complimenting products? If someone is happy with a product they purchased from you they will be less hesitant on purchasing again.
 
 Be sure to let your current customers know of any new product additions.  If you are selling services contact your customers to let them know you are available for work and maybe offer some discount or other incentive to use you again. 
 
 These repeat and satisfied customers can be great referrals to others about your online business.
You never stop learning.  You never know what new information you have may significantly change your business for the better. 
 
There are so many manuals that offer advice it would be basically impossible to read them all.  Select one or two and really study them, put the ideas to work after you have read them and track the progress.
 
Try widening your income opportunities.  For example if you sell a home repair book, you may also then sell blueprints or a series of common project plans such as a deck, utility shed to name a couple. 
 
 The trick is to sometimes find a natural connection. Sometimes is may also be profitable to think of a new market to become jointly involved with. Such as home repair book and then become a home loan or construction loan affiliate.  It is a matter of finding another target group that can benefit from your service or product.
 
The final outcome is you want to attract new customers while continually taking care of your current customers.  Sometimes it is just a matter of some slight changes that will bring the desired income increase from your online business.

The Importance Of Using A Blog And Website To Promote Your Business

Having a subscriber list is not the only thing you need to ensure you have in the world of online marketing.

While we all want a lot of customers, we also need to make sure those customers keep coming back.

One of the many ways you can ensure your subscribers are listening and staying engaged is to have a website and blog.

A website does more than you think to help sell you or your product.

Four reasons why you must have a website:

. To stand out from the competition

. To describe and feature your product(s)

. To have a blog to share your voice

. Entertainment

Most people are under the impression that a website is just another means of putting up pictures so people can see your work, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Almost every company or individual who needs to sell themselves has a personal or company website.


From selling shoes to selling your art, websites are what makes you stand out from the crowd.

To stand out from the competition 

It is a great big world out there and chances are if you have the most brilliant idea of the century, someone else has that same idea.

Because of that, getting the word out as quick as possible is the most important thing you can do for yourself and your business.

Websites offer you a chance to step up to the competition and stand out, which is why it is extremely important to have a website that not only shows your product but also shows who you are.

Your website has to be a mixture of business and commercialization, so to keep things competitive you must make sure your website stands out.

To describe and feature your product(s)

If you are an author or someone who does any kind of art media, then you must make sure your work is the center of attention.

That being said, let me explain now that there is a difference between being classy and being gaudy when it comes to making your website.

While you do want an eye catching website, you do not want a website that looks like a bad Bailey dancer.

Website design is not nearly as difficult as it sounds.

There are a number of professional website domains out there which allow you to build the website yourself by choosing your own layout, background colors,background images and putting in your personal preferences.

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to website building is that “You absolutely must compliment your product with the appropriate website” 

Let me give an example. A Friend received the business card of a very talented author whose work he was truly interested in.

The books were very modern takes on ancient ideas, a new age sort of style.

 The book covers were soft tan and looked as if they were meant to be antiques. He was immediately drawn to the style and art of the book covers.

When he went to check out the artist’s website, however, He was disappointed to see that the website background was ‘done in a very flashy space scene where the stars looked as if they were coming towards you and the background music he said, was a cheesy futuristic sort of thing.

The website did nothing to enhance or promote the books based on looks, it simply flashed out at him drawing in his attention.

 Because of this, He lost interest in the website. He was still very interested in the books, but did not check out the website for any updates or read the author’s blogs, He just couldn’t get past the look of it.

More importantly, it’s the copy (the words you use) on your site that will either make or break your site.

Having a “Welcome” page,“About Us” or "Contact Us" page as your main home page will deter visitors from finding out more about your product(s) or service(s).

Instead, you want to capture their attention by having a clear headline outlining the biggest benefit your customer will get out of your product(s) or service(s).

Have a Good Day !

How To Use The eBay Search Engine.

If you know what you're doing, you can quickly find what you're looking for on eBay - and the more you know about how buyers find you, the easier you'll find it to be found.

Here are a few golden searching rules.

Be specific: If you're searching for the first edition of the original Harry Potter book, you'll get further searching for 'harry potter Rowling philosopher's stone first edition' than you will searching for 'harry potter'.

You'll get fewer results, but the ones you do get will be far more relevant.

Spell wrongly: It's a sad fact that many of the sellers on eBay just can't spell.

Whatever you're looking for, try thinking of a few common misspellings - you might find a few items here that have slipped through the cracks.

Get a thesaurus: You should try to search for all the different words that someone might use to describe an item, for example searching for both 'TV' and 'television', or for 'phone', 'mobile' and 'cellphone'.

Where you can, though, leave off the type of item altogether and search by things like brand and model.

Use the categories: Whenever you search, you'll notice a list of categories at the side of your search results. If you just searched for the name of a song, you should click the 'songs' category to look at results in that category only.

Why bother looking through a load of results that you don't care about?

Don't be afraid to browse: Once you've found the category that items you like seem to be in, why not click 'Browse' and take a look through the whole category?

You might be surprised by what you find.

Few people realize just how powerful eBay's search engine is - a few symbols here and there and it'll work wonders for you.

Wildcard searches: You can put an asterisk (*) into a search phrase when you want to say 'anything can go here'.

For example, if you wanted to search for a 1950s car, you could search for 'car 195*'. 195* will show results from any year in the 1950s.

In this order: If you put words in quotes ("") then the only results shown will be ones that have all of the words between the quote marks. 

For example, searching for "Lord of the Rings" won't give you any results that say, for example "Lord Robert Rings".

Exclude words: Put a minus, and then put any words in brackets that you don't want to appear in your search results.

For example: "Pulp Fiction" -(poster,photo) will find items related to Pulp Fiction but not posters or photos.

Either/or: If you want to search for lots of words at once, just put them in brackets: the TV example from earlier could become '(TV,television)', which would find items with either word.

Don't get too tied up learning the ways of the search engine, though: a surprising number of eBay users don't search at all, preferring to look through eBay's category system and save their favorites in their browser. The next email will show you how to make sure these people can find you too.

Utilize Social Media Marketing And Connect On Linkedin

Marketing yourself and your products online isn’t just about setting up the right website and having a great blog for people to read.
 It’s a great and really big Internet, So you have to know how or try to utilize it to your best ability. 
One of the most popular trends for aspiring entrepreneurs is using social media to bring in new clients and customers.
Social media is everywhere and it isn’t just for your kids or teenagers to talk about what school class they’re in, right now almost all ages are involved in social media.


There are different kinds of social media sites.

 But you need to get to know these ones or if you already know them,  you have to use or learn to use them better in order to market yourself better online, especially to the right audience:

They are:

. Linkedin

. Facebook

. Twitter

. Apsense (Web 2.0)

. Hubpages (Web 2.0)

Now Lets talk about Linkedin 

Linkedin is one of the best Professional social networking sites to become involved in if you are a business entrepreneur, A specialist, professional or of you have your own small business.

Linkedin is like having your little good book of business associates…and their little good book of business associates…all rolled into one neat little package.

Linkedin allows you to tell the world about yourself and your business in a professional manner.

 Think of it as a type of resume anyone can follow.

 You give details about yourself in reference to jobs, or volunteers you’ve had, your current endeavors and a short bio and business portfolio for others to see.

 Then you ‘link’ your peers and partners to your bio.

You can then see your associates ‘linked’ business associates and create a larger business based professional social network, based on these things.

You might be wondering what this does for you?

 After all, why would you need to have your business resume online for the word to see?

Let’s look at this from a different point of view.

If you are trying to get your name out there as a budding entrepreneur you will want to have as many people on your side as possible because the business world is all about networking.

 The larger your portfolio of people, the more networking options you have available to you.

Let’s say, for example, you want to expand your business into the international market, but you don’t know anyone who is in the same field as you overseas.

 For the sake of this scenario,Let's say you want to expand your product to the Asian continent, e.g. Japanese market specifically.

 In order to make that expansion, you need to know someone who is in the Japanese market.

What you might not know is that your co-workers boss’s daughter’s secretary has an uncle who is a Japanese businessman in the same field as you.

However, you are Linkedin to your co-worker, who is Linkedin to his boss, who is Linkedin to his daughter, who is Linkedin to her secretary, who has her favorite uncle Linkedin.

You see that person and decide to make contact, expanding your business and thereby marketing yourself outside the box.
Linkedin is a fantastic way for people to come together.
It builds buildings out of basic social building blocks that you already have all around you.

Why Should I Make A Budget?

You say you know where your money goes and you don’t need it all written down to keep up with it? I issue you this challenge. Keep track of every penny you spend for one month and I do mean every penny.

You will be shocked at what the itty-bitty expenses add up to. Take the total you spent on just one unnecessary item for the month, multiply it by 12 for months in a year and multiply the result by 5 to represent 5 years.

That is how much you could have saved AND drawn interest on in just five years. That, my friend, is the very reason all of us need a budget.

If we can get control of the small expenses that really don’t matter to the overall scheme of our lives, we can enjoy financial success.

The little things really do count.



Cutting what you spend on lunch from five dollars a day to three dollars a day on every work day in a five day work week saves $10 a week… $40 a month… $480 a year… $2400 in five years….plus interest.

See what I mean… it really IS the little things and you still eat lunch everyday AND that was only one place to save money in your daily living without doing without one thing you really need. There are a lot of places to cut expenses if you look for them.  

Set some specific long term and short term goals. There are no wrong answers here. If it’s important to you, then it’s important period.

If you want to be able to make a down payment on a house, start a college fund for your kids, buy a sports car, take a vacation to Aruba… anything… then that is your goal and your reason to get a handle on your financial situation now.