Good Riddance to Bad Rubish!

Good Riddance Day is a symbolic event intended for shredding, dumping or destroying single memories or ideas. For the last three years the co-organizers of New Year’s Eve in Times Square (Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment) invite the public to say goodbye, once and for all, to those bad memories of 2009. 



It has been a rough past year with a lot of notable happenings: the first African American President was sworn into office, Somalian Pirates raiding US ships, the Pilot that successfully landed his full plane safely in the Hudson River,  Unemployment rates soaring to record highs and the worsening of events taking place in the Middle East to name a few. That goes with out mentioning the pop culture scandals of Octo-mom, Balloon Boy, Tiger Woods and a surprisingly high number of celebrity deaths. Although not all bad, it seems to me that 2009 should be labeled The Year of Unfortunate Events.

In recognition of Good Riddance Day I urge you to reflect on the past year and recognize the not so great business moments that have occurred in your lives during 2009. Make your own "Good Riddance" list of 2009. Now before you shred it read it over. How many of these moments were caused by external factors? How many could have been handled differently to produce more positive out comes? How many could be attributed to lack in motivation, determination or innovation?


People have a way of developing patterns to deal with circumstances. These are not always effective as circumstance changes but thought patterns tend to stay the same. When you look at your Good Riddance list, have you noticed that perhaps you dealt with a circumstance in a similar way that you have before? Was the result of how you dealt with it satisfactory or, was there a better way that you could have handled it?

What patterns from your list do you notice that you can't seem to let go of? Holding on to these patterns will result in the same "Good Riddance" list for 2010. What you need to do is add that way of thinking to your "Good Riddance" list immediately. 
  
Now What? 
       Out with the OLD and In with the NEW!


For 2010 work on changing though patterns that seem to end up negatively. Try to think of new and innovative ways to approach circumstances. Here are some steps you can take to improve your way of thinking and eliminate those bad habits for the new year:


1. The more you learn the less you know. No one knows EVERYTHING, by realizing that you are not a mind-genius-super-brain and admitting your mortality vies with the rest of us will help you in the long run. The more stubborn you are about admitting this, the longer you will be stuck in the same mindset.

2. If you can't change something, change your attitude about it. This is one of my favorite quotes and it is so true. There will always be circumstances that we are faced with that we would rather not be. It is inevitable. Changing your attitude about them will help to open up new solutions and ways to deal with them proactively.

3. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. There are always underlying factors to why something works or doesn't. Many of these are temporary or can directly result from HOW you approached the circumstance. Give it another go, just don't go about it the same way you did before or it will most likely be a failure again.

4. The grass is always greener... now why is that?  Don't let your old ways of thinking keep you from coming up with fresh ideas to start your fresh new year. Sometimes it just takes a new perspective to see that things aren't always better on the other side.

5. Conquer your fears. There is a certain comfort level when you "stick with what you know" but for the new year its time to start anew and try to break the habits that have been holding you from progressing. 

6. The past is BEHIND you.  If you are not taking action to improve yourself for the new year then you are not moving forward. Your eyes are in the front of your head so you can see whats coming not whats behind you. You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone.

7. You are not alone. Chances are if you have a question or circumstance you cannot answer or do not know how to deal with, someone has or had the same experience as you. Thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, almost anything can be found by running a search. Research your "Good Riddance" perspectives and circumstances to see others advice and tips on how to confront them productively. You may not find the exact answer to your specific problem, but I can assure you there will be more than enough information about similar topics that you may be inspired after reading them to come up with your own solution.


"We spend the first of the year reflecting on our lives, making a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. To balance the list, we ought to reflect on our lives not looking for FLAWs but for POTENTIAL"- Ellen Goodman.

Cheers to a clean slate, fresh mind, and productive 2010! HAPPY NEW YEAR :)


sources:  
www.motivationalquotes.com/
www.timessquarenyc.org
www.current.com 

Food for Thought

There have been many studies out there on which foods, if any help us with our day to day routines. If there wasn't then who could explain the recent outbreak of energy drinks and power shots? There are many rumors about what helps with energy and concetration but are they true?

Well, experts agree there is no "magic" food that will help you perform to the best of your abilities. Some experts say that a combination of certain foods enhance your focus while others claim that it is purely a reaction based off what the person that ingested the "super food" thinks the effects they should receive would feel like.

Whether they actually work or trick your mind into feeling more awake and perceptive isn't the point, the point is that there is some reaction even though the connection is still inconclusive. So what are the top foods or drinks that have people feeling more alert?

1. Caffeine: there is a stimulant in caffeine that increases your hear rate for a short period. Depending on how your body reacts to this stimulus you can either feel jittery or energized. One of the problems with caffiene is that if taken in large doses your body will literally overdose and be counterproductive. Recent studies show that like any drug you can build up a tolerance to caffeine. It is suggested to only be drank when necessary for it to be most effect and to help prevent "crashing" from over consumption.

2. Sugar: a large dose of sugar has been said to have short term benefits. This is more apparent in the elderly because their metabolisms are no longer as effective in breaking down sugars. Some studies have even shown a positive correlation in the elderly and memory when receiving high doses of Glucose however they noticed many variable factors so the study has not given any conclusive results.

Carbohydrates convert into sugars in your body but are not converted until two to four hours after ingested. 

3. Protein and Fish: Protein, like Carbs, is broken down in your body and used to give you energy but due to the thick mass it takes meats longer to digest.

Omega-3 in fish has been said to improve brain function in the long term. The downside is that there is a rising concern with mercury levels in fish due to pollution. You may find in the long term you are hurting yourself more than helping.

4. Herbs and Spices: There are ton's of different herbs and spices nowadays that are said to help with productivity. Here are the ones I found in multiple articles:
       a. Brahmi- Indians have used this to treat anxiety and stress. They beliebe that this herb helps to improve concentrations and helps nourish the brain. There have been scientific studies to support this claim but not very many.

       b.  Ginseng- The word "Ginseng: means "all healing" in Greek. The Chinese have used it for many years in medicine. Older studies have shown that ginseng can increase protein synthesis in the brain which helps with conentration and memory but there is no recent studies to support those findings.

        c.  Ginko Biloba- This herb is derived from one of the oldest known tree species. It has been used to treat problems with concentration and dementia. Of the three this one has the most conclusive evidence to support increasing blood flow to the brain which helps keep the cells nourished and functioning properly.

There are also reports that vitamins B, C, E, and beta-carotene can boost productivity and focus but these too are inconclusive. You can these vitamins in pill form or by eating citrus fruits or leafy veggies.

There are other factors that may contribute to your focus level before and after meals besides what foods you ingest. When you eat a heavy meal before doing an important task you will be more lethargic. Your body will require more energy to work at metabolizing your meal and you can suffer from the proverbial food coma while your body is digesting. For this reason fatty meals have shown a negative trend in the effects they have  on concentration.

One the other hand if you do not eat enough before an important task, your body will recognize the lack in sugars and you can be distracted by hunger pangs, headaches, or simply be lethargic because your body has no energy to burn to keep you going.

In children there have been similar studies with food intake. If a child ate a normal breakfast their short term memory was improved over children who did not, however if the child had eaten an exorbitant amount they were easily distracted.

In conclusion, there are many claims on food that can help with increasing brain function, but to date there is really nothing conclusive. What may work for one person may not work for another, if it works at all. Some people may feel affects while others may perceive that they are feeling effects. If you find something that works for you whether real or perceived then you are still benefiting from it.

Your brain is an awesome device. Did you know it can produce the same levels of concentration if you BELIEVE that a certain food will positively effect it? Whether that food actually increases your focus is irrelevant, if your brain believes it did, it will still have the same effect. Now THERE'S some food for thought.

Phony Website Scam Holiday Shoppers

Check out this video released this AM on the Today Show on NBC warning internet buyers about phony websites.

Get Rid of Negative Thoughts to See Positive Results!

Having a positive attitude is a common attribute found in people with better health, happier relationships, and low stress. Were you aware that it takes more muscles to frown than smile? Your body expends more energy when you focus on negative thoughts. Worrying over the inevitable and stressing things you have no control over has now become linked to illnesses like heart disease and can even cause early death. A growing number of psychologists agree that focusing on the positive, as opposed to dwelling on the negative, will help increase your well being and overall quality of life.

There are many stressful influences that can affect a person's day to day life. When you factor in children, bills, relationships or work, it can be difficult to consistently have a positive attitude. You must learn to shift the way you approach problems before you can begin to change your attitude about them.  Here are a few ways to deal with the negativity you may encounter.

1. Look for the silver lining. The most successful people have "can do" attitudes. They see opportunities instead of objections in even the toughest of situations. If you notice yourself saying or thinking negative thoughts, try to think of something positive to say in their place.

2. Be respectful. Especially with email contacts; a customer can sense your tone in the way your message flows. You do not want to lose a sale because your tone is putting off the customer. It can be difficult at times but treat your all customers with respect. This is not saying you should let them walk over you but if you speak to them respectfully, even in the most stressful situations, you will usually receive the same respect in return. Once you get in the habit of speaking to others respectfully, it will become second nature. Try to use Please and Thank you in your everyday speech to get in the habit.

3. Focus on your strengths. You may not be the best at math or budgeting but great at creativity and sales. Take more time working on what is difficult for you but do not get frustrated or give up. No one is good at everything. Just remind yourself of your strengths and use that positive energy to get you through the tasks you may not excel at. If you are repeatedly dwelling on what you are not great at those negative thoughts will eventually consume you when working on the tasks you are good at. 

4. No Excuses! Take responsibility for your work. If you do not have a productive day, do not blame anyone but yourself. Figure out why your day wasn't productive and what you can do to change it so it doesn't become a habit. Take ownership of your mistakes, resolve them, learn from them and do not dwell on them.

5. Be true to yourself. Do not change your core values for anyone.  Disappointment and negative feelings  come from when you compromise yourself. These guilty feeling will affect your productivity. Don't let anyone overstep their boundaries; if they have you should let them know in a kind and respectful way.

6. Time is valuable. If you are in a negative mood you are wasting time and being unproductive. Stop focusing on your negative thoughts before your whole day has been wasted. Read a funny joke or inspirational quote,  give yourself a compliment, take a deep breath and count to ten. What ever you do change your attitude you need to do ASAP!

7.  Track you time. It is good to have a daily task or chore list of things you need to get done, but it is equally good to have a separate list of everything you have accomplished for the day. Instead of dwelling on the tasks you have not completed by the end of your work day, look at all the tasks you have accomplished. This will help end your day on a positive instead of a negative and make you eager to accomplish even more the next day.

8. Be thankful. Your customers do not have to buy from you, it is their choice. Recognize that and what their sale means to you such as: help pay bills or afford luxuries. Thank them for choosing you, let them know that you value their service and you hope they will remember you for future purchases. Studies have shown that people are intrinsically rewarded when they reward someone else. By personalizing your sales you not only make the profit but you have that tingly feeling you get when you know you have made someone else feel good as well. That customer is more likely to remember your company over another for future purchases.

9. Enjoy the little things. Unfortunately, most people have a tendency to remember the negative things that have happened in their day and forget the positives. Try to make note of all the little positive events that happened. It could be something as small as not getting any mail, because no mail means no bills right? In the beginning it may be hard to recognize the little things but as you get in the habit of focusing on them you will find that you will spend less time noticing the bad.

10. Smile. Smiling and laughing produces endorphins that help relieve stress and create a feeling of well-being. However this only happens if your smile is genuine. A real smile can be stimulated by happy thoughts, memories or sounds. You can also produce a real smile if you see or hear something funny. If you feel negative thoughts coming take a quick break to refocus your mindset by thinking of something that makes you feel good.

Why I love Twitter

Twitter is the newest and fastest growing social networking site out there these days. It allows you to share and discover whats happening in the twitterverse with real time updates.  Businesses have realized the potential Twitter has to connect with current and potential customers by directing attention to their companies, products or services.  The placement of links within profiles and tweets is great for generating traffic and can be immensely effective if directed to the correct target market.

Twitter is free and generally easy to understand and use. It allows you 140 total characters to say what you want to say. There are ways to search keyterms and ways to amplify your tweets to gain followers. Some people found that downloading applications such as Tweetdeck or Snitter helps make tweeting even easier. There are also applications that allow users to tweet directly from their smart phone such as Twitterberry or Open Beak.

There are many ways that businesses could use Twitter to increase their branding, presence, and website performance. The following are all the ways you could use Twitter to benefit your online business:

1. Branding. Your business can benefit by emulating its persona to your Twitter followers. Chris Brogan says “Twitter is an appetizer for who you really are and what you really represent.” If you represent your business in a positive, influential, and knowledgeable way followers will be drawn to your persona.

2. Gaining Insight. Twitter gives you the option to reach out to the twitterverse and ask their opinion. You may be surprised to find what you thought your potential customers are interested in varies greatly with what they are actually interested in. This insight could make or break your business, products, or offers.

3. Networking. Find other people on twitter that may benefit you or your company. You can establish connections and relationships that can help your business in the future.

4. Generating Traffic. If you have quality tweets that are relative to your product, service or business, people will be interested and visit your site. This will help generate targeted traffic, also, if other tweeple find your tweet to be valuable they have the option of "retweeting" which will increase the reach of your tweet to their followers. It can be a spider effect which will increase your site traffic and increase your followers.

5. Staying current. Twitter statuses are updated in real time. It the first way I learned about Michael Jackson's death. Its a great way to hear about the latest news, especially if it relates to your product or business!

6. Prospecting. Twitter provides a useful way for you to connect with people outside of your circle. Like I mentioned before it also allows tweeple to retweet your tweets so more tweeple will see them. As long as you actively tweet valuable information you will continually increase the number of followers and your potential for business.

7. Communication. Use Twitter to communicate with employees or other business entrepreneurs that are in the same industry. You can use the Direct Message tool for sharing private information. You can tweet your employees about meetings, changes, new information, etc.

8. Promotions. Companies have begun offering exclusive discounts for their followers. As an added incentive, followers are encouraged to RT or retweet the promotion to further your reach. You can also use Twitter to notify customers about updated information or new products.

9. Timeline. Track your time spent by referencing the times you tweet. You can also tweet a link to your site and cross reference the time you tweeted it with the increase of traffic and sales to your site to see the correlation. If it is not as much as you would like you can modify your tweets to see what others respond better to.

10. Motivation. Publically tweet goals and successes to your followers, they will provide positive feedback that will help motivate you to reach and surpass them.

If you would like to learn more about effective techniques for tweeting check out: Paid for Tweetn

I look forward to hearing your insights, tips you've used, or other general comments on this post!

Mentors-The Success Maker!

When you are a new entreprenuer and want to be sure to be successful then the best thing you could do is find someone who has already achieved what you want and find out how they did it.

Many entreprenuers get overwhelmed when starting a new business because they try to figure everything out themselves. This leads to unnecessary frustration and can also be the reason some fail. They either never figure it out or give up in the process.

No matter what your goals are, there is someone that has already acheived them. All you need to do is find them, learn how they did it and copy their methods.

A couple of things to remember when picking your mentor:
1. Make sure that they have actually achieved the same goals you want for yourself. Find proof, don't just take their word for it.
2. You do not need to actually meet your mentor, the internet is a powerful resource when searching for successful businesses.

Ok now that you know what to look for in a mentor, list the key goals you want for yourself and your business. Some of these can include: increase income, search engine optimization, high ROI, etc. You can also add in long term goals like: expansion within 5 years, double my profits after one year, or pay off your debts.

Since this is your business, adding personal goals will help keep you focused on your business goals because they will be interrelated.

Now that you have your list and what to look for in a mentor its time to begin your search.

The best way to find a mentor online is to look for small but successful businesses on the web. They are more personal and well, setting your initial business goals to corporate standards may be a bit overzealous.

Once you find a business you can learn how they became successful by subscribing to their blog or newsletter, reading their forum or discussion topics, purchasing their books or study courses and emailing them directly.

Finding a mentor will help take the stress away from starting a home business. Usually a business mentor will have great suggestions on start up companies with low prices, for instance advertising, web design, or campaign management. They will be more likely to help because they remember how they felt with starting their business.

If you would like to check out a great mentor I found for new businesses click here.

Avoiding Procrastination

Oh maybe I'll just put this off until tomorrow.

Wouldn't it be great if work was as fun as not working? Or if somehow all the boring tasks magically completed themselves on their own? If this was the case then everyone would always be overworked and happy about it! BUT they don't call it work for no reason. Sometimes you will be required to perform less than desirable tasks. That is why we get compensated to do them. When you work from home you can sometimes get caught up in the overwhelming urge to put off these undesirable tasks for later.

One study showed that unfinished tasks stuck in people’s minds and so were far easier to remember. According to the study: starting any activity causes your mind to experience a kind of psychic anxiety. Once the activity is done, your mind breathes an unconscious sigh of relief, and it is forgotten. However, if you do not complete the activity, your anxious mind quietly nags away until you have finished what you have started.

Conclusion? Don't let these tasks pile up! Why torture yourself playing catch up with a bunch of work that you didn't even want to do in the first place? We know they aren't fun, but they must get done. To help you,
I have compiled some tips to avoid-avoiding work. These will hopefully help your productivity and keep you motivated to complete these tasks without qualm.

Sometimes you will have an opportunity to do something that sounds more fun than working. If you were at a regular 9-5 job do you think your boss would just let you skip work to do that instead? Probably not. Work hard when you are supposed to and save the fun for later. Honestly, how much can you enjoy yourself if you are dreading the extra workload you gave yourself by avoiding to do it when you were supposed to? Talk about a Debby Downer!

Don't Slack! If you choose to lay back and relax before doing your daily work you will most likely not have the motivation to start doing it. You can even "over relax", that is you relax too long and end up not getting anything accomplished. There is a difference between resting and idling. Productivity is greatly decreased when you spend the first part of your day finding ways to not work, plus you will not have anything to look forward to if you relax first and work later.

Never underestimate your tasks.  It may be something as boring as data entry. It could be a simple task yet if it is something you are not looking forward to doing, you will not go at it with the same gung ho as you would something you enjoy, therefore distractions will be easier and the task will end up taking longer. Usually the most menial of tasks are the ones that have the most errors because the person gets caught up in distractions and doesn't pay attention to what they are doing.

Make a to-do list. When you see your tasks written out it is easier to stay on track. Prioritize which tasks need to be finished that day and work down from there. If you do not complete your list hold yourself accountable for it. Try not to let this become a trend. Reward yourself for good behavior and chastise yourself for bad behavior.

Don't get comfortable. Try to get in the mindset of getting your work done right away. If you keep reminding yourself that the faster you accomplish your jobs the more time you will have to relax it will help keep you motivated.

Break down tasks. If you are procrastinating because you have a big project try to break it down into small tasks. This will keep you from being overwhelmed. If you do not have a tight deadline you can make a schedule to do a few tasks each day until the project is completed.

Get your family on board! If you are having troubles staying motivated then tell your family about work goals you wish to acheive. They can be your cheerleaders to help motivate you to completing your tasks. Your success will also be their success. Remember if they do remind you that you are procrastinating that they are trying to be helpful so don't get upset at them for pointing it out.

Apps All Online Businesses Should Have

Here is a list of the best free internet applications for improving productivity for your online business. I have included a brief synopsis I have taken off their websites.  Most of these tools are browser based and can be used from any computer without having to download anything.

1. Launchy:  is a free windows and linux utility designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager.
Launchy indexes the programs in your start menu and can launch your documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes!

Quicksilver: is a more advanced version of Launchy for  Mac users. For a more advanced version for Windows you can try: Autohotkey or Memo Keys.

2. Hyperwords: With Hyperwords you can select any word on any web page and choose from powerful commands, including:
• Reference • Search • Translation • Conversion • Email • Twitter • Facebook • Tag • Blog • & More.
Click to view demo

3. Google Calender: Is there anything from Google that isn't great? Click the link to see how their calendar goes above and beyond just telling you what day it is.

4. Rescue Time: Automagical time tracking & tools to help you focus (from light "nudges" to blocking for short periods of focus) and track project time. This program is great to see how productive you are being while working from home.

Toggl is another tool to help track your time



5. Wakeupsonstandby: Once activated it resides in the system and wakes it up at predefined time, runs a file and if necessary sends it into Stand-by mode, hibernates it or shuts it down. It can also be used to run scheduled operations every day, or on specific day(s).

6. Evernote: Use Evernote to save your ideas, things you see, and things you like. Then find them all on any computer or device you use.

Nowdothis:  A super-simple to-do list application

7. Checkvist: Allows you to create hierarchical task lists, share them with your team, print out or publish online. Capture ideas fast during brainstorming sessions using intuitive keyboard shortcuts, and Work concurrently, notify your peers about changes, import and export to other formats.

8. Mind42 :Keep track of all your ideas, whether alone, with colleagues and friends or working together with the whole world.
Mind42.com is a browser based online mind mapping application. With Mind42.com installing mindmapping tools is no longer needed - for a hassle-free mindmapping experience. Just open the browser and launch the application when needed.

9. Lastpass: Never forget a password again! Log into your sites with one click. Protect yourself from phishing, fraud, and malware by having your data encrypted locally on your PC. Automatically sync your data so you can access it anywhere, any time.

10. Syncback freeware: SyncBack is our freeware program that helps you easily backup and synchronize your files to: the same drive; a different drive or medium (CDRW, CompactFlash, etc); an FTP server; a Network; or a Zip archive. -Note its the first download available on the page.

The Value of Information

If you are reading my blog, or any blogs for that matter then you are currently seeking out information on something. In my case I talk about home business. I could talk about many topics but I chose to keep this blog specific to helping inform people that are seeking information on internet businesses. I hope that you have found me helpful thus far.

I also understand that sometimes you need more than just advice. Some people learn better if they are given specific guides or instructions on how to start up an online business. For those people, you may want to continue reading.

There are business workshops, seminars, and conferences out there that you can find and attend. They are great to continue your research on how to start a home business however they usually cost money, take all day or occur on days when you are unavailable. If you attend these classes I hope you have a great memory recall. Oh sure, you can try to take notes but you may miss important points provided so you will most likely end up buying the notes they have put together to sell. Don't get me wrong, these group classes are a great way to network with other business entrepreneurs but you usually do not end up taking much valuable information with you once its over.

For those of us that want to get the most value for our dollar you may want to consider ebooks. You could go to the library or bookstore and buy a book, but it is my opinion that ebooks carry more value. With an Ebook you do not have to worry about losing or damaging it, you know its on your computer, or any computer you choose to access it with. Also ebooks usually provide you with easier navigation, help, reference links, and visual guides.

One ebook that is great for online business entrepreneurs is Cash Power Course. Cash Power Course was written by a group of consultants that specialize in online business start ups. The course provides step-by-step  information for aspiring or current business owners. The goal of the course is to guide entrepreneurs in the understanding of internet business and interrelationship proper marketing, thus enabling them to develop good business practices, as well as create credible and defensible business websites. 

The Ebook is like a virtual workshop. The writers of Cash Power Course realize that most entreprenuers have hectic schedules, some even balancing another job while trying to start up their own. The ebook allows their readers to go at their own pace instead of cramming a bunch of information in one day like an actual workshop.

One of the best things that stands out about this course is the customer support. Unlike a classroom situation where you are competing with many people that also need help, their customer support provides you with an individualized support system.

The ebook is written in easy to understand step by step instructions from setting up your online business, to product demand, to how to successfully promote your business. There are also guided videos and references through out the course, and if you missed something, you can always go back and re-read it.

If you would like to learn more about Cash Power Course you can click on the highlighted text. 

A Few Ideas to Help You Stay Motivated

Working from home can be difficult if you are not motivated. All of the luxuries and comforts of home are right in front of you and you do not have anyone to tell you no, you should be working. So how do home business entreprenuer's stay motivated?

Set a schedule. There are times when you are more motivated during the day and times when you are not. If you are not a morning person then perhaps your work schedule would be lunch until evening, or if you have family time at night then you may want to set your alarm to work earlier in the morning. Whatever schedule you set for yourself, keep it. You are your own boss so it is up to you to get to work on time!

Act like you are going to work. Make your bed, brush your hair, eat a good breakfast and get into work mode! Staying in those comfy pj's is not going to help keep your focus. Try not to work where you can be easily distracted such as in front of the TV or even worse, in bed.

Give yourself a break. Even when working from home you may find yourself worn out if you work long hours with out stopping. Breaks help to...well, "break up"your day. I've mentioned it before but a nice short walk or stretch can help renew and refocus you.

A great tool I recently came across to help with preventing Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) from working too hard and too long is called Workrave. Its a free application that frequently alerts you to take micro-pauses, rest breaks and restricts you to your daily limit.

Location Location Location. Set up your workspace in a bright open area that has a lot of natural light. Not only does it help with your electric bill but Feng Shui experts claim that natural light helps lift your mood and if your body doesn't get enough, you won't fully enjoy working no matter how much you enjoy your job.

A couple of live plants in your workspace helps to circulate fresh oxygen into the room.  There have been studies that show plants are interrelated with productivity. Color's can also help set the mood for your work space. Bright colors may be distracting, however if you are a graphic designer working from home then bright colors may help fuel your creativity. If you have a high stress work at home job you should consider calming colors. To learn more about the importance colors play on moods you can visit here.

Pack a lunch-metaphorically. In other words, STAY OUTTA THE FRIDGE! If you got up and grabbed a snack anytime you felt like because "it's right there" then you will find yourself quickly gaining weight and losing productivity. Over eating can actually be counter-productive. Have you ever had the really tastey meal that was so good you didn't care how full you were, you were eating it all? Well filling up our stomachs means our bodies must work extra hard to metabolize that food. If our body is focusing its efforts on digesting, your brain cannot fully concentrate on working. I like to call this a "food coma" this is also why some people get tired after eating a full meal. Schedule your lunch time and make yourself a well balanced meal that won't fill you up. A couple of snack breaks during the day are ok, but make sure you don't end up eating foods just because they are there.

Stop Working. Separate your off time from your work time. Doing house work while trying to work will create distractions and the same thing with trying to work during family time. If you let the two merge together you may end up resenting one or both.

Stay connected. Just because you work from home doesn't give you a reason to loose touch with your friends. If you were a social butterfly before working at home, you will soon feel like a caged bird if you do not get out and test those wings. Social networking is not only a great tool for marketing your online business but for keeping in touch with your friends as well. Don't isolate yourself just because you work at home, everyone needs social interaction.

Reward yourself. When you worked at a normal day job you were rewarded for certain achievements or behaviors, correct? Incorporate the same mentality for your home business. If you meet a certain goal you had set, found a way to increase income or decrease costs, whatever the case-reward yourself. Some reward ideas could be not getting dressed for work one day, letting yourself have an early day, treating yourself to a lunch out, etc.

Make it interesting. Working at home may not always be the most interesting or fun job to have, to help break up the monotany of the day. If it is a nice day you could work outside if you have a laptop or can do so without much hassle. Listening to music can also help break up monotony. Any out of the box way you can think of to make your workday go faster will help keep you focused and keep those boring tasks seem not so bad.

Save the Sale! A look at Customer Satisfaction

There are many reasons that customers can be disatisfied. You may be surprised to know that most often customers are not satisfied because they never received their product. If you do not open a dialogue and find out what is wrong, you will never be able to fix the problem.

It is always good to know why a customer isn't satisfied because you may see a pattern in customer dissatifaction. If you do notice an unusually large amount of customers having the same complaint then you will be able to address the problem for future customers.

Don't be distressed about customer complaints. Most of the time when an unhappy customer contacts you initially, it is because they still have faith and trust in your company and want you to remedy their issue. As long as you maintain contact with your customers and show that you care about their experience with your company the customer will remain satisfied once the issue has been resolved.

When polled, customers that had their issues resolved in a timely manner said they would still purchase from that company and/or recommend that company to their friends.

At times you may receive a nasty email from an unsatisfied customer, these are never pleasant, however remember that the customer most likely wrote their complaint at the height of their frustration. Reply in positive tones and reassure this digruntled customer that you are there for them and will do whatever possible to remedy their problem, this will help calm them down so you can move forward with solving their complaint.

It is vital to your businesses success that when a customer has a complaint YOU LISTEN!

Have you ever heard to put an unhappy customer LAST? Well I'm telling you right now, that's what you need to do!

That is you need to:
L isten to their complaint
A pologize for their dissatisfaction
S olve the reason they are dissatisfied and finally
T hank them for their continued business

This is your chance to turn an unhappy customer into a repeat one. We are all aware that unhappy customers complain more often than happy ones compliment, so make sure you are doing everything you can to avoid unhappy customers.

Solving customer complaints will not be a cookie cutter routine; as no two customers are the same. It is good to have some sort of customer service policy in place but sometimes you will need to come up with a non-standard solution their problem. If you are unsure how to please the customer it is best to just ask. Asking will give you a chance to hear what they think a valid solution to the problem would be. If they come up with an off the wall demand you can always counter with a more reasonable remedy.

Lets face it, some customers just can't be pleased. However if you don't try to please them all you will never know which sales you may have saved. Complaints are not always deal breakers, if you respond quickly and honestly then most likely they customer will remain satisfied. If you choose to ignore complaints you are admitting to the customer that your product does not or cannot satisfy their need in which case you may as well stop trying to sell it.

Remember this: There is absolutely no point in selling large quantities of products or services if they do not satisfy a need; in the end they will all be returned.

Protect Yourself From Internet Fraud

 

When conducting business online you should take precautions to help prevent being a victim of online fraud.

 I have gone over some internet scams in other blogs that readers should watch out for but there are additional business-ended steps you can take to further protect yourself.

Research a company or product before you invest in it. 

     1. If there are contracts involved you may want to have an attorney or accountant look them over. On  the other end, if you need to draw up a contract you can do so fairly cheaply online at places like Legal Zoom.

      2. If the company has a support center you should email them to see if the response is automated and how quickly it is answered. 

      3. Ask for proof of earnings. A profitable company will have no problems showing you their financial reports. 

      4. Make sure company policies clearly stated on their site. There should always be a privacy policy and return policy if the company is selling a product.

       5. Is the transaction taking place over a secure site? Is it being processed by a well known company such as paypal or clickbank or does it have a https:// instead of an http:// when you go to check out? note: the "s" means it is secure

Protecting Yourself from being a victim.

      1. Keep your passwords private

      2. Trust your gut feeling. If it seems like a scam, it probably is. 

      3. Ask your credit card company about "single use" credit cards. These allow you to use your card without putting your real account number online

      4. Keep records of your transactions in case you have to dispute them

      5. Know that you have a legal right to dispute charges for goods and services if you can prove that you either never ordered them or never received them.

If you think that you've been the victim of a fraud scheme that involved the Internet, you can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3.

Latest Scam Alert from IC3

Intelligence Note
Prepared by the Internet Crime
Complaint Center (IC3)


Spammers Continue To Abuse The Names Of Top Government Executives By Misusing The Name Of The United States Attorney General


As with previous spam attacks, which have included the names of high-ranking FBI executives and names of
various government agencies, a new version misuses the name of the United States
Attorney General, Eric Holder.

The current spam alleges that the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation were informed the e-mail recipient is allegedly involved
in money laundering and terrorist-related activities. To avoid legal prosecution,
the recipient must obtain a certificate from the Economic Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) Chairman
at a cost of $370. The spam provides the name of the EFCC Chairman and an e-mail
address from which the recipient can obtain the required certificate.


Do not respond. These e-mails are a hoax.

Government agencies do not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. The FBI, Department
of Justice, and other United States government executives are briefed on numerous
investigations, but do not personally contact consumers regarding such matters.
In addition, United States government agencies use the legal process to contact
individuals. These agencies do not send threatening letters/e-mails to consumers
demanding payments for Internet crimes.

Consumers should not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded
links associated with such e-mails, as they may contain viruses or malware.

It is imperative consumers guard their Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Providing your PII
will compromise your identity!

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at
www.IC3.gov.

One is the Loneliest Number...

Some people trying to start a home business become discouraged or unmotivated by the lack of interaction. Here are some suggestions to cure loneliness in your home business.

Don't forget your friends. You may not see your work friends that often anymore because you are working from home but that doesn't mean you should forget about them. There are many different ways you can keep in touch with your friends. Be careful not to get caught up or distracted from your work because you are catching up on the latest gossip. Emails usually work best because you have no phone interaction so you can draft an email with specific questions and not have to worry about the conversation getting off topic or taking up long periods of time.

Skype is also a new trend that can help cure lonliness. It's free software that works with any internet connection that allows you to chat away with other Skype users withough worrying about cost, time or distance. With Skype you can talk, instant message (IM) or make video calls for nothing. They also provide the option to make calls to phones and mobiles any where in the nation at low rates.

 Networking with other home job workers can be a great tool to meet new people with similar interests and also to share experiences about the success of your business. It is similar to interacting with coworkers because these people are all in the same "work at home" industry however you do not get to interact with them on a daily basis and when you do, you can usually learn useful information from them rather than the regular day to day banter of an outside job.

Pick up a hobby. If you are in the business of selling organic fruit seeds then perhaps you may want to join a gardening club, blog about gardening, or expand on a current hobby to include things that have to do with organic fruit. The point is to find a relative hobby to your business that interests you. By having a hobby that relates to your online business you open the opportunity to meet people that share your interest in the hobby and also may benefit from your product which in this case is organic fruit seeds.

Get out of the house: A simple change of scenery can help renew your energy. Its ok to allow yourself breaks from working, and there have been positive results from studies where employees took a couple of small breaks as opposed to those who worked the whole day through. Just be sure you don't get distracted or taking extended breaks that may interfere with your work time.

Profit Vs. Demand.

To have a successful online business, you must have buying customers. Seven out of ten E-Business customers do not get what they perceived they paid for. That number seems shockingly high considering all the corporate business sites out there, but I assure you, there are many more small businesses online competing to win over the business of that corporate customer.

So why is it that 7 out of 10 customers end up dissatisfied? Its primarily a matter of perception. Customers will only buy something they feel will value them in some way. Never forget that by improving the life of your customer through your product or service you will also be improving your net profits. So making sure that your customer is satisfied should be your number one goal- NOT MAKING A PROFIT!

In a recent study, customers were shown different online businesses, when asked which sites they would or would not buy from and why, the majority of answers consisted of: lack of perceived value, website credibility, or security issues.

When you are starting your own online business you must first consider how the customers will perceive what you are selling. If customers do not perceive your product to be valuable to them, there will be no demand for it. There has to be market demand or the law of profitability doesn't work. To be successful with your online business you need to offer something people want so badly, they will pay almost any price. Sometimes an entrepreneur will believe that they have a great product or service which they would like to offer however, just because they love it doesn't mean the general public will, and when it comes to sales, it's not about you-it's about your potential customers.

Being smart about product research and development is what separates the best sellers from everyone else online. If you want to be a successful online business owner, follow the techniques below to make sure your  good or service is in demand.

Research Your Competition. See how much competition you have on the web. Is it a good quality product or service? Can or is yours superior? What price does it sell for? This research is imperative to gain a competitive advantage over other online businesses selling the same or similar products.

Perform a keyword search. What are some keywords associated with your new business? Keyword popularity is a good way to view the demand for your good or service. You may be surprised to learn that one of the best selling items on the web is information!

I ran a Google Trend analysis between the key words "how to" compared against numerous other key terms such as money, jobs, information, sales, deals, discounts, etc. and each time the words "how to" ranked higher than the others. I took my little experiment one step further and found the terms "how to make money" far surpassed the terms "how to eat right", "how to speak Spanish", and "how to cook", three search terms I assumed to be popular topics. You can try your own experiment at: http://www.google.com/trends


Read online forums and blogs. They are a great way to see what people are saying about an online business, product or service, idea or concept. Type in an area of interest such as the key words you used above and include "discussion forum" "blog" or "article" into a search engine. You should be able to find a few active, high quality discussions to review and get a general idea of what people think about your product or service. This may even help if you notice a complaint from someone using a competitor's good or service. You can address the problem to make what you are offering more valuable to your consumers before you even launch your site.

Another great thing about forums is that you can even ask for opinions of information or services people desire and would pay for just try to be subtle. You should never try to solicit these users about your product. They will report you for Spamming and you will surely be kicked out of the discussion.

Finally, there are services out there that can take the mystery out of finding niche markets and product ideas that are high in demand!

I mentioned before that one of the most commonly search terms on the internet is "how to make money" Six Figure Yearly answers that question and even offers a step by step ebook with video guides to help you get started with your own online business.

Using a company like Six Figure Yearly can cut your time down by months to getting your own income-generating, niche products to market - it's an incredible service, well worth investigating...

Again I'd like to reiterate that you should NEVER just leap ahead into promoting goods and services BEFORE finding out if there is a perceived value by using the techniques outlined above.


The key rule to remember is that successful online businesses are usually broadly known and has a large target base. Those goods and services will have higher and easier profit margins than specialized items such as children ballet slippers or exotic snake food. Now you may have a small following for those items but usually goods needed by the general public perform better online. If your good or service does not have a high profit margin, if it is expensive to ship, or does not offer a value above its competing brands - you may consider thinking about whether or not an online business is for you. While no one can predict the success of your business, past trends have clearly shown that there must be demand before you can profit off of your website.

Phishing...10 Scams to Watch Out for

 Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. (Definition from Wikipedia)

I've done some research online and found the ten following phishing scams that you should try to avoid.

1. Google ViddyHo worm: If you use this instant messaging service you may have already fallen victim to the ViddyHo worm. It tricks you by sending a fake message from a "contact" asking you to click on a link. The person is then directed to the ViddyHo website, where they are asked for personal Gmail login information, which is then used to hack into the account. The worm then sends out the same fake message to all of the person's contacts, further spreading its reach.

2. Apple's MobileMe Service: When running correctly, the MobileMe service synchronizes e-mail, calendar and contact information for subscribers on their Apple products. Users have recently reported receiving e-mails stating that their subscription payments did not go through.  The e-mail further asks the victim to follow a link where they can enter credit card information in order to make his supposedly missed payment. To avoid this scam, make sure you check your credit card statements before trusting any e-mails that say your payment didn't go through and always check for a confirmation when possible.

3. Pop-up window phishing: This scam may get you when you are about to make a payment on a legitimate site. As the victim is viewing the legitimate site, a pop-up informs them their session has expired or timed out and they will need to re-enter their login information. This scam is a threat to all Web browsers and operating systems and requires no installation of malware. To protect yourself, make sure to never enter banking information into pop-up windows that appear while you're in the middle of an online banking or credit card session. If you get a pop-up window while you're in this situation, close out of your session, then log back in.

4. Phishing on Twitter: Victims of this scam will receive direct messages from already hacked accounts asking them to follow a link. The link then directs them to a that looks exactly like Twitters login page. After login info is entered, the scam spreads throughout that person's contacts. Watch out for direct messages with links included, one way to notice them are if they say "Check this out" or "Is this you"; If there is a link, make sure the domain is Twitter.com and not something that just includes the word "twitter."

5.Vishing: This is scary because this is a new way of phishing that isn't on your computer but rather your cell phone. Vishing manipulates caller ID instead of links and web pages. You will receive a call from a representative of a bank or credit card company. This fake representative will ask the target to call another number where they will need to enter personal information. This scam can also incorporate e-mail and text-messages where a victim may receive a similar message containing a phone number they'll need to call in order to enter account information. If you think it may be a scam then be sure to call the number on your bank's official Web site, and you'll be fine.

6.  Parking ticket scam: This has been dubbed the "most daring phishing scam to date", where scam artists in North Dakota actually issued cars with fake parking tickets. The faux-tickets included a web address and instructed the recipients to download an application from the site to view a picture of their vehicle. The targets where actually downloading a Trojan application which monitors computer activities. Luckily, this scam is easily detected by most anti-virus software. This scam hasn't been reported outside of North Dakota but you may want to be careful downloading anything from a parking ticket.

7. The 419 letter: named for the Nigerian penal code that addresses crime schemes, shows up as an e-mail from someone looking to give money away in his or her final days. In exchange for your personal information, like bank accounts and routing numbers, the sender promises a large lump sum for your help. You never get the money and the scammer has your info to creating an alternate version of you with credit cards and bank accounts in another country. Sometimes the scammer will send official-looking documents to get you to pony up for shipping and documentation fees, making the whole thing look legitimate.

8. Airline tickets: Be on the lookout for any ticket messages from airlines. E-mails scams are currently going out saying that your credit card has been used to purchase a ticket contained in an attached Zip file. If you open the file, your computer will download malware that can be used to steal your personal information. Should you receive an e-mail like this, do not open any attachments and report the spam to your email host.

9. IRS tax refund scam: You get an email stating you're getting a tax refund from the IRS. The e-mail sender will look convincing, one already known is "tax-refunds@irs.gov" These emails provide a link to a  a special form  you need to fill out to claim your refund. The form asks personal and financial information. FYI: the IRS will never ask for personal info for a refund other than what you fill out when you claim your income to file your taxes. If you have questions about this scam or think you did not get the refund you deserved  contact the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040.

10. Stimulus offers: Scammer's are taking advantage of financial concerns during the ongoing economic crisis. In this case, victims are tempted with promises of stimulus money. They send you to a convincing fake website, and promise to pursue relief funds and expedited stimulus checks on their behalf for a small fee. The victims lose their initial investment and are then badgered for additional costs and fraudulent charges. If you have any questions or concerns about stimulus benefits, check with official government Web sites like Grants.gov or Recovery.gov.

 If you know of other Phishing Scams that are worth mention, feel free to comment below.

Some of my information was found on switched.com

Generating Traffic to Your Site for Newbies

There are so many informational sites out there on the best ways to generate traffic to your site. Sometimes, especially for newbies, the information can become quite detailed and frankly overwhelming. So I have decided to put together some easy to follow tricks of the trade.

1. It is very important to optimize your website. This is easily the best way your site will be seen. Google is currently the highest ranks search engine out there, but you can also use Yahoo, Bing, Ask, or as many other search engines you'd like. It is not necessary to use them all however it wouldn't hurt to use more than one.

So what does it mean to optimize your website? I am a big fan of Wikipedia definitions and here is theirs: "Search engine marketing, or SEM, is a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs) through the use of paid placement, contextual advertising, and paid inclusion."

Example: The ads that you see when you do a  google search at the top and right border of the page.

Some people mistake SEM with SEO which Wikipedia defines as:  "the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" or un-paid search results...Typically, the earlier (or higher) a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines."

SEM and SEO can be hard to master if you haven't done it before. There are Search Engine Optimizers which are typically consultants you pay to optimize your site for you although they may be a little pricey, especially since SEO and SEM is a continuous process. As soon as you stop paying for services, they stop optimizing your site.

Another option for SEO and SEM is to do it yourself. There are courses out there like Adwords for Beginners that teach you how to set up campaigns and monitor them. This is handy because you only pay for the course information once and you can review it as you please.

2. Banner Ads or Contextual Ads. These are defined as: online advertising that is embedded on a webpage. Its goal is to attract traffic to a website by linking to the website of the advertiser. The advertisement is generally an image, JavaScript program or multimedia object that can have animation, sound, or video to maximize presence.

This is another form of advertising that will require out of pocket expense. You can create your own ad, however the site you would like to advertise on may provide "Creative work" for free or at a discount as a courtesy for your advertisement.

The site you choose to advertise on should be consistent with your Perfect Customer (If you need to review how to find a perfect customer please visit my past blogs). The advertising site should not already be cluttered with other advertisements and should be relative to your product or service. IE I wouldn't recommend advertising a vegetarian product on a meat packaging site!

3. Promote Promote Promote! Every email you write, business card you hand out, and new person you meet should know about your website or have a URL to lead to it. There is nothing wrong with shamelessly  promoting your company. JUST BE SURE YOU AREN'T SPAMMING PEOPLE WITH IT!

Blogging is a great tool for writing about your product. It is free to sign up and gives you an oportunity to promote your site, link it, and find other people that are blogging about issues related to your site. You may find someone blogging about their alarm clock not being loud enough and you just so happen to offer the loudest alarm clock in the world at your site. You can reply to their blog about your website and the loudest alarm clock ever. Not only will you have solved that particular blogger's problems with your product, but someone else that has been reading their blog may have the same problem, so now you have generated two sales to target customers for free.

Social Networking Sites are also a free way to get the word out about your online business. Facebook, Myspace, LinkdIn, and the newest social site Twitter are all great ways to find targeted customers and let them know about your site. It can sometimes be a little more difficult to find targeted customers at first, because profiles may be private, but it doesn't hurt to get your site out there for free to expand your internet reach.

Twitter is a little more business friendly in that you can search key terms and also for the most part the profiles are public and accessible. There is a great program called Paid for Tweetn that teaches the best tips and techniques to make the most out of getting targeted followers, automating tweets, and promoting your business in the allotted 140 characters.

4. Get Affiliates. This is a good way to spread the word about your site to others. The affiliates earn on a commission basis so you do not pay anything until they sell. The affiliates will help to send targeted customers to your site or their duplicate affiliate site. This can expand your reach greatly but I would suggest holding off on starting an affiliate program until you already are earning a steady profit from your own efforts.

(I have an earlier post about Affiliate marketing and how it works in my blog)

5. Offer an email list. This will help you maintain contact with current customers and people that may not have bought yet and are still in the research phase of the buying process. With an email list you can send out new promotions and discounts, follow up with customers, and let them know about new products or services. Another good thing about having an email list is that even if they are not interested in your new product or special offer, they may have a friend who will be, so they will forward your offer to their friend thus expanding your reach.

One thing you must remember when you have an email list is to NEVER SPAM! You can get blacklisted for spamming people or selling information.

Wikipedia's Definition of Spam:  the abuse of electronic messaging systems including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately.

6. Barter. Trade banner space or ad links with other websites. This is a great way to have your site seen and increase your reach. One thing you should consider is that having ads on your site may take business away from you as well. If you decide to trade links or ad space make sure you are doing so with companies that  have relevant sites. That will increase your Search Engine Ranking and move you up Google and other Search Engines rating system. Do not try to compete with yourself. If you offer sporting goods on your site do not try to barter with another site that also sells sporting goods. However, you may want a site that sells something in the sporting goods catagory that will compliment your site. Approach partners, customers, and vendors directly with link trade proposals, they usually will be open to the trade because it benefits them as much as it does you.

7. Public Relations. Many online businesses forget about the importance of PR. A press release about a contest or new product or a free tool available on your site will drive traffic to your site. Attract attention to your company. Make the headline interesting and write a story has a good angle. Testimonials work great in media releases. The best part about it..its free!

If you like to write you can also consider writing an editorial or article about your business and what product or service you are offering. These are a little more time consuming but are great ways to promote your site with out spending money.

Well, there you have it. The most valuable ways to generate traffic to your website, according to me. I'm sure you will find similar information on other sites so there must be truth to these tips! They are the fundamentals to web traffic and hopefully I have outlined them in an easy to understand outline.

If you can think of anything else, please comment me, or if you have a great link to some more helpful tips, I'm sure my readers will also appreciate the extra info.

Finding The Perfect Customer

Having a website is the easy part. The hard part is figuring out how to generate traffic to it without wasting your efforts. Usually you will have three types of potential customers that end up at your site.

1. Browsing Visitors: these people did not seek out your site but may have seen an ad that sounded interesting and they've decided to check it out. Rarely do these visitors end up buying anything.

2. Research Visitors: these people are actively searching for what you offer, but are not yet in the buying phase of the buying process.

3. Focused Visitors: these are your perfect customers. They are actively searching for what you are offering and are ready and willing to buy it.

Most of your visitors are usually in the first and second categories, however all three types are POTENTIAL BUYERS.

Before you begin spending a lot of time and money telling anyone and everyone about your site, you should focus on targeting only on the people who want and need your product and are willing to buy it because they are your best chance to make a sale. 

Sales channels provide different ways to target your perfect customers on the internet. There are two types of sales channels: Direct and Indirect. By incorporating both direct and indirect sales techniques you will maximize your potential net profits.

An example of a direct sales channel would be your website. Any other way a visitor is led to your site is an indirect sales channel. These may include: banner ads, social network sites, or PPC advertising.

When it comes to indirect sales channels you must first consider what other sites will your perfect customer be visiting and how can you attract them to your site. To figure this out you must first identify your perfect customer.

An easy way to identify your perfect customer is to give them a profile.Take time to answer these questions about who your perfect customer is:

1. How much money do they make?

2. Where do they live? What type of establishment (apartment, condo, home)?

3. What type of work do they do? Especially if you are selling work specific items such as steel toed shoes.

4. How old are they? An easy way to figure this out is if you want to appeal to a younger age, then focus on persons 5 years older because young people perceive themselves as older, and vice versa, if you want to appeal to an older age focus on persons 5 years younger.

5. Is your perfect customer primarily male, female or are you selling something that is gender neutral?

6. What are their hobbies and interests? How do they spend their free time?

These questions plus anything else you can think of that may be pertinent to selling your product or service such as: religious affiliation, children, medical concerns, music preferences, etc. should all be compiled to give your perfect customer a personality that best represents who will most likely buy from you.

Once you have an idea of who your perfect customer is, you are ready to begin using direct and indirect sales channels to lead them to your site!

First Impressions are Just as Important for Online Businesses

Congratulations! You've finally decided to try a home based business! Whether you are starting your own business or have decided to be an affiliate marketer it is imperative that you have a functioning website. If you do not have a website that is generating sales then it is not functioning.

Your website is the first contact a potential customer has with your business. In fact, it may be the only way they interacts with you through out their whole buying process. Therefore your site should have some sort of welcoming persona for your potential customer. The first impression of your site can make all the difference between a sale or not.  

Think about it, a customer will try to guage what you and your business ethics are like based on the content and appearance of your website. You will want to present your site in the same professional and cordial manner you would if you were meeting them in person. 

71% of people polled say they buy a product based on the site's credibility. If they do not feel your site is a legitimate business they will not even look at what you are offering them. We all know there are thousands of scams on the net already. Try to avoid making your site look like one as well. By making sure you have a site that is easy to navigate and a friendly appeal it will help to soothe a sensitive customer that is hesitant to purchase. 

 When it comes to the layout of your site remember the following:

1.Keep it simple. The easier it is to navigate the better.

2. Keep the font clean and easy to read. Site Content must deliver its message in clear and concise manner.

3. Colors are important. The site should have a fresh, non-imposing look. For an idea of web safe colors you can visit here.

4. State your site objective in the top 600x600 pixels. (that is above the scroll area and visible when a potential customer first sees your site) 

5. Stay away from hi-res images. Images and supporting files such as javascript and flash impact the time it takes to download your site on your customers browser. You may have an award winning image that you want to show the world, however, chances are if a potential customer has to wait longer than a minute for the page to load; they've probably already clicked out of your site.

Check out this site. In the very top of the page it clearly states their objective to "Help you find the right opportunity". Did you know that 70% of online businesses fail to meet their stated objective? If your site does not keep with its promise you may have a bunch of sales initially, but you will most likely have a lot of returns as well.

All new businesses face a common challenge: no history or credibility with the customer. One way to increase the credibility of your site is to verify it. By having your site verified you are ensuring potential customers that what you are offering is legitimate and not only do you think so but a third party agrees. 

Now that you have your website looking warm and inviting to your customers, you need to develop a course of action to lead them to your it. Remember, the function of your website is to generate sales. To increase sales, simply increase the percentage of targeted visitors to your site. 

Look forward to my blog on tips to generating traffic to your site!

Affiliate Marketing: A Closer Look

I've noticed that Affiliate Marketing is increasingly becoming the most popular way to work from home and gain an income so I have decided to take a closer look at what it is and how people can be successful at it.

Affiliate Marketing can best be described from their Wikipedia definition as "an Internet-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts."

Affiliate marketers team together with an already established company to sell a product or service. The appeal to people like us who work at home is that there is no direct selling, cold calling, or inventory on our part.

To get started you will need your own website that features their products or services. You can then earn commission off of any sale that is made from your website. Usually the affiliate company will provide a site for you however if you want to have someone create it (which is great for people who are not to computer savvy) you can have a company like Ekoh Group make one for you for a nominal fee.

The parent company benefits from having affiliate marketers because it expands their reach, in turn for you work, they pay you a portion of the sales that you generate. It benefits you, the affiliate marketer, because for very little to no start up fees you can essentially start your own online business with out needing a product of your own.  Its a Win-Win for both the marketer and the company.

There are many instances with people having success as an affiliate marketer. One of the best aspects of it is that you don't have to be an affiliate for just one company. Because there are no non-compete contracts and so many affiliate marketing programs its easy to be an affiliate marketer for more than one company.

Its very easy to get started with an affiliate program but there are some things you should know before you begin an affiliate marketing relationship with a company:

1.  Not all programs are reliable, try to establish a relationship with a top rated company. Usually these will have a Vericorp seal on their site or some form of verification.

2.  As an affiliate marketer it is your responsibility to present the merchandise to the target market. For instance, if you are a marketer for an online meat company, you would not try to advertise their product on vegetarian or vegan sites. 

3. Choose an affiliate company that has a specific focus. If they are trying to sell anything and everything it will be hard to generate specific traffic to your site.

4. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the commission structure and expected payment methods.

It is in the best interest for the company for you to be successful so they often provide targeted, best-seller items and personal support to their affiliate. They often offer sales promotions that will benefit you in your sales efforts.

One of the top affiliate programs that I have found to date is Cash Power Course This program goes in depth to teach you all the ins and outs to get you started with affiliate marketing. They even show you how to generate traffic to your site which is important to ANY and ALL internet businesses. I also like this company because they have customer support and you can get a discount through them on an Ekoh Group site, which is the company I mentioned earlier.