virtualebiz

How to Attract More Clients

2007-12-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

To Attract More Clients, Plug Into Your Purpose by: Fabienne Fredrickson

If you've been in business for a few years, you've probably been marketing your business for just as many years (hopefully). You've tried marketing tactics that worked, and if you're anything like me, you've tried some that didn't and failed miserably. After a while, I believe everyone gets into a slump with their marketing plan. This happens with a majority of my clients at some point or other, and has happened to me too in the past. There are many reasons for this: 1. We get bored. 2. We get complacent or lazy. 3. We become greedy or simply in it for the mo-ney. I could give you solutions to all three of these reasons, but these would be using your willpower and discipline. Today, I want to appeal to your sense of purpose. If you want a successful business, having a purpose in marketing your business is an absolute necessity, and it shouldn't be just making mo-ney. Yes, making lots of mo-ney is great. Mo-ney is necessary and it makes life way easier. But if the ONLY reason you're in business is to make mo-ney, I believe that for most people, it's much more difficult to get up the strength to market something that just takes from people, without giving back more than what you give. Besides, people will feel that energetically and read right through you. The solution? Connect (or reconnect) to your purpose. If you've been dragging your feet about getting out there to market your business, perhaps it's time to reexamine if you're connected to the original purpose for getting in business. I'm a big fan of Ralph Marston's Daily Motivators and he recently wrote something on the subject of purpose that really resonated with me: "Where there is purpose, there is energy. Actions directed toward a compelling purpose will create a powerful momentum that lines up events and circumstances in your favor. Purpose gives you a reason to get going each day and strengthens your determination to persist when the going gets tough. Purpose pushes you firmly toward your highest level of accomplishment." I couldn't agree more. I've talked in the past about letting yourself be pulled by your future. Today, we'll call it being pulled forward by your PURPOSE. If you look at any great humanitarian leader, you'll notice they've had many obstacles and tribulations along the way. Somehow, they always seemed to get right back on that proverbial horse and try, try again, didn't they? If they'd been in their cause just for the power or the mo-ney, they may have given up shortly after starting. But I'll guess that their strong purpose gave them the strength and determination to keep going, to push through the obstacles and reach their goals, because there was a greater purpose to it all. When I see a client who drags their feet or for whom something's not going well, it's usually a sign that something's not quite right, as opposed to just procrastination. Either they're marketing something for the wrong reason or they're not being true to their purpose and the reason that they're here. For many, they've chosen to ignore the nagging voice within that tells them something's not right. Perhaps they don't even know WHAT their purpose is. For many of us self employed people, it's to serve others and make a difference in people's lives, in one way or another. My opinion is that when we get away from that, marketing or doing anything in business is much more difficult. And yeah, by the way, when we are authentic, serve people well and stay connected to that purpose, the mo-ney inevitably flows. The best part about making good mo-ney doing something that really matters to you is that the mo-ney is a byproduct of doing things well and for the right reason. It feels great, not sleazy or like we've ripped off someone. Your purpose is to help others AND to feel good doing it. Once you find it, throw yourself into it. Since having a strong purpose in your business gives you more energy and determination, it's time to either get reconnected to the reason you originally got in business or to figure out what yours is. Remember though, sometimes our resolve gets tested to make sure we REALLY want this badly enough. Persevere; don't give up. YOUR ASSIGNMENT: What's YOUR purpose? Here are questions to ask yourself to find your own purpose or reconnect to it: What section of the bookstore do you gravitate towards? (Hint: I was reading success-mindset and marketing books on my honeymoon and it didn't feel like work.) What is the greatest challenge you overcame? What brings the most meaning to your life? If you had all the mo-ney you needed, but still wanted to work, what would you do to make a difference in the world while bringing you happiness? Whether it means connecting to it for the first time or simply reconnecting, do what it takes to live as close to your purpose as possible, no matter what the setbacks. Tweak the way you do things right now so it feels right and like there's real meaning in your life. Success will naturally come to you when you do. You won't believe you get paid to live it. Got your purpose but having a difficult time marketing it? Then it's time to take action and invest in a step-by-step marketing system that will feel easy and authentic to you. Copyright (c) 2007 Fabienne Fredrickson
About The Author
The Client Attraction Home Study System avoids all the unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when your done with that, you move on to step two and so on. You can get it at http://www.theclientattractionsystem.com/

EOY Business Advice

2007-12-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

End Of Year Business Growth Strategies by: Andre Bell

Summary: Smart business owners know the end of year is the time to pull out all stops. To give their all to finishing at the top and leave mediocre performers trailing in their dust. Here's how to end the year on a profitable high. While watching marathon runners it's easy to see there are two distinct types of runners. The first gets excited when reaching the finish line. This is the time for putting everything they've got into reaching that goal. The second type of runner sees the goal and says to himself, 'Now I can slow down. Now is the time to stop pushing myself so hard. I'm almost there.' The problem with this second attitude is slowing down causes the runner to get passed by more assertive runners. It also limits the runner's chance of reaching the best he can truly achieve. He has limited himself to a mediocre performance. Or worse, he will give out altogether. These same attitudes also exist in businesses at the end of the year. There's one group of business owners and decision makers who know this is the time to pull out all the stops. To give it their all to finish at the top of their game and leave mediocre performers eating their dust. Unlike a real race though, it takes very little effort to finish on a high. That's because most competitors choose to simply sit back and watch the year wind down to an end instead of push themselves to achieve more. So what is needed to finish first, to truly put your best effort forward and end the year at the top of your game? First you need to make a commitment to stay in the game. Not to give up and not to make up excuses that it's almost over. And second you need to realize that in business, you get to make your own rules. You can choose your own course. No one can force you to stay in the same under-performing pack as everyone else. You can legally choose your own shortcuts for reaching the finish line ahead of everyone else. There are several 'shortcuts' for finishing the year on a high note. First is to look at your current client list and ask yourself, are you fully utilizing the relationships you've formed with your clients? Are you getting maximum use from your client database? When was the last time you made a special offer to your clients of something they actually wanted? And like a runner handing off a baton in a relay race, when was the last time you passed on the tools needed for your clients to send you more referrals, given them incentives to buy more frequently and in higher volumes? When did you last reward your top performing clients? If you are not doing these things you are not putting yourself ahead of the pack, you are running along with them with the same mediocre performance. Also, not only do you need to focus on staying in the game and winning, you must take steps to insure your clients 'stay in the race' with you. And if some have fallen out, you need to take steps to get them back up and running. This involves including a customer reactivation and client attrition program into your end of year marketing. What type of customer appreciation programs are you using to help your clients maintain their energy and enthusiasm for you? Don't have one? That should be your immediate focus right now. Today. Second to reactivating clients and preventing attrition is making special offers encouraging existing clients to continuing going strong. To pick up the pace and spend more. Not just because you want them to spend more, but because it's in their best interest. What type of pace do you think a person would put into running a mile if they were told the reward is a dollar bill versus if a hungry lion were coming after them? What if at the end of the mile is a safe, lion-proof shelter? What level of performance do you think they'd put into this mile? Obviously a huge difference. But the thing is, the distance has nothing to do with the amount of effort exerted. The distance is the same. But the incentives differ. It's the same with your end of year offers and incentives. You must make your offers irresistible. Not because it's what you want to give, but because it's something your clients want to get. These are just some of dozens of ways to end the year on a high note. Really, if you set a goal to increase sales instead of focusing on just finishing the year you can come out ahead. It simply requires making the decision to put your best foot forward and increase your activity during these final legs of the year. By doing so you'll stand out well in advance of the pack that simply wants to reach the end of the year. You can come off victorious. Note to Publishers: You may publish this article in your newsletter, on your website, or other online or offline publication as long as the article content is not altered without prior permission. Online the resource box must include an active link. Notification of use of this article is appreciated, but not required. The author can be reached at http://www.andrebell.com/askandre
About The Author
Andre Bell is a Business Growth Specialist and author. Visit his official site at http://www.andrebell.com/ for a free copy of his "12 Step Profit Building Report".

Business Directories

2007-11-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

Business Directories: The Place To List Your Local Small Business When Looking For Local Customers by: Caroline Melberg
One of the oldest and most effective ways to market yourself online is through local small business directory listings. Small business Internet marketing requires starting with a listing of your small business in the major general directories then listing them in niche and industry-specific directories appropriate to your small business. It is a time consuming process to list your small business in the right directories, but a necessary one to ensure good rankings for your website. The most essential directory for your small business to be listed in is DMOZ, also called the Open Directory Project. All the major search engines, and most of the minor ones, rely on DMOZ, located at www.dmoz.org, for information on websites. Google gets information on every website it crawls from DMOZ. You should also list your small business in Google Local and Yahoo Local. All you need to do to get listed with Google is to go to Google, click on the Local link and find the "add your business link." For Yahoo, go to Yahoo, click on "Directory," then click on "Submit Your Site" at the bottom of the page. You can find other directories online by using Google or Yahoo. Type in "directory of directories" and you'll get a list of small business directories, both paid and free, listed by state, industry, niche, and other categorizations. I recommend that you list in every directory that applies to your business. Here is a short list of local small business directory opportunities to help you attract local customers for your business: http://www.dmoz.org http://dir.yahoo.com http://www.joeant.com http://www.jayde.com http://www.avivadirectory.com http://www.goguides.com http://www.botw.org Some directories, like the Yahoo directory, charge, but it is well worth what you pay to be listed. Once you are included in Yahoo's small business directory, you can bet your website will be indexed in the search engine as well. There are three primary considerations for your small business when listing in directories online: The directory's PageRank The directory's age Is your small business category available? PageRank is important for SEO purposes. Internet marketing pros all recommend getting inbound links from websites with high PR. A website with a PR higher than yours will benefit you with valuable inbound links that will give you a boost in the search engines as well. The age of the directory makes it more valuable because you know that if the directory has been around for more than two years then it will likely be around next year. You can get information on PageRank and the age of various directories at http://www.seocompany.ca/directory/web-directories.html. Don't waste your time trying to get listed in a directory that doesn't offer a category you'll fit into. Be sure to browse the categories at any small business directories you consider before you list your business. Two great sources for finding web directories for your small business Internet marketing efforts are www.dir-search.com and www.best-web-directories.com. The Best Web Directories website is perhaps the most comprehensive website for finding business directories online. If you want to find local customers through small business directories then I recommend these two resources for finding the best places online that list small business directories for your Internet marketing efforts. One thing you'll need to keep in mind – all directories are different. Nevertheless, you should write your business directory listing before you submit to any directories. Your local small business directory listing shouldn't be too long, but it should include all the pertinent information: Your business name, your name, address, phone number, website address, e-mail address, and a short description of your business. In your business directory listing, be sure to use the best keyword two or three times to make your small business listing optimized for the search engines. To find industry-specific or niche directories, go to DMOZ or one of the other general directories and search for your industry by keyword. Then do a keyword search at Google and Yahoo along with the keyword "directory." This should return a good listing of directories for your industry or niche. One other source for listing your local small business is the local chamber of commerce's website. When you join your local chamber, they should list your website on theirs for free. The traffic you can get from this one source can be well worth joining the local chamber, and almost all of the traffic will be local customers looking for your type of business. The Yellow Pages online and www.merchantcircle.com are two other sources to consider for local small business Internet marketing. More and more people are looking online for small businesses to do business with and relying less on print publications like the Yellow Pages. That's just one more reason to look for local small business directories to be listed in.
About The Author
Caroline Melberg is President and CEO of Melberg Marketing. She has over 20 years of experience creating exciting marketing campaigns for some of the most successful companies in the world. She publishes the popular eZine, "Blue Chip Tips: The Secrets of Blue Chip Marketing...Revealed!" Learn more today at http://www.melberg.com.

Data Entry

2007-11-03T04:11:00.001-07:00

Offshore Data Entry is the need of the day for any business by: Allies Harbor
To run a business successfully means embracing a new challenge everyday. It indicates exciting avenues to be ventured into and daunting hurdles to be overcome while keeping ahead of competitors. Each day is a new day that needs to be met with new strategies, plans and goals. However certain crucial aspects of running a business can become monotonous and can require repetitive work on a regular basis but the accuracy needs to be impeccable. The data entry requirements of a company fall under this category of essential tasks that can be quite time consuming and repeatable but essential for running the business successfully. Business houses are therefore looking for options to get this task done smoothly without using up important resources of the company yet maintaining the required standard of accuracy and confidentiality. Offshore data entry is therefore fast becoming the preferred option of every business entity. Offshore data entry is the process of hiring an external entity to perform the data entry functions for the business in a country besides the ones where the products and services of the business will be sold or used. The offshore data entry services provided by a vendor help the firm access processed and accurate data that has been well –presented to be of maximum use to the firm. The offshore data entry firm employees have the task of collecting data from written or printed records and entering them into the computer system. This data is maintained in a systematic manner to be as informative to the business as possible. The offshore data entry records are then transferred back to the client for regular referral and checking. Some of the major countries that are providing such offshore data entry services are India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Egypt, Malaysia and others. The major criteria for a job to be qualified for offshore requirements are that the task should be repeatable, have high information content, be transferable over the internet, the process is easy to set up and the wages paid to the offshore data entry staff must be reasonably lower than those in the original country. The major requirement for offshore data entry services arises from the strong need to cut down on costs and the internet and the facilities it provides has given a direction to this need. Offshore data entry jobs have opened up a world of opportunities for professionals around the world and the constant advancement in the field of technology and internet further add to the advantage. The prevalent exposure to internet has enabled many freelancers across the globe to offer their services for offshore data entry to small businesses and this works out to be a winning deal for both the parties involved. Free trade advocates are vocal about their support for offshore data entry business as they feel that this will provide benefits to economies as a whole in the form of labor off shoring. Whatever may be the reason for a company to employ offshore assistance, but the fact remains that in today’s world offshore data entry is a booming business and the trend definitely seems to be on an upward motion.
About The Author
Allies Harbor is a writer and writes articles on various topics including outsourcing. To know more about Accounting outsourcing,Business Process Outsourcing, Benefits of SEO outsourcing India,Outsourcing SEO Services,Article syndication,Software Outsourcing India,Outsourcing SEO,Data entry services, Offshore Data Entry visit http://www.ifrstaffing.com.

Is Your Office Equipment Killing the Environment?

2007-09-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

Office Equipment, the WEEE Directive and Global Warming Issues by: Jimi St Pierre
Environmentally Friendly photocopiers and other office equipment are crucial to workplace energy-saving and waste-reduction. Many measures (procedural and technical) have been implemented by equipment manufacturers, dealers and distributors - even before the government's introduction of measures via legislation such as the WEEE directive. Additionally, all government departments and private enterprise organisations have become acutely aware in recent years of the need for the implementation of energy-efficiency measures - not least to address bottom-line profitability as well as the wider responsibility to reduce climate change. Environmental Issues: Recycling and the WEEE Directive Office equipment including photocopiers which previously ended up on landfill sites are no longer able to do so under the WEEE directive. The WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directive affects those involved in the manufacture, selling and distribution, recycling or treating of any electronic equipment. Affected by the directive are household appliances, information technology equipment of all kinds , telephone/telecommunications equipment, audio visual gear, lighting equipment, electrical and electronic tools, hospital and medical devices and automatic dispensers and of course, office equipment including photocopiers. The aim of the WEEE directive is to reduce the waste generated from electrical and electronic equipment. The directive is also designed to ensure an improvement in the environmental procedures and processes of all those involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic products. Manufacturers, sellers and distributors of office equipment are responsible for taking back and recycling electrical and electronic equipment. They are also required to achieve a series of rigorous recycling and recovery targets for different categories of appliance. Responsibilities can be discharged in a number of ways, including financial contributions. Environmental Issues: Energy Efficiency and Fossil Fuel Consumption Apart from computers and associated print devices, photocopiers are without doubt the most common items of office equipment in use today. Due to the need to be used "on demand", they can incur a significant environmental cost in terms of energy and paper usage and consequent greenhouse gas emissions Thus power management features are important for saving energy and an easy way to reduce air pollution. Energy efficient photocopiers provide a significant step towards reducing the environmental impact of office photocopiers. Such machines come provided with "energy saving" mode so that when not in use they "power down". This feature alone can reduce the energy needed to support the machine in periods of low activity by over 60%. A major energy-saving feature of the latest photocopiers are so-called "on demand" fusing systems. A thin fixing film, rather than a thick heating roller is used. Additionally, a ceramic heating element, rather than a halogen heater is used. With these twin innovations, the latest photocopiers operate with greatly improved energy efficiency and lower heat requirements. Heat is used only when paper is passed through the fixing mechanism and images are "fixed" via the fixing film. In addition to this, the new technology can allow the photocopier to make the change between a cool energy-saving "sleep mode" to full operating temperatures in less than 10 seconds. This is a major advantage over conventional systems, which typically take more than one minute. Elements of this innovative system are available on the latest Konica Minolta bizbub series, including the bizhub C451. The induction heating fusing technology on the bizhub C451 is also one which minimises energy consumption and maximises energy efficiency, by fusing at a lower temperature. Such technology is paving the way to increased energy efficiency - especially when coupled with an increase in the availability of "duplex" (paper-saving double-sided copying and printing) as standard.
About The Author
Jimi St. Pierre writes for several Office Equipment suppliers in the UK, including office equipment supplier Officemagic. The Officemagic range of mutifunctional office equipment can be found at => http://www.officemagic.co.uk/

What About Freelancing

2007-09-11T14:28:00.001-07:00

Freelancing as A Career Option by: Lewis Low
Home bound workers can either consider telecommuting or freelancing. While telecommuting may keep you out of your home for some hours a week, online freelancing is a good way to make money if you are forced to stay at home. For example, homemakers, part-time students, retired folk, or others who wish to supplement their income from jobs or businesses can all consider freelancing. Freelance Skill Sets You can start earning as a freelancer as long as you have skills that someone is willing to pay for. For example, writers, web designers, photographers, and programmers can earn a substantial income by creating articles, websites, portfolios and software from home. The Internet is a hot and viable source of income for freelancers from around the world. Your target customers can be webmasters, online business owners, blog owners etc. For example, blogs and wikis are hot sources of income for freelance writers nowadays, and there's no reason why you can't tap into this market if you possess good writing skills. Freelance Income On the flip, your income may fluctuate from one month to another. As with all businesses, freelancing does not guarantee a stable paycheck at the end of the month. So keep a small kitty reserve for dry days or have another source of income for which you can work part-time. Be prepared to accept boring, low-level work initially just to keep the cash flow strong. Once you get a good reputation for providing original, high-quality work at reasonable price, then clients will flock to you. Freelance Advantages Probably the best thing about freelancing is that you get to work at your pace, in your own hours, from home, and be your own boss. That means, your shop is open 24x7. And as long as you provide good quality work and meet deadlines, your clients will remain happy with you. In order to be visible, you also need to be seen and heard in the right places, like forums, blogs, online groups, etc. Spend time everyday to visit such sites because they are invaluable repository of freelance gigs and email addresses of prospects. Alternatively you can sign up with freelance sites like Elance.com, GetAFreelancer.com and Scriptlance.com where you can start bidding on projects and snag a few as early as today! To conclude, a freelance business is one of the best ways to earn money from home and to work for your own self. If you've got a fair amount of time on your hands, maybe you too should consider freelancing as your full-time career alternative or supplementary income source. (Hint: While you can find plenty of lucrative freelance assignments on Elance, the other sites mentioned above generally tend to feature lesser-paid projects. However, if you're just starting out as a freelancer, the competition on Elance can prove to be really tough. So you might want to first try GAF and Scriptlance to build up your portfolio, and then go for Elance.)
About The Author
Lewis Low is the founding editor of OnlineBizPromo.com. For more Practical Online Business Ideas and Work-From-Home Opportunities, visit his Work-At-Home directory at http://www.OnlineBizPromo.com

Should I get on online degree?

2007-08-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

Hidden Advantages To An Online It Degree by: Andy West
Some people mistakenly assume that a traditional IT program with on-campus classes is somehow more marketable or accepted in the working world. Nothing could be further from the truth. Online educational programs have come a long way in the last ten years and today some of the top schools in the country offer distance education programs through the Internet. In fact, getting an online IT degree can give you some hidden advantages when you actually get out to search for a job. One hidden advantage of an online IT degree is that it is very job-focused. Many traditional in-classroom degrees are simply not that transferable to the working world. Degrees may take a long time and may focus on theoretical, abstract ideas rather than skills that are readily transferable to an actual job. An online IT educational program, on the other hand, is specifically designed to give you the skills and knowledge you will need in a career. Many faculty members in these degree programs have real-life experience in the field rather than just academic credentials. They really understand the exact skills you need to succeed in the field and are happy to pass these skills onto students. When you complete your program of studies, you will have a number of highly desirable skills that translate seamlessly into a job. With your education, there will be no need to explain how your degree is significant for a job. Another hidden advantage is that an online IT degree saves you time. There is no superfluous time wasted on abstract theories and less-than-useful subjects. You will not be taking subjects outside of your field simply because they are compulsory. Also, when you enroll in an online IT degree program, you will not have to learn the same things over and over again. Not only might you be able to get credit for courses you have already taken at the college level, but your course of study will also be carefully structured so that you will not be duplicating material. This is one reason why your program may take months rather than many years. At the same time, there will be no social programs and distractions so that you will be able to focus just on getting the degree that will land you an excellent job. It is important to keep in mind that there is no need to feel isolated. Many educational programs hosted online offer plenty of interaction with faculty and other students, so that you can enjoy all the benefits of being part of a learning community. Students who have already gotten their online IT degree often speak very enthusiastically of their educational experience. That's because this sort of education has many advantages. If you are shy, for example, being able to learn in a virtual classroom is often much less stressful. Many students find that virtual classrooms are also much more student-friendly. The adults who learn in these environments are often very motivated to study and current technology means that learning is interesting and easily accessible. It is also important to note that online learning can be very discreet. No one has to know that you are studying for a new career unless you choose to make that information public knowledge. If you are not ready to tell your boss or your friends about your career decision, they simply do not have to know. An online IT degree provides the maximum level of flexibility and quality; two traits that most adult learners demand. If you want to enter the IT field, there is no better way to study than to learn at your own pace in the comfort of your own home.
About The Author
Andy West is a freelance writer for Virginia College. Virginia College Online offers an accredited Online IT Degree program. Please visit Virginia College Online at http://www.vconline.edu/site/program.cfm?Program_ID=8 to select the program that is right for you.

SharePoint 2007

2006-12-15T07:02:00.000-08:00

SharePoint 2007 New Feature Overview by: Jason Fortner
Sharepoint 2007 is in Beta 2 now and is projected to be released at the beginning of the year but now is the time to start looking at the new features that SharePoint 2007 and WSS V3.0 will contain. Below are some of the highlights of the new features that SharePoint 2007 and WSS V3.0 will contain. Site columns provide a central, reusable model for column definition. When you create a site column, each list that uses this column has the same definition, and you do not have to do the tedious work of reproducing the column in each list. Additionally, site columns provide you with the simplicity of a single maintenance point. For instance, you can create a status site column, which may contain multiple choices of an enterprise's specific statuses, and implement the column in dozens of project master lists across the site collection. If you add a new status, you can modify the site column instead of having to modify each list that contains a status column. Content types are a core concept used throughout the functionality and services offered in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3) and are designed to help users organize their SharePoint content in a more meaningful way. A content type is a reusable collection of settings you want to apply to a certain category of content. Content types enable you to manage the metadata and behaviors of a document or item type in a centralized, reusable way. For example, consider the following two types of documents: software specifications and legal contracts. You might want to store documents of those two types in the same SharePoint document library. However, the metadata you would want to gather and store about each of these document types would be quite different. In addition, you would likely want to assign different workflows and retention policies to the two types of documents. Content types enable you to store multiple types of content in the same SharePoint library or list. In the preceding example, you could define two content types, named Specification and Contract. Each content type would include different columns for gathering and storing item metadata and would have different workflows and policies. Yet items of both content types could be stored in the same SharePoint document library. Recycle bins, or undelete functionality, is another important improvement that has been added in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3). This functionality is available in both lists and document libraries. Deleting an item from a list triggers a multilevel series of events. First, the item is sent to a Web-level recycling bin. From here, the item can be undeleted by any individual who has been given appropriate rights. When the item is deleted from this bin, the item is sent to a second recycling bin, controlled by the site administrator. Among the design features of this bin are timers that allow you to automate the removal of old documents. For example, an administrator may decide that the vast majority of requests for item restores happen within the first 90 days. In this scenario, the administrator may set the timer such that items older than 90 days are permanently deleted. RSS has become a standard way of aggregating content from the Web. For more information on RSS in Microsoft Windows Code Name "Longhorn," see the technical article RSS Support in Longhorn on Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). By integrating RSS feeds for each SharePoint list, Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3) provides a push mechanism for forwarding information to end users. Folders, one of the popular features from document libraries in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 2), is now also available in lists. Folders allow further segregation of content within a single list, adding another level of versatility. One of the interesting features of folders is the ability to assign metadata to a folder. This creates a rich content holder that contains child content, while appearing as more than a container. Essentially, this allows the folder to function as a separate, but fully functional, item type. An example of this can be seen in Windows SharePoint Services discussion boards. Each top-level discussion is, in fact, a folder with metadata, containing one to n child objects. By modifying the appearance of the folder, an end user can visualize the folder as another list item rather than as a container. You can use this model in custom lists to create a dynamic parent/child list. Many business applications require rich container objects, for which a parent object has both important data concerning itself, and one to n children with similar data. Normally, you deal with this challenge by using lists in which a parent, or master, list selection drives the display of a child, or detail, list. Because you can now assign metadata to folders in a SharePoint list, you can achieve similar functionality with a single list. Consider an Orders list, for example. You could provision a folder as an order, and then assign metadata to it, such as order number, customer, and shipment method. By doing so, you can make the folder mimic the master list functionality. You can then fill the folder with order items list items, each with its own metadata, such as item number, description, and price. Now you have the rich functionality of a master/detail list within a single list. List Indexing. Integral to the idea of using Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services as a platform is the ability to use its storage containers, specifically lists and document libraries, for application storage. However, a number of limitations restricted the true use of these containers in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 2). One of the problems was the inability to handle large lists. As lists began to grow, both in metadata and list items, the mechanisms built into lists became clunky and inefficient. A key goal within Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3) was to fix these restrictions and create a rich storage model with performance capable of supporting applications, both external and those built upon the Windows SharePoint Services platform. One of the key ways that Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3) solves this issue is to include indexing on columns. By allowing a column to be indexed, and stored as a simple name/value pair in a separate database, access to specific items in large lists is significantly improved. These kinds of performance improvements allow SharePoint lists to become true data stores, capable of supporting external applications as well as simple team sites.For example, with an Orders list, you could provision a folder as an order and then assign metadata to it, such as order number, customer, and shipment method. Consider that by indexing the order number column, access to specific items in the list by an external request becomes significantly cheaper. Another scenario is an external application with hundreds of thousands of records. Previously, your Web application could not use a SharePoint list as a storage device. With the inclusion of indexing on columns, performance increases allow this architecture. By using Windows SharePoint Services storage, the standard features of the platform, such as views, alerts, and RSS, can now be used as a data store explorer for internal use in simple team sites. Cross-List Queries - Another improvement made with the idea of using Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services storage more effectively is cross-list queries. Cross-list queries allow you to use the SPQuery object to query all the lists within a Web or site collection. Previously, you had to iterate through the parent objects to obtain a collection of SPList objects, query the list to return the items, and then build your own collection of list items from the multiple lists. This exercise was not only tedious and redundant but expensive. Cross-list queries allow you to take advantage of the efficiencies built into the SPQuery functionality in a number of additional scenarios. Cross-list queries provide a rich querying capability, similar to SQL queries, within SharePoint. Among the many possible scenarios this functionality allows is the numerous aggregation scenarios commonly requested by end users. List Items. Several improvements in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3) are implemented on the item level rather than on the entire list. The following is a list of several important new features. Per-Item Security Item-level security is certain to be a popular new feature in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3). List and document libraries now feature the ability to set roles on each item, rather than simply at the lists level. In a developer scenario, if you combine per-item security with other features, such as list events or extensible field types, you could use per-item security to change who has access to an item, based upon an entry in another field. For example, a change to the status of an item could trigger a change in who has the ability to edit the item. Versioning In Windows SharePoint Services (version 2), only document libraries allowed versioning, and then only a major version would be created. This basic functionality did not match the workflow normally associated with documents; namely, the creation and edit process when a document is in draft version, and then the publishing of a document to public status. Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3) offers a new, richer versioning model. This model includes both major and minor versions, and versioning within lists as well as document libraries. In addition, major and minor versions can have different security, allowing separate draft and public version workflows. In a developer scenario, versions are associated with a rich event model that allows numerous scenarios, including custom workflows, item validation, and information propagation. Required Checkout In Windows SharePoint Services V2, users could modify documents without checking those documents out from a document library. This allowed multiple users to edit the same document, and left a complicated, poorly understood merge/overwrite scenario. In Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3), document edits are allowed only when the document has been checked out. This forced checkout defines a clear owner model and simplifies merging of changes. Workflows In Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3), a workflow allows you to attach a business process to items in SharePoint Products and Technologies. This process can control almost any aspect of an item in SharePoint Products and Technologies, including the lifecycle of that item. For example, you could create a simple workflow that routes a document to a series of users for approval. Workflows can be as simple or complex as your business processes require. You can create workflows that the user initiates, or workflows that SharePoint Products and Technologies automatically initiate based on some event, such as when an item is created or changed. In addition, your workflows can interact directly with the user through workflow forms. Workflow forms enable you to gather information from the user at each stage of the workflow. You can create your workflow to interact with the user through the standard SharePoint Products and Technologies browser-based interface, through workflow forms in Microsoft Office client applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, or even through your own custom applications. Workflows are available to end users at the list or document library level. Workflows can also be added to content types. Multiple workflows may be available for an item. In addition, multiple workflows can run simultaneously on the same item, but only one instance of a specific workflow type can run on a specific item at any given time. For example, you might have two workflows, "SpecReview" and "LegalReview," available for a specific content type, "Specification." Although both workflows can run simultaneously on a specific item of the "Specification" content type, you can't have two instances of the "LegalReview" workflow running on the same item at the same time. Events are key to transforming Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services into a true developer platform. Events enable first and third parties to hook into Windows SharePoint Services behaviors and override default behaviors. Events fall into two major categories: List events Core events, including changes, additions, and removals of list items and list columns (schema changes) Simple site events Deletion of sites and site collections Events are either synchronous "before" events, denoted by the "XYZing" name format, or asynchronous “after” events, denoted by the "ABCed" name format. Event receivers can be registered, through the "Features" feature, with an Item, a List, a Web, or a Content Type. For example, an event receiver that ensures a document always has a copyright in the footer can be associated with a central Content Type and pushed down to all document libraries associated with that type. As they do in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 2), developers can override and extend the event handler method. A new sequence number parameter allows for control of the firing order of multiple events. Features - Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (version 3) contains a new structure called a "feature." A "feature" is an end-user-oriented container of one or more elements. An element is an atomic Windows SharePoint Services concept. The "feature" is defined in an XML format, similar to other existing SharePoint structures. Each “feature” definition is a set of XML files. Many items that were previously contained within a site definition in Windows SharePoint Services (version 2) are now able to fit as an element. In Windows SharePoint Services (version 3), a SharePoint site definition is transformed into a list of "features" plus a layout page and a master page. The goal is that any templated SharePoint site can be transformed into another templated SharePoint site simply by having the administrator toggle features on the site and possibly switch the layout page or master page. Upgrading a Windows SharePoint Services V2 site definition to a Windows SharePoint Services V3 site is a process of breaking the XML files (such as ONET.XML) into small chunks, componentizing them into arbitrary components, and then packaging them as a Windows SharePoint Services V3 "feature" and creating a workspace template that uses those "features."
About The Author
Jason Fortner is co-founder of Total Productivity Solutions. Total Productivity Solutions provides custom SharePoint, webpart and .NET development; and solutions to common software development issues are also provided on the site. Sharepoint sites, Sharepoint webparts and .NET Development http://www.totalproductivitysolutions.com/ http://www.totalproductivitysolutions.com/ProgrammingTips/SharePoint_2007_New_Features.aspx

Website Design

2006-11-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

Designing a Search Engine Friendly Website by: Wendy Suto
Ultimately, the Internet users are the people who are going to purchase your products and services, not the search engines. This is typically where the problem initially lies, because online visitors will not be able to find your Website if it is not constructed with both the visitors and the search engines in mind. Just because you may have spent thousands of dollars to have a beautifully designed Website, does not mean it will automatically generate lots of online visitors and become profitable. In other words, a search engine friendly Website is first and foremost user-friendly, designed and written for your human visitors first (primary audience). Then the site can be tweaked so that is can be easily indexed by the search engines (secondary audience). The phrase "search engine friendly Website” means that the Website programmer is following the rules set forth by the search engines, in order for high keyword rankings to be achieved. Here are a few highly effective strategies for designing a search engine friendly Website: 1. Keep HTML code and the Website simple and easy to navigate. Try to create Websites that are basic .html or .htm page files, without using any type of JavaScript or other dynamic design styles. Javascript creates a lot of code between the header tags, pushing down the text that search engines would crawl first. Placing the script code in an external file reduces the code to just one line. 2. Reduce image sizes. Too many images or very large images on your Web page will slow down the loading time of your Website. Make sure your images have a resolution of 72dpi. You can also slice large images into smaller pieces with your graphics editor. 3. Allow search engine spiders to find important Web pages from any page. Place text links of your main Web pages at the bottom of each of your Web pages, so spiders can find your inside pages. Create a Site Map page with all of your Web pages listed on one page, and link to it from your homepage. You can also create a Google Sitemap .xml file using the Google Sitemaps program, so Google’s crawlers can find all of your Web pages easier. 4. Try not to use cookies on your Website. Allow search bots to crawl your sites without session IDs or arguments that track their path through the site. These techniques are useful for tracking individual user behavior, but the access pattern of bots is entirely different. Using these techniques may result in your Website not being indexed at all. Another thing that will stop search engines from finding the sub pages of your site is requiring cookies. Sure cookies and/or session ids may be necessary to track visitor activity, but you can make an exception for search engines. Search engine crawlers do not like cookies. Don't require them to accept them or they will simply leave. 5. Do not use frames anywhere on your Website. This is an HTML tag created that allows designers to display two or more Web pages at the same time. The perception is that frames can improve Website navigation, but they are browser-dependant and do not create search engine friendly Websites. Most search engines do not index framed pages. Frames only allow search engine crawlers to see 1 Webpage, when there is actually 20 Web pages on a site. 6. Do not place your Website entirely in flash. Search engines cannot “read” Websites built as Flash movies. They cannot read text in a movie file, and also only recognize a 20-page Website for example as only 1 Web page. It is best to create separate HTML page files for your photos, graphics and content, in order to have a search engine friendly Website. 7. Write content on each Web page. Write a summary paragraph of at least 250 - 500 words of text for the top of each web page. Weave your keywords within this text being careful not have them so close together that your copy reads strange for your visitors. Aim to please the search engines as well as your Website visitors. 8. Do not create doorway pages. Doorway, or gateway pages, means a "fake" Web page is created to rank well for a selected keyword term and redirects Website visitors to another, "actual" page on a company’s Website. Doorway pages are those generated automatically from a template and is considered spam and penalized by the majority of search engines.
About The Author
Wendy Suto is president and CEO of Search Circus, Inc., in Cleveland, Ohio. She keeps pace with the latest optimization, link building and article submission tactics. As a certified search engine optimization consultant, she teaches SEO classes throughout Cleveland, Ohio. http://www.searchcircus.com

Freelancing

2006-03-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

7 Job-Winning Insider Tips for Freelancers by: Josiah Mackenzie
Working as a freelancer can be a fabulous opportunity to earn money. Some small business owners use sites such as Guru.com and Elance.com to supplement their income and attract new clients, while others work full time providing freelance services. Whatever your situation is, you want to win jobs you apply for.
Throughout the hundreds of interactions I’ve had with freelancers, I’ve noticed a pattern that separates freelancing professionals who get jobs from those who don’t. Here they are in a summarized format:
1) Customize your Proposal
Customizing your proposal shows you’ve taken the time to read the job description. If you are applying for a larger job, consider tailoring your resume to match the job. When a freelancer submits a customized proposal it tells me she is more likely to spend the time it takes to do a quality job.
2) Perfect your Sales Pitch
Keep in mind your bid is a sales letter. Those who persuasion in their proposals are far more likely to win jobs than those who do not. And even if you don’t consider yourself an expert in sales letter writing, don’t be discouraged. The vast majority of freelancers make no effort on this, and their proposals sound something like this: “Hey, I can do this. Contact me for more info.” Hardly persuasive. Even a small effort at writing a persuasive proposal will make you stand out in a crowd of applicants.
3) Provide Examples
Just as you should tailor your bid to each job, provide examples of your work that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. You don’t need to list everything you’ve done, just 2-3 highly relevant examples. Employers want proof of your skills.
4) Provide Clear Communication
Good communication starts with providing multiple ways for a potential employer to contact you. In addition to traditional methods of communication such as phone and email, add your instant messenger information. Employers often want to conduct brief interviews through instant messaging, so encourage that.
5) Follow Up
If you haven’t received a reply, contact them again. If possible, provide several new samples of your work, and possibly some comments on how you intend to complete the project. When I am managing dozens of projects, a freelancer who follows up often makes me look at his bid again. This is very important when you are trying to differentiate yourself from 50 other applicants.
6) Provide a Customized Sample
I remember a time when a professional created the custom script I needed, showed it to me, then submitted his competitive bid. On my end there was no risk of hiring this person – the project had been completed! Of course this is somewhat risky for the person bidding for the job, but you don’t have to create the entire project – just show the employer that you are capable of doing the job.
7) Exude Confidence
If you have the skills needed for the job you are applying for, show confidence in yourself. I’ve seen far too many freelancers begging for a job—which is very unprofessional. Also avoid bidding for wages far less than you’re worth. Create a portfolio that makes employers “beg” to hire you.
Employers looking to outsource are worried about losing time and money with freelancers who don’t perform as they should. The key to successful bidding for freelancing jobs is to prove you will provide quality work within time and money budgets.
About The Author
Josiah Mackenzie is an entrepreneur who shares helpful tips and advice through his blog: http://www.josiahmackenzie.com. He also serves as President of Josiah Mackenzie & Company, an entrepreneurial firm providing a wide variety of products and services: http://www.josiahco.com.

Search Engine Ranking Performance

2006-03-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

HOW-TO: #1 in Google in 7 days by: Miles Evans
Article submission was something I had tried in the past but I had always done so by hand submitting to 2 or 3 of the larger portals. In my test during February I was pleasantly surprised how easily I nailed #1 positions across Google, Yahoo, and MSN for some well searched terms. And in 7 days no less. On Big Daddy servers I was noticing #1 spots within 48 hours of posting. In this article I aim to explain, step by step, exactly how I pulled this off, and why it works.
About a week ago I noticed I was #1 in Google for most of the stories I had been submitting to submission sites. Yahoo seems to not like me so much but I am always on the main page at least. Another massive benefit in Google that you will see down the road due to link age considerations, is a large amount of backlinks to your website from pages with a decent PR. With one submission I even nailed two PR7 and one PR8 link. Also I found my article republished, links intact, on several same themed blogs and sites. All of this this as we know, is yummy in Google’s tummy.
Obviously this can change but take a look for yourself:
VideoLan Tutorial on Google #1
VideoLan Tutorial on MSN #1
VideoLan Tutorial on Yahoo #1
Keep in mind this article was only published on February 20th – and these rankings were achieved in about 7 days. In fact if you search for any of the article titles in my side bar you will find most of them in the top 10 across all search engines – and quite a few are #1. Now you are not going to hit number #1 positions for very competitive keywords right away, but with a little work you can usually find some pay dirt. The trick is finding keywords that are an attainable goal and that still pull in searchers.
Now before any SEM people jump on me for helping to create an army of article site submission spammers, let me explain a bit. This will NOT work for you if you provide crappy, spammy, or just pain lame and useless content. I spend anywhere from 3-8 hours writing a quality article I intend to submit. If you have nothing new, fresh or insightful to write about, put your pen down until you do.
Also keep in mind you are not going to get a flood of traffic by doing this once or even 10 times. I only bother to submit articles that are worthy but article submission is now a time consuming part of my regular writing duties. The idea is to attain a trickle of traffic from many sources and get some chatter going. The next step is teaching your girlfriend how to submit articles for you...Heh, ok seriously...
So here is exactly how I did it:
I wrote a solid 500-800 word paper on an emerging or current technology.
I mention my keywords 2-3 times in my article in a natural non spammy way. 1 time in the first paragraph.
I used my keywords in my title.
I followed basic SEO principles for page layout: meta, file name, H1 tags etc.
I triple checked my spelling and never used foul language.
I use title and alt tags for accessibility reasons (Google positively weights this).
I generously provide links to sites of interest woven within my article. (this too!)
I submitted my article to Digg (see: Movable Type Digg Link)
I submitted to the top 25 article submission sites with Article Post Robot.
I paired my list down to about 25 article sites. My reasoning is that spammy, cheap looking submission sites that accept any old article, may one day be considered a bad neighborhood. Nobody wants links from the ghetto now do they? I will share the names of the sites I submit to in a future article on ProfitPapers.com.
I also should mention that duplicate content has never been an issue for me when submitting articles, but this is always a potential risk, but more of a long term after thought. Be sure to publish your original article on your website FIRST and always make it clear in your article where the piece originated – like in the bio portion of your submission for example. If you use copyscape keep an eye on things that way.
For now, the above method works extremely well and is quite simple to pull off when using a solid submission tool. The reward for me was a sustainable 500% increase in traffic for some competitive terms. Likely the fact you even found this article is more testimony that this stuff actually works.
UPDATE: Dave over at Article Post Robot saw this article and suggested I offer my readers a 15% rebate. Sweet! Dave says this offer will only be valid for 2 weeks so act now before you forget! Click this link to claim your discount at my original Oranic SEO piece. The coupon link is near the bottom of thr article.
If you dig this article or it helped you give me a digg! It's like an electronic reach-around.
About The Author
Miles Evans provides indepth reviews on every SEO/marketing or killer app he can get his paws on. His reviews, essays, and tools on organic SEO/SEM, development, and other equally fascinating subjects are normally carried out at ProfitPapers.com - Thanks for reading :)

Your Online Business

2006-02-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

How To Choose The Best Home Based Business by: Brian Pratt
If ever there was a time to start your best home based business - now is the time! There has never been such a large amount of information so readily available on the subject as there is now. Help abounds for you. In this article, I will give you just a preview of what is out there, and how you might go about getting started. Types of Home Based Businesses Available Every business, whether in your home, storefront, or high-rise, consists of basically two types. You can provide a product, or a service. Provide A Product This traditional type of business requires being able to manufacture the product, distribute it, and store enough of it to meet demand. Here are a few ideas for this: · Restaurant or catering · Selling on e-bay · Selling an invention · Custom-designed sweatshirts, etc. · Selling books (bound, or electronic) · Product assembly, etc. Another option to making the product yourself that is very popular, is to sell other people's products - become an affiliate. This way the manufacturing, shipping and storing aspect, of delivery is handled for you - your main task is to advertise, take the orders, and follow through. For many online companies, however, about all you have to do is build websites, learn how to promote them adequately - and the company does the rest. This is so easy, that it could become your best home based business rather easily. Provide A Service The other type of home based business is that of providing a service. This could include: · Typing resumes · Data entry · Cleaning offices · Administrative assistant · Writing and editing · Travel agent · Car repair Both these types of businesses will allow you operate as an independent, or if you have some money to invest, there are companies that will allow you to franchise (ex. - Servicemaster, Snap-On Tools, WSI Internet, etc.). This means that you can pay a fee, get some marketing process and management support along with the use of their name. One of the most highly recommended home based businesses and one that makes top dollar today, is the making and selling of your own e-books. If you have the ability to write, and know a little about software programs, then e-books may be for you. Find a "niche-market" (a market to people looking for specific information that is inadequately covered by the major companies); publish an informative e-book on the subject and market to the world with e-bay or with your own affiliate program.
About The Author
Brian Pratt is a 48 year old New Zealander with over 10 years internet experience. If you are looking for a home based business opportunity be sure to view his website at http://www.bestrealincome.com.

Content Management Systems and Search Engines

2006-02-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

Finding a Search Engine Friendly Content Management System by: Mike Goldstein
What is a Content Management System?
A Content Management System (CMS) is a third party software application which allows web site administrators to add, update or delete content, photos, and documents to their web site in "real time". Many web sites are modified using these web-based tools as they require little to no knowledge of HTML or web scripting languages. CMS programs make it easy for a webmaster or site owner who does not know HTML or have access to a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML Editor, such as Macromedia's Dreamweaver, to update their site.
In today's high paced web world, a good CMS is integral to the efficient operation of a web site. Many webmasters and web site developers are building database driven, or dynamic web sites, which require a third party solution, such as a Content Management System, to update the content that lives in the database. In addition, a CMS allows the web site owner to outsource content development remotely to contract copywriters and other willing contributors. With built in access level hierarchies, webmasters can allow various users to register as authors and start submitting articles and news to be published on their site.
How do Content Management Systems Work?
Content Management Systems create a dynamic web site environment, where all the content is stored in a database or XML file. Using a web-based interface, the webmaster can select which page they want to update and then can modify the web content in a text editor, with many of the familiar formatting keys that can be found in a word processing program. Once the content has been updated, with the simple click of a button, the CMS will turn their text into HTML code and publish the content to the web site.
Problems Between Search Engines and Content Management Systems
Historically, search engines have had difficulty indexing dynamic pages. While their ability to index and rank dynamic pages has improved dramatically, there are some basic things to avoid. One of the greatest enemies of search engines is URL strings that contain many URL parameters. URL parameters are variables that are passed to the CMS through the URL, which tell it what information to retrieve from the database. URLs with too many parameters generally make little logical sense to the average user and may also scare off search spiders. For example see:
www.mysite.com/mg/vbclass/search.asp?A9_MAKEVBCookie=Yes&vertical=CLTH&cat=Mens&subcat=ID&displayTarget=Subcategory
It is suggested to limit the number of URL parameters to two or three per URL to ensure that that search spiders will not have difficulty indexing pages deep within the web site.
Certain URL parameter names may automatically flag a filter on the search engine. One example is the URL parameter names that contain 'ID', such as 'sessionid', 'sid' or 'userid'. Historically, search engines detect the term "ID" and assume it is associated with a session dependant variable. As a result, search engines have learned to flag these parameter names and it can cause problems with page indexing. Passing session dependant variables through the URL is a problem for search engines because the spider essentially sees a unique URL each time they visit the site because the session dependent variables change with each visit. For example, on one visit to the site, a page URL may be http://www.mysite.com/page.asp?sessionid=12345. The next time the spider visits the page, the URL may be http://www.mysite.com/page.asp?sessionid=56789 This creates a situation where a spider may think that there are multiple URLs with duplicate content, resulting in penalties which will negatively impact search rankings.
Based on the above, it is imperative to employ a CMS that does not pass session dependent data, such as session variables, through a URL string. Doing so will not only create potential usability issues for the end user, but will also result in indexing problems for the search engine spiders.
Finally, search engines gather understanding from your web site's content by filtering through the HTML code. For this reason, it is extremely important that your CMS generate HTML code that adheres to the latest requirements of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Use the W3C Code Validator to determine if your code meets the W3C standards. Be aware that some CMS's add in many lines of proprietary code or JavaScript at the top of the file, which can choke search spiders. This violates a cardinal rule of SEO; 'To always have more content then code'.
Finding a Search Engine Friendly CMS that will Work for You
Now that we have explored many of the potential problems with Content Management Systems, lets look at how to go about finding one that will be both search engine friendly and suit your specific needs. First you will need to determine what server platform you will be using. Many Content Management Systems use scripting languages and databases that are platform dependant. If you are married to a particular platform, it may limit your CMS options. Ideally, you will want to find a CMS that is platform independent, which can run on any server.
There are many search engine friendly CMS's that will allow the web site owner to generate a URL structure that is both meaningful to their users and digestible by search engine spiders. Instead of having a URL that is packed with parameters, you can create a URL structure that looks like this: http://www.mysite.com/children/hats/prodid/121576. Your next step is to check whether your CMS builds HTML pages to the latest standards established by the W3C. Most CMS providers will be able to tell you if their solution generates valid code. If they can't, then ask for a sample page and run it through the W3C Code Validator. In order to rank effectively in organic results of the search engines, it is imperative that your CMS allows you to update your title tags, meta data and alt tags on a page-by-page basis.
The most important aspects of a good CMS are the ease of use and richness of content formatting features. This one is a no-brainer because the very reason that you are looking for a CMS is that YOU DON'T WANT TO CODE. Any good CMS should provide an editing stage that is similar in feature and function to a standard word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. The technical term for this is a WYSIWYG Editor or a Rich Text Editor. This important feature will allow you to type and format your content using standard buttons and keyboard shortcuts. When you publish the content to the live web site, the CMS will write the HTML, CSS and scripting to display your content as it was formatted during the editing stage. Many Content Management Systems are offering additional technologies, such as RSS feed, shopping cart solutions, forums and live chat integration, which can really enhance the functionality of your web site. The key is to find a CMS that will suit your core needs and then determine what add-ons would be beneficial. The ends result will be a web site that is easy to manage and usable for both your customers and the search engines.
This Article was written by Mike Goldstein. Mike is the SEO Manager at Rock Coast Media, a Boston-Area search engine marketing firm that provides results-driven custom search marketing solutions.
About The Author
This article reviews the basics of Content Management Systems (CMS) and details the key aspects of a search engine friendly CMS. This article was written by Mike Goldstein. Mike is the Search Engine Optimization Manager at Rock Coast Media.
rockcoastmedia.com
Mike@rockcoastmedia.com

Employee Taxes

2006-01-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

Understanding Employee Taxes by: Matt Bacak
Employee taxes can be one of the most difficult to understand areas of running a business and hiring employees. If you don't understand all of the complexities involving employee payroll tax, it can also get you into a heap of trouble.
The first employee tax factor you should understand is what taxes you are responsible for as an employer. There are three employee taxes that you will be responsible for paying.
The first is Medicare and Social Security tax. This is often referred to as FICA and provides welfare benefits funding for senior citizens. As an employer you are responsible for paying half of the FICA taxes and withholdings for your employee while the remaining half is withheld from their paycheck.
You are also responsible for paying federal unemployment tax. This tax funds the state unemployment benefits and the administrative costs associated with those benefits. It is important for you to know that you must pay federal unemployment tax on the first $7000 earned by each person you employ during the calendar year.
In addition to federal unemployment tax, you must also pay state unemployment tax. These taxes are based on the location and size of your business as well as the number of employees you employ. Due to the fact that each state operates its own unemployment program, these rates do tend to vary; so it's best if you check with your own state's unemployment division for specific details.
In addition to the taxes you must pay as an employer, you are also responsible for withholding employee tax. Even though this is the employee's contribution, it is your responsibility to handle the employee tax withholding. You will need to pay close attention to the employee tax form, or W-4, completed by the employee in order to know exactly how much money you need to deduct from the employee's paycheck. Usually the amount of money you must withhold will depend on the number of withholding allowances claimed by the employee, their marital status and any exemption from withholding taxes that the employee might claim.
It is very important that you stay on top of your employee's tax forms because they have the right to change them by submitting a new W-4. If an employee submits a new employee tax form, thereby changing the amount of their withholding and you fail to deduct the correct amount of money, you could be subject to penalties by the IRS.
You will need to deposit both the taxes that you are responsible for paying along with the employee tax withholdings in an authorized depository for Federal taxes. You can do this by either mailing or delivering your check or money order. These taxes will be due either semi-weekly or monthly. Your employee tax withholding due dates will be determined by the size of your payroll, dictated by the schedule. Usually, however; if your payroll is less than $2,500 every three months, you can file quarterly. If your employee taxes are larger, you'll need to file more often.
In addition to the employee taxes named above, recently there has been much discussion in the media regarding a proposed employee health tax. If instituted this tax would impose a $3000 tax on employers for each employee who is not covered by health insurance. The intend of the proposed bill is to force employers to cover more employees by health insurance; however critics of the bill claim that the proposed employee health care tax will only lead to more unemployment.

About The Author
Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. Recent Entrepreneur Magazine’s e-Biz radio show host is turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories. Discover The Secrets http://promotingtips.com.
ArticleCity.com - Understanding Employee Taxes

Virtual Consultant

2006-01-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

Computer Consulting and Virtual IT by: Joshua Feinberg
Do you own or manage a computer consulting company? Would you like to achieve greater small business success? If so, then get ready to learn why most computer consulting companies get IT (Information Technology) wrong and what you can do about IT.
The Problem: Why Most Computer Consulting Companies Get IT Wrong
Most owners of computer consulting companies make their jobs much harder than need be. Why? Because these computer consulting business owners fall in love with the technology… and view their small business clients as a distant second priority.
However, if you get this part of “IT” wrong, you will doom your computer consulting company to “clueless geek” status. It's crucial that you understand one extremely important principle here: Recruiting and retaining small business clients is your #1 computer consulting priority. Keeping up with IT should never get in the way of the mission of your computer consulting company.
In other words, don't get seduced by the hardware, operating systems or applications. Fall-in-love with the business opportunities surrounding how you solve your clients' biggest business problems with your recommended IT solutions. That's the real mission of a computer consulting company.
The Solution: Blend Computer Consulting and Virtual IT
To put this all in perspective with your computer consulting company, you need to understand and embrace the concept of virtual IT.
Virtual IT is what allows your computer consulting company to function as an extension of your small business clients' companies. Your computer consulting company essentially becomes the outsourced IT department for your small business clients.
As owner or manager of a computer consulting company in this role, you will most likely become the de facto CIO (chief information officer), CTO (chief technology officer), or IT manager for your small business clients.
And just like any well-rounded internal IT department, your virtual IT computer consulting business will need to provide, or arrange for, a complete soup-to-nuts solution that includes services like help desk, desktop support, network administration, engineering, security, training, procurement, and asset management… because anything short of the complete virtual IT solution will leave valuable computer consulting money on the table.
The Bottom Line
Most computer consulting companies are making a huge mistake when it comes to their small business engagements… because these computer consulting business owners fall-in-love with the technology, at the expense of the business opportunities. In order for your computer consulting company to flourish, make sure that you understand the concept of virtual IT and build virtual IT into every major business decision for your computer consulting company. To continue learning more about how you can use virtual IT to grow your computer consulting company, go sign-up right now for the one-hour free training seminar on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business at http://www.ComputerConsultingBusiness.com.
About The Author
Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of computer consultants get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training at http://www.ComputerConsultantsSecrets.com/blog/.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets .com, All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Website Marketing

2006-01-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

Internet Marketing: 10 Deadly Sins of a Poorly Designed Website by: Dean Mercado
Face it. There are tons of websites out there but very few that actually pull their weight and get results. Effective website design is not easy. If it was, every business that put up a website would realize enormous success. It takes many different skill sets to pull together a killer website.
That being said, here is a list of website design sins for your edification. Consider these deeply and I highly recommend you make sure your website doesn’t commit them.
Website Sin # 1 – Website does not have a crystal clear objective. Why do you have or want to have a website in the first place? What do you want it to do for your business?
Website Sin #2 – No clear call to action. This sin dovetails on the previous one. Once you are clear on your website’s objective, make it real clear to your visitor what action you want them to take. Clearly spell it out. Trust me, leave no room for interpretation.
Website Sin #3 – Website does not have a means to capture visitor’s contact information. You are missing a tremendous opportunity to gather prospects who are clearly interested in what you have to offer – hence qualified prospects to market to going forward. Do whatever it takes here. Offer what we call an “ethical bribe” in exchange for their contact information.
Website Sin #4 – Website doesn’t give visitors a reason to come back. Unless your website is a one-time sales website, you must keep it chock full of new and great content to keep it producing for you.
Website Sin #5 – Website has no substance, all style. Dovetailing on the previous sin, focus should be more on adding valuable content as opposed to having flashy animations. Flashy animations may wow your visitors once (if you’re lucky), but great content starts building a relationship or dare I say a dependency on you. Bottom line you’re adding value to your prospects.
Website Sin #6 - Website has an “it’s all about me” mentality. Keep the copy conversational in tone and focus clearly on what’s in it for your visitor. Make them feel that it’s all about them – make them feel special.
Website Sin #7 - Website is inconsistent with your “Brand”. Your website does not have to be the best looking site out there. It is far more critical to be consistent (same overall look, feel and design as your other marketing materials).
These next three sins are absolutely inexcusable and should not require much explanation. Nothing will frustrate your visitor more and detract from your credibility faster.
Website Sin #8 – Poor or inconsistent navigation. Don’t make people think. Make it real easy for visitors to find what they are looking for.
Website Sin #9 – Dead links. This is a credibility killer. Always do what you say you’re going to do. It is amazing what people can read into a dead link – the worst being that you simply don’t care enough about you visitor.
Website Sin #10 – Slow website. I know, it’s hard to believe but not everyone is using high speed broadband Internet connections yet. A little compassion here goes a long way.
© 2006 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.
About The Author
Dean Mercado is an Internet marketing coach, strategist, author, and speaker. Dean and his company Online Marketing Muscle help entrepreneurial professionals leverage the power of Internet marketing to turn their businesses into money magnets. Visit Online Marketing Muscle for many more Internet marketing tips.
onlinemarketingmuscle.com
dean@onlinemarketingmuscle.com

Starting Own Business

2006-01-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

5 Steps To Not Let The Power Of A Paycheck Stop You From Starting Your Own Business by: Pamela Stewart
I recently ran a survey and asked people the question: "If you are not happy in your current work situation, then why haven't you changed it?" The top rated response was "fear of losing financial stability."
The financial stability of a paycheck is a big fat illusion. If you are an employee, you probably have a salary, which is divided in monthly or weekly paychecks. Because you get the same amount in each check, you may believe that you have a stable source of income and can live your life without fear of financial instability.
This is dangerous thinking that puts your financial life at risk.
Layoffs, downsizing, mergers, takeovers and incompetent managers are a well-documented part of corporate life. I have seen all of them in my career as a corporate employee, and even more in my career as a corporate consultant. I have been witness to conversations where managers had to lay off long-time employees with no notice. These employees were shocked, hurt, scared and angry. This work was horrible and gut-wrenching but I learned something very important from it: Never rely on your status as an employee to insulate you from financial instability.
So if this reason has stopped you from starting your own business, follow these steps to see if any of your fears are warranted.
Step 1: Get crystal clear how much money you will need to start up your venture
- If you have written an effective business plan, you should be able to predict how much money you will need to start-up and sustain your business. You haven't written a business plan yet? You better get cracking at it. In addition to clarifying your idea, it will force you to organize your thoughts, financials and start-up plans which will only help you to make it a reality. Good sources are Rhonda Abram's The Successful Business Plan, Rich Dad's The ABC's of Writing Winning Business Plans and the free resources of SCORE.
- Make a budget of your monthly living expenses. This will give you a picture of your overall cash needs.
Step 2: Meet with a solid, professional, well-researched and well-recommended financial planner
- While I don't believe the illusion that a full-time job = security, I don't want you to make a foolish decision that will adversely impact your family and financial health. You need to look at implications of leaving your corporate job in the areas of insurance, investments and retirement benefits. Get the whole picture before you make a quick move. I recently spoke with a smart, competent and capable government employee who wants to start his own business but has just 5 years to go until retirement. While I think he has what it takes to be successful on his own, I would never counsel him to quit without consulting a professional financial planner and doing tons of research to test his business plans.
Step 3: Set specific financial goals to meet your cash needs
- Savings: how much of your paycheck will you have to save per month in order to meet your goals?
- Raising cash: How much cash do you need to raise from outside sources including investors? (note: although some people recommend it, unless you have no alternatives, I don't recommend borrowing money from your family and close friends. There are too many emotionally charged issues around relatives and money, and you could damage critical relationships that you need for personal well-being. That is just my 2 cents.)
Step 4: Get creative about funding strategies
- There may be ways that you can cover the costs of start-up expenses by bartering with friends and colleagues. Do you want to start a coaching business? Maybe you can barter some coaching sessions with your accountant.
- Clean out your house of unused valuables and hold a sale. If you live in a warmer climate, have it outside. If not, jump on eBay. Convert things that take up space in your house to money that you need to fund your dreams.
Step 5: Learn everything you can about your new venture
- Write a solid business plan and get honest feedback from knowledgeable experts.
- Read every book you can get your hands on about your business topic.
- Google websites, blogs and online forums to learn about your marketplace.
- Identify very successful entrepreneurs in your field and follow their work, study their business models and ask them what it has taken to be successful.
- Attend teleconferences, webinars and in-person classes.
- The more that you know about your business, the greater chance you have at being successful at it.
It takes a huge amount of work to launch and grow a successful business. Don't get scared off by a perception of financial risk. If you do very careful research and make sure you have a viable plan, you can have some concrete data to weigh your important decision. Whatever you do, please do not be lulled into complacency by your regular paycheck.
© 2005 Pamela Stewart. All rights reserved.
About The Author
Pamela Stewart is a seasoned corporate consultant with a new mission in life: help corporate warriors to become thriving entrepreneurs! To take a free assessment "Test Your Small Business Start-up IQ" and get other valuable tools, go to http://www.ganas.com/freestuff. Read Pam's blog at http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com.
pcs@ganas.com

Online Business Networking

2006-01-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

Successful Myspace Strategies by: Dave Lloyd
Using MySpace effectively
Social networking is a phenomenon that seems recent on the internet with sites likie ecademy, linkedin, ryze, openbc, orkut, craigslist, friendster, and of course myspace. But the nature of networking with others has been around for thousands of years as individuals gathered in communities and expanded their base of friends. It's through the technology advancements, though, that worldwide networking with people you choose is being made easier every day.
The website MySpace is a community that has arisen in the last few years as a result of a need in the marketplace for an easy to use, customizable, fluid, multimedia rich, and fun place to hang out. Preteens, teens, and college age students have flocked to MySpace in droves, with the intent of creating a space for themselves on the web, expanding their network for social purposes, and being entertained along the way.
The MySpace platform is now used by tens of thousands of young adults daily, has a high ranking in sites like Alexa, and has retained a very loyalty effect, meaning that users frequently come back to the platform to add to their sites and connect or reconnect with those who also gather there.
One of the most useful features of MySpace is the ability to add in skins and overlays to add flavor to your site. There are many individuals and websites out there that enable easy customization of this online community. Along with visual customization of your site, it's also useful to include audio. This audio can be in the form of a message you leave for visitors or by adding in clips from your favorite music. Another great way to add flavor to your site is through the addition of content that reflects your personality, interests, thoughts, and basic views on the world. And by searching for users with similar interests and developing a connection with them, you can expand your networking.
In order to develop a connection with those you network with, it's best to keep in mind how to add value to the relationship you have with them. In other words, how can you benefit them or their site? Perhaps you know of someone they should meet and you want to make an introuction, or you know of other music similar to what they've posted on their site, or you have a perspective on some content they've included. It's through these sharings that you could not only increase the quantity of networking, but also the quality of networking that you're doing.
The skills in networking that young adults gain by using a site like MySpace are ones that will stay with them their whole life, enabling them eventually to maybe meet a mate, develop a fulfilling career, or establish lifelong friends.
By keeping in mind the principles of customizing content and developing a unique persona, focusing on adding value to relationships established online through speaking to what benefits them, and networking with a long-term view in mind for creating connecxtioins both with those you have a lot in common with and those you may not at first glance, the investment of time and effort you put into MySpace can pay off for the future as well.
About The Author
Dave Lloyd has created an online guide to MySpace and social networking at http://www.socialnetworkingsecrets.com.

Your Online Business

2005-12-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

7 Ways to Achieve Success in Online Business by: Shishay Wubhset
To build a successful online business you should develop a marketing Habits and Attitudes that brings a mindset to fully exploit your talents and abilities. This Mindset is the most decisive factor to turn Your Dreams into reality and accomplish incredible success.
Here are the 7 habits and attitudes you should develop to Achieve Success in Online Business,
1-Believe - You can Do it!
You should believe that ordinary people from all walks of life are making tons of money online. Importantly, you can do same thing and achieve success, if you believe that you can achieve the sort of income you’re looking for.
2-Commitment to learn the Hard Stuff
Learn how to do all the hard things. Learn different techniques and strategies and How to integrate these techniques to come up with good result. Learn how to manage your time effectively, how to set goals, make daily and weekly plans.
3- Invest
Online Business will require you to invest not only your valuable time and Effort but also your money.
4-Be Patient - Never Stop!
There is no magic bullet that will make you rich overnight without much effort. Those people who say they are only working 2 hours a day on their business and making a full time income have spent many years enduring hardship to get to where they are.
Always, be Patient to see the result.
5-Stay Focused
As you are very eager for Knowledge at the fist instance, you can easily get sidetracked while you are moving towards your goal. So stay focused.
There are really many different ways to make money online and many people have Different preferences.Don’t try to learn everything at once. Always take one step at a time.
6- Have a Positive attitude
Negative comments from a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, or even a family member should not discourage you from pursuing your dream of success.If you still have some of these people in your life, you must avoid their negative opinion that influences badly to your success.
Take control of your dream of success to make reality.
7- Be Consistent
To achieve your goals, you should commit your self to work every day with all the energy you possess. Consistent effort tends to yield consistent results.
Success is determined by your self. So if you develop the Habits and attitudes outlined above, you will help you life and Build a Successful online business.
About The Author
Shishay Wubshet teaches fellow Entrepreneurs how to build a successful online business through top and Proven marketing techniques. You can reach shishay at www.marketing-techniques.co.nr
shishayw@yahoo.com

Link Building for Your Website Business

2005-12-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

Link Building for a New Web Site by: James Peggie
Link building is such an important area of owning a business website. It’s a great way to promote your site and your business. And it is also critical for search engine rankings. Think of link building as networking for your site. The more people that know about your site and can find it the better.
Like networking, link building is fairly simple. It’s all about communication. The drawback – you have to invest a lot of time. Here is the basic process of link building. You need to find websites that you would like to link with. You have to make a request to get a link from theses sites. Then you have to wait for an answer to your request. You have to manage the links on your site. Finally you have to make sure that the link is actually in place. As you can see from this process it relies to a great deal on other people’s participation. This is where it gets tricky as there are no guarantees that people will work with you or help you.
The easiest way to build links for a new site is through a directory submission program. The best links for your site are one way non-reciprocated links; in other words a vote for your site from another site that you haven't paid for through a reciprocated link. Directories are ideal for this as they are authority sites that will hand non-reciprocated links to websites. Not only this, but directories are still used extensively by searchers due to the way the data is presented.
Unscrupulous people have come up with ways to artificially build links without all this work. These link packages or link ‘farms’ can get you a lot of links quickly, but they can also get your site banned by the search engines. It is suspected that Google also have a link filter in operation as part of their current algorithm. It looks like this penalizes any sites that build links too quickly or if these links seems unnatural. This type of link building campaign is to be avoided.
As you have probably observed in life there are not many ‘get rich quick’ systems that really work. The same holds for link building. The truth of the matter is that you get out of it what you put into it. There is no getting around putting in hard work and time to link building. The good news is that this effort pays real dividends for your business as the links you build will be natural, long lasting and of value to you.
About The Author
James Peggie is the Director of Marketing for Elixir Systems – a search engine marketing agency located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Their website is located at http://www.elixirsystems.com and James contributes to their blog http://searchblog.elixirsystems.com.

Dealing with Problem Customers

2005-12-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

5 Simple Tips for Dealing with Nasty Customers by: Jason Tarasi
If you’ve been in business very long, you’ve likely heard it all! You know, the irate customer who is going to sue you over the nineteen dollar product that they claim is bogus; the one that’s going to “shut your business down” because they conjure up in their minds that you might have breeched your privacy policy, or the one that takes complete advantage of your money-back guaranty. My favorite has to be the one that calls and screams vulgarities into the phone for apparently no reason.
It doesn’t happen often, but if you’re going to be in business, you will run across some nut cases from time to time. Some can be diffused, some can’t. That’s just the way things go in business.
There are some simple techniques for dealing with irate customers without burning yourself an ulcer over them and without telling them you hope they get cancer and die!
Here are some tips you may find useful…
1. Don’t take it personal
There is one thing that almost all nasty customers have in common. They try to attack you on a personal level. Name calling is not unusual. When you take it personal, you are likely to get into a yelling match with the customer which resolves nothing and only stands to make things worse. Try to diffuse the situation – kill the anger with kindness so to speak. If that doesn’t work, ask them to contact you again once they have calmed down and are willing to speak reasonably. Refuse to speak with a customer in an irate state. You don’t have to put up with abuse ever.
2. Don’t overdo the “customer is always right” concept
In customer service training you will always hear that the customer is always right. While that is true to some extent, sometimes they are just flat wrong. You should always try to accommodate a customer within reason, but do not allow that concept to go too far.
3. Realize it isn’t always your problem
Sometimes people just have a bad day and are looking for someone to take it out on. A hateful, ugly customer is often one of these people. If you listen to their ranting and raving, then respond kindly telling them you understand their frustration and you want to work with them to come to a resolution, you will often diffuse the anger and uncover the rational human being beneath it.
4. Don’t fall for fear invoking bluffs In customer service some business people tend to do anything to avoid the potential harm of a threat even if it means losing money or giving in to irrational demands. When you are threatened, consider the validity of the threat. Do you really think someone is going to pay thousands of dollars in attorney fees to sue you over a low dollar transaction? Likely not. Again, do what you can to accommodate within reason but don’t give in to unsubstantiated threats.
5. Be prepared to decide whether or not a customer relationship is worth salvaging
You’ve heard it said that one happy customer tells one person about your business while an unhappy customer will tell 10 or more. Undoubtedly, word of mouth can be the best or the worst exposure for your business. This is the very basis of the “the customer is always right” concept. Of course it is best to salvage a customer relationship if you can, but again, do so within reason.
Copyright 2005 Jason Tarasi
About The Author
Jason Tarasi publishes the reciprocal links newsletter "Elite Links" Learn HOW thousands of other Elite Links members generate FREE traffic and increase their search engine rankings by swapping links. Grab your free lifetime subscription now at: http://www.elitelinksnewsletter.com.

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Your Sales Dept

2005-12-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

CRM/SFA That Accelerates Sales: The Sales Process Integration Approach by: Cube Management
Has your company struggled with Sales Force Automation (SFA) or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software? If so, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that between 65 and 80 percent of all system implementations end in failure*. Sales people don’t like working with software, and each rep uses the system differently. Customer/prospect data is inconsistent and poorly maintained. Management doesn’t get the forecasting and reporting visibility that it needs. Instead of being a productivity tool, CRM systems can easily end up being a drag on sales team performance.
Does this description sound like what’s happening at your company? If so, it doesn’t have to be that way. Imagine a CRM system that provides your sales people with a valuable tool for increasing their productivity, and growing your company’s sales.
Sales Process Integration means taking a holistic, “Best Practices” approach to building an effective sales system that is repeatable, easy to understand and follow. When done right, a CRM system immediately starts increasing sales pipeline visibility, lead follow-up and close ratios.
The key to CRM success is laying a solid foundation, before you select or install any software. Here are some key steps to take, whether you’re starting from scratch or revamping an existing system:
Develop a detailed description of your sales process, including sales stages, actions to be taken at each stage, sales/marketing tools to be used, responsibilities (Marketing, Inside Sales, Field Sales) and timelines. This can be easily done in a matrix format.
Use Visio or other software to create a flowchart of your sales process. By defining your process in this visual format, you and your team will develop a complete understanding of all possible sales scenarios, and how to effectively manage prospects through each stage of the sales cycle.
Assign a probability percentage to each sales stage that everyone can agree to and follow. A simple list of probabilities looks like this:
SALES STAGE PROBABILITY Unqualified Prospect 0% Qualified Prospect 10% Proposal Sent 25% Decision Imminent 50% Verbal Commitment 75% Purchase Order Received 100%
Define your sales reporting and forecasting requirements. Develop a detailed description of each report to be run, task responsibilities/dependencies, the information to be captured, and reporting frequency.
*Source: Aberdeen Group
About The Author
Cube Management (www.cubemanagement.com) provides sales acceleration services to emerging growth and mid-market companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. The experts at Cube Management work across the entire spectrum of marketing, sales and business development to provide customized solutions that drive revenue and profit growth. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process & People to produce winning results.

Affiliate Marketing

2005-12-11T20:01:00.000-08:00

What Affiliate Marketers Want by: Cube Management
While I have learned a great deal about SEO on the job, my entree into using SEO as an entrepreneurial pursuit began as an active affiliate marketer.
When I was "between" full- time positions, I signed up for hundreds of affiliate programs, created a tremendous amount of affiliate-related content, and supported my family on what I earned. So, I have gained quite a bit of insight into the do’s and don’ts of successful affiliate program management.
Many affiliate programs treat their affiliates as a “necessary evil” (or worse) instead of a partner with the goal of sales acceleration. Good affiliates who feel mistreated in any fashion will, without the slightest hesitation cease promoting the offending merchant which directly affects the merchant’s bottom line.
So, here’s my list of what Affiliate Marketers are looking for in a relationship with an Affiliate Program.
Be paid. Obviously.
Be paid on time. If there is a problem with paying on time, please give as much advance notice as possible that there is a problem.
Don’t work with “parasites”. Many affiliate programs “unwittingly or not” work with outfits that steal affiliate commissions by overwriting affiliate cookies and installing popups / spyware that poach sales from the affiliate that should have earned them. Knowledgeable affiliates won’t promote products that are affiliated with “parasites”.
Sometimes, affiliates will inadvertently do something that the merchant might not agree with. As a newbie affiliate, I happened to innocently mention a competitor company while promoting an affiliate product. I unknowingly broke a program rule…and the first e-mail from the affiliate manager not only terminated my participation with the program but threatened me with legal action. Perhaps, he could have just asked me to nicely change the content on the page? Appropriate and effective communication is critical to being a successful affiliate manager and to inspire affiliates to sell on your company’s behalf.
If the affiliate is performing well, be proactive with him / her. Raise the commission without asking. Send a gift. Don’t wait for the affiliate to come to you asking for an increased payout. Motivate the affiliate to go the extra mile for you for he /she is making sales on your company’s behalf that you wouldn’t otherwise make.
The personal touch is nice...and I mean a phone call, not an e-mail. Of all the programs I’ve worked with, only one program contacts me via telephone on a regular basis. The call is placed not by the “affiliate manger”, but the president of the company. And, I get calls every few months no matter my current level of production on their behalf. I guarantee that I make an extra effort on behalf of this program just because of how well they treat me.
I can count the number of affiliate managers that have phoned me for a “non-problem” on one hand. And there is a program that I promote heavily (because it pays and converts well) where the ONLY communication that I’ve ever received from the program is the monthly check. No other communications of any sort. Even when they have new products, they don’t tell me…I need to explore the affiliate backend to find out about them.
Shawn Collins of Affiliatetip.com, who was one of the best affiliate managers I’ve ever worked with, said this in a recent article, “Some people are saying that affiliate marketing is experiencing a Renaissance, but that suggests that there was a time when affiliate programs were not working. From where I sit, the affiliate landscape has been in a crescendo for 10 years.”
The affiliate marketing model works well because there are people out there who are able to generate targeted web traffic and funnel that traffic to merchants in exchange for a percentage of the sale. Seasoned, experienced affiliate marketers will generate revenue for whichever programs they are promoting. If they are treated well by a merchant, they will exert more effort on that partner’s behalf, increasing their bottom line sales. An affiliate manager’s ability to develop, maintain, and enhance relationships with these top performers can have a tremendous impact on company revenue.
About The Author
Cube Management (www.cubemanagement.com) provides sales acceleration services to emerging growth and mid-market companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. The experts at Cube Management work across the entire spectrum of marketing, sales and business development to provide customized solutions that drive revenue and profit growth. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process & People to produce winning results.

Your Ezine

2005-12-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

How to Make Your eZine Work for You Long After It's Published by: Jeff Casmer
If you publish an email newsletter, do you convert the issues to HTML and archive them on your website? If you haven't been doing so, you should start now, today.
"But the free mailing service I use already archives them." you say.
That's great! That means the search engines will find that many more links to your site online. But it is worth the effort to put them on your website also. You can do it simply and quickly.
First, here are three good reasons why you should take the time out of your busy schedule:
1) It shows your subscribers and potential subscribers that your newsletter is a vital part of your service to them. Isn't it worth preserving for posterity?
2) Your newsletter will contain many keywords -- those subjects for which people and consequently search engines often search. If you submit them to the search engines, they'll draw traffic to your website. You can create an index page for them and put them all in their own directory, or even put them on their own domain, and submit it to the search engines and directories as a stand-alone online business resource.
3) Advertisers love the fact that their ads will live on. Statistics show that website visitors read archived newsletters fairly regularly. That is especially true if you add a search function to your site so that your archives may be searched by subject.
Here's how to do it:
It should take you at the most about 15 minutes to convert your newsletter from text to HTML. Most of that time is spent in coding the many URLs to make them clickable.
There are many text editing software programs that will convert text to HTML quickly. Some HTML editing software programs will do it also, with a single copy/paste action. One great and free text editor is NoteTab Light. If you don't have it, you are missing a great resource. It works with text and HTML both, does almost everything but slice bread, and it's free! No ads and no nags. (There is a low-priced Pro version that does even more!) Here's where to get it: www.notetab.com.
We'll use NoteTab Light for our illustration. Got it installed now? Okay, open up your newsletter in NoteTab Light.
On the toolbar at the top, click on "Modify."
On the drop-down menu, choose "Document to HTML," and on the menu that pops out, choose "With Paragraph Tags."
Save the resulting document with a .htm or .html extension. If you want the page width to conform to the reader's web browser size, click search and remove all the BREAK tags. Add a title, meta tag description and keywords, and upload it.
Now you have a resource for your visitors and a draw for the search engines, and all for only a few minutes' work. Stick some Google Adsense or your own ads on the page, and you also have a money maker!
About The Author
Jeff Casmer is an award winning entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and internet marketing consultant with online sales over $25 million dollars. His "Top Ranked" WorkAt Home Directory gives you all the information you need to start, maintain, and prosper to create wealth at home in the 21st century. www.24hourwealth.com

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Office Furniture

2005-12-06T06:22:00.000-08:00

Top 3 Tips For Buying Office Furniture by: Roger Wembley
The topic of office furniture is about as exciting as watching the grass grow to some people. Generally, these people see buying office furniture as a necessary evil which requires them to search through the numerous offering of different manufacturers to finally find that perfect piece that they’ve been looking for. While the topic of office chairs and other office furniture items might seem a little dull to the new shopper, there are plenty of ways to make it exciting. Yes. Exciting!
1) Let’s start with Ebay. Guess what? Ebay is one of the largest (if not the largest) shopping experiences in the world right now (and probably into the near future). Ebay has grown massively during the last and it currently the largest used car dealer on the planet. How does this relate to office furniture? Simple. Office furniture can be bought on Ebay. And cheaply. I regularly buy items for 50% off on Ebay. Maybe someone had a business that didn’t work out so well and now all their equipment is for sale on Ebay. Their loss is your gain. Why pay $800 for a new chair when you can buy one slightly used for $250? No brainer. Ebay is the way to go.
2) Don’t buy more than you actually need. Office furniture is quite versatile. Buying a slightly larger desk can take the place of two smaller ones if you know how to arrange it properly. In fact, buying one large used piece of office furniture might cost only ¼ as much as 2 small new pieces. The key is to buy the best bang for the buck.
3) Look into leasing or renting office furniture. Now this is one good tip- I’m sorry to say I can’t take credit for it myself. This is a fantastic way to keep your cash flow in your pocket while enjoying the benefits of a brand new office. New chairs, new desks, new everything: all for a very low up front price. The big thing to look out for here is to make sure that you are truly getting a good deal. To say there are conartists out there is a huge understatement. Read the fine print carefully and make sure that what you are paying is less than buying it outright. However, with a little bit of homework, it really isn’t that hard to get a good deal by renting or leasing. Check it out.
About The Author
Roger Wembley writes for http://www.officefurniturers.com. Officefurniturers.com features information and resources for people interested in office furniture. Visit Officefurniturers.com today.

Drop Shipping Business

2005-12-06T05:22:00.000-08:00

Wholesale And Dropshipping - Your Guide To Success by: Tina Banks
If your interested in setting up your own retail business, be it online or offline, you will need to find a good wholesaler or dropshipper. Finding the right wholesaler will make all the difference to your business as being able to have a constant source of good quality stock at low prices could be the difference between success and failure. Have you ever looked at wholesale lists and found that the price is no different to what you would pay in a normal shop? Do you wonder how people on eBay make money when they sell products so cheaply? Well read on and I will tell you the best way to go about sourcing stock from a wholesaler.
The best place to start is to go directly to the manufacturer of the product that you want to sell. When you first start out in business it is unlikely that you will be able to buy direct from the manufacturer, but the important thing is that they will be able to advise you who are their official distributors, wholesalers and dropshippers. By doing this you can go direct to the official distributor rather than buy from a middle man who claims to be a wholesaler but is only purchasing from the distributor.
When dealing with wholesalers and dropshippers you will get the best results if you visit their premises in person. Do not expect to be able to view a catalogue online and order without any human contact. Most genuine wholesale businesses do not even have a website. It is important to build up a good relationship with your wholesaler. This will ensure that you get the best deals. If you can't meat them in person then at least correspond over the phone rather than email.
If your looking for discount products that are maybe 'end of line' or out of season then their are a few tactics you can try. Approach the head office of a big department store and find out what they do with these kind of products. Many will sell to specific wholesalers but if you can be persistent and find a contact at the store it is possible to start purchasing from them. Also visiting liquidation auctions can be a usefull way of making contacts. Buying some stock like this from a company whose products you want to stock will allow you to gain a contact with that company. In the future they will be likely to contact you to buy the stock before it goes to auction.
With these handy hints you will be well on your way to finding the right wholesaler or dropshipper and thus making your new business a success.
About The Author
Tina Banks writes for http://www.wholesaleadvice.com.

Catalog Business

2005-12-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Catalog Printing Process – A Masterpiece by: Karen Nodalo
If you want to design a catalog, you should have some exceptional and significant points to consider. Of course designing is the first requirement in catalog printing but earlier, what you should consider are the products that you will include in your catalog. Some products may not be helpful at all. There are products that will need to be grouped or categorized. Keeping your list sorted makes it easy to use and follow.
We make sure that your products get the exact description it offers. Make it specific and information-rich. It should have a clear and brief description which comes in 30 to 60 words per item or product. It should be concise and clear.
The overall look of the catalog is like the heart of it. The way it appears talks about our product lines so keeping it presentable draws more attention. Proper information brings the customers with helpful decisions in purchasing your product.
Catalog printing calls for drawing out attention and grabbing the interest of the users. For the incorporation of your images, have some special effects and tastes of photography with the application of Photoshop with the right perfect colors! In putting up all the images in its corresponding page, make sure that they are set and grouped correctly.
Printing doesn’t need to be expensive at all. There are so many useful ways on how to keep your budget low. If you are going to print a lot of print jobs, you should print it all so that the inks and materials will not be put to waste. This style is very ideal for bulk jobs. You will surely save money in all your printing costs.
Printing a lot of print jobs at one time will minimize your cost and the customers as well. So if you can keep this up, your clients will keep coming back for more of your services.
You can also minimize your expenses like for the shipping expense. This will surely eat your budget and give your customers a headache. Make it to a point to consider the shipping charges you set on your customers. Some of them would resort to just purchasing their won due to the high rate of shipping.
Holding down your printing cost is an effective deal to your customers. The domain name does help a lot too. Have it unique with style that easily renders to the people’s minds.
For more related articles, you may visit http://www.catalogprintingexperts.com
About The Author
Karen Nodalo came across writing when she was about 11. The whole craze for writing started when she first wrote her diary during elementary years. After school, she would write in it first before doing homework. She finds it cool and until now she still keeps one.

Webmaster Secrets

2005-12-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Webmasters by: William R. Nabaza
A highly effective website will always reflect its highly effective webmaster. Throughout the years of doing a number of websites, I've seen quite a few effective webmasters all over the web and I would like to share to you their successes by exploring on this topic: "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Webmasters."
Be Consistent.
Consistency simply means using a common style, design or theme throughout your site. It will also mean optimising your website because all the elements are already in memory so the next time another page loads, it will be faster. Common Elements consists of font usage; logos and icons; headers; footers and backgrounds; and the like.
Keep Your Site Fresh.
Fresh and new contents welcomes and attracts new visitors so work hard on your website.
Structure Your Site For Clarity and Efficiency.
Consider the following, when you structure your site:
* If you sell products/services, always have a link to a single structure of product or service descriptions from the home page.
* Always have a button or navigation toolbar that allows visitors to at least return to your home page.
* Most website benefits from a starting page consisting of a simple logo of banner, and then a set of links to a more specific pages. This type of page loads quickly and doesn't make any assumptions about what the user wants to see, and
* Include a toolbar of links to major subjects or your site, such as your starting page, products, customer support and organizational information.
Work Efficiently with automated content tools.
There are lots of web authoring tools out there that automatically creates banners, headers, menus, footers, and even categorized a certain website into themes. It will save you a lot of trouble (not to mention headaches) if you use these tools.
Optimize Content.
Try to view your website using a slow modem, a low resolution monitor and an older version of different browsers. In this way, you can cater to different types of visitors and this one is usually called "graceful degradation." You might as well provide text-only pages for simplier or lower-speed browsers.
Post changes in batches so your website remains consistent.
I may not be able to change theme of my site as a whole frequently but I can do it in groups. In this way your website will appear to be evolving to a better "creature."
It's a Web Wide World: Internationalize.
Here's how to do it:
* Use graphically obvious buttons rather than words for links.
* Provide pictures of products and operational diagrams along with descriptions.
* Use technical language rather than "flowery" ad copy, since technical language is more universal.
* Survey other members of your organization for language skills and seek their help and,
* When international users complain that you don't have a site in their language, enlist their support in translating it if they are bilingual.
Nabaza.com provides solutions to everyday webmastery task like search engine submissions, internet promotion, and sticking your visitors to your site. Become a member now for as low as U.S. $100.00 a year.
Nabaza.com specializes in building, designing, implementing, managing and maintaining corporate website to boost sales of your company. Email william@nabaza.com for information on functional, dynamic webpage designing with affordable packages. Subscribe for free!
About The Author
William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster's tools, netpreneur's articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com.
More free articles here: http://www.nabaza.com/resources.htm

Purchase Orders

2005-11-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

Purchase Order Financing Overview by: David Springer
Knowing the ends and outs of purchase order financing is an asset to almost any small or medium sized business owner. In the sections below you will learn just exactly what purchase order financing is, the benefits, drawbacks, who can benefit the most from it, and would be likely to qualify for it.
What is purchase order financing?
Purchase order financing is another way to get a loan for the capital you need to finance the supplies, production, and shipping of a product after you have received a purchase order from a buyer. Once you produce the finished goods and are paid, you can then pay off your invoice to the company who provided you with funding.
This is a perfect solution for small start-up businesses who have orders coming in but don't have the finances required to order supplies, pay their workers, and ship the finished goods. This would also be a great opportunity for a small to medium sized businesses who have found themselves with a sudden large customer jump or are graced with a very large order.
Who can benefit from purchase order financing?
- Purchase order financing is great for small to medium sized businesses who usually do not have the funds for large orders that could sky rocket their sales and turn their product into a household name. Image pitching your product to a major retailer, receiving an order from them, and then not being able to produce the goods needed because you are short on funds. purchase order financing could save you from this heart-breaking, and business-breaking, blow.
- A company who has received an order so large that they would need a six-digit loan. A purchase order financing company is not there to finance every single order so that a business does not have to spend any money up-front, it is merely a means for businesses to get the funds they need for an order that would otherwise be out of their reach financially.
- Only those who are reselling an already made product that they have to purchase in order to send to the buyer, such as drop shippers, or are producing a product to sell may be eligible to receive purchase order financing. For example, if you are selling a service, you would not qualify to receive purchase order financing. Although it may take capital you do not have to hire employees to perform the service, it would still not qualify under most company guidelines.
What are the drawbacks of purchase order financing?
There are few drawbacks to receiving purchase order financing, however, there is one major qualification that could potentially stand in your way. When a company grants you funding, they assume they will be paid after your customer receives the finished product and pays you. Because of this, many funding companies will check the credit of your buyer(s) to be sure that you will not get ripped off and be left without the money to pay your invoice. Purchase order financing companies are not only taking a chance on you, they are taking a chance on your customers as well. They are the ones with the real risk if the deal goes sour. Knowing that your customer is credit worthy gives the company the peace of mind to lend to you.
What to look for in a purchase order financing company
You should find a company that is right for you. These guidelines may help you better understand what type of company you should apply with:
- Find out what their minimum and maximum funding guidelines are to ensure that they meet your financial need. If a company only funds loans that are in excess of what you are looking for or has restrictions that are less than what you need then you are best moving on to another company.
- Find out what other eligibility requirements they have to ensure that you do qualify under their guidelines before you waste any time applying for their loan.
- Find out what length of time you have to repay the loan and check to see if it meets with you production and billing schedules to ensure that you will have the funds in time.
- Once you have found a company that works for you, make sure that they have a fee or interest rate that your company can both afford and be comfortable with.
In the world of loans and financing, purchase order financing may be a small business's best ally. They will usually have repayment terms that allow time for production of a product and it is the fastest way to receive financing without losing any investment in your business. Also, since they will check into the credit worthiness of your buyers, they may save you from producing a product for a deadbeat buyer. All in all, purchase order financing is a way to finance a large order that may get your product into the hands of a top notch retailer.
About The Author
David Springer is a consultant for Sovereign Funding Group (www.sovereignfunding.com). Sovereign Funding Group is an experienced, reputable company that offers convenient, no-risk services to help you with the selling of your deferred payments and business financing.

Team Management

2005-11-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

How to Turn Your Team into High Performers by: Lorraine Pirihi
One of the biggest challenges many of my clients face is having the right people.
Prior to coaching I'd often hear:
"if only I could find the right people my business would much more profitable"
"I'd have less stress"
"I spend more time managing my people than getting the work done" and more.
Gary's Story
Gary who runs a plumbing business has 5 staff. He was always complaining that they were lazy, didn't use their initiative and would take advantage of him.
We had Gary fill in our Productivity and Leadership Profile which is part of our Masterful Manager's Program. This 360 degree process allows each team member to anonymously answer questions about how they see Gary in many areas including his leadership abilities, communication, organisation etc.
The process also allows Gary to answer the same questions on how he sees himself.
It turned out that Gary thought he was a good boss because he was easy to get along with. However the feedback from his team showed that he wasn't a good leader. The guys needed clear direction...someone to follow. They required a system, guidelines to work within and regular follow-up.
They never had a team meeting to discuss what was working well and how to improve things. The only time a meeting was called was when there was a customer complaint.
The Solutions
Before I share these tips with you, be aware that it is extremely important to hire the right type of people for your business in the first place. Many employers have the 'hire and hope' mentality. After the person has been hired the employer hopes they work out.
1. Regular Performance and Incentive Reviews
Measure your team's achievements on a regular basis. Formally appraise the performance of each individual twice a year. Salary increases, bonuses and incentives should be based on these performance reviews.
2. Weekly Team Meetings
Learn how to run an effective meeting and have these weekly with your team.
Have a set time each week. Ensure the agenda allows for their input. See How to Have Successful Meetings.
3. Personal and Professional Development
Invest regularly in their development, both technical and non-technical skills. The new-found knowledge can be extremely valuable to your business. By learning and developing your people, they will also be more motivated.
4. Develop Your Own Leadership Skills
Turn yourself into a Masterful Manager. There are many skills required to be an effective manager ...delegation, organisation and communication etc.
5. Participating in specific programs such as our Masterful Manager's Intensive Coaching Program will turn you into a powerful leader that gets results and maintains a happy, productive and high performing team.
They never had a team meeting to discuss what was working well and how to improve things. The only time a meeting was called was when there was a customer complaint. All of these challenges soon disappeared when Gary continually implemented the following solutions.
The Final Word
Looking after the people in your business is vital to ensure its ongoing success...whatever 'success' means to you. A happy, skilled and motivated team if managed effectively will have a huge impact on your productivity and profits.
To continue doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. So if you want to achieve different results, take action today!
Have a great week!
Lorraine Pirihi
About The Author
Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's No. 1 Productivity Coach. She's also a dynamic presenter and a leading business and life coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!"
To subscribe to her free ezine visit www.office-organiser.com.au
lorraine@office-organiser.com.au

All your business and finance needs including loans, stock market info, real estate services, insurance and news publications are found at Virtual Directory.

All your software needs for isp services, websites, hosting, graphics, development, office, games and security software are found at Virtual Directory.

Employment services for working at home, job boards, freelancing, eCommerce shops, resume services and education are all at Virtual Directory.

Christmas Shopping

2005-11-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

A was looking for gifts such as art, collectibles, crafts, books, baked gifts and I found them shopping online.
My wife always shops for clothes, shoes, makeup and jewelry online.
My kids said to go online for Christmas toys this year.
Most of the time I shop online for electronics such as audio, tvs, cell phones, wireless digital cameras and pdas.
I found all the furniture and hardware I needed online.
My friend the chef said to look online for kitchen supplies and recipes.

Christmas Biz

2005-11-16T19:25:00.000-08:00

Jingle Bells Jingle Bells Jingle all the way
Christmas shop at my stores
so that I may get paid
Shop Shop Shop Shop Shop Shopping all the way
Catalogs and Directory two thousand stores today
Jingle Bells and affiliate Malls
shopping all the way!

Markets Rally Today!

2005-11-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

A follow through rally today brought 2 billion shares traded and a 2:1 Advancers vs. Decliners. Baby still needs those shoes!

Rates Raised

2005-11-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

The Fed raised rates by 25 basis points today for the 12th time.

eCommerce

2005-10-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Dropship Wholesale; 7 Secrets to Dropship Success by: Jennie Pipkin
Dropshipping offers a the little guy the opportunity to get ahead on the internet by offering top products, even name brand products without having to invest thousands of dollars of inventory, shipping products, or manufacturing.
Deopshipping is the opportunity for a home based business, using the internet and even ebay.com, this article will give you 7 basic steps to finding dropship and wholesale sources and starting your own home dropship business from the internet.
1. Step 1, finding your niche. You've probably heard of this phrase if you've studied internet marketing at all. A niche is a specialty or subject that you will focus on when deciding what products to offer your customers.
Choose something you know alot about as you may have a better idea of the pricing and value of products that you are familiar with. You may also know what your customers are willing to pay for products and what the customers look for in different products.
2. Find Dropship suppliers. This may take some time and research on your own. If you're very lucky you may find a local wholesale supplier willing to dropship products for you to your customers. Another choice is to consult a dropship wholesale directory like the one at: http://www.freewebsuccess.info/dropship-wholesale to find the type of products you want to offer within your niche.
3. List items on Ebay.com. This is an important shep even if you want to sell items via a website only. Because ebay.com is a great low cost place to find out what the demand for a product is and how high a price customers are willing to pay for an item.
Consider this your cheapest market research tool. Learning how high a price customers are willing to pay for your product will help you set your prices.
You could use ebay.com to sell products monthly as well and email customers about your website should you choose to build one.
4. Build your e-commerce website. If you need help with this you may want to learn html on your own rather than hire a webmaster for thousands of dollars. There are plenty of free information websites that will teach you about html. Just google html.
5. Build a list of contacts/customers. The real value of a customer can be drasticially increasedif they become a repeat customer. Think about it, the most expensive part of your business will be getting new customers, so you might as well get as much value out of each one as possible.
You do this by getting the customer to subscribe to your newsletter, or to give you their email address so you can tell them about new produts or specials. Offering them something of value for free many times will convince them to subscribe.
6. Upsell your contacts. This is easy, use the list of customers you have gathered to offer specials, deals, or inform them of new products. Or simply send them tips and information about the niche you have chosen.
7. Expand your product base. If you add new products to your current items customers are more likely to return to the website to see a new item. Especially if it's a hot new item just coming out on the market, so keep your eyes open for new product development within your niche.
About The Author
Jennie Pipkin
Consult the dropship wholesale directory at: http://www.freewebsuccess.info/dropship-wholesale to find products to sell on ebay.com or on your own e-commerce website.

New Coupons!

2005-10-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

New iSellSurplus.Com Extended Coupons:
FREE Power DVD Software With Any Purchase Use Coupon Code: POWERDVD Expires 10/31/2005
OR,
FREE Ground Shipping on All Orders over $25 - Use Coupon Code: FREESHIP - Expires 10/31/2005
OR,
10% off ALL Instock Systems / Notebooks - Use Coupon Code: SYSTEMSAVE Expires 10/31/2005
OR Finally,
FREE Corel Office 12 with any purchase $89 Value - Use Coupon Code: FREEOFFICE Expires 10/31/2005

New Fed Chairman

2005-10-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

President Bush has chosen Ben Bernanke as the new Fed Chairman. There will be a speech at 1:00pm where Bush will explain his choice.

Coupons!

2005-10-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

New iSellSurplus Coupons:
FREE Power DVD Software With Any Purchase Use Coupon Code: POWERDVD Expires 10/26/2005
OR: FREE Ground Shipping on All Orders over $25 - Use Coupon Code: FREESHIP - Expires 10/26/2005
OR: 10% off ALL Instock Systems / Notebooks - Use Coupon Code: SYSTEMSAVE Expires 10/26/2005
OR Finally,FREE Corel Office 12 with any purchase $89 Value - Use Coupon Code: FREEOFFICE Expires 10/26/2005
Take your pick, but hurry!

Your Resume

2005-10-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

I added three new articles to virtualejobs resumes:Would You Lie On Your Resume? by: Ann Baehr Click HereI'm Changing Careers - How Do I Format My Resume? by: Ann Baehr Click HereHow Hr Works To Get The Job Done by: Ann Baehr Click HereI think you will find these useful, and the third article gives some insight as to what goes on with your resume in the human resources department.

Virtual Office

2005-10-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

Your website is your virtual office if you are a freelancer. I found several good articles on new websites that you may find useful:Need a Website? You Have 3 Options by: Joel Walsh Click HereBuild Websites Easier With Premade Templates by: Alex Marias Click HereThe Basics Of Search Engine Placement and Keyword Selections by: Alexi Kerbel Click Here

Freelancing

2005-10-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

Freelancing is a great way to start your business or corporation. You can also use it to extend your skills or expand an existing business. If you are looking for a temporary employee, hiring a freelancer saves you both time and money.Gaining Experience is difficult these days. There is no longer any excuse for not working when you can just start working from a freelance site. Just like Ebay, projects are offered and you place your offer. You gain income and experience whether or not you have experience or degree. If you are a hard worker and you want new experience or just experience in anything from data entry to advance skills in programming, writing, translation. If it is done on a computer, you can do it here. :)

Great Deals!

2005-10-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Check out these great deals I found at iSellSurplus.com:FREE Nero 6.6 Software Use Coupon Code: FREENERO Expires 10/19/2005 $4.99 Ground Shipping on All Orders - Use Coupon Code: 499SHIP - Expires 10/19/2005 10% off ALL Instock Motherboards - Use Coupon Code: MOBO10 Expires 10/19/2005

Your Web Site

2005-10-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

I found several articles on websites that are interesting. One article on webpages gives tips on what to do and what not to do. Another article about sitemaps was interesting and useful to me also, and finally, an explaination of keyword usage useful to any webmaster. Any tips from you are welcome, there is no registration to this site needed. I also found a great deal on webhosting at Midphase Services, Inc. , you get a free domain and it is only $7.50 per month for your website(s). Check it out! :)

Please Help

2005-09-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

Please help the victims of Hurricane Katrina if you can. If you have no money, like me, please cut and paste my charity links to your website or blog. Also, give a link to my site as well if you can. Thank you and may God Bless all.

Charities

2005-09-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Charity Links
____________________________________________________
GUIDESTAR - Charities research site
____________________________________________________
PROJECT HOPE
____________________________________________________
SAVE THE CHILDREN
____________________________________________________
THE RED CROSS
____________________________________________________
DIRECT RELIEF
____________________________________________________
CARE
____________________________________________________
AHH-USA
____________________________________________________
MERCY CORPS
____________________________________________________
The people at GeminiSoftwareSystems wish to express their sympathy for all the victims
of Hurricane Katrina. Guidestar will help you with your research as
you look for the appropriate charity for you.

Hurricane Relief

2005-08-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

If you would like to give to the Red Cross or other charities for the hurricane Katrina relief effort, just follow this link: Charities .

VirtualeBiz

2005-08-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to VirtualeBiz.