Two *Little Secrets* of BIG Growth and Profits for Your Business!

Have you ever switched off your computer at the end of a day's work, but found that the "to do" list you started with that morning is still as long as your arm?

Okay, you've answered tons of e-mails containing questions from customers, you've fulfilled some orders, and you've updated your newsletter subscriber list by deleting recent unsubscribes and bounce backs, and adding some new subscribers.

But what have you really achieved in that time? Have you generated more sales? Have you developed improvements to your products or services? Have you come up with some ideas for your next really profitable campaign?

The fact is, many small business owners get so caught up with running their business, that they have no time to grow it. Answering e-mails, fulfilling orders, and updating your subscriber list are all essential tasks — but they will NOT increase your profits.

The only way to grow a business is to market it. And the secret to being able to grow your business and still run it at the same time is automation.

Automating key tasks — so they happen without you lifting a finger — doesn't just free you from doing some of the daily chores involved in running a business… it actually grows your business, too.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that automation is ESSENTIAL to your web site's growth.

Here's a few examples of what I mean…

- An automated ordering system allows you to sell your products or services day and night… meaning more sales, and more profits.

- Automated follow-up emails let you upsell related backend products to your customers… which can boost your revenue.

- Instantly confirming orders and fulfilling your customers' orders for electronic products like software and eBooks lead to happier customers who are more likely to buy from you again.

- Answering questions instantly creates satisfied customers who appreciate your fast, professional service.

And the earlier you automate your business, the better — so you can concentrate on building your business. Once you're automated, you can handle thousands more customers without being bogged down by thousands more administrative tasks.

THE best way to automate all your daily chores is to use "autoresponders." Autoresponders are pre-written e-mails that are automatically sent on your behalf — for example, in response to an e-mail sent to a particular e-mail address that you set up, or when an order goes through.

They take care of the tasks that would take you hours to do yourself and leave you free to concentrate on building your business. All you have to do is write the e-mail messages in advance and set them up to be sent out when you want.

Unfortunately, some autoresponder services charge for every one you send, which can get really expensive. The good news is that there is a cheaper, more efficient alternative, which I'll talk about later in this newsletter. First, though, I'd like to run through the two areas of your business that are essential to automate… and tell you how autoresponders can help you do it.

Secret #1: Automate your ordering and fulfillment process

Your sales and ordering process is crucial to the success of your business, and it's critical that you automate it from the beginning. When you start your business, you might find that you WANT to handle the orders yourself. After all, it's satisfying to see those first few sales come in and to deal with your first customers personally… it means all your hard work is paying off!

However, after that initial honeymoon period is over and you're handling hundreds and thousands of orders — you won't find the hands-on approach so much fun. Just think how long it takes you to handle ONE order manually, and multiply that by 100 or 1,000!

Put simply, your business won't grow… unless you automate your whole ordering process. So this is where autoresponders come in — they can manage all your most time-consuming tasks, including:

- Confirming orders. Many people are nervous about buying online, and they like to be reassured that their order has gone through without any problems. You can set up an autoresponder to send an e-mail confirming that you have their order, and reassuring them that everything is on track.

Receiving an instant confirmation leaves your customer with the impression that you're running a highly professional business, and it stops them calling or e-mailing you to check up on their order.

- Notifying customers that their order has shipped. People also like to know that their purchase is on its way. So you can set up an autoresponder to tell them — saving you trouble and preventing more phone calls and e-mails from customers asking if their item has been shipped.

- Fulfilling orders. If you sell downloadable software, access to a password-protected area of your site, or an information product like an eBook, you can also use autoresponders to fulfill your orders and automatically e-mail your customer a link to where they can download their purchase or e-mail them a password to let them into a members-only area of your site.

This "instant gratification" factor is very important for good customer service.

- Sending follow-up e-mails. One of the most effective after-sales techniques is a simple "thank-you." Of course, it would take you far too long to send an e-mail to every customer a few days after their order thanking them for buying from you and inviting them to come back again some time. So you can set up autoresponders to do this for you!

In the same autoresponder, you can tell your customers about other related products that they might want. For example, if you sold a customer a camera, you might ask if they'd be interested in an extra lens.

This type of product — sold on the back of a previous sale — is known as a "backend" product, and automating this process can potentially generate thousands of dollars in extra revenue for you, with no extra work on your part.

In fact, this technique can easily boost your sales by 30% — overnight!

Now, you could do these things yourself. You could write order confirmations… send thank-you messages… fulfill orders… and so on. However, online customers are a very demanding bunch! They want to be able to browse for, order, and receive the items they buy online as quickly and easily as possible.

It's in your interest to make it easy for your customers to order and receive your products, as well as making the whole process hands-free so you can concentrate on growing your business.

Secret #2: Automate your customer service

As I've just mentioned, online customers EXPECT quick service. The fact is, if you leave it a day or two to respond to a question about your products or services, you could lose that customer to your competition. So good customer service is a vital component of a successful online business.

And once again, autoresponders are crucial. They allow you to…

- Answer your customers' questions automatically. You can set up an automated FAQ using autoresponders. Just create an e-mail address like faq@MyWebsite.com and invite visitors to e-mail you with any questions.

They then receive an automatic response containing answers to all the most common questions you're likely to receive from your visitors about your products or services, ordering process, and so on.

This way, you save yourself the hours you'd spend answering the same questions again and again. And your visitors will be impressed by your instant response to them — increasing the chances of them buying from your site.

- Send more information on your products instantly. Another way to provide an extra service to visitors to your site is to send them free information. You could write a useful article — for example, "10 Hot Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday" could go with a web site selling travel accessories — and promote it on your web site.

Just invite customers to send an e-mail to freearticle@MyWebsite.com for their copy — an autoresponder e-mail then sends them the free information.

The result is that you've established contact with a potential customer, sent them information about your product, and impressed them with your professionalism — all done instantly and automatically.

The secret to great online customer service lies in providing a stress-free buying experience and giving potential customers all the information they need to make a quick buying decision.

So I have to emphasize again the importance of automation. If you can make your customers' buying experience as quick and easy as possible, and make your fulfillment and follow-up efficient and instantaneous, you can significantly boost your sales.

But how do you go about automating your business without having a lot of down-time or spending a lot of your hard-earned profits?

How you can automate YOUR business

Many Internet entrepreneurs get into the habit of doing everything themselves when it comes to running their business. It's partly because that's in our nature! We're very hands-on and like to be in control of everything!

But then more and more orders start coming in, you get more and more questions from customers, and before you know it, you’re spending nearly ALL of your time performing these "administrative" tasks.

And when you actually break down what you're spending your time on, you can find you're really just standing still instead of growing your business. Meanwhile, your competitors who HAVE automated their business are snagging YOUR customers, who've become frustrated by your slow response to an e-mailed question, the time it takes to get an order confirmation, or slow fulfillment of their order.

Automation is the perfect solution to providing great customer service and freeing up your time to develop your business. And autoresponders, in particular, are amazing tools for handling all the mundane e-mail chores that can take up so much of your time. They allow you to…

- Build your credibility by impressing your customers with the speed of your response to their requests for information.

- Increase your chances of making more sales by answering customers' questions immediately.

- Make sure more customers buy from you again by providing great customer service through the instant confirmation of orders.

- Provide your customers with instant gratification through the quick fulfillment of digital products.

- Increase your sales by automatically upselling backend products to your customers.

So how do you automate your business? Well, there are a number of companies out there that will set up and send out autoresponders for you. However, some of them charge you for EVERY autoresponder. And as there are tons of ways to use autoresponders, that cost really adds up.

A better solution is to use custom-built software like Mailloop. This is the software I use at The Internet Marketing Center, which I developed because of my own frustration with the limited and expensive solutions out there on the market. It's built with Internet business owners like you in mind — both newbies and more experienced netrepreneurs — and it allows you to set up UNLIMITED autoresponders.

That means that you can set up autoresponders to handle all aspects of your ordering and fulfillment process, answer questions from visitors to your site, and upsell backend products to your customers — automatically.

The automated e-mails that you write will still sound personal and can contain any information you want — but you only have to write them once! Then Mailloop takes over, allowing you to get on with the important job of building your business.

Check out the full range of benefits Mailloop can offer your business, such as unlimited autoresponders for handling all your ordering, fulfillment, and customer service e-mail tasks; an easy-to-use interface for creating and sending autoresponders; and complete control over the appearance, content, and management of your e-mails.

You can get full details at http://www.cashmachina.com/mailoop1.html.

Remember, the HUGE benefit of automation is that it allows you to spend more time coming up with new ways to grow your business and increase your profits.

It's not impossible to make money and grow your business without automation, but it's very difficult if you spend hours every day answering e-mails, fulfilling orders, and taking care of all the other daily chores yourself. You'll basically become a secretary in your own business — which I'm guessing is not what you set out to do!

So the question is not can you afford to automate your business… it's can you afford NOT to?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Derek Gehl specializes in teaching real people how to start profitable Internet businesses that make $100,000 to $2.5 Million (or more) per year. To get instant access to all his most profitable marketing campaigns, strategies, tools, and resources that he's used to grow $25 into over $40 Million in online sales, visit: http://www.cashmachina.com/corey2.html

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Business Tips To Help You Succeed

GENERAL IDEAS

Never let a day pass without engaging in at least one marketing activity.
Determine a percentage of gross income to spend annually on marketing.
Set specific marketing goals every year; review and adjust quarterly.
Maintain a tickler file of ideas for later use.
Carry business cards with you (all day, every day).
Create a personal nametag or pin with your company name and logo on it and wear it at high visibility meetings.

TARGET MARKET

Stay alert to trends that might impact your target market, product or promotion strategy.
Read market research studies about your profession, industry, product, target market groups, etc.
Collect competitors’ ads and literature; study them for information about strategy, product features and benefits, etc.
Ask clients why they hired you and solicit suggestions for improvement.
Ask former clients why they left you.
Identify a new market.
Join a list-serve (email list) related to your profession.
Subscribe to an Internet usenet newsgroup or a list-serve that serves your target market.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Create a new service, technique or product.
Offer a simpler/cheaper/smaller version of your (or another existing) product or service.
Offer a fancier/more expensive/faster/bigger version of your (or another existing) product or service.
Update your services.

EDUCATION, RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

Establish a marketing and public relations advisory and referral team composed of your colleagues and/or neighboring business owners to share ideas and referrals and to discuss community issues.
Meet quarterly for breakfast.
Create a suggestion box for employees.
Attend a marketing seminar.
Read a marketing book.
Subscribe to a marketing newsletter or other publication.
Subscribe to a marketing list-serve on the Internet.
Subscribe to a marketing usenet newsgroup on the Internet.
Train your staff, clients and colleagues to promote referrals.
Hold a monthly marketing meeting with employees or associates to discuss strategy, status and to solicit marketing ideas.
Join an association or organization related to your profession.
Get a marketing intern to take you on as a client; it will give the intern experience and you some free marketing help.
Maintain a consultant card file for finding designers, writers and other marketing professionals.
Hire a marketing consultant to brainstorm with.
Take a "creative journey" to another progressive city or country to observe and learn from marketing techniques used there.

PRICING AND PAYMENT

Analyze your fee structure; look for areas requiring modifications or adjustments.
Establish a credit card payment option for clients.
Give regular clients a discount.
Learn to barter; offer discounts to members of certain clubs/professional groups/organizations in exchange for promotions in their publications.
Give "quick pay" or cash discounts.
Offer financing or installment plans.

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Publish a newsletter for customers and prospects. (It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive.)
Develop a brochure of services.
Include a postage-paid survey card with your brochures and other company literature. Include check-off boxes or other items that will involve the reader and provide valuable feedback to you.
Remember, business cards aren’t working for you if they’re in the box. Pass them out! Give prospects two business cards and brochures — one to keep and one to pass along.
Produce separate business cards/sales literature for each of your target market segments (e.g. government and commercial, and/or business and consumer).
Create a poster or calendar to give away to customers and prospects.
Print a slogan and/or one-sentence description of your business on letterhead, fax cover sheets and invoices.
Develop a site on the World Wide Web.
Create a "signature file" to be used for all your e-mail messages. It should contain contact details including your Web site address and key information about your company that will make the reader want to contact you.
Include "testimonials" from customers in your literature.
Test a new mailing list. If it produces results, add it to your current direct mail lists or consider replacing a list that's not performing up to expectations.
Use colored or oversized envelopes for your direct mailings. Or send direct mail in plain white envelopes to pique recipients' curiosity.
Announce free or special offers in your direct response pieces. (Direct responses may be direct mail, broadcast fax, or e-mail messages.) Include the offer in the beginning of the message and also on the outside of the envelope for direct mail.

MEDIA RELATIONS

Update your media list often so that press releases are sent to the right media outlet and person.
Write a column for the local newspaper, local business journal or trade publication.
Publish an article and circulate reprints.
Send timely and newsworthy press releases as often as needed.
Publicize your 500th client of the year (or other notable milestone).
Create an annual award and publicize it as an outstanding employee of the year.
Get public relations and media training or read up on it.
Appear on a radio or TV talk show.
Create your own TV program on your industry or your specialty. Market the show to your local cable station or public broadcasting station as a regular program. Or, see if you can air your show on an open access cable channel.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or to a trade magazine editor.
Take an editor to lunch.
Get a publicity photo taken and enclose with press releases.
Consistently review newspapers and magazines for possible PR opportunities.
Submit "tip" articles to newsletters and newspapers.
Conduct industry research and develop a press release or article to announce an important discovery in your field.
Create a press kit and keep its contents current.

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CUSTOMER RELATIONS

Ask your clients to come back again.
Return phone calls promptly.
Set up a fax-on-demand or email system to easily respond to customer inquiries.
Use an answering machine or voice mail system to catch after-hours phone calls. Include basic information in your outgoing message such a business hours, location, etc.
Record a memorable message or "tip of the day" on your outgoing answering machine or voice mail message.
Ask clients what you can do the help them.
Take clients out to a ball game, a show or another special event just send them two tickets with a note.
Hold a seminar at your office for clients and prospects.
Send hand-written thank-you notes.
Send birthday cards and appropriate seasonal greetings.
Photocopy interesting articles and send them to clients and prospects with a hand-written "FYI" note and your business card.
Send a book of interest or other appropriate business gift to a client with a handwritten note.
Create an area on your Web site specifically for your customers.
Redecorate your office or location where you meet with your clients.

NETWORKING AND WORD OF MOUTH

Join a Chamber of Commerce or other organization.
Join or organize a breakfast club with other professionals (not in your field) to discuss business and network referrals.
Mail a brochure to members of organizations to which you belong.
Serve on a city board or commission.
Host a holiday party.
Hold an open house.
Send letters to attendees after you attend a conference.
Join a community list-serve (email list) on the Internet.

ADVERTISING

Advertise during peak seasons for your business.
Get a memorable phone number, such as "1-800-WIDGETS."
Obtain a memorable URL and email address and include them on all marketing materials.
Provide Rolodex® cards or phone stickers pre-printed with your business contact information.
Promote your business jointly with other professionals via cooperative direct mail.
Advertise in a specialty directory or in the Yellow Pages.
Write an ad in another language to reach a non-English-speaking market. Place the ad in a publication that market reads, such as a Hispanic newspaper.
Distribute advertising specialty products such as pens, mouse pads or mugs.
Mail "bumps," photos, samples and other innovative items to your prospect list. (A bump is simply anything that makes the mailing envelope bulge and makes the recipient curious about what’s in the envelope!)
Create a direct mail list of "hot prospects."
Consider non-traditional tactics such as bus backs, billboards and popular Web sites.
Project a message on the sidewalk in front of your place of business using a light directed through words etched in a glass window.
Consider placing ads in your newspaper’s classified section.
Consider a vanity automobile tag with your company name.
Create a friendly bumper sticker for your car.
Code your ads and keep records of results.
Improve your building signage and directional signs inside and out.
Invest in a neon sign to make your office or storefront window visible at night.
Create a new or improved company logo or "recolor" the traditional logo.
Sponsor and promote a contest or sweepstakes.

SPECIAL EVENTS AND OUTREACH

Get a booth at a fair/trade show attended by your target market.
Sponsor or host a special event or open house at your business location in cooperation with a local non-profit organization, such as a women's business center. Describe how the organization helped you.
Give a speech or volunteer for a career day at a high school.
Teach a class or seminar at a local college or adult education center.
Sponsor an "Adopt-a-Road" area in your community to keep roads litter-free. People that pass by the area will see your name on the sign announcing your sponsorship.
Volunteer your time to a charity or non-profit organization.
Donate your product or service to a charity auction.
Appear on a panel at a professional seminar.
Write a "How To" pamphlet or article for publishing.
Produce and distribute an educational CD-ROM, audio or video tape.
Publish a book.

SALES IDEAS

Start every day with two cold calls.
Read newspapers, business journals and trade publications for new business openings and for personnel appointment and promotion announcements made by companies. Send your business literature to appropriate individuals and firms.
Give your sales literature to your lawyer, accountant, printer, banker, temp agency, office supply salesperson, advertising agency, etc. (Expand your sales force for free!)
Put your fax number on order forms for easy submission.
Set up a fax-on-demand or email system to easily distribute responses to company or product inquiries.
Follow up on your direct mailings, email messages and broadcast faxes with a friendly telephone call.
Try using the broadcast fax or email delivery methods instead of direct mail. (Broadcast fax and email allows you to send the same message to many locations at once.)
Using broadcast fax or email messages to notify your customers of product service updates.
Extend your hours of operation.
Reduce response/turnaround time. Make reordering easy reminders. Provide pre-addressed envelopes.
Display product and service samples at your office.
Remind clients of the products and services you provide that they aren't currently buying.
Call and/or send mail to former clients to try to reactivate them.
Take sales orders over the Internet.

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Jack Humphrey is the Author of "Power linking 2: Evolution"
which hit the net this week to rave reviews. Grab your copy
before your competition does at http://www.cashmachina.com/powerlink.html
 

Advertising Your Home Business on a Budget

When you are starting out in a new home business and no one knows who you are, one of the greatest challenges you will face is how to drum up new business.

If there were not people in your community or marketplace that you knew who needed your products or services, you probably would not have started your business to begin with. But, once you have talked to those who you personally knew who needed your what you offer, then your next task is to find others who will help keep your doors open.

Many people know that they must turn to advertising at some point in the future, but they hope that day will be long down the road. For some, this utopian concept will come to fruition. But for the rest of us in the real world, we must come up with creative solutions for meeting our home business advertising needs while working within our budget.

Most people have a misconception about having to spend lots of money in order to advertise their home business. When you start out, you honestly will not have much money available for advertising, and if you do, you should still spend it wisely.

Before you jump headfirst into the world of advertising, let me share some of the lessons I have learned concerning this most important topic.

LESSON #1

It does not have to cost an arm and a leg to advertise your home business, unless you fail to plan and fail to test.

As much as is possible, you should always test your advertising. If you jump in and start dumping tons of money in to advertising without first testing your advertising, you might find yourself broke and without sales at the end of the road. Most people who commit this error write off their failure on the home business they chose or the economy or any of a hundred other excuses. But, if they are unwilling to take responsibility for their mistake, they will never learn from their mistake. Don't let this be you.

LESSON #2

All testing should be done in blocks. If you begin to advertise simultaneously in newspapers, radio and television, how will you know which advertising is bringing people to your cash register? You won't. All you will know that something might be working, but you will not know what is actually doing the trick.

Even if you tell people in your advertising to tell you how they found you, my experience shows that fewer than 10% of the people ever will tell you anything — and those people who do may not even get the facts straight! You cannot rely on your customers to tell you what advertising is working for your home business. You must put in the extra effort to know for yourself.
 LESSON #3

Only when you have a proven and solid advertising portfolio should you venture to drop big bucks in an advertising campaign. Even then, you should be careful to keep further measurements to determine how much the maximum advantage of an ad would be. Sometimes you might be able to reach ten times as many people, but depending on the kind of media and other factors, the additional exposure will only generate twice as many sales. Keep your eye attuned to situations like this to get the most from your advertising dollars.
 

LESSON #4

As Lesson #3 illustrates, sometimes your best advertising investment may actually cost you less money. When you are first starting out, whether you are running a home business or a business outside of your home, you need to be able to get people talking and thinking about your business.

If you are busy testing ads in media's such as the newspaper, magazines, radio, and television, you need to learn ways of promoting your business that do not require large cash expenditures. A few examples are:

· Word of Mouth
· Business Cards
· Press Releases
· Non-Primetime Ads on Radio and Television

Here is more information about each type of low-cost advertising:

WORD OF MOUTH

This of course is the cheapest kind of advertising on the planet — it does not cost you anything. Ask your customers if they know anyone who could also use your products or services. When they are happy with your offerings and service, they will be willing to tell you whom you can contact, and they will pass the word for you.

BUSINESS CARDS

You can usually pick up 500 business cards for about $20. When you do, hand them out. Do not give more than a couple of cards to each person. If they need more cards from you, they will ask.

Some people are known to network with others on a regular basis. Some of these people are also known to be always looking for an extra few bucks. With these people, you can suggest to them that if they write their name on the back of one of your business cards and the card is presented to you, then you will pay a referral fee to them. You do not have to offer much — sometimes one dollar is enough. Look at your home business and your offerings and decide how much would be a good referral fee.

PRESS RELEASES

Press Releases are a good source for generating news about your home business. The business editor at your local newspaper is always on the lookout for a good business story to fill the business news section of the newspaper.

Of course, the business editor understands the economics of running a paper and is more inclined to run your story if you buy advertising in his/her publication, but will still print stories for special events and openings.

The important thing to remember about Press Releases is that it must be constructed in the form of a news story. Even if you are a sole proprietorship, quotes from you should be written in a third person format: John Doe said, "Your quote here."

A Press Release should pack the most important information at the beginning of the copy, and leave extra details towards the end.

You should always provide the reporter who gets the task a simple and easy way for him/her to contact you directly. Often the reporter will want to contact you to get details that will enhance their take on your story.

To learn more about creating Press Releases, you may check out Rusty Cawley's site: http://www.PRrainmaker.com/

NON-PRIMETIME ADS ON RADIO AND TELEVISION

Believe it or not, some of the best rates for radio and television are on the overnight and non-primetime venues. These target times are not a total waste as they can easily keep the infomercial people in business.

These off-hours are just less populated than the primetime hours.

Don't be afraid to check your local radio and television rates for non-primetime hours to see what bargains may exist. With television, primetime is 7pm to 10pm. With radio, primetime is 8am to 5pm. This sure leaves a whole lot of hours available to advertise your home business at discount rates!

IN CONCLUSION

When it comes down to it, there is a lot to understand about advertising, but when you have the basic knowledge down pat, everything will fall into place and bring more dollars to your bank account.

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Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-11466

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Your Home Business: Turning Pennies into Dollars

Henry Ford taught us that to simplify the manufacture of automobiles, that the best way to do so was to install the assembly line. That one change revolutionized the auto manufacturing industry permitting the industry to build cars at a cost whereas the average person could afford to buy one.

The lesson we should take from this is that having the ability to improve the process of getting the job quicker and cheaper, without compromising the quality of the job being done, will help catapult the person who simplified the process to the top of his/her field.

Pennies saved in your home business can turn into dollars at the end of the day, and dollars can quickly multiply into hundreds or thousands of dollars over time.

Doubt me if you will, but let me ask you a question. Do you think a saving of two fifths of a penny could make any real difference in the profit margin of a home business? Of course the right answer is "it depends on how many transactions are done in a year, utilizing the savings of the two fifths of one penny."

You only have to think back a couple of decades to really appreciate this question. Do you remember the nut that lived and died in a Las Vegas hotel room? You know the one who was a billionaire, and was so worried about germs that he died of starvation? If you guessed Howard Hughes (1905-76), pat yourself on the back.

Now Howard did not make all of his money on his two fifths of one penny. He did however make a ton of money from his two fifths of one penny. It seems Howard owned a can manufacturing company. And one day, Howard's team figured out how they could make one minor change in the design of their food can to reduce the amount of tin necessary to make a single can.

As the story goes — if my memory serves me correctly — the reduction in tin usage equaled a saving of two fifths of one penny per can. Howard — being the really smart businessman that he was — decided that he would not be so greedy as to keep all of the savings for himself. What Mr. Hughes did do was to keep half of the savings for himself, and give the other half to his customers. The incredible thing about Mr. Hughes decision is that by saving his customers an extra one fifths of one cent per can, he managed to take more market share away from his competition — netting his company an additional and substantial portion of the total market share in the canning industry.

Let us return our thoughts to your home business. Have you ever gotten the feeling of excitement — when you read something or thought of something — that you could not wait to implement this new idea? This could be one of those moments…

In every home business, there are certain processes that we do over and again. Sometimes it may be possible to trim the time or expense of a process which in turn will add pennies or dollars to your bottom line. If it is a process that you do hundreds or thousands of times per month, then your savings will multiply into hundreds or thousands of dollars in monthly savings.

Imagine what running a home business was like BEFORE the computer…

Before the personal computer, we had to hand type all letters and invoices. Now, we can setup a letter or invoice that we send out quite often, and we can save it in our word processor so that when we need to use it again, we can print it quickly and efficiently. There is no longer a need to type the document again from scratch.

The computer has simplified our business communications and has provided us the opportunity to reduce our costs of doing business.

Think about all of the other processes that the computer has enabled us to do for far less expense than what we could in the past.

In this case, the computer is a tool that permits us to save time and money.

So, my challenge to you is to begin examining the processes in your own home business and look for ways in which you can save yourself time and money. It is far better for you to contemplate on this matter than it is for me to do so for you. Simply put, you know your business better than anyone on the planet does. Therefore, you are in a better position than anyone to find those extra dollars that will decrease your costs and increase your profits.

The extra pennies and dollars you could extract from your business could spell the difference between success and failure for your home business enterprise.
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Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.cashmachina.com/30daystosuccess.html
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An Exclusive Interview with Internet Marketing Guru Sam Robbins

For over a decade, Sam Robbins has been one of the top marketers
both on AND off the Internet. He has many successful businesses
and websites, has consulted small home-based businesses as well
as Fortune 500 companies … and most importantly he's the first
to admit he's made a million mistakes along the way.

Anyway, this little introduction is not about Sam Robbins …
but rather what Sam can do FOR YOU. I had the rare opportunity
to interview Sam recently … and he has allowed me to make the
entire transcript available to our associates, FREE of charge.

Not only is this interview extremely valuable and informative
(Sam reveals the biggest keys to his success), but it's VERY
RARE! This is the first interview that Sam has done in over
two years, so pay close attention and listen to his wisdom!
Q. Sam, I know you've been involved in the launching of many very
profitable websites so let me ask you … how do you know if a
site is going to be profitable? What "precautions" do you take to
increase the odds of success?

   A. Well, there a million things that one needs to keep in mind
   before starting a new project. But let's just keep it simple.
   The main thing I keep in mind is to find or create a product
   or service where a MARKET and a DEMAND for it already exists.

   This reduces your risk tremendously … and there is less
   effort and money spent.

   For example, we recently launched an awesome marketing tool at
   Adminder. It's VERY successful
   mainly because it's something that ANY and ALL businesses need.
   If your goal is to make even $1, AdMinder will help you do it.

   We don't have to go looking for customers … they come to US
   because they need AND want to use it to make more money online.

Q. Right, excellent point. Now, once you've setup a new site
what's the very next thing you do?

   A. Once we've designed a new site, integrated the order
   processing system, etc. and everything is working properly, we
   prepare to start advertising (the marketing campaign).

   No matter how we promote (free or paid sources), the MOST
   IMPORTANT factor is we make sure we have our tracking systems
   in place so we know what's going on once the promotions begin
   and the traffic hits.

   We are spending valuable time and money on this and we aren't
   going to do any guess work. We want SCIENTIFIC numbers telling
   us what's going on, what's happened and what we need to do to
   increase sales and profits.

Q. Ok right, you mean you setup some type of log analysis system?

   A. That's what most people do, but no, that's not what I mean
   at all. From a marketing standpoint, log file analysis is only
   half the battle. Analyzing your server logs will tell you how
   visitors are navigating your website, and what they do when
   they arrive, but it won't give you the rest of the information
   you need.

   And generally speaking, for most people, it's very difficult
   to really make good sense out of your log files. I know for
   us, as our sites grow, the log files get more confusing and
   less accurate.

   Like I said, you logs only give you a small fraction of the
   real information. For example, which of your ads and
   promotions are generating the most traffic, and even more
   importantly, the most sales (what's making you money – plain
   and simple).

   These are just a few that come to mind, but without this
   information you're really just flying blind and wasting your
   time and money.

Q. That's a good point and I'm glad you brought that up. So tell
us, exactly what kind of stats and other information do you
track?

   A. In order to maximize the return on our investments (ROI) in
   advertising, we carefully monitor a whole bunch of things.
   Such as:

     * Unique visitors generated by each ad or promotion

     * Number of sales generated by each ad or promotion

     * Which ads are generating the most traffic and sales

     * Cost-per-click, cost-per-sale, and clicks-to-sales
       ratios for each ad or promotion

     * Return on investment, or ROI, for each ad or promotion

   Those are the most important bits of information that we
   monitor on a minute-by-minute basis. Aside from ROI, my
   favorite stat is the clicks-to-sales ratio because it gives a
   great indication of the "quality" of traffic that is being
   generated by each ad or promotion.

   For example, just last week I ran the same ad in 2 different
   but supposedly "targeted" e-zines. One of the ads is resulting
   in an average of 1 sale per every 36 visitors, and the other
   ad is only generating 1 sale out of every 152 visitors. You
   tell me, which of these e-zines would you prefer to advertise
   in? =)

Q. Yeah, that would make a big difference especially when you are
dealing with numerous ads.

   A. Right. EXACTLY! See, if you are only doing one or two ads,
   you can track everything manually. It's not that big of a
   deal. It's not that stressful. But as your ads grow and your
   "repeats" ads, you're going to go crazy trying to track
   everything. Before you know it, it becomes too much of a
   hassle and you stop.

Q. Hehe … good point. We hear that all the time. And you know,
it's very true. If things are complicated or too difficult to do,
people just won't do it.

   A. Simplicity, that's the key! We are all too busy these days
   to be doing "monkey work".

Q. What about general promotions and non-paying advertisements.
How do you deal with those? Do you even track them?

   A. Yes! Most definitely. Heck, we make just as much money off
   of our "free" promotion tactics as we do with our paid (maybe
   more). It's not just about saving money, it's about saving
   time as well.

   That's why we track ever and any type of promotion.

   For example, let's say you have a newsletter or e-zine and in it,
   you have links for various affiliate programs or articles at
   your own site that sell something indirectly. You can track to
   see which TYPE of article or promotion did the best.

   If an article about e-zine advertising was 3 times more
   effective at bringing traffic BACK to your site then an
   article on banner advertising, you will know to spend the
   majority of your time posting and distributing the e-zine
   article.

   Does this make sense?

Q. Yes it does. We tried to do this with some "viral marketing"
type of promotions in the past. But after a few weeks, we were
overwhelmed and didn't know what was working and what wasn't. We
knew that we had an increase in traffic and sales, but just
wasn't sure how.

   A. Right. Well, live and learn. We all make these mistakes.
   But the problem is that someone reading this article will
   realize it, but WILL NOT DO ANYTHING about it.

   That's not making a mistake. That's just being stupid. There
   are specific ways and reasons why people make money … and
   others do not. Now that you know tracking is vital, DO IT!

Q. I guess "change" takes longer in some people than others. But
the sooner you welcome "change", the sooner you will free up time
and make more money.

   A. Yup. Well said!

Q. Sam, the word on the Internet is you're the one who invented
the "Automatically Double Your Profits Every Month" tactic. It's
a fantastic business plan. Simple and proven. How did you come up
with it?

   A. Oh yeah, that formula rocks! But I didn't come up with it.
   I'm probably the first to present it to the Internet world,
   but I learned something similar to it years ago when I did
   consulting for infomercials. I added my own twist to it. But
   no, I don't think I've ever invented anything. =)

Q. How does it work exactly?

   A: Well, I've already presented the exact "formula" at our
   site — Adminder. So, best for
   your readers to just go there since I don't like to repeat
   myself and bore those that already have read about my formula.

   But I'll give you a simple explanation of it and a different
   "twist" for those that already use the formula.

   Frank Bettger, a phenomenal salesman of the 1930s, shared the
   secret of his success in his classic "How I Raised Myself From
   Failure To Success In Selling". After analyzing his first
   year's sales, Bettger discovered that 70% were made on the
   FIRST interview, 23% on the second interview and only 7% on
   the third.

   His greatest revelation was that he spent HALF of his time
   going after that last 7 percent! When he realized this, he
   began concentrating his efforts on those FIRST interviews and
   nearly DOUBLED his income overnight!

Q: Wow… great story. That's a great way to explain your system
to other people. I guess the key to it all was that Mr. Bettger
kept records and "tracked" everything and then analyzed it.

   A: Yes, precisely! Heck, with all of the great technology that
   we have today, not many people track their promotion efforts.
   Just imagine if Bettger didn't track anything. YEARS would go
   by and he would continue to make the same mistakes … wasting
   valuable time and money.

   Yet, by analyzing his work, in only a few minutes he realized
   exactly what he needed to do to increase his sales, make more
   money and save time.

Q: Yeah, it's pretty amazing. Once you have a good tracking
system setup, it only takes minutes to analyze the results and
know what's working, what isn't and WHY!

   A: Right. Now, the hardest part is just doing it. Getting
   started seems to be a problem for most. They think it will
   take a lot of time and effort setting up a tracking system.
   But if you know where and what to look for, it's simple, fast
   and almost free.

Q: Okay, so let's say you are new to all this or you've been
wanting to setup some tracking system in the past, but got lazy
and procrastinated. What would you tell people? How or where
should they start?

   A: Well, there are a million ways of doing something. Let me
   go over a few of the options and you can decide what's best
   for you.

   You can buy special software that will do all the tracking for
   you. The problem is that they are VERY expensive and very
   difficult to use. Most people aren't "tech" smart and won't
   know how to use all the features of a program.

   Your next option is to purchase a script. This is good. But
   the problem is that most are just glorified "hit" counters.
   They don't track the important stuff … the specifics that
   you would need to know. I have found a couple that were pretty
   good, but they were also very expensive and the installation
   was crazy. Multiple scripts needed to be installed and your
   server had to have some special settings and so forth. The
   server had to be strong enough to also handle all the data
   being processed. Again, most people just don't have the "tech"
   knowledge or the time or the money to do it on their own.

   Your last option is to use a web-based service. There are a
   few. As with everything, a few are horrible, a few are okay
   and a couple are good.

   Because it costs you no setup time or hardware or programming
   knowledge or special servers or any of that stuff, I'd
   recommend for most to do a web-based service. At the very
   least, give it a try for a few months and just see how it
   goes. There are no contracts or anything like that. You get to
   test things out, risk free.

Q: I totally agree that the web-based versions would be best
suited for 98% of the people reading this. Now, who do you
recommend?

   A: I'm not going to recommend anything to anyone. I'm
   biased and I'm not going give my opinion on any specific
   company. But all I can say is that whatever was out there,
   I did NOT like and am NOT using. That's why we designed our
   own custom system and that's why some of the much larger
   companies on the Net are now using our system.

   It's precise, complete, proven and guaranteed. Let me ask you,
   what do YOU like that's out there?

Q: Oh no … don't put me on the spot. =) Okay, I'll be honest
with you. I really love Adminder. nbsp;-
it works the best by far, it's the simplest to use, it's got the
most features for tracking, analyzing and managing all of your
promotions. And … here's my favorite – it's the cheapest!

   A: What else do you like about it?

Q: Okay, let's not forget who's giving the interview here
(laughing!) … I'm the one in charge. =)) In all honesty, this
is why I did the interview to begin with … I was very impressed
with all of your sites and how your run your businesses. I've got
a million other questions to ask you. But I think we'll save it
for another time.

   A: Sure, sounds good and thank you for the kind words.

Q: Thank you very much for your time.

   A: My pleasure. Bye.

copyright Noel Nguessan
http://www.CashMachina.com/adm2.html

Analyzing Website Traffic

Analyzing your web traffic statistics can be an invaluable tool for a number of different reasons. But before you can make full use of this tool, you need to understand how to interpret the data.

Most web hosting companies will provide you with basic web traffic information that you then have to interpret and make pertinent use of. However, the data you receive from your host company can be overwhelming if you don't understand how to apply it to your particular business and website. Let's start by examining the most basic data – the average visitors to your site on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

These figures are the most accurate measure of your website's activity. It would appear on the surface that the more traffic you see recorded, the better you can assume your website is doing, but this is an inaccurate perception. You must also look at the behavior of your visitors once they come to your website to accurately gauge the effectiveness of your site.

There is often a great misconception about what is commonly known as "hits" and what is really effective, quality traffic to your site. Hits simply means the number of information requests received by the server. If you think about the fact that a hit can simply equate to the number of graphics per page, you will get an idea of how overblown the concept of hits can be. For example, if your homepage has 15 graphics on it, the server records this as 15 hits, when in reality we are talking about a single visitor checking out a single page on your site. As you can see, hits are not useful in analyzing your website traffic.

The more visitors that come to your website, the more accurate your interpretation will become. The greater the traffic is to your website, the more precise your analysis will be of overall trends in visitor behavior. The smaller the number of visitors, the more a few anomalous visitors can distort the analysis.

The aim is to use the web traffic statistics to figure out how well or how poorly your site is working for your visitors. One way to determine this is to find out how long on average your visitors spend on your site. If the time spent is relatively brief, it usually indicates an underlying problem. Then the challenge is to figure out what that problem is.

It could be that your keywords are directing the wrong type of visitors to your website, or that your graphics are confusing or intimidating, causing the visitor to exit rapidly. Use the knowledge of how much time visitors are spending on your site to pinpoint specific problems, and after you fix those problems, continue to use time spent as a gauge of how effective your fix has been.

Additionally, web traffic stats can help you determine effective and ineffective areas of your website. If you have a page that you believe is important, but visitors are exiting it rapidly, that page needs attention. You could, for example, consider improving the link to this page by making the link more noticeable and enticing, or you could improve the look of the page or the ease that your visitors can access the necessary information on that page.

If, on the other hand, you notice that visitors are spending a lot of time on pages that you think are less important, you might consider moving some of your sales copy and marketing focus to that particular page.

As you can see, these statistics will reveal vital information about the effectiveness of individual pages, and visitor habits and motivation. This is essential information to any successful Internet marketing campaign.

Your website undoubtedly has exit pages, such as a final order or contact form. This is a page you can expect your visitor to exit rapidly. However, not every visitor to your site is going to find exactly what he or she is looking for, so statistics may show you a number of different exit pages. This is normal unless you notice a exit trend on a particular page that is not intended as an exit page. In the case that a significant percentage of visitors are exiting your website on a page not designed for that purpose, you must closely examine that particular page to discern what the problem is. Once you pinpoint potential weaknesses on that page, minor modifications in content or graphic may have a significant impact on the keeping visitors moving through your site instead of exiting at the wrong page.

After you have analyzed your visitor statistics, it's time to turn to your keywords and phrases. Notice if particular keywords are directing a specific type of visitor to your site. The more targeted the visitor – meaning that they find what they are looking for on your site, and even better, fill out your contact form or make a purchase – the more valuable that keyword is.

However, if you find a large number of visitors are being directed – or should I say misdirected – to your site by a particular keyword or phrase, that keyword demands adjustment. Keywords are vital to bringing quality visitors to your site who are ready to do business with you. Close analysis of the keywords your visitors are using to find your site will give you a vital understanding of your visitor's needs and motivations.

Finally, if you notice that users are finding your website by typing in your company name, break open the champagne! It means you have achieved a significant level of brand recognition, and this is a sure sign of burgeoning success.

Michael Rasmussen is a successful Internet Marketing Consultant and author of many top-selling eBooks. Michael has been marketing online since the early days and he knows what it takes to make money and succeed online. Stop by his Web site and subscribe to his Free monthly newsletter full strategies and techniques for successful web site promotions that can help YOU!

Go to http://www.cashmachina.com/searchengine.html

Questions BEFORE Joining Any Affiliate Program!

Discover How Affiliates Earning $40,000+ Per Year Guarantee Their Success By Asking These "To-The-Point" Questions BEFORE Joining Any Affiliate Program!

Like a gorilla on steroids, there is a powerful way to add profits to your bottom line — and that`s through actively participating in the "right" affiliate program. By "right" affiliate program, I mean the one that`s right for you.

For our readers who are unfamiliar with what an affiliate program is, it`s simply a "no-risk" partnership that allows you to promote another company`s product or service on your web site to earn a percentage of the sales. As one of the company`s "affiliates" (promotion partners) you earn a commission each time someone you`ve referred to their web site makes a purchase. You might post a banner on your web site that links to the affiliate program`s site, or you might publish an article about the company and their products in your newsletter.

No matter how you promote them, though, it`s a win-win arrangement for both of you because:

- The affiliate program gets "no-risk" advertising (in most cases, they don`t pay you unless one of your referred visitors makes a purchase),

- And you, the affiliate, get the opportunity to earn easy extra income without the hassles of production, packaging, shipping, or customer service. Generally, there is no fee for you to join and you can leave the program whenever you choose.

Forrester Research recently reported that by 2003, 21% of all online sales will be driven by affiliate sites promoting affiliate products like this; however, before you become an affiliate and grab your share of this multi-billion dollar commission income pie, it`s extremely important that you educate yourself on how to know which is the best affiliate program to join and which are the most profitable affiliate products to promote.

While it`s not uncommon to find site owners earning $40,000+ per year promoting just one or two affiliate products (and that`s not including the "regular" income many of them earn promoting their own products), the fact is that not all affiliate programs are created equal. For example, while our own Internet Marketing Center affiliates enjoy commissions upwards of $4,000+ per month (lower traffic sites typically see $400 – $900 a month), there are plenty of other affiliate programs out there that are NOT as generous… or as reputable!

With literally thousands of new affiliate programs having come online since my last article on this topic, I wanted to make sure that you don`t make a mistake and waste your time and efforts promoting a program that will not generate the extra income you deserve.

So to help you choose the "right" affiliate program, I`ve put together a list of the seven critical questions you MUST ask to ensure you make the best choice and give yourself the greatest opportunity for success.

Question #1: Is the product or service offered for resale by the affiliate program something you would use and personally recommend?

First and foremost, the affiliate product you promote should be something that you truly believe in. It should be something that you would personally use yourself and be comfortable recommending to your best friend. Think of your role as a consultant who personally:

- Researches products available in your specialty,

- Objectively compares the product to its competitors,

- Ensures that the one you choose to promote outperforms the competition by offering a major benefit,

- And then "reports" your findings to your web site visitors and opt-in subscribers.

Your customers benefit by saving the time they would have taken to conduct their own research, by saving money, and by being offered the best solution for their purchasing dollars.

Look for products that offer exceptional value and unique benefits that potential buyers want but will not be able to find anywhere else. During your research, also watch for new product announcements. New products can bring in first-time buyers, previous purchasers who wish to upgrade, and owners of competitive products.

With literally thousands of programs to choose from, there`s no reason for you to promote an affiliate product that you don`t truly believe in. Money is a great motivator, but you should never let the lure of "quick cash" cloud your thinking. When you build your online business around the best interests of your customers, the money will follow.

Question #2: Does the affiliate product you are considering promoting "fit" with your web site`s theme?

As you research various affiliate products, watch for those that fit closely with your existing web site`s theme; any affiliate product you consider promoting should match the interests, needs, requirements, and budgets of your current customers and web site visitors.

For example, if you sell wild bird feeders, you could join an affiliate program that allows you to earn commissions promoting bird feed, books on identifying wild birds, audio recordings of birds, binoculars, and maybe even night vision goggles for late-night bird watching.

Any product that enhances customer enjoyment, increases personal productivity, or provides a desirable benefit should be considered. Also, look for products that can be used alongside your offer, or that may be needed prior to using your product or afterwards. You will then be offering your customers a "complete" solution… not just one component of it.

Pay close attention to the comments you receive from your customers and subscribers. Both positive and negative feedback can give you critical clues about products or services your market is looking for to fill a need that your product cannot. You can then use this information to look for an affiliate program that offers more of what they tell you they want, or that provides a solution to one of their pressing problems.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you find an exceptional product that does not match your web site`s theme or the interests of your visitors, and if it is so exciting that you believe it has excellent potential for a different niche market, then I suggest you develop a separate web site, opt-in mailing list, and promotional campaign just for that specific product.

You`ll earn much bigger commissions developing targeted niche sites like this than by turning your homepage into a flea market that makes you look unprofessional and decreases your sales.
Question #3: Is the company reputable?

Your buyers are relying on you to make sure that every product and service you recommend will perform as promised. If you`re considering joining a particular affiliate program, check to see how long the company has been in business and investigate them as thoroughly as you would any prospective business partner. See if they offer a "testimonials" page. Ask questions about their products in various industry newsgroups and bulletin boards.

When you recommend another company to your visitors, it`s your reputation that`s on the line. Ask yourself if associating with this affiliate program will enhance your reputation with your online community. If it won`t, then you have a good reason to pass on the "opportunity." Your reputation is priceless. Only associate with the best in your industry.

Question #4: Do they stand behind their product with a solid guarantee and excellent after-sales service?

A key component in selling over the Internet is removing as much of the "risk" as possible for the potential customers — people will look very carefully at the guarantee that comes with any affiliate product or service that you promote. If the affiliate program you are considering joining does not stand behind what they sell with a risk-free guarantee, then you can expect to lose sales and affiliate commissions to their competitors who do!

As you look at the guarantee, read the fine print. Are the rules for a customer getting their money back so tough that it becomes discouraging to even try? Is it guaranteed for 72 hours, 30 days, or a lifetime? If no refunds are allowed at all, then the company is making a statement about not only their product, but also their attitude towards customers.

Phone their help desk and see how you are treated. If they do not provide a phone number that clients can call, then try sending an e-mail to their customer support. Your inquiry should be answered promptly.

Choosing to associate with an affiliate program that offers "live" support by phone is important since 57% of online buyers prefer to speak directly with a "real" person in customer service. Many of your potential buyers will want to make sure that the company has someone they can turn to for help before they make their online purchase.

Question #5: How good a job does the company web site do of selling their product?

As an affiliate, you will be referring your visitors and subscribers to the affiliate program`s sales site. It is the other company`s "job" to provide all the information a potential buyer needs to make an informed decision and then close the sale.

Your web site should not have to be a "sales site" for the affiliate product you`re promoting. It should be enough for you just to get visitors interested with a personal recommendation that links visitors to the sales site. You may only need a simple paragraph stating something like…

"I just recently discovered a new toothpaste that I am sure will interest all my fellow Nut-Lover.org members. It is made from a variety of Amazon rain forest nuts and rum and it has the best taste I have ever enjoyed while brushing my teeth. You can visit their site now at…"
You should be able to explain the product and its unique benefit to your visitors in just a few compelling sentences. Once visitors click through from your site to the affiliate program`s site, the potential purchaser should easily be able to get all the information they need to make a buying decision.

If the potential affiliate program`s sales site is confusing, hard to navigate, unfocused, too technical, or overrun with distracting graphics, then prospective buyers will quickly move on before they arrive at the order page. If it`s a really bad site, your referred visitors won`t be able to find the order page at all!

Before joining an affiliate program, look at their product pages from the perspective, knowledge level, and personal interest of a typical visitor who comes to your site. If you have a lot more technical expertise or specialized knowledge than most of your visitors, then terms and explanations that are easy for you to understand could be mind boggling for them.

Question #6: How are commissions paid?

There are a variety of tracking and payment systems that affiliate programs use to calculate your overall sales and commissions. So before you sign up, you`ll want to make sure you have a thorough understanding of how — and when — you`ll be paid. Factors to consider include…

a) How much commission will you earn on each sale?

Consider both the dollar amount and percentage of the sale price that you will receive. If it`s a product that you`ll sell high volumes of, a lower commission may be more acceptable than a high-priced product that you`ll make few sales with. Look for products that you`ll be able to sell in high volumes while earning a hefty percentage of the sale — this is the ideal combination.

For example, at IMC Affiliate Program we pay our affiliates $65 for every sale of our #1 best-selling "Insider Secrets To Marketing Your Business On The Internet" course. That`s over 30% of the total price… and a huge chunk of our profits.

However, we`re willing to pay our affiliates such high commissions because we recognize the "lifetime value" of our customers. Any affiliate program you join should recognize this, too.

b) Is the program one-tier or two-tier?

All affiliate programs are either one-tier or two-tier. With one-tier programs, you recommend the product to your customers, visitors, and subscribers, and earn a commission for each sale you refer.

With a two-tier program, you earn a commission on each sale you refer. However, you can ALSO recommend the affiliate program to your customers, visitors, and subscribers. Each person who signs up for the program through your referral becomes your "sub-affiliate" — and you earn a commission on each sale they make!

For example, the IMC Affiliate Program is two-tier. If you joined our affiliate program and sold a copy of our "Insider Secrets" course, you would earn a $65 commission. If, as a result of your recommendation, a visitor to your site clicked through the affiliate link we give you and joined our affiliate program, they would become your "sub-affiliate." Each time one of your sub-affiliates sells a course, they earn a first-tier commission of $65, and you earn a second-tier commission of $20.

Obviously, the benefit of joining a two-tier affiliate program is that you have an opportunity to recommend the program to your customers and subscribers to earn some easy extra income on the sales they make.

c) Will you earn a one-time commission or residual income?

Affiliate programs that allow you to promote products that customers run out of, use up, or need to renew are frequently "residual income," which means you receive a commission every time the same customers come back to purchase more of the same product — rather than just earning a commission on the initial sale.

Good examples of products or services that might be offered as residual income through affiliate programs are cleaning supplies, flowers, web site hosting, newsletter subscriptions, and dating site memberships.

Commissions from residual income products can really add up because on top of the "first-time sales" commissions you can earn each month, you can also earn more and more "residual" commissions as satisfied customers you referred come back to purchase more of the same product!

For example, "Secrets To Their Success" (the IMC private members` site that features interviews with successful online business owners) is offered through the IMC Affiliate Program as a "residual income" product. We pay our affiliates a residual commission of $6 per month for each new subscriber they refer for as long as that person remains a subscriber.

And while $6 might not seem like very much, when you do the math you will see that your commissions from a residual income program like this can snowball very quickly:

10 subscribers @ $6/month = $60/month OR $720/year
100 subscribers @ $6/month = $600/month OR $7,200/year
500 subscribers @ $6/month = $3,000/month OR $36,000/year

As you can see, the biggest benefit of residual income programs is the cumulative commissions you can earn. Once you`ve "sold" a first-time customer, you don`t do any more work, but you continue to rake in the commissions for as long as that person remains a customer.

d) How much commission do you have to earn before the affiliate program issues you a check?

Many affiliate programs require you to have earned a set dollar figure in commissions before they will issue you a check. Obviously, printing and mailing checks is an expense for the company, so it makes sense that they may not want to issue you a check for only a few dollars. However, there are some programs that set this "minimum commission" figure extremely high ($100 and up), which means it can be months before you see your first check.

Before joining any program, find out the minimum amount that they`ll issue a commission check for and how frequently your checks will be mailed. Make sure you`re comfortable with these regulations. Ideally, you should look for programs that pay you monthly, no matter how much you`ve earned.

e) What currency is the check issued in?

This is an important question if you`re considering joining an affiliate program based in a foreign country or if you want to be paid in a strong currency.

f) Can you check your sales statistics online?

Whether your sales are shown online in "real time" or you are notified by e-mail whenever you make a sale, be sure to maintain your own records to make sure your figures match the company`s.

Naturally, the easier they make it for you to track your sales, the more ways you can test your own promotional efforts (newsletters, advertisements, offline promotions) to see which ones are giving you the best response and have the highest conversion (leads to sales) ratio.

g) Within what time period do your visitors have to make a purchase for you to be credited with the sale?

Ideally, your referrals will buy "on the spot" once they click through to your affiliate partner`s site. Realistically though, many people hesitate to make a purchase until they have more information, more money, or feel more confident that the product or service is exactly what they are looking for.

To track the sales of those people who click through your affiliate link but don`t purchase the first time they visit the affiliate program`s site, you want to make sure the program you join uses "cookie" tracking.

"Cookies" are small files that, in this case, contain the unique affiliate identification number you should be given when you join a particular program. This cookie with your affiliate ID# is saved on the visitor`s computer so that if they leave the affiliate program`s site, but come back again later to buy, you will be credited with that sale.

SPECIAL NOTE: This is very important! You`ll also want to find out how long the cookies are "set" for. For example, if a company sets their cookies to 30 days, then you will be paid a commission for every buyer you refer who makes a purchase within that 30-day period.

If the affiliate program sets their cookies for 30 days and your referred customer buys 31 days later, then you won`t earn a cent. Here at IMC, our cookies are set for three years. Be sure you have the answer to this important question before you make your final selection of which affiliate programs to team up with.
Question #7: What advertising and promotional tools do they provide you with?

The affiliate program you join should not expect you to reinvent the wheel. They should have at least a handful of tools that you can use to promote their products like:

Banners
Text links
Classified ads
Product photos
Testimonials
Articles

Everything they provide you with should already be tested and proven to generate the highest click-throughs and sales, so you can immediately implement them and start earning top commissions. They should also provide some kind of training… or at least be willing to speak with you personally about how you might best promote their products in your newsletter or on your web site.

For example, if you`d like to see what a highly developed affiliate training program might look like, check out our IMC Affiliate Support Center. Just sign up as an affiliate (don`t worry, it`s free to join and you`re under no obligation to do anything) and you`ll receive the username and password you need to snoop around and check out the resources we provide our affiliates with.

Final Thoughts:

With so many great affiliate programs to choose from, with a little research you should have no trouble finding profitable affiliate products to promote and earn top commissions. Look for products and services that complement your existing product line, match the interests of your visitors, and offer exceptional value.

Only deal with reputable companies who are proud of their products, stand behind them, and will bend over backwards to please their customers. With the wide variety of commission pay plans available, choose one that offers an attractive incentive.

No matter which affiliate program gets you the most excited, use the seven questions I`ve provided you with in this article to thoroughly investigate before you invest your time and effort. Once you join, if you actively participate, continue to learn, and keep testing, you`ll separate yourself from the pack and soon be well on your way to earning a serious part-time or even full-time income promoting affiliate products.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Derek Gehl specializes in teaching real people how to start profitable Internet businesses that make $100,000 to $2.5 Million (or more) per year. To get instant access to all his most profitable marketing campaigns, strategies, tools, and resources that he`s used to grow $25 into over $40 Million in online sales, visit: http://www.cashmachina.com/corey2.html  http://www.cashmachina.com/corey2.html
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10 High-Impact Viral Marketing Strategies

Viral Marketing is allowing people to giveaway and
use your free product or service in order to multiply
your marketing quickly over the internet. The idea
behind viral marketing is that you include your ad
with the freebie people giveaway or use. Below are
ten high impact viral marketing strategies:

1. Allow people to reprint your articles on their web
site, in their e-zine, newsletter, magazine or ebooks.
Include your resource box and the option for article
reprints at the bottom of each article.

2. Allow people to use any of your freebies as free
bonuses for products or services they sell. Include
your ad on all your freebies.

3. Allow people to use your online discussion board
for their own web site. Some people don`t have one.
Just include your banner ad at the top of the board.

4. Allow people to sign up for a free web site on
your server. Since you are giving away the space,
require them to include your banner ad at the top
of the site.

5. Allow people to add their link to your free web
site directory. Just require that they return a link
back to your web site, advertising your directory.

6. Allow people to provide your free online service
to their web site, visitors, or e-zine subscribers.
They could be free e-mail, e-mail consulting, search
engine submissions, etc.

7. Allow people to give away your free software.
Just include your business advertisement inside the
software program.

8. Allow people to give away your free web design
graphics, fonts, templates, etc. Just include your ad
on them or require people to link directly to your
web site.

9. Allow people to place an advertisement in your
free ebook if, in exchange, they give away the
ebook to their web visitors or e-zine subscribers.

10. Allow people to give away your free ebook to
their visitors. Then, their visitors will also give it
away. This will just continue to spread your ad all
over the internet.

Quote of the Day:

"Love – the feeling – is a fruit of love, the verb." –
Stephen Covey

Copyright © Noel Nguessan
http://www.cashmachina.com/index2.php

Finding Your Home Business Niche

When some folks begin to think about a business of their own, they know in that very moment what kind they are going to start. Then, there are the rest of us…

Knowing that we want to have a business of our own is not enough. Many of us have struggled with the important question of what type of enterprise we would like to start.

Franchises offer a simple pre-packaged money making idea, but the cost of a franchise often makes it a prohibitive option to most folks who contemplate going out on their own.

For those who do not have a million dollars to buy a McDonalds franchise, we must look to other ideas for our own business.

There are literally hundreds of lucrative home business ideas for you to choose from, which will suit every type of personality and all levels of financing. From selling information on the Internet as a infopreneur, to growing delicious gourmet mushrooms for sale to restaurants and catering companies; there is a pile of money to be made by filling a need, for these and a host of other necessary services.

Of course, actually liking what you do, will have a lot to do with the success of your new venture, so be sure to pick a home business that you`ll enjoy running and that will keep you motivated.

For example, if you`re a math whiz, an accounting or income tax service might be the ideal home business for you to start. Perhaps writing is your forte and you`d like to start your own home based copywriting service or advertising agency. Each of these businesses can be run successfully–and profitably from the comfort of your own home.

Academia might not be your cup of tea, but maybe you are good with your hands — having a creative genius where crafts are concerned. Craft items are red-hot sellers at swap meets, country fairs and world wide over the Internet, and they can provide you with solid profits. If crafts don`t interest you, then why not start a laundry service with pick-up and delivery, or a shopping service for shut-in`s–even a companion service or granny sitter or a doctor shuttle service; any of which, could be much in demand, in and around your neighborhood or community.

When brainstorming new ideas for your future home business, keep in mind the soul of any successful endeavor is providing a product or service that others will actually purchase in quantities. Satisfy the needs of your target market, and your target market will keep you and your home based business healthy, happy and profitable.

Below are some suggestions for home business ideas that might help you decide on a suitable venture in which to invest.

Multi-level-marketing (mlm), floral/plant service for offices and hospitals, pooper-scooper service, dog walking service, answering service, vending machine service, gift basket service, homemade soap maker, mobile windshield repair service, mobile tire repair service, income tax specialist, researcher, freelance writer, business card and letterhead designer, courier, shut-in/shuttle service, landscaping service, tree trimming service, wood crafter, carpenter, crafts and crafting supplies, pool cleaning service, plants/nursery starts, growing herbs, growing mushrooms, garage sale and swap meet vendor, proofreader, private investigator, typing service, interior decorator/designer, website design, wedding consultant, hot lunch/snack vendor at local courthouses, pet sitting service, pet grooming service, Internet entrepreneur, paralegal, gourmet catering service, new media production, mobile cosmetic technician, mobile nail technician, mobile hair stylist, aerobics instructor, personal fitness trainer, advertising consultant, companion service, small printing service.

Ideas, ideas; hopefully the above ideas will give you some fresh ideas of your own to mull over. A spring board if you will, on which to dive into your own chosen home business.

When you work from home, any business you start has the potential to explode into a perpetual gold mine! It just depends on how much your home business is in demand around your community or on the Internet. Your home business might start slow and steady, regularly picking up clients as you become more established. On the other hand, your chosen home business may take off like wildfire, quickly becoming too hot for you to handle by yourself (well done!). This is the time to enlist the help of willing family members to help you out in your time of need, which will make your business into a friendly, family concern. This will also help family members better understand your business and get a grasp on the mechanics of profit.

Good luck in all your decisions and have fun with your home business, which ever one you choose, and don`t forget to enjoy your newfound freedom!

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Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.cashmachina.com/30daystosuccess.html
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