Cruise to Cash

How to Build your Opt-In List

2008-07-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

Some companies decide to send customers a free newsletter to get an email list. But there are other ways to collect email addresses. Sometimes having a newsletter just doesn’t make any sense for your company. For instance, if you happen to sell dishwashers, how much information could you send your customer, daily, on dishwashers. So, instead here are a few other options for increasing your email list.
You could run a contest. The puzzle, game or task should be easy and straightforward so that you don’t frustrate the customer and you still get their email address in the end.
A great incentive to collect email addresses would be a free eBook. People love getting free stuff, especially eBooks that interest them. Remember, it doesn’t have to be 100 pages long; five to ten pages will work fine.
Surveying the customer is a great way to collect email addresses. You can find out what the customer likes/dislikes, and what they have problems with or need solutions for.
Advertise your opt-in offer in an e-zine or classified ad. It actually doesn’t cost tons of money and if you find the right place to advertise, you could see dramatic results.
Email signatures, or electronic signatures, also referred to as a, sig file is a three to six line footer that you can add to the bottom of each email message you send out with your name, company and a free report with a link attached. You will be surprised how many visitors you get this way. Make sure you track where you are getting your traffic by the different links you send out.
If a customer is interested in downloading an article from your web site, they will definitely have no problem providing their name and email address. They will love to receive more articles from you or have access to a members only area of your site with plenty of resources.
Offer your customers a free course or a free download to collect email addresses. They will love to get something for free. Customers who opt-in when something free is being offered think to themselves what have I got to lose. It a great deal for both of you.

Cruisetocash1 steve whitehead
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Work Your Hidden Profit Potential.

2008-06-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Direct marketing campaigns are truly effective when you precisely target customers likely to buy from you. This is done by Profiling and Modeling prospects and clients.
Dumb mass mailings are replaced with “surgical” campaigns that market to specific customers with accuracy using technology that is now available. Today, it’s possible to collect an enormous amount of information about customers, but to use it effectively you use it in “profiling” and “modeling”.
Both of these techniques are ways of applying external data to possible clients. They can be used to prospect for business or to zero-in on existing customers for your mailing. The goal is to predict behavior based on what you know about your customers.
These two methods are not mutually exclusive, and marketers often use them together. The difference is that profiling data is overlaid against an existing client database, and has a long life span. It can be used for several mailings, and in contrast modeling is used to sharpen the focus of a specific mailing.
In profiling start with the premise that you don’t want to deal with a customer segment, but rather an individual customer. Break up your client segment into clients who share similar tastes and buying habits. Then use demographic and behavioral information to create a useful snapshot of the customer.
Begin to gather this information from your existing customer database noting such things as frequency of purchases, buying habits, responses to marketing offers, and repeat purchases. Then start with your perceived prospects using alternate sources of data from purchased sources. Use all this data to break your customers into clusters that share purchasing traits.
Obviously, profiling and modeling add to the cost of your mailing project. You may wonder why you shouldn’t just stick to the old method of “recency-frequency-monetary” (RFM) analysis. The reason is that for RFM to work effectively you need data on the client’s purchasing habits, and that’s the rub! It only works for your existing customer and is of no use in finding potential clients.
What makes profiling/modeling cost effective is found in three current trends.
Rising mailing costs.
Computers able to compute mountains of data rapidly.
Higher quality customer data available.
In the past, direct marketers could mail out 400,000 mailings to find a strong market of 40,000 (1 customer out of 10 mailings was average). The dramatic increase in the cost of paper and postage has made this practice prohibitively expensive.
Computers today are capable of doing millions of computations per second. This makes analyzing mountains of data possible and not unthinkable anymore.
Higher quality customer data is more available today, and there are more sources available for obtaining it than ever before.
The result is that you can afford to do a lot of number-crunching before you spend a penny on postage. You can also weed out the useless names and mail only to your most likely prospects.
There are 6 factors to consider when building customer profiles:
Affinity profiling – analyzes current buying habits to better match customer to product. Knowing what kinds of product a particular customer is buying gives you the ability to build an “affinity matrix” showing what related products would stimulate more sales from him/her.
Demographic and psychographic data is also used for profiling. Demographics tells you a client is a 29-year-old, unmarried, male who earns $45,000 and drives a 2-year old Lexus. Psychographic data suggests that single young men who buy status-symbol cars are excellent prospects for other highly visible status products. Combining the two types of data yields a customer profile to someone marketing, say, the latest cellular phone.
Lifestyle Coding is used to enhance basic demographic information. Simply put – people in certain demographic categories will likely have similar hobbies and other interests.
Mapping is another useful tool in building customer profiles. Census data, topographic information, geographic coordinates, and zip code+4 postal data can be fed into a computer yielding maps that can be color coded to certain characteristics of consumers in particular neighborhoods.
Cluster Coding is a popular means of grouping people by lifestyle characteristics. Remember hearing the terms “Urban Up-and-Comers, Settled In, and White Picket Fence” used to describe market segments? These are known as “clusters”, each given a score according to affluence, social position, activities, and aspirations.
Survey data – can be used to enhance demographic, lifestyle, and other data to build a profile. This is collected directly from your customers via application forms, surveys, and credit histories. This provides a more personal portrait of the customer than merely census or demographic data.
The Direct Marketer of today has become more of a “surgeon” than a “shotgun hunter”. It’s no longer cost-effective to shoot at 400,000 prospects to get 40,000 clients, and with computers it’s easier to slice-and-dice data today.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Help for Entrepreneurs

2008-05-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

There’s good news for entrepreneurs who need help but aren’t ready to hire full-time employees. Between January and July 2004, the ranks of part-time workers grew from 24.3 million to 25.5 million according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was also learned that from June to July the increase came from people who wanted to work part-time and not because they couldn’t find full-time employment.
It seems that 1.7 million part-timers hold two or more part-time jobs, and do this by choice. Such workers will be harder to convert to full-time employees because they like the diversity of different jobs.
This all translates into benefits for the entrepreneur who needs help but can’t hire full-time employees. The employment gurus don’t expect this part-time preference to pass anytime soon. It seems that the appeal of a reduced schedule is strong both for seniors and baby boomers nearing retirement. Parents who have interrupted careers to care for their children but still want to work may also explain the boom.
Entrepreneurs should eagerly look to this pool of workers and eagerly employ part-time help. A big reason is that employer-paid health insurance and other benefits add costs equal to more than 50 percent of the average employee’s gross earnings. A part-time employer can get by with a low-cost factor, and still find somebody reliable and efficient.
Looking at the boom of part-timers seems like a win-win situation for entrepreneurs and workers alike. Check the prospect out with your accountant and you may find that you come out a winner and less stressed.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

HAVE 5,000 PEOPLE MARKET YOUR PRODUCT IN 30 DAYS

2008-05-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

An excellent source for distributing your merchandise is by
"independent salesman".
There are individuals who sell on their own and are always on the
look out for good items to carry along with their regular
merchandise.
The best way to contact them is through magazines such as;
Making Profits
6255 Barfield RD.
Atlanta, GA 30328
or
Money Making Opportunities
11071 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
Insert a good ad in the Classified Section of one of these
publications, for example; "brand new opportunity! Independent
salesman wanted nationwide. For information, contact (your name
and address). You will find yourself receiving thousand of
replies and you can be sure these independent salesman will do a
terrific job of selling for you, as they make money on
commissions only.
Another way is to contact "Wagon Jobbers"
A wagon jobbers is someone who takes any number of products from
different jobbers or manufactures, puts them in the truck or
station wagon and travel along his "route" selling to people whom
he knows will buy from him because they are his customers.
They are excellent salesman, and when given a decent commission,
can do a terrific job of selling your products.
The best way to contact them is to rent a "wagon Jobber" mailing
list from a mailing broker, and then write a detailed letter
describing the product you want to sell and what kind of
financial arrangement or commissions you are offering.
The more people you get to sell, the larger your profits will be.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Hang On To Top Employees

2008-05-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

The best way to keep your top employees is to know them better than they know themselves. Use this knowledge to create the career of their dreams, and they’ll stick to your company like glue. The new “biz-speak” for this is called Job Sculpting.
The concept of Job Sculpting as defined by career experts, Timothy Butler and James Waldroop, in the Harvard Business Review, is that good people will stay only in jobs that “fit their deeply embedded life interests---that is their long-held emotionally driven passions.”
To adopt this strategy, spend a lot of effort listening to your company stars. For each one of them, try to identify what life interests are dominant with them, and then offer them the assignments that satisfy this interest. It may mean simply adding another assignment to the existing responsibilities, or it may mean switching one set of tasks to another employee. It may even require moving your “star” employee to a different position altogether.
To learn what kind of interests you’re looking and listening for, use these 8 identifiable areas:
Application of technology.
Quantitative analysis ability.
Theory development and conceptual thinking.
Creative production.
Counseling and mentoring.
Managing people and relationships.
Enterprise control.
Influence through language and ideas.
If you have a top employee who has been working in the area of customer service, but lately seems dissatisfied, after talking with him/her you might learn they would rather be dealing with the vendors. Your star might be just the answer you’re looking for to find that latest innovative product that could be added to your stock (conceptual thinking), and employee B would rather interact with the customers. By a simple switch of responsibilities, you have two happy employees that feel they’re now contributing to your business and not just putting in time for a paycheck.
It’s always more cost effective for the business, and better for employee morale to keep your existing employees happy with their careers. It takes a toll on your business when you have to fill an empty employee spot with a newcomer who has to be trained in the way your company functions.
Time is money, and time used to train a brand new employee is the highest cost of doing business. However, the time spent by you to find out what will keep your top producers happy to be working for you – is the best investment you can make in your business.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Go For The Gold!

2008-05-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you’ve planned it from the beginning, or maybe you’ve taken years to decide. Somewhere down the line will come the time to sell your business, and you want to make sure you come out on top.
“I sold my business” is a magical phrase for entrepreneurs. It conjures up of pictures of wealth, leisure and exciting new challenges. For many entrepreneurs, it’s the goal from day one.
“Selling might not be everyone’s objective when they’re starting out, but it should be” says Ned Minor. Mr. Minor is a transaction attorney in Denver, and the author of “Deciding to Sell Your Business: The Key to Wealth and Freedom.” It seems eventually, every business owner leaves their business either sitting down at a deal table or feet first on a stretcher.
The idea of working until your last breath is not uppermost in our minds when we start out on that exciting roller coaster ride known as “entrepreneurship.” But if you aren’t already planning a more graceful exit, you may come out on the short end of the stick.
When starting a business we’re usually so busy with the details involved in making it an eventual success that selling out is the furthest thing from our minds. But the day you start building should be the day you should start designing your exit. It should be the ultimate goal of your success.
Many entrepreneurs are successive business builders. The fact that they sell one business doesn’t mean retirement for them, it just means the opportunity to start another business that has been lurking in the back of their minds. In fact many entrepreneurs enjoy the building up of a business almost more than the profitable success it becomes.
What does a saleable business look like? It’s saleable if it’s “scalable” says Minor. There are small-and-steady businesses sold every day, but the big bucks come looking for a business that has huge growth potential. Every buyer thinks that he/she is smarter than the seller, and that they can double or triple the present business it’s doing. A business will fetch the best price only when buyers believe they can take advantage of significant future growth potential.
Selling a company’s future upside however, means proving your previous growth and validating your future growth strategy. You should start with 2 years of audited financials to backup the historical growth. Then be prepared to explain your business strategy and how it fits into the overall market. Be it through acquisitions that you’ve grown, then show how many more acquisition targets are still in the market. If through new product development, be prepared to give the details of your R&D pipeline and your ideas for future products.
Now as for buyers, there are two types. There are “financial buyers” who will typically pay a lower price because they have a fire-sale mentality. You need to find the strategic buyers out there, and paint a picture for them. Show them a great customer relationship, a great piece of intellectual property, an advantage in time to market, or a key employee. Show the strategic buyer how one plus one equals three.
Then again, why settle for just one buyer when you could have two? Having another buyer in the wings is a vital strategy in the sale process. Having a strong and visible alternative makes any acquirer sit up and take notice. There needs to be tension to the deal. Each side wants the other to think that they’re about to walk away; it’s the tension that gets the deal closed.
The best buyers are large, high-flying public companies with broad, strategic agendas and cash to spare. Selling to a public company also has other advantages and tangible benefits. Many transactions leave the seller with a fistful of stock, or worse, a long-term payout. A publicly traded acquirer makes an eventual cash payout more assured. Be sure to make your business sale more than a sale of your personal network and capabilities. Make it look like it’s worth the asking price, especially if you’re planning to leave after the sale.
Build a strong management team that can carry on when you’re gone. A team with clear policies and procedures, and a broad customer base which are the underpinnings of value. Your business should not just run without you, but be positioned to grow without you. Make sure your key employees are given incentives to stay on after you go, and make sure you communicate with them during negotiations. It’s crucial to minimize disruption.
The sale of a business is complex. If you’ve been in business for 10 years, then it has 10 years of potential liabilities, lawsuits, and bad accounting. Buyers want to know exactly where the business stands, so extreme diligence and complete disclosure on your part is essential. Sometimes what the buyer requests during negotiations is mind-boggling and you should hire some outside help to put it all together.
Getting the deal closed takes the talents of several people, and here’s a list of who you’re likely to meet on your way to closing.
On the Buyer’s Side:
CEO: The chief executive needs a vision of how the new company will fit into the existing organization.
CFO: This is the detail person, and a professional skeptic. In the long-term view, he/she will take the heat if reality doesn’t live up to expectations.
CPA: The buyer’s CPA (or accounting firm) will validate the seller’s numbers. Don’t be surprised if the CPA doesn’t argue for a lower purchase price based on historical profits. These are the “bean counters” of the deal.
On The Seller’s Side:
Investment Banker: He/she is a professional “quarterback” keeping both teams moving toward the goal. He keeps one eye on the sale price, and the other on the strategic best interests of the business owner.
Transaction Attorney: He’s the referee – there to make sure no one gets hurt. The transaction attorney’s focus is the sale contract, but he/she can also handle communication with the buyer.
CPA: The seller’s CPA should be advising the seller on the personal tax consequences of the deal, and how to handle the after-tax proceeds.
And you thought it was going to be easier to sell it than to start it, didn’t you? Remember, no deal is a sure thing until it’s done! Perhaps the only sure thing is that selling a business is never simple. It can be the most harrowing, and the most rewarding experience in the life of an entrepreneur. Take it slowly, with planning, strategy and guidance. Each step of the process can add value to the company, and get you closer to the finish line.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

GETTING YOUR ARTICLES PUBLISHED

2008-05-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Test Your Idea:
To lead to a sale, your query must convince the editor that you have a clear idea of what you plan to cover in the article, and what approach you ‘re going to take.
So before writing the letter, think your article idea through carefully, and picture yourself describing the article to a friend.
Find Your Angle:
Finding your angle is often a matter of narrowing your topic. A topic like “Sports” is far too general, narrow it to say, “Table Tennis” is better. Often, reducing the story to a single dimension e.g., focus on a key person, place, or event – gives a salable angle.
When your subject is popular, you must give the editor a fresh approach. One way is to take an idea like “Overcoming Failure” and give it a twist to something like “Failure Can Be Good for You.” It needn’t be exotic to sell, something as mundane as “New and Improved” has worked by adding a new ingredient to the usual.
Research Helps:
While many queries can be written entirely from your own knowledge, a little research can pay big dividends by seducing the editor. Facts sell editors on an idea. Editors look for queries with many specifics: Don’t just write that “Last year millions of people suffered from yeast infections.” Tell how many millions – and why!
Research both the topic and the markets you’re aiming it at. A common reason for rejection is because of inadequate knowledge of the magazine.
Shaping Your Raw Material:
After you have the basics:
the idea
the slant/facts, and
the market
then you’re ready to write your query. A good query starts strong, and never lets up until the editor is sold. Follow the two newspaper dictums; The five W’s (who, what, where, when, why) which explains the story immediately, and “the inverted pyramid” which emphasized putting the most interesting information first. You’ll lose the editor’s interest if you save the best for last, and always remember EDITOR’S CUT FROM THE BOTTOM UP!
3 Main Sections to a Query:
The Lead Paragraph
The Summary
The Author’s Bio.
Each has a specific purpose: first, tell the editor what the story is, then why she/he should buy it, and finally who is going to write it.
The Lead – is aimed to hook the editor and make them want to continue reading.
Once you’ve aroused the editor’s attention, move directly to a summary of the article.
Summary - This section should convince the editor that you know where you want to go with the article; it should outline the points you plan to cover or provide factual information about your topic – giving only enough to prove that your story is real. Here you can mention your sources. Tell the editor who’ll you’ll be talking to, and if experts are they on the cutting edge of today’s technology. Also include here a working title for the article. Don’t spend a lot of time trying to get a provocative headline, because titles are often changed by the editor before publication.
Author’s Bio – is where you sell yourself as a writer to the editor now that you’ve sold him/her on the idea. Don’t be bashful; editors expect a bit of sell in the bio. There’s nothing wrong with saying, “I’m highly qualified to write this article because…” if a convincing reason follows. Start your bio with your publishing credits, and include magazines similar to the one you’re pitching if you can.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

GET YOUR PRODUCT LISTED

2008-05-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

An average mailing by a small, one person mail order company is
generally about a thousand pieces, and many such operators
rarely mail more than a hundred pieces per week. If you know
your conversion statistics, you know that the order return on
mailings is about 1% to 2% when using a rented list of names, up
to 5% or more when mailing to your own customer list.
Using those figures, the response rate would be about 2 orders
from a mailing of 100 when using a cold list, and about 5 to 10
orders when mailing to your own customer list for each 100
pieces mailed.
Contrast this to a major catalog mailing house such as Miles
Kimball, Hanover House, Lillian Vernon, Johnson-Smith or L.L.
Bean, each of whom might consider a mailing of six million
pieces a month or every few months.
Keep in mind that these are catalog merchandisers - mass
mailers, not manufacturers. Not publishers. Mailers!
They BUY what they sell from somebody. It could be from you!
WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
Catalog houses are owned and operated by extremely sharp people
and they are highly selective in the products they choose for
inclusion in their catalogs, so to even be considered, your
product must pass some pretty rigid tests:
1. Since some catalog companies specialize in a certain type of
merchandise, they will choose only what they think their
customers will buy.
2. Virtually all of them will want to test-market a product
(possibly only a hundred or so) before making a complete catalog
mailing. If the test shows promise, they will purchase a large
quantity (1,000 to 5,000 or more) for their roll-out mailings...
and continue to purchase such quantities as long as the product
continues to sell.
3. Catalog mailers want to deal as close to the original source
as possible, such as inventor, the patent owner, copyright
holder, manufacturer or publisher. The reason for this is simply
that these are people who can offer them the largest discount on
quantity purchases. If you are merely one of many dealers who
had to purchase the product from a wholesaler who purchased from
a distributor, who purchased the product from the manufacturer,
you would not be in a position to offer the lowest price to the
catalog company.
4. The item in question should be new and unique, not something
that's been around for years. Naturally, it should be a good
mail order item.
HOW YOU CAN QUALIFY FOR ACCEPTANCE
First and foremost, you must look and act the part of an
established, professionally operated business. This means you
must have printed stationery with a company name that coincides
with the products you are offering, and all correspondence must
be typewritten.
If that seems trite and elementary, you would be surprised to
see how many companies receive scribbled hand written notes on
ruled paper with wording such as "I would like you to include my
product in your catalog." Sorry, it just doesn't work like that.
Even if you are not the actual inventor or manufacturer of the
product you are selling, you can qualify to have it included in
a large mailers' catalog where everyone can profit from it.
Imports are very popular catalog sellers, for instance, so if
you locate a new item from overseas, you can arrange to become
the U.S. distributor. Yes, it means a sizable investment for
stocking inventory, but if you have faith in what you plan to
sell, it should be worth investing in.
Before offering it to any catalog mailer, however, it would be
in your best interest to test-market the item yourself. You
certainly don't want to offer a "loser" to a major catalog
mailer. You'll want to be sure this is something that will sell,
so everybody is happy with the deal. Perhaps even more
importantly, it will bond your relationship with the catalog
companies and they will be eager to do business with you the
next time you come up with a new product.
PRICING YOUR PRODUCT
This is crucial. A price that's too high means it will not be
accepted; priced too low and you will not make a profit - no
matter how many are sold.
Keep in mind that some catalog mailers specialize in low priced
($10 or less) items, while others have geared their sales to the
higher bracket of $50 or more. When making a list of catalog
houses to approach, check their catalogs for prices of their
current merchandise.
There are three basic levels of retail prices:
1. The pre-established price by owner or manufacturer
2. Actual dollar value based on production costs
3. Perceived value by prospective buyers
If you are not the primary source for your product, the
manufacturer may have already set the retail price along with
distributor and wholesale discounts, so you will have to work
those figures in any deals made with catalog companies.
Assuming you have pricing control (granted by the original
source, or you are the originator) you can set the retail price
according to the production costs which can be a 5-to-1 or 10-1
ratio. If the item costs $1 to make, you can set a retail price
of $5 or $10 on it, depending on what you think it is worth to
the consumer.
SIMPLIFY YOUR PRICE STRUCTURE TO COMPANIES
The most common price structures are usually set in various
quantities like dozen or gross; or, 100, 500, 1,000, etc. Don't
use these price structures when trying to interest catalog
companies in your product. Right from the start, give them your
rock bottom lowest possible price.
For examples, if your usual prices are:
100 @ $4.50; 500 @ $3.75; 1000 @ $2.75 and 5,000 @ $1.95
give them your 5,000 quantity price no matter how many they
order for their original test. Even if they only want 100 for
testing, give them your $1.95 price - but be sure to tell them
this is your lowest price that is for regular 5,000 quantity
purchases, so they know they're getting the good deal.
TIME TO CREATE YOUR PROMOTIONAL PACKAGE
Company buyers are busy people, so you'll want to make your
presentation quickly, clearly, and distinctly, eliminating all
fluff and extraneous material or wording that might tend to bog
things down.
Here's what you'll need:
Descriptive folder or flyer about the product (Information sheet)
Glossy photo of the product
Possible advertising copy (although they will probably re-write
it)
Terms of your sale, including freight charges
Brief cover letter
(Optional) Sample of your product IF it is small, light weight,
inexpensive, and if you think it will impress the company.
Send this mailing package via First Class Mail!
How many of these promotional packages should you mail? Only you
can answer that question, but here's a tip: Don't expect only 10
or 12 to produce much response for your product. It might
require 50 to 100 or even 500 such mailings before you begin to
see worthwhile results. Of course, a lot depends on the product
itself and whether it is for the general public or restricted to
a more selective audience.
Whenever possible, try to determine what type of merchandise
each catalog house offers before sending them your offer. If
they cater only to men and your product will be used primarily
by women, why waste time and money? The same would apply to a
low priced item such as $5 offered to a catalog house whose
clientele happened to be sophisticated or wealthy people
accustomed to buying merchandise in the hundreds of dollars.
Match your product with the catalog company's line as closely as
possible.
HANDLING THE BUSINESS
If your product is a good one and if you have made a good
impression in your promotional materials, sooner or later you
will get an order for a trial quantity.
Fill the order promptly. Use sturdy boxes and have your own
shipping label (printed with your company name & address) on
each carton, typing the catalog company's name and address with
the customer's shipping number above the name.
SELLING ON CREDIT
Unlike the conventional mail order business, selling to catalog
houses is not a cash-with-order type of operation. It's
conducted on credit, so you'll need invoices to send to your
customer after shipment has been made. There are a few
variations of credit terms, but the best for you will be
"Payment due EOM or 2% discount within 10 days. "EOM" means end
of the month following the date of shipment.
Use your best judgment whether you will ship prepaid or bill
your customer for the shipping charges.
HERE'S A FINAL TIP
If you can get some free publicity for your product along the
way, it can help you reach catalog houses in addition to
bringing you additional sales.
Check magazines that are read by the type of people who will use
your product and look for departments such as "New Products."
Many magazines carry such a department under different titles.
Send a publicity package to the editors which will include the
glossy photo of your product, News Release that tells who will
be interested in the product and why, and a brief cover letter.
If you get a few magazines to accept your offer, they will give
you a mention in their New Products department. This will in
turn bring you a few or a few hundred orders, depending on the
circulation of the magazines and how much demand there might be
for your product.
More importantly, it can link you up with some catalog houses.
They often scan magazines looking for new products to be
featured in their catalogs. Thus, instead of you contacting
them... they will contact you.
The end result is that it can bring you many retail orders as
well as attract a few catalog house buyers who will ultimately
sell your product in their catalogs.
If each catalog house mails 10 million catalogs a year, and your
product is featured inside, I shouldn't have to tell you how
many products can be sold this way. Better stock up now!.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Gas Prices Got Your Bottom Line?

2008-04-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you’re a small business or entrepreneur you can bet your bottom dollar that the high gas prices are affecting you. It probably will be your “bottom dollar” too!
Regardless of what the politicians are telling us, and regardless whether you deliver your products to the client or not the price of fuel is affecting you. It’s affecting your business because it’s affecting the consumer – your consumers.
In a recent survey done by the National Retail Federation they state, “Whether gas prices pose a fiscal or psychological concern consumers are affected regardless of income.”
Some interesting stats show that from the number of adults nationwide16.4% delayed a major purchase such as cars, TV, or furniture. Dining out has been reduced by 25.2%, 31.2% decreased vacation travel plans, 17.3% are spending less on groceries, and 23.7% are spending less on clothing.
That equates to the fact that restaurants, travel agencies, motel/hotels, car dealers, furniture stores, and retail clothing stores are all going to be affected by gas prices. If any one of those listed is the business you’re doing, then your bottom line of profits is definitely affected. The interesting part of all that is that it didn’t matter if those polled were in the $50K+ income bracket or less than $50K, the results were the same.
The only distinction seemed to be that adults in the age bracket of 45-54 years of age had the highest percentages but with the same outcome. For instance of the 25.2% of adults that reduced dining out, 28.6% of them were in that age bracket, and so on down the line. The survey also noted that 70% of the consumers of that age group were impacted by higher gas prices.
As you might have guessed, when these survey figures were broken down by region the West was higher in all categories than the NE, Mid-West, or Southern regions. Still only 5.7% of us have increased carpooling.
It’s a fact, whether we like it or not, that every penny spent on gasoline is a penny kept from retailers. Looking beyond just the retail industry, what about the service business. The cost of doing business for a repairman is going to increase as the expense for gasoline increases, and ultimately his prices will reflect that increase. It doesn’t matter whether he’s doing electrical, roofing, renovating, plumbing, whatever service drives up to your home is going to cost more in the long run.
Ultimately, as the domino effect goes into play, those who can least afford price increases will be the hardest hit. Seniors and retirees on fixed incomes just have to suck it up and bear the price increases. As the survey pollsters have said income levels didn’t vary results of choices, it still varies the ability to handle the domino effects. If income remains stationery but prices rise, there’s definitely an affect on those with fixed incomes.
For the entrepreneur to overcome the situation it requires some really extreme methods. Following are some tips to keep your expenses down:
Order supplies online, anticipating a price increase, and have them delivered to you.
Research your competitors online and save the gas.
Group doing an errand or two when they’re in the vicinity of a scheduled client meeting.
Do more of your business by mail, email, or on the internet. You can do just about anything from paying a vendor to transferring funds from one bank account to another on the internet, and you don’t use any gas. The only time you have to go to the bank is to make a deposit.
If you conduct business at Trade Shows and have to travel find ways to cut corners. Carpool to the airport with a colleague or even a nearby competitor. (You’re both going to be doing business at the same show anyway.) Perhaps, you can combine two trips with only one return home after the second trip. Perhaps putting an ad in the Trade Show program can save you making a trip. (You could use that plan for the less important trade show.)
Consider whether media advertising for your business would be cheaper than what you’ve been doing in person considering gas prices.
That’s just a few ideas to get those little gray cells working. After all, as an entrepreneur you’ve done marketing on a shoestring before. I’m sure you can come up with at least ten more ideas than I’ve given you. You might also want to check out the web site: http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?=(put in your zip code)
At that site you can find the cheapest gas prices in your area. I’d venture to say that these rankings change daily, so check it out when you need gas.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Frugal Marketing for Entrepreneurs

2008-04-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

How many e-mail messages do you send everyday? You’re probable missing out on a simple, inexpensive marketing tool. Seize the opportunity to promote your business to a highly targeted market without spending a dime by utilizing your e-mail signature line.
If your email signature line only contains your name and contact information, you’re missing out on advertising to e-mail recipients that have opted for communications from you.
These people are key members of your unofficial marketing network. They are your prospects, clients, press contacts and colleagues and your signature line is the perfect, unobtrusive space for a unique promotional pitch.
Try these tactics to turn your “sign-offs” into sales:
Highlight what your company offers.
Offer an incentive for recipients taken a specified action.
Use the associated web address for the incentive, if it’s also on your site.
Give better visual positioning to the promotion rather than contact info.
Play with eye-catching fonts and colors.
Use less than 64 characters/line so that words don’t wrap to a new line.
Write a “signature” for different categories of recipients.
Change your signature copy frequently.
Never miss a chance to get your product or company noticed.
Another thing that many entrepreneurs don’t think about is the letters they send out. They are merely accepted as solving a problem or answering a need, when you can carry the e-mail idea over into every piece of mail you generate.
On the company letterhead simply add a line at the bottom of page 1. It could be a “tag line” of sorts made up of a slogan that “brands” your services or business. Try to come up with something unique so that every time it’s heard the prospect thinks of you.
Examples of this would be, “Good to the last drop,” which of course is Maxwell House Coffee. “Finger-lickin’ good,” which is KFC chicken, and so on. You get the message of what I’m saying. Play around with this until you come up with a pearl that is uniquely you.
If your business/service does not lend itself to this idea, then focus on increasing your credibility by using a “membership” tag line. For instance a funeral home would be less than tasteful using the line, “Our clients are dying to visit us;” but they COULD use the line “Members of Undertakers Assoc. of America” at the foot of their letterhead. This establishes immediate credibility in the mind of the recipient, even if the letter they received was a direct mail advertising letter.
When you’re an entrepreneur in today’s marketplace you have to be inventive and creative to buck the “big boys” on the block. I suggest that every entrepreneur read about the life of P.T. Barnum to get a better understanding of a truly great entrepreneur.
It isn’t always the almighty dollar that gets the best advertising for our business; it’s the best IDEA that makes you stand out in the crowd.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

THE SECRETS OF FREE ADVERTISING

2008-04-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product
or services are limited only by your own imagination and
energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your
objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just
to think of listing them.
One way is to write an article relative to your particular
expertise and submit it to all the publications and media dealing
in the dissemination of related information. In other words,
become your own publicity and sales promotions writer. Get the
word out; establish yourself as an expert in your field, and
"tag-along" everything you write with a quick note listing your
address for a catalog, dealership opportunity, or more
information.
Another really good way is by becoming a guest on as many of the
radio and television talk shows or interview type programs as
possible. Actually, this is much easier to bring about than most
people realize. Write a letter to the producer of these programs,
then follow up with an in-person visit or telephone call. Your initial
contact should emphasize that your product or service would be of
interest to the listeners or viewers of the program--perhaps even
saving them time and money.
Other ways of getting free or very inexpensive exposure include
the posting of advertising circulars on all free bulletin boards
in your area, especially the coin-operated laundries, grocery
stores, and beauty and barber shops. Don't discount the idea of
handing out circulars to all the shoppers in busy shopping
centers and malls, especially on weekends. You can also enlist the
aid of the middle school students in your area to had out
circulars door-to-door.
Some of the more routine methods include having a promotional ad
relative to your product or service printed on the front or back
of your envelopes at the time you have them printed with your
return address.
Be sure to check all the publications that carry the kind of
advertising you need. Many mail order publications just getting
started offer unusually low rates to first-time advertisers; a
free-of-charge insertion of your ad when you pay for an order to
run three issues or more; or special seasonal ad space at greatly
reduced rates. And there are a number of publications that will
give you Per Inquiry (PI) space--arrangement where all orders
come in to the publication, they take a commission from each
order, and then forward the orders on to you for fulfillment.
Many publications will give you a contract for space. In this
arrangement you send them your ad, and they hold it until they
have unsold space, and then at a price that's always one third or
less the regular price for the space need, insert your ad. Along
these lines, be sure to check in with the suburban neighborhood
newspapers.
If you send out or publish any kind of catalog or ad sheet, get
in touch will all the other publishers and inquire about the
possibilities of exchange advertising. They run your ad in their
publication in exchange for your running an ad for them of
comparable size in yours.
Finally, there's nothing in the world that beats the low cost and
tremendous exposure you get when you advertise a free offer.
Simply run an ad offering a free report of interest to most
people--- a simple one page report with a "tag-line" inviting the
readers to send money for more information, with a full page
advertisement for your book or other product on the backside. Ask
for a self-addressed stamped envelope, and depending on the
appeal for your report and circulation of the publication in
which your ad appears, you could easily be inundated with
responses!
The trick here, of course, is to convert all these responses, or
a large percentage of them, into sales. This is done via the
"tag-line," which issues an invitation to the reader to send for
more information, and the full page ad on the back of the report,
and other offers you include with the complete package you send
back to them. As mentioned at the beginning of this report, it's
just a matter of unleashing your imagination. Do that, and you
have a powerful force working for you that can help you reach
your goals.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Is Franchising Your Bag?

2008-04-23T09:18:00.001-07:00

Are you wondering what the hottest franchising trends are? Much of the recent success in that area is traceable to two demographic trends: Americans are getting older and feeling pressed for time. Doesn’t sound too bright, but it means booming business in franchising circles.
Now I am by no means a Franchise Guru. I’ve never owned one, worked for one, or even considered one and for good reasons.
First, when I started my publishing and publicity business I wasn’t flush financially enough to pay the “freight” on a franchise. Secondly, it seems too much like working for another corporate business to me. Things are done their way or no way, and you work for two – you and the piece the company takes. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be your cup of tea, because many entrepreneurs love franchises.
I’m not going to expound as a franchise expert, but rather I’ll give you the facts about the hottest ones to look at if you like franchises. Despite the status of the economy it seems the most stunning growth in franchises in 2004 has been in the senior-care segment. Seven senior-care companies ranked in the top 500 in Entrepreneur magazine have grown a total of 370 units in one year, and almost 39% in the past year.
Experts say that despite the large increases, this market hasn’t peaked yet. By 2010, 39 million Americans will be 65 or older, and that’s almost 20% of the North American population. About 30% of non-institutionalized seniors live alone, per the Dept. of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging. Many of them need extra help at home or companionship.
As the nation ages and boomers turn 60, this segment of the population will grow. “Elder care will replace child care as the number one social issue,” predicts Jeff Huber, vice president of Home Instead Senior Care – a franchise that grew from 356 to 448 units this past year.
The next hottest area is kids. Parents want their kids to have fun and be well-educated and will spend money to ensure this in good times and in bad. Children’s products and services segment of franchises have grown steadily over the year and become one of the top 5 overall categories in term of unit size in 2004.
What’s changed? Spending on children is now being fueled not only by baby-boomers, but by Generation X – a group that has $736 billion in spending power. Another change in the market in the past 25 years is the increase in dual-career families. According to some in the industry, this is an ideal time to enter the education sector of franchises for kids.
Kids’ fitness programs are also growing. Caryn Burnier, franchise sales director with Stretch-N-Grow International, says they have added 50 units last year. “We expect to see more children enrolled in fitness programs in the coming year,” says Jerry Perch, vice president of sales/marketing for the 92-unit Kinderdance International Inc. franchise.
Last, but not least, the tech industry is rebounding from its nose-dive in the past. This is because there is an increased dependence by people and businesses on their technology. People need advice on what to buy and what not to buy, and what is the proper solution to their particular need.
Computer Moms International Corp., a training and support provider, has seen a shift in its client base since it started 10 years ago. The greatest demand for services from the Computer Moms group has shifted to the business market, and the group added 30 franchises last year. The experts claim that the demand for quality full-service training and tech support is vast now and expected to become greater.
Following on the heels of those three areas are franchises in the area of Home Improvement, Fitness, Income Tax Preparation, Business Consulting, Specialty Ice Cream, and Coffee. So, if you’re in the market for a franchise type business pay heed to the up-and-coming hot leaders and let somebody else go for the 7-Elevens.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Five Easy Steps to Staying Motivated

2008-04-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Motivating yourself to excel at your job or to be an example to your employees, should not be something you do only when the spirit moves you. It’s an ongoing process that should include every facet of your business life. This means your mental attitude, physical well-being and appearance, work atmosphere, your interaction with others (clients and employees alike), and your off-the-job environment.
Motivational experts get paid big bucks to tell professionals, striving for success, that they must constantly examine these factors. How do you do that? Follow the 5 tips that follow, and watch the changes.
Maintain a Positive Attitude – Let’s realize that life is only 10% of what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. We’re responsible for our own actions and attitudes, and changing them when appropriate. When you’re around people/things that are uplifting and positive, you feel that way. You have more confidence in yourself, and know you can change whatever needs changing. If you can make your workplace such a place you’ll find happier workers and higher production. You might even find your employees look forward to coming to work!
Leave Personal Troubles Home - Everyone has problems, but they don’t belong at work. Turn your attention and energy entirely to your on-the-job tasks. This will actually be good for you because you’ll get a mental break from your troubles.
Create Positive Affirmations - The reason for writing goals for your business is the same as creating positive affirmations on paper. What your eyes see and ears hear, your mind will believe. Try it! After you’ve written them down, read them aloud to yourself – and do it every morning when you get into work. You’ll be amazed at what happens. Come up with a set of new ones every month. Statements such as, “I’m an important and valuable person,” or “I know I’ll make good use of my time today.” Repeating them out loud everyday at a set time will help reinforce positive actions.
Make Sure Break Times Are Really Break Times - This is an area where most bosses/entrepreneurs fall down. You become so intense about the project or situation you’re working on that you don’t ease up. Thinking that it’ll be solved in the next few seconds, and then you’ll get a cup of coffee can lead you right up to quitting time. Regularly adhering to a specified break schedule, even if you’re the boss, releases the tension. If you work on a computer this is even a greater problem because before you realize it – you’ve been working in that same position for hours. The best answer to this is to set yourself a reminder on your appointment calendar for every 2 hours, and let the computer reminder chime send you the alert to move around.
Exercise, Exercise, Exercise - I know that lately it seems that “exercise” is the cure-all to every physical ailment or your love life, but despite that there is some truth to that ugly word. By “exercise” I don’t mean that you should go out and join a gym and spend your lunch-time, 3-days-a-week there working out. What is really beneficial and workable is that at those chiming alerts from your computer, get up and walk around your desk or room. Maybe go outside and get the mail and enjoy the sunlight (if you’re an entrepreneur that has a home office), or just get up and do a few stretches. Concentrated, tense thinking – typing - plotting plans - or whatever your work, makes all those muscles tighten up and knot up. Then when we move we “ooh” and “ouch” because we’ve knotted up into a ball of tension. Periodic stretching, even at our desk, or just getting up and walking over to the window and getting a different view can help. One of the greatest disservice modern business décor has done to us, is making our offices pristine, sleek, unencumbered spaces. There is nothing more relaxing than getting up from your desk and walking over to a peaceful, serene, seascape or pastoral painting and just drinking it in visually. Momentarily transporting your mind out of work and into that place does wonders. A few good paintings and less shiny chrome in offices would benefit us all.
It only takes a little concentrated effort on our part to keep motivated and productive, which leads to success. I know you’re going to hate hearing this, but it’s true anyway – and that is, “WHEN LIFE GIVES YOUR LEMONS – MAKE LEMONADE!”

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Finding Your Potential

2008-04-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

If you want to make more of your talents - live up to your full potential
- you have to learn to use them. You have the power to change your habits
- to acquire new skills and fully use the skills you now have. You can
improve your performance, your productivity, and the quality of your whole
life.
What makes a high achiever? Is it luck, intelligence, talent, dedication?
All of these things figure in - they all make a difference. But we all
know intelligent, talented, hard-working people who do not consider
themselves very successful or even happy. And we know people who are not
exceptionally bright but seem happy and successful.
So there must be something else, some secret to success. Actually there
are several secrets to achieving your peak performance - living up to your
full potential.
Your success at business, friendship, love, sports - just about anything
you try - is largely determined by your own self-image. Your unhappiness
is something you choose. So, you're thinking no one chooses to be unhappy.
Well, maybe not - but you have to consciously choose to be happy,
self-confident, and successful.
Happiness is elusive when we go after it directly. So is self-confidence.
Both seem to be more "side-products" than something you can achieve in and
for itself. So how, then, can consciously choosing to be these things be
of any value? Well, the secret is to focus on other things.
First, focus on your potential. Begin by making a complete and accurate
assessment of your potential. To do this you must take an inventory of
yourself - you will make a few lists. Sit down and make a list of all the
things you can do well. Be honest with yourself. When that list is done,
make a list of all the things you like to do, even if you think you can't
do them well. Then, make a list of all the things you would like to do, if
you could. Now list your hobbies.
Then, go back to the list of things you can do well. You are probably
being much too hard on yourself. Most of us are. We have this little
voice in our heads telling us things like: "You're so dumb," or "You can't
learn to do that," or "You never do anything right," or similar nasty
things. And even worse, we listen to that voice as if it's telling us the
gospel truth. So now, shut off that voice - you can do it - and add a few
more things to the list of things you can do well. Pretend you are your
best friend - it's amazing how much more forgiving and charitable we are
with our friends than we are with ourselves. Now that you are your best
friend, you should be able to add a few more items to your "do well" list.
But do be honest - don't list things you feel you really can't do well.
Next, go to your list of things you like to do but you feel you don't do
well. Speaking as your own best friend, do you think there are some things
on this list that could be moved to your "do well" list? There probably
are. If you like to do it, chances are you do pretty well at it. Treat
your hobby list in the same manner.
Next, go to your list of things you would like to do if you could. Ask
yourself, "Why can't I do this, if I'd like to?" Put your reasons on
another list. OK. So you have a lot of lists going - what good is that
going to do? Well, you have just made an assessment of yourself. If you
have been truly honest in making these lists, it may even be a fairly
accurate assessment. Probably it isn't, but that's OK. This assessment
isn't carved in stone. It's subject to change. But for now we will work
with what's on the lists. At least you have a place to start.
Look over your lists again. You are focusing on all the things you feel
you can't do and the reasons why you can't do them, right? Well, don't.
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN DO - FOCUS ON YOUR POTENTIAL. Make it a habit to
focus on your strengths. Don't forget to include your undeveloped
potential, as well. Train yourself to focus on your potential instead of
your limitations.
Now that's not to say that you should ignore your list of reasons for not
doing some of the things you would like to do. Not at all! But look at
them from the viewpoint of your strengths. For instance, you'd like to
play basketball but you think you are too short, so you don't even try. In
this case, you are looking at it from the viewpoint of your limitations.
Now, when you look at it from the viewpoint of your strengths, you would
say, "Well, I may be pretty short to play, BUT I am fast. I can handle the
ball well. I have a lot of stamina. I can't change being short, but I can
refuse to let my limitations overcome my strengths."
You see the difference? Focusing on your limitations lets those
limitations make your decisions for you. Focusing on your strengths lets
YOU make the decision. To go back to our example: when you've decided to
overcome your height limitations to play basketball - something you really
want to do - you will be more determined to develop your strengths to
compensate. You will do well, because you will be doing what you really
want to do and you will be determined to develop the full potential of your
strengths. Very few people concentrate on fully developing any of their
strengths. That's where you will have the edge. You know your true
disadvantages but your determination, your singleness of purpose, will
inspire you to fully develop the talents and skills you do have.
OK. You probably have no interest in playing basketball. Then go to your
assessment of yourself. What do you have a major interest in? What do you
have a natural aptitude for? Go for it. Devote yourself to something you
really like to do. Don't choose something just because you think you could
make more money at it than you could by doing something else that you would
really rather work at. You won't work to develop your full potential. You
may start out with enthusiasm, but you will soon flag. It will be a chore
to go to work. You'll probably find yourself hating to go. It'll be
difficult to work on improving your skills because you don't like what you
are doing. You probably won't be working up to your potential. Your
success will probably be limited by your growing lack of interest and your
happiness will surely be affected.
If, however, you devote yourself to something you really like to do, you'll
enjoy your work, you'll be enthusiastic, and you'll probably find yourself
working on improving your skills just for the sheer joy of it. You will be
working to reach your full potential. You'll probably soon find you are
making more money at this truly interesting occupation than you ever
dreamed possible. And because you like what you are doing, you will be
happier.
When you know you are working to your full potential and you enjoy your
work and begin to feel successful, you will find that self-confidence and
happiness soon follow.
But, you must be realistic and honest with yourself. If you set goals that
you can't possibly reach, you are setting yourself up for failure. You
will make yourself frustrated and unhappy. The key here is a realistic and
honest assessment of your potential.
Although most people will be unnecessarily harsh in their assessments, it
is easy to become too hopeful when you start breaking down barriers. If,
for instance, you're extremely interested in and fond of music and would
love to be a singer, it would be unreasonable to set a singing career as
your goal if you can't sing a note (some talents are inborn). But if you
are knowledgeable about the music business and would be happy being
involved in some other capacity, then it would be reasonable to pursue a
career in the business.
Be wary of making otherwise perfectly reasonable goals unattainable because
of stringent time frames. When you set a goal, you will most likely set
times for achieving certain steps along your way to achieving your final
goal. Even if you don't set the time frames formally, you will probably
have a pretty good idea of how long you are giving yourself. It's wise to
sit down and formally set these goals. Think about it and give yourself
reasonable time to achieve them. Make a deal with yourself to view these
time limits as flexible.
Don't get discouraged if things don't work out as planned. Sometimes
finding our place takes both time and error. All of us experience failures
of one magnitude or another. The key is to view the failures as a learning
experience - if nothing else, failures teach us what not to do. Remain
flexible. As long as you keep focusing on your strengths and potential,
the right thing will come along - and probably sooner rather than later.
But don't quit at the first sign of boredom. Even if you have truly found
your niche, you will not feel enthusiastic 100 percent of the time.
Don't worry about others - don't compare your progress with that of others.
No matter how successful you are, there will be someone else who, to you,
looks like she's got it made - who looks like she's getting where you want
to go faster and easier than you are. Maybe she is. Maybe she isn't. Who
cares? Focus on your own achievements. Work to develop your skills and
talents to their full potential. Compete with yourself - your short term
goals should be based on today's accomplishments. If you have reached
Point A today, make Point B your next objective - improve yourself and
don't worry about the other guy.
OK. You have decided what your ultimate goal is. Make sure it is a
definitely defined goal. "Someday I want to be famous" just won't cut it.
Define exactly what you want to do. Define a reasonable time frame. Know
what you have to do to get there. You don't need to know every little
detail, but you do have to have the big picture and many of the details.
If you have a goal in mind but don't know what it takes to reach it, then
you need to find out. Do some reading, talk to people who know, ask
questions and LISTEN to the answers. Think that sounds like a lot of work?
Well, remember what you are preparing for - your success and happiness.
Surely you want to put a little effort into that! Anyway, a little
reseach into what it will take for you to reach your goals isn't too
difficult.
Train yourself into making this "research" the next focus of your life.
You will be focusing on your strengths, on your purpose, and on learning
and doing. If you have chosen a goal that is right for you, focusing on
these things and devoting the necessary time should not be too difficult.
It may take a bit of self-discipline at first, but your determination and
interest will carry you through until the focusing process becomes a habit.
When you have a real desire to accomplish something, initiatative should
only require an occasional shove - but you may need to give it a nudge now
and again.
Get into the habit of visualizing your success. Now sitting around and
daydreaming in generalizations about it is not what we mean. You need to
visualize specifics. To return to the basketball example, daydreaming
about being carried off the court on your teammates' shoulders is just
daydreaming. Picturing in your mind how you will work a play if your
opponent makes a particular move, picturing your exact response to it, is
visualizing specifics. If you run through specific moves in your mind, you
will be prepared when the need for those moves arises.
Don't be afraid to use your imagination to visualize new and better ways to
accomplish things, as well. Here in your mind, you can try doing things in
ways that are different from the usual. This is a creative process - you
may have heard of creative thinking. Training yourself to think creatively
is largely learning to let your imagination work on methods that are
different from the "way things have always been done." It's breaking away
from the idea that a thing can be done effectively in only one way. It's
looking at a problem from all angles. Just play a game of "what if." Ask
yourself, "What if I did this thing this way?" It's OK to get a little
crazy sometimes. But, you must also spend some of your thinking time at
specific visualizations of the moves you need to make to accomplish your
goals.
Visualizations are important but actual physical practice of your skills is
important, too. Practice the boring little skills that are necessary as
well as the skills that you enjoy. Don't let yourself rely on just the
things that come naturally and easy to you. Develop your limited
potentials as well as those that you feel are your assets.
Work on developing the more general attributes that are important to almost
any goal:
Success comes more easily to those who have a pleasing personality. This
is not to say that you should bend to eveyone's wishes or scrape and bow.
Rather, develop an attitude that is respectful of other's opinions but true
to your own beliefs. Be flexible - don't be so rigid that you can't accept
another's opinion when it is superior to your own. Be willing, even eager,
to learn from others. Changing your opinion in light of more facts is a
sign of strength of character, not weakness. Be willing to extend a
helpful hand, be a team player. Develop a sense of humor. Be polite and
caring - but be your own person.
Learn to guard against emotional responses. You are susceptible to errors
of judgement when you let your emotions get in the way. Of course,
everything we do is done based somewhat on our emotions, but strong
emotions have little place in decision making. Hold your emotions in
check. Try to delay decisions if you are in an emotional state. Learn to
ignore your emotions and use reasoning to arrive at your decisions.
Develop the habit of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm works like a magnet - it draws
people and success. It's a pleasing personality trait that people like to
be a part of. It seems to be contagious - the people around you become
enthusiastic, too, and become more cooperative. Enthusiasm sparks
initiative and singleness of purpose.
We've talked of working to develop habits - the habit of focusing on your
goals, the habit of focusing on your strengths, the habit of learning and
"researching," the habit of visualizing, the habit of enthusiasm. Now we
will talk of habits in a little different light - breaking them. First,
assess your habits looking for the ones that may be displeasing to others.
Offensive habits can hold you back from success - they are often a part of
an unpleasing personality. Look for things like grumbling or grunting at
people instead of answering, gazing at anything but the speaker when
conversing, smirking or sneering when you don't agree - anything that is an
automatic, displeasing mannerism. It will be very difficult to assess your
habits accurately. After all, a habit is something that we do without
thinking much about it. You will have to spend some time at this and be
very conscious of yourself. Ask someone you trust to help you with this
assessment. It may take a lot of work to break yourself of displeasing
habits. Try substituting a different, more pleasing behavior for the habit
you wish to break.
OK. You have set definite goals, you have a definiteness of purpose, you
have researched and know the specific steps to take to achieve the goals,
you have resolved to be flexible and to develop a more pleasing
personality. Now what?
Well, just because you have a clear purpose, know what you want, are
willing to work on developing your potential, and willing to be a nice
person, success will not drop into your lap overnight.
You will probably find that one of your first steps in achieving your goals
will be to take a job somewhat below where you hope eventually to be. But
you've already analyzed the steps to your goal, so you presumably have
planned for this. However, you do want to advance and, of course, as
quickly as possible.
As you advance toward your goals, you will undoubtedly run up against some
difficult people (maybe even difficult bosses), and there will be times
you'll need to deal effectively with them. Since you are working on
becoming a nice, enthusiastic person and a team player, you already have
half the battle won. Your attitude is as important as the other guy's
attitude when you are dealing with difficult people.
Always keep in mind that your job is a training field for you. You are
getting paid as you learn the things you need to know to achieve your
goals. Pretty good deal, right? If you view your job as a paid
opportunity to advance toward your goals, you will be an asset to your
boss. You will also be a happier, more productive person. Viewing your
job in this manner will allow you to view the difficult people you will
inevitably need to deal with as an opportunity to grow. From them and the
situations they create, you will learn to negotiate with, side-step around,
and draw out the best in others without letting yourself become upset.
Each time you successfully deal with one of these people you will gain
confidence and probably friends to add to your support network. The skill
of negotiating with difficult people and the confidence you have gained
from these encounters comes in handy when you are ready to ask for a
promotion or raise - even if your boss happens to be a nice person.
Successful negotiation is not a contest of wills - it is working together
to solve a problem or come to an agreement. It is an opportunity to learn
how others feel about the issue.
Always be prepared. Know who you are talking with. Always know as much as
possible about the person. Know about the person's marital status, family,
hobbies, education, difficulties, attitudes, and whatever else you can
learn. The information may give you an understanding of the person. If
you know the circumstances, you will more easily find the most effective
way to get your point across. At the very least, the information will make
the person seem more familiar which will give you more self-confidence.
Know the issue - not just your opinions about it. Be able to back up your
opinions with reasons and research. If you are asking for a promotion,
know the demands of the job in question. Know and be honest about how much
of the job you are already qualified to do and how much additional training
you will need. If you may not be as qualified as someone else applying, be
prepared to negotiate for a smaller-than-offered salary until you are fully
trained - remember the training is worth a lot to you. Be enthusiastic and
focus on your strengths - don't boast but give an a simple and accurate
listing of the strengths you feel make you a good candidate for this job.
The strengths you cite can and should include specific job related skills,
your present accomplishments on the job, your interest in the field (not
just this job), your enthusiasm, your ability to work as a team member, and
other personal traits that will be an asset on the job.
Always enter into negotiations with a calm and reasonable manner. Don't
let emotion and emotional outbursts have a place at the negotiating table.
You must be in control of yourself if you want to get your point across.
People are more likely to listen to your views if you present them in a
calm and reasonable manner. Present your ideas with conviction but don't
try to intimidate others or be demanding. State your views simply,
completely, and orderly. When you are expressing an opinion rather than a
fact, use a qualifying "I think" or "In my opinion." When others are
expressing their views, listen carefully and ask questions if something
isn't clear. Don't disagree until you are sure you understand their
position. When you do disagree, do so in a pleasant non-threatening way.
"I see what you mean, but . . ." or "I can understand why you think that,
but . . ." are a couple of good ways to begin a statement of disagreement.
Be courteous and leave them a chance to save face.
Be prepared to face people who are not calm and reasonable. Don't let them
get to you. Remain calm and reasonable and even be a little sympathetic.
Let's say you have entered into negotiations with your boss for a raise and
he blows up with, "I can't afford to give you a raise. This business isn't
exactly a gold mine. Don't you realize how tough times are?" Remain calm.
Put yourself in his shoes. Try to find something you can agree and
sympathize with. For instance, look sympathetic and agree, "I know you
have a lot of expenses and you work hard to keep this business going. It
must be really difficult for you sometimes." This will probably not be the
response he expects. It will probably take the wind out of his sails.
Most likely he will calm down, and since you are sympathetic to his
problems, he'll be more willing to listen to you. If you remain calm,
reasonable, and sympathetic, he will calm down. When he is calmer, discuss
with him the reasons you are a valuable asset to him. Don't threaten but
calmly and reasonably discuss the bargain a small raise is. With that
small raise, he'll be keeping a happy and fully trained employee who knows
the company. When you consider the expense of finding and training another
individual, giving you a raise is a bargain for your boss.
Play "Let's Make A Deal." Be prepared to deal. Don't expect to get
everything you want. If you are willing to gracefully make some
concessions, you will be more likely to arrive at a satisfactory deal.
After all, a negotiation has at least two opposing sides. This means
someone else has something they want, too - even if that something is
simply to leave things as they are. Arrive at a compromise that everyone
can live with. Remember, you are working at long-range goals, and you may
be negotiating with them again.
Developing your potential more fully is a key to happiness and fulfillment.
Although we have primarily discussed this in terms of a job, these same
concepts can be used in many other areas of your life.
In developing your potential to it's fullest, you will want to become a
more efficient person - get more done in less time - so you can take full
advantage of the opportunities that you make for yourself. You will note
that most effective, successful people seem to accomplish a great deal.
It's true that this is partly due to enthusiasm, but there's more to it.
The first barrier to efficiency is procrastination - putting off getting
started. Sometimes you know you are procrastinating. You may not want to
do the task at hand so you keep putting it off until tomorrow. The thing
to do is to look at it from a different angle. If it'll have to be done
sometime, tell yourself, "why not do it now, and get it off your back."
And that's just where it is! On your back dragging you down. Putting
things off makes everything harder to do. If you keep putting things off,
you'll soon have several things piling up, and then the sheer number of
tasks you have backed up will make it seem impossible to ever get caught
up. This affects everything you do try to do.
Sometimes you don't even realize you are putting things off. You may keep
yourself extremely busy doing things of little importance to unconsciously
give yourself excuses for doing the things you really should be doing. You
say to yourself, "Look how busy I am. I just can't get everything done."
But the result is the same as when you know you are procrastinating. It
soon bogs you down. All you are doing is "running in place."
So how do you beat procrastination?
The first step in beating procrastination is to admit to yourself how often
you do it and assessing your methods of doing it. Not very difficult,
really, when you become aware of the tactics some of us use to hide from
ourselves what we are doing.
The key in overcoming procrastination and becoming more efficient is
organization. Plan ahead. Know what you want to accomplish today, this
week, and in the long haul.
Make lists. The lists for today will probably be more detailed than the
longer-term lists. That's OK. Now look over the lists and rank the tasks
in order of importance. Make three or four groupings based on importance.
Within each group, star the things you least like to do.
Each day you will have a "today" list to work on. Tackle the tasks that
are most important first. If you have several "most important" tasks on
your list, take on the least liked things in that grouping before you do
the better liked ones. When you have accomplished a task, check it off.
You'll be surprised what a good feeling you have when you check things off.
What a sense of accomplishment! It's an incentive to do the next task on
the list. When you have completed the tasks in the first grouping, begin
on the list of next importance. Again do the starred items in that group
first. Keep on checking things off as you get them done.
Do you see what is happening? You get the most pressing, least liked tasks
out of the way early in the day when you are fresh and rested. As the day
goes on you will feel less and less pressure. You have reserved the less
important tasks for the end of the day when you will be more tired.
With this system you will have not only increased your efficiency but also
reduced some of the stress in your day. Stress can get in the way of
efficiency. Your new efficiency will help you develop your potential. It
is, in fact, a part of living up to your potential.
Another important part of efficiency is in delegating work. If you are in
a position where you have assistants or designated people under your
supervision, you need to learn to delegate. If you are not in such a
position yet, you still need to know - since you're working on developing
your potential you very likely will be some day.
Delegating work is difficult for many people. Some find it hard to ask
others to do things for them - others find it hard not to demand that
others do tasks. Delegating is an art.
First, you need to realize that the people under your supervision are
PEOPLE. Seldom, if ever, should you demand - that takes away self respect.
In order to achieve a happy and co-operative crew, you need to help them
build self-respect and self-confidence. A happy and co-operative crew is
an asset to you. Demands do not promote self-respect and co-operation.
Oh, it's probably effective to demand in the short run - but in the long
run you will be better off to gain co-operation without demanding.
People who are asked to do a task, are given explanations and clear
instructions, and are praised for a job well done will grow in
self-respect. They will also respect you as a good supervisor. If you
hesitate to ask for their assistance, your crew will feel that you do not
trust them or have faith in their abilities. This affects their
self-respect and, as a reaction, will affect their respect for you, as
well.
When you delegate work, don't delegate just the "junk" tasks. Your crew
needs to be given some important tasks to do as well as unimportant ones.
The important task gives them a sense of the respect you have for them and
the faith you have in their abilities. It's a good idea to save some
"junk" tasks for yourself. Perhaps the most respected and effective boss
is the one about whom the crew says, "She never gives us anything to do
that she wouldn't do herself." Why? Because, by her actions the boss is
saying that, though her position is above theirs, she is still just "plain
people."
Delegation of tasks is important because you can gain in effectiveness and
get more done if you properly supervise a crew. Don't feel embarrassed or
hesitant about delegating work. If it helps you to shine, it helps your
crew shine, too. A well-run, effective department is a credit to the whole
team. With proper delegating, you can help your crew achieve their
potential as well as achieving your own.
All of us have untapped potential - perhaps even areas of genius - that we
have neglected to develop. Whether your concept of success has to do with
business, love, friendship, sports, a combination of these or something
else, more fully developing your potential will help you achieve your
goals. If you can learn to assess your potential, set realistic goals,
and go after those goals with determination, organization, and purpose, you
will use your potential more fully, gain confidence, and be a happier and
more successful person.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Figuratively Speaking

2008-04-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

I’m tired of reading those boring business articles, and I’m thinking that you might be too. So, as you read on, relax and put down the pad and pencil, and enjoy a few chuckles with me.
Some interesting trivia compiled by Clark Consulting has to do with that business giant, Donald Trump:
Percentage of professionals surveyed who say it’d take more than the prize of $250,000 for them to intern for Trump was 38%
Percentage who say that Donald himself couldn’t pay them enough to work for him was 27%
How well do you perform as a boss?
Percentage of workers who would cover for their boss if he/she made a mistake was 46%
Workers who wouldn’t cover for their boss was 45%
Men who would cover for their boss was 51%, women was 40%
What do your workers think?
Workers who say not asking for help when they need it is the biggest mistake when networking is 37%
Not keeping in touch with contacts was thought to be the biggest mistake by 25%
Not thanking people for their help was considered a mistake by 22%
Percentage of workers who burned their bridges with past employers was 13%
How do we feel as Americans about work?
Those who feel as though they live to work rather than work to live equals 34%
Citizens who feel our culture places a higher value on success at work than success at home was 74%
Those who felt that the American value of hard work and long hours has had a positive effect on our culture was 33%
How about the opinions of female workers?
Percentage of women working for privately held businesses owned by women was 52%
Women working for privately held men owned businesses was 38%
We owe those enlightening figures to the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, and from the Census Bureau we find that:
In minutes, the average length of an American’s commute to work is 24.4
The average commute in North Dakota, the state with the quickest drives to work, is 14.8 minutes.
The percentage of Americans who drive to work is 77%
Those who car pool is 10%
Those who use public transportation is 5%
Now that you’re armed with all those figures and statistics, the next speech you give to your favorite organization can be peppered with some fascinating trivia.
This may not seem like a very valuable business articlee often forget in our zeal to be a success that there must be time made for laughs. Every once in a while we must remember what Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Not he is great who can alter matter, but he who can alter my state of mind.”

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Entrepreneurs In The Land of Credit!

2008-04-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

No matter who you are, what type of business you’re in, or how long you’ve been around – we all at one time or another have visited the “land of credit”. It is vital to the reputation of your business that we learn some tips about credit and how to not let it ruin us. It’s a smart move, especially in today’s political and business climate, when credit laws are changing at what seems like minutes and not months.
“Old-school” business mentors have fostered the idea that a man’s word was his bond, but in today’s business world the majority of people are always assuming – and assuming the worst. Creditors, debtors or anyone that base their theories on assumptions are headed for failure, and yet it’s done everyday. When people fail to pay their bills on time, many creditors assume the debtor doesn’t have the means to pay the debt. These creditors will often set up an arrangement or lower the amount so that you can repay the debt. This is a step to credit repair, however it takes you to contact the creditor and apprise him or her of your situation.
Staying in contact with your payments each month can help you avoid bad credit and getting into such a situation. If you have several bills on hand and all the bills are pressing, it makes sense to pay off the debt that benefits you the most. After this is paid then you can set aside an amount toward the next debt. Once you follow this strategy it allows you to work your bills down gradually thus repairing your credit standing.
If you don’t have the funds to pay the entire bill, at least pay the minimum amount due so that you can continue using the service. Many debtors assume they are in debt and there’s nothing that they can do to resolve their problems, and this is the process of giving up on life. When we give up, it leads to stress and the answer is often right in front of our nose. Creditors are business people too, and if approached properly will usually try to work with you.
Of course making the wise decision ahead of the game is the ultimate solution to maintaining good credit. If you research the marketplace before coming to a purchasing decision, you’re well on your way to avoiding bad credit and credit repair hassles.
Many people when taking out a home mortgage loan are not aware of the options available to them. They’ll walk in the bank door, fill out the application, and accept the terms & conditions when offered to them. There are many families and individuals who filed bankruptcy because they couldn’t afford their homes anymore, and primarily because they didn’t take the time to check the marketplace first and search the options available to them.
Being informed and educated are two of the best tools offered to us. There are mortgage loans that offer overpayments and underpayments, and these loans include vacation packages and lump sum payments to the borrowers. There are also other loans available that offer low mortgage monthly installments and low interest rates with insurance policies attached that will pay your mortgage if you are sick, unemployed, or in an accident.
On the other hand, there are mortgage loans that have high interest rates, high mortgages and balloon payments attached. When balloon payments are attached to home mortgages it is almost guaranteed that in a few years you’ll be searching for a solution to repair your credit. There are many home lenders who will not tell you the truth about the variety of home loans available because they are making money and you’re a source of income. It’s important to scope the terms & agreements carefully, as well as reading all fine print on any loan contract before you sign. If you’re applying for a home loan and want to avoid bad credit, it makes sense to learn what the fees include and how much those fees are.
There are some home loans that offer an “acceleration clause”, which covers you if you miss mortgage payments. The lender will apply the clause by allowing you leniency providing you make payments the following month on time. This type of loan is great for avoiding bad credit, foreclosures, and repossessions. The marketplace is swarming with realtors and other sources that will help you get a mortgage loan affordable to you with benefits included, make sure to do some checking before you choose one.
Here are some tips about loans that we’ll all take out during our life:
Car Loans – When applying for a car loan it’s also important to research the marketplace before agreeing to any terms & conditions. Make sure you find the best deals affordable to you. In college I learned the secret golden rule of car dealers, and that is that most dealers up the fees on cars by 15%. This means that if you negotiate wisely with the dealer you can get a reduction on the vehicle up to 15%.
Credit Cards – A word of advice when applying for credit cards, stay away from cards that have fees attached and high interest rates. Avoid credit card offers that have upfront fees or offer a high line of credit for a fee.
College Loans – Always consider investigating student loans before committing your self to a personal loan agreement. You may be qualified for a student grant from the government if you take the time to research the opportunities.
In my next column we’ll delve deeper into this question of keeping a good credit reputation and solutions for repairing bad credit.
-30-
KNOW THE SCORE
by Maureen Stephenson
Building Credit History
Building your credit history is important in today’s time, especially since the laws are changing. We are moving into a system that is making it difficult for us to get ahead unless we have excellent, or at most good credit history.
Credit is important to rent, obtain student loans, and apply for loans or credit cards, as well as getting jobs and especially for entrepreneurs wanting their own business. Nowadays if you do not have a major credit card, it is nearly impossible to make purchases at some areas.
Bad credit only leads to frustration and headaches we want to avoid. If you have bad scores on your credit report, it takes seven long years before the credit is cleared and ten years for bankruptcies to be removed from your files. Therefore, if you want to save yourself some headaches it is time to get started building your credit history.
To do this you have to keep constant watch of the activities on your credit report. To obtain copies of your credit report contact the three B’s. TransUnion, Equifax and Experian have updated copies of your reports. To find out more information go online to get the information needed to get your copies. After you review, your credit reports make sure there are no false claims against you on the report before you proceed to clear up your accounts. If you notice, any false claims make sure to file a dispute immediately with each credit bureau. You are protected under law and it is the credit bureaus obligations to investigate the claims and clear up any mishaps.
After your have cleared up any allegations made against you, your next step is knocking down the accounts on your credit report. It is time to save money, and start building a credit history. Building credit is essential for your future survival. You might want to start by applying for a personal loan or else a credit card. If you are turned down, ask a family member or friend to co-sign with you to get the loan or credit card. Make sure your family member or friend has established credit and their history is not delinquent.
Once you get the card or loan, make sure you meet each month’s installments. If you miss any payments the co-signers are responsible to pick up the tab. do not make enemies, pay your dues on time. After about six months of using your credit card or else paying on the loan you will have notoriety and able to apply for credit cards or loans in your own name.
After about one year, you will have built your credit if you continue this procedure and can then apply for a home mortgage loan or car loan. It depends on your income and age when bank lenders investigate your case to determine if you qualify for a loan. Therefore, if you are in your forties and just getting started building credit your applications will take longer for consideration. Getting started early is the trick to building a stable credit history. Now if you have a credit history already you want to maintain payments to avoid complications.
Once you establish a bad credit history, it is harder to get back on your feet again. The best solution for maintaining, building, or else reestablishing credit history is to keep a close monitoring system on your financial tabs. Remember, credit history is important to your future and nowadays everyone judges you by your credit.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Email Promotions

2008-04-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Opt-in email marketing works with any business model, you can make money following some key rules. When you have someone’s email address, they are practically inviting you to come sell them something. They want to hear from you, hear the updated news; they want to receive your information. This means lifetime valuable relationships with customers who are interested in what you have to say. You can see the results of the email you have just sent out within hours, which means no wasted advertising dollars, you know what works and what doesn’t, simple as that. Opt-in email marketing is not only effective and instantaneous, but free.
You can utilize opt-in email marketing if you already have an online business, or an offline business, or no business at all. For offline business, collect email addresses from your clients and send them an occasional email with a discount and watch the appointment book get filled up quickly. Drive qualified buyers to your web site by sending your customers a free report or newsletter subscription which entices them to buy the full version. So, what if you do not have a business at all. Everyone has an interest that they are passionate about, whether it is yoga, or fishing. Start writing information packed newsletter about your favorite topic and recommend other people’s products or services for a commission on any sales you send them. Post your free newsletter offer on online newsgroups, or other newsletters. You will get a lot of subscribers because it is free.
Best of all, there are thousands of companies willing to pay you to sell their products on your newsletter. Here are a few websites to check out to find those companies:
www.affiliateguide.com
www.associateprograms.com
www.affiliatematch.com
You will earn commissions every time one of your newsletter subscribers buys a product from the company.

Bob Pearse found Roadmap to Riches because I was sick & tired the worthless products being promoted on the Internet today – on trends that really don’t appeal to many people. When Bob Pearse chose the Personal Development field to be the focal point of the Roadmap to Riches product line, Bob Pearse did so with the premise of it being an $8.9 BILLION Dollar a year Industry. You see, when looking for a home based business, you need to ask yourself, “Would I buy this product if there wasn’t a business opportunity attached to it?”
People WANT what we have to sell! A Billion Dollar Trend with millions of consumers can’t be wrong… To find out more go to http://www.official30seconds2wealth.com today and like Bob Pearse find your Roadmap to Riches

EBook Writing Business

2008-04-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

If you are a savvy writer with great English grammar skills, you should consider writing eBooks. It pays very well and you can do it in the comfort of your own home. It is very simple to write up an eBook. All you need to do is have Microsoft word and the internet. Do some research first on the topic. Know everything you can know about it, read up on it and save some quotes in your favorites area. You may want to stop by the local library to pick up some books on the topic too. That will help you when writing up your eBook. EBooks should be between 50 – 75 pages depending on the topic and what the assignment is. After you have thoroughly researched your topic and you know a lot about it you want to create a table of contents. You want the chapters to flow freely from one thought to the other. Make sure you cover as much as you can about the topic and title each chapter, writing a few notes about what you want to write about -which you will delete later.
The next step would be just to get started on it! Start writing creatively, from your heart, not just spitting out facts on a paper. People are reading your eBook because they do not want to read and search for information located everywhere about a specific topic. They want a concise, easy to read; interesting eBook they can print out and curl on the couch with. It goes without saying that no one should ever plagiarize; not only is it unlawful, it is disrespectful.
Always spell check and edit your work by reading it when you have finished. Polish it off by organizing each chapter into an eBook. Come up with a savvy title that catches the audience. If you really enjoy this line of business, you could do this full time and quit your day job.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

EBPP GAINING

2008-04-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

Electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) started showing signs of renewed life in 2003, after its introduction in the late 90s. It took a few years for the idea to take off, and industry experts are considering 2003 a success, but a high rate of adoption by we average Joes and Janes is still a number of years away.
If you examine the electronic bill payment landscape you will note that the current usage surge is largely by the Generation X demographic, in spite of the fact that a single-source option is not yet in place. Forecasters thought that banks would probably be the single-source option, but there is still no solid consolidated infrastructure among those banks that have systems in place. The way it’s working now is very much like the way automated teller machines (ATMs) used to operate, that is providing access only to certain cardholders with specific affiliations.
While banks are taking steps toward consolidating infrastructure, in 2004 we will likely see a continued proliferation of individual organizations, where each has its own presentment and payment strategies and solutions. Consumers will have to go to multiple sites to pay their bills, and for the short term will put up with that system.
For the long-term though, the single-source EBPP system is going to be the process of choice for consumers. Eventually, they’ll want to receive and pay all bills electronically from the single site, but that won’t happen until the above mentioned consolidation.
Many banks will work overtime during 2004 to educate consumers about the benefits of online banking, because it will be a cost saving to them. There is a lot o upfront costs to banks and financial institutions, the ultimate benefits of processing payments through the Fed’s automated clearing house (ACH) instead of through the Postal Service are immense. It all boils down to a cost-saving issue.
I wonder how long it will take the average entrepreneur to embrace this new EBPP? Will you and I be comfortable maintaining a web site or some type of electronic presence so that we can electronically bill our customers/clients for goods or services? Perhaps this is how our forefathers felt when Henry Ford tried to replace the horse and buggy with his auto machine, but I must say I find a certain comfort in the good, old-fashioned “paper trail”.
I must confess that I do use the electronic trail on occasion, especially when I know the mail won’t beat the due date on my supplier’s invoice, but to transact all commerce via EBPP is another matter. One must admit however, that at least 1/3 of our office space these days is dedicated to files filled with paper.
Still, that old “paper trail” is comforting – much like the cookie crumbs dropped while walking in the woods that assure us we’ll find our way home again.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

DO 'S AND DON'TS

2008-04-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

DO WRITE OUT ALL DETAILS in your ad offer. Read it, edit it,
and re-write it for a shorter, money saving effective ad.
"Think small".
DO FOLLOW ALL THE RULES when writing your classified ad. Use
these ideas.
Attention Interest Desire Action
DO USE A NAME with each classified ad including your envelopes.
DO NOT CHARGE for sales letters or circulars.
DO BE HONEST with all your classified ad claims.
DO IDENTIFY your product.
DO WRITE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD simple, clear and direct.
DO USE WORDS EVERYONE KNOWS and everyone will understand what
your are saying.
DO USE A WORD that will benefit a reader.
DO NOT OVERPRICE your product.
DO ADVERTISE FREQUENTLY. Constant exposure creates a familiar
offer with better response.
DO OFFER A MONEY BACK GUARANTEE in your classified ad,
salesletter or circular if possible. An excellent sales
technique!
DO TEST YOUR AD in 2 or 3 smaller, low cost publications.
Record results. Code each ad.
DO READ PUBLICATIONS that relate to your product. Write for ad
rates, paid circulation, discounts and closing dates. Keep
records.
DO HAVE ALL YOUR LITERATURE AND PRODUCTS ready for mailing when
your ad appears in the publication of your choice. Do not delay
in responding.
DO USE THE COPYCAT METHOD. Do what other successful advertisers
are doing. Only with a slight twist, idea or offer.
DO RUN SEVERAL ADS worded differently. Keep records of results.
DON'T OVER ADVERTISE. It can be expensive. If you want to, do
it gradually.
DON'T PRETEND YOU KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS. Because you don't.
Take time to find out what you need to know.
DON'T TRUST YOUR MEMORY. A thought will leave you as quickly as
it came. Always write down a good idea. NOW!
DON'T PLACE YOUR AD in the wrong classification.
DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY on ad words to amuse or entertain, but
use words to persuade, inform and sell your product.
DO USE A SHORT BUSINESS NAME. Make it easy to pronounce and
remember.
DON'T FORGET THE M.E.D.I.C.S. Motivation. Enthusiasm. Desire.
Image. Creativity. Success!
DON'T GIVE UP. If your ad doesn't pull after a fair exposure,
try re-writing it. One or two different words may do the trick.
DON'T SPEND THE PROFITS. Re-invest the money in more continuous
advertising.
DON'T FORGET, an ad that offers "FREE DETAILS" means writing a
sales letter or circular.
AVOID HIGH TYPESETTING COSTS AND MISTAKES
Getting your price lists, brochures, catalogs or newsletters
typeset does not necessarily have to be a costly procedure.
Keep in mind that the main cost in typesetting is the time
involved in setting type. By minimizing the time needed to
create a typeset piece you can effectively keep your cost down.
The following suggestions can help reduce your typesetting
expense.
Know what you want the FIRST time around. Have a picture in
your mind. Trial and error can be costly. Don't have a
typesetter set it one way, then decide a different format would
look better.
Reduce and eliminate author's corrections by thorough proofing
and re-proofing.
Avoid minimum charges by combining small jobs and having them
set at the same time.
Try to use one family of type to save time and money by avoiding
font changes. The consistent look is better.
Give explicit instructions on marking up copy: type styles,
column widths/margins.
With a large job, such as a brochure or annual report, request a
style setting proof sheet to get approvals before the entire job
is done.
Avoid super rush jobs, especially if you don't really need them.
Avoid lengthy corrections on the phone. You might end up paying
for corrections later that could have been avoided if you had
done your editing on proof sheets.
Get the layout finished and approved before having type set...
the same goes for copy, of course.
Avoid the use of "run-arounds" (reducing the width of the copy
to make room for a photo in the column, for example). If you do
use them, use simple shapes, boxes, squares.
Avoid the use of curved or angular type. Type reading left to
right on a page (for example, this report) is faster and less
expensive to set than copy that is set in a curve or running
sideways on the page.
The use of unjustified text and captions is less expensive than
justified because it sets quicker, costing less time.
Don't depend on the typesetter to read your mind. Be specific.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

DISPLAY ADVERTISING 101

2008-04-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

Advertising isn't hard to do. You prepare an advertisement or write a
classified ad to sell your product or generate interest to send people more
information. But the way most people make mistakes is either by their
inability to write effective ad copy and by sending it to be published in
the wrong publication. Here are some pointers to follow:
Writing Effective Copy
Never try to sell anything costing more than $5 in a small display ad or a
classified ad. First of all, you don't have enough room to tell people
everything they need to know to entice them to order.
Instead, you need to employ the "Two-Step" method of advertising. Request
the reader to send you $1 or 4 first-class postage stamps for more
information. When they respond, you will send them a brochure, flyer, order
form and cover letter so they can place an order for the real product.
Now that pricing is out of the way lets talk about writing your ad copy.
The best way to learn how is to read the ads other people have written.
Don't copy them word-for-word, but use them as a guide to write your own ads.
Once you get the hang of it, you'll be writing effective ad copy just as well as the pros.
Advertising in the Right Publication. Although this may sound a little
silly and you think it is only common sense to know this - people will often
overlook this fact when choosing the publication they will be advertising in.
Instead, they will look for the lowest price for the amount of circulation
they receive. Unfortunately, this does not work out. Even though you need
to look for good deals that make it easy on your pocketbook, you will be
throwing money away if you don't pre-qualify the publication you choose.
One way of pre-qualifying the publication is to send for a sample copy.
Most publishers will send them to you free of charge for the asking. If you
don't know of any mail order publications, just write to Glenn Bridgeman,
PO Box 10150, Terra Bella CA 93270 or William Lee, Rt 1, Box 10790,
Madisonville TN 37354 and ask them to send you some. (Be sure to enclose
$1 or 4 first-class postage stamps in with your request to offset postage
costs.) If you tell them you are new to mail order and are interested in
publications to advertise in, you certainly will find the $1 you spent is
well worth the effort because both of these publishers are very reputable,
honest and helpful.
Study the publication to see what other people are advertising and how they
are advertising it. Contact some of the people who sell items similar to your
own with the hope of networking with them. You would be surprised how much
free publicity you can get just from corresponding, calling and networking
with others.
Once you locate a publication you want to advertise in, give it a try for
3 months. If you don't get any response or only a few orders, try another
publication. There are millions of them and eventually you will hit the right
target market that will be interested in what you have to sell.
Don't Stop With One Publication. Just because you locate the target market
of people who are interested in purchasing your product there is no reason
you can't advertise in more than one publication. In fact - if you don't,
your ad will become stale. If the same people continue to see your ad every
month they will probably get tired of looking at it. Besides, if they wanted
the product they would have ordered it by now. Don't tire them out! Alternate
different size ads and get rid of ones that don't work well.
Leave your ad running as long as it brings in orders for you but also
advertise in 5, 10, 20 or 50 other publications also to generate a steady
stream of orders and to reach more people.
Key Your Ads. Many beginners in mail order never key their ads so they
know what publication people saw their ads in. In fact, I personally never
did this myself and ended up losing a lot of money. So please don't make the
same mistake I did. Keying your ads means that you place a code of some sort
in your address so that when people write and order something from you, you
immediately will know where they saw your ad. Keep a record of every name
and address of the publisher you send an advertisement to. Record the date
you sent the ad and the date you received a checking copy, proving that your
ad appeared. Also record the "code" you used so you can immediately identify
where it came from.
If your address is "123 Anytown St," it could become "123 Anytown St,
Suite A" for one publication and "Suite B" for another. The postman will
still deliver your mail to "123 Anytown St." Of course, if you live in an
apartment complex and there are apartment numbers you could turn "111 Johnson
Apt A" into "111 Johnson, Apt A-1" for one publication and "Apt A-2" for
another. Post office box addresses are also simple. Turn "PO Box 585" into
"PO Box 585, Dept A-1" for one publication and "Dept A-2" for another.
People will sometimes even change their name on the ad for keying purposes.
You might see the name "Harriet's Recipe Book" instead of Harriet Ranger.
Harriet might also use "Harriet's Cookbook" or even "Harriet's Solution to
Stress" on her ads relating to these products. Use your own imagination and
pretty soon, keying your ads will be a normal part of your life.
Be sure and keep track (on your Record Sheet) of how many responses you
receive from each publication. After 3 months, look over your Record Sheet
and get rid of the publications that didn't do well. You'll go broke if you
spend $10 per month advertising a 2-inch ad if you only receive $1 back in
orders. After awhile you'll be able to see where it pays you to advertise
your particular product and then you can send in larger ads to those
publications. Never stop using this method and you'll never stop getting
orders in your mailbox. It's a win-win situation for everybody!
Tabloids -vs- Adsheets. Another question about advertising that many people
have is whether its better to advertise in tabloids or adsheets. Many people
will sell you information on the best day to mail and the best time of the
year to advertise. They think they have it down to a science and will
convince you of their methods.
However, there is NO set rules that can be employed by everyone. That's
because there are a wide variety of ways to approach various products. If
you sell travel services and read a report that told you not to advertise
during the summer months, you'd go broke. The summer is the travel industry's
biggest money-making season!
Don't get hung up on specific statistics made by people who claim to be
expert researchers. There is no way to determine what is best for you than
to try it yourself and see what works. You are the person in control of your
business and you are where the buck stops. Take advantage of your authority
and try every angle you can think of until you determine what's best for your
company's product and/or service.
Tabloids are a fantastic advertising vehicle and adsheets are too. Sometimes
people feel a small 1" camera-ready ad gets lost in a tabloid filled with
100's of them. This may be true in some circumstances and not true in others.
Do you look at 1" ads in tabloids? Of course you do. You scan the pages and
your eye is always directed to one or two on the page that catches your eye.
Ask yourself "why" they caught your eye. Was it because the ad was placed in
a specific area on the page? Was it because of the headline or the word
"free"?
Classifieds work well in tabloids and adsheets and sometimes they don't,
Look in the back of the Globe or Enquirer. Don't they have page after page
of classified ads? If nobody was reading them and responding to them, the
advertisers wouldn't be submitting advertising to the Globe or Enquirer for
them. So evidently, people DO read classified ads - even if there are 100's
of them. Test the waters and do what works the best for you.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to cash

2008-04-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Some people were born organized and then there are those of us who struggle with organizing every year at this time. It seems that it’s always at the end of the year when that little annoying bug begins nudging you to clear things up and start the new year organized.
Well, I’ve read just about everybody’s directions, books, and helpful hints about getting organized (in fact, I’m thinking of writing one myself), and I’ve got to tell you there are some misconceptions being fostered by every organizational guru. It will be my pleasure to give you the “skinny” on that in today’s column.
Here are the 8 misconceptions that we can throw out:
Handle paper once. This is not only impossible, but in most cases it’s unrealistic. Instead of handling paper once, get in the habit of doing something with each piece of paper to move it forward. If you get some information about an upcoming seminar/trade show, for example, decide if you’ll attend or not. If you’re to attend then note the date on your calendar and sign up. If not, then toss the information immediately. If you want to wait to sign up, then make a note in your planner to respond well before the deadline and file the paper in your “to-do” file.
Always keep papers stored out of sight: Some of us work better when their desk is clear, whereas others feel stifled if they aren’t surrounded by stacks of paper. If you’re an “out of sight – out of mind” type, keep papers you use often nearby in files or stacking bins. They’ll be accessible, yet not clutter your desk. When working on a project, spread out the papers related to it, and when you’re done put them away together in one place.
Everyone should be organized to the same degree. Different people work differently. Don’t feel that you have to work the same as someone else. Find a comfortable level of being organized, and make the necessary changes to maintain that level. I usually draw that line when I’m looking for something and can’t find it; that’s when I know things need to get reorganized.
Soon we’ll be a “paperless” society. Don’t you believe it. Experts have been saying that for years, and we won’t be paperless for a long time. It’s not technology that’s the problem, it is human nature that’s the culprit. We’re creatures of habit and used to seeing things in print rather than on a computer screen. The younger generation is now being trained on computers at an early age, so when they join the workforce, the “paperless” society will have a better chance of becoming a reality.
One planning system should fit everyone. When used correctly, daily planners are an ideal way to stay organized. Keep in mind, however, they are designed by a few for many users. When buying a planner, whether paper-based or electronic, determine what you want it to do and choose a system accordingly. If you can’t find one to suit your system, design your own based on your individual needs.
You have to be born organized to be organized. We learn both good and bad habits at an early age. It’s possible to change any bad habit, including disorganization. Youngsters raised in an organized environment sometimes rebel as adults by being disorganized. The opposite is also true, but neither is carved in stone and behavior can be modified.
You MUST use a “to-do” list. Planning day-to-day is not realistic for everyone. Someone may do the same task every week, but others find their plans changing daily. Consider your particular need, then plan by the day or the week.
Being organized means being a perfectionist. A perfectionist may spend time on insignificant details while disregarding the big picture. When others complete a project quickly and on time, the perfectionist continues to work until the project is perfect. A perfectionist becomes more effective when he/she lowers his/her standards slightly and concentrates on ways to increase productivity.
Misinformation, when taken seriously, can hinder you from doing what you want. The next time you hear one of those “Organizational Gurus” espousing one of the above misconceptions, consider its value and work to develop your own style of organizing.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

You Can Cruise to Cash

2008-04-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

We’ve all had friends in our circle who were known as “Mary & John”, and when “John” split “Mary” was alone. Mary was the “odd” number at the dinner party and we were all concerned about her. Well, today it seems that the union of Customer & Service have had a breakup. Service has split and Customer is on his/her own.
Today, let me tell you a story that many of you will find humorous but is all too common. I can tell you this without fear of our local editor getting sued because it’s about me, but business owners take note that you don’t fit the profile of company “X”.
Four weeks ago I decided that I needed another green recycling can from my trash pickup company. We’ll call them Brown Keg Trash Pickup, an anonymous company in the interest of avoiding litigation. I called their Customer Service number, and as an environmentally conscious citizen requested my extra recycle can. The cheerful voice on the other end of the line chirped, “Of course, we’ll have one delivered in 48 hours.” After giving her all the pertinent location information, I hung up the phone with the satisfied feeling of a good citizen.
I arrived home about 5 p.m. the next day and I was happy to see another green can at the mouth of my driveway. When I looked again, I noticed that I had another green can – but it was without a lid. I quickly dialed my cheerful telephone voice at Brown Keg Company thanking her graciously for the rapid service and then told her about the missing lid. Just as cheerfully as the first time, she told me to leave it at the end of my driveway after my usual trash pickup and they would replace the entire unit since they didn’t have extra lids. I agreed, and after hanging up the phone I pondered their plight of having lidless cans but no extra lids. I conjured up all sorts of scenarios that explained where all the lids to the lidless cans went, and sympathized with their predicament.
Well, 3 days went by and there sat my poor, green, lidless can at my driveway’s mouth and a replacement never arrived. Feeling empathy for this green plastic waif, I returned it to the side of it’s brother that had a lid. I called my cheerful Customer Service voice again, and reiterated the plight of my poor lidless can and after a chuckle she assured me a complete unit would be forthcoming. I found it necessary to make use of my lidless friend, and put it out the next pickup day filled to the brim. Fortunately, it wasn’t windy and all the contents remained inside it. That was 2 weeks ago, and life being what it is other more important tasks have occupied me until this morning when facing another pickup day I thought of my lidless friend.
Once more I picked up the phone and called my trash pickup company, and this time I listened to a litany of choices of buttons I could punch and chose my cheerful Customer Service button again. I was transferred, listened to a brief melody when there was a “click” and I expected my cheerful voice to chirp “hello”. The next thing I heard was another click, silence, and then the dreaded dial tone that means you’ve been disconnected. Not being one of the “fainthearted”, I simply redialed my number. Again there was the litany of button choices, my choice and the music, and just when I began to feel that all was right with the world I heard – “click”, “dial tone” and nothing.
This was not the morning for the phone to be playing games with me, so I made one more determined effort and REDIALED! “NASA, we have lift-off !” I once more heard the litany of button choices, but this time I outfoxed that monotonous voice and punched “0”. I asked for the Manager of Customer Service, I was given her name and was transferred. What greeted my eager ear was, “You’ve reached the voicemail of ……., please leave your name and number and she’ll return your call.”
So here we sit - my lidless, green can and I facing another pick-up day. This eager-to-serve plastic green waif must bravely face another dutiful day half-clothed.
You must admit that is an amusing story, and one that far too many of us have lived through, but what a sad commentary it is about our business community. Doesn’t it make you wonder if our language has changed so drastically that what we interpret “Customer Service” to mean - is not what today’s business owners mean. It makes me wonder when the marriage of Customer and Service broke-up, leaving us all the lonely ones.
Entrepreneurs and business owners take note! If you’re going to have a number for your customers to access your Customer Service, please follow these rules.
Have the phone manned by an employee that can hear thunder and see lightening.
Give that employee training in helping the caller and not shuffling the problem to another desk.
Have an overseer, who can also hear thunder and see lightening, check that all incoming complaints were handled appropriately.
After learning how to find your customers and what they want; after getting them committed to doing business with YOU; and after wooing them to keep them as your customers – WHY WOULD YOU LET “SERVICE” DIVORCE “CUSTOMER?”
If your customers aren’t getting the service they require from you – your competitor will be only too happy to help them!

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

cruise to cash

2008-03-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

A personal crisis doesn’t have to spell disaster for your business if you’re prepared. Every business occasionally endures a crisis, but what happens when your dilemma isn’t falling profits but personal.
Because we have no idea what type of personal crisis may await us – an ugly divorce, debilitating disease, or ailing parent/child/spouse, we must be prepared. Just as you plan for advertising and promotions, you must plan for life’s surprises.
Paul Krasinski, founder of Lion Strategy Advisors, New York, suggests finding somebody NOW who can take over your responsibility and carry on for at least 20 days. He/she needs to be someone who can communicate well with staff and command respect, and may or may not be the person you feel closest to in the company.
Once a personal crisis hits, Krasinski recommends “full disclosure” to your employees. This avoids the feeling of being hit by a bomb, and that business will go on as usual. In case you think this doesn’t work, let me give you a case history.
Dana Weidaw, 28 and president of her own PR firm had only been in business 1 year when she tested “full disclosure” with her employees. She was diagnosed with an aneurysm which required a surgeon to drill through her skull. She had just landed her first major client and was publicizing a major hockey arena. If all didn’t go well with the project, this client could turn out to be her last.
Before missing 7 days of work, Weidaw prepped her full-time employee, another agency she was working with, and her client by sharing the nitty-gritty details of her crisis. She assured them everything would run according to plans and smoothly in her absence, and found that everybody was willing to work around her crisis. Weidaw found that, by nature, people are very sympathetic.
A word of caution though, you need to know when to talk. During and after a crisis – full disclosure is great. If you’re “contingency” planning though, it might be prudent not to advertise that if your personal life goes in the tanker good old Gary or Suzy will be in charge. Your employees may needlessly dwell on why they weren’t picked to run the show instead of them. Above all, you don’t want to cause widespread distress or distract your staff from day-to-day operation.
Just as surely as you plan for financial allocations for your business, always have a crisis plan in place. This may need adjustments from year to year as staff leaves and are replaced, so when planning for each year’s business needs include your crisis plan.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

cruise to cash now

2008-03-26T10:59:00.001-07:00

Are you a polite, hardworking, accommodating worker? Well, I’ve just learned that being a “good girl” can be a bad thing when it comes to your career and personal finances.
At a recent Breakfast Meeting of the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) I heard a talk by Dr. Lois Frankel, the author of “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers…”, which brought up some good points.
One of the things Frankel said was that women should understand and play by the rules. She asserted that hard work doesn’t get you ahead – it enables you to keep your job. Women have to start thinking strategically and start promoting themselves as team players.
Another point made was that women have to learn to “manage up.” People complain that the reason someone is getting ahead is that the boss likes them, and it’s true. You don’t have to flatter your boss or agree with everything they say, but you do want to let them know that you’re committed to his/her success. Then your boss will be committed to yours.
Another thing we women miss is building 360 degree relationships. Spend a part of your time at work nurturing sincere relationships at ALL levels. No one gets ahead by being tethered to their desk all day. Instead spend 15 minutes a day in casual conversation with co-workers and build connections.
Strange as it seems, since women feel that they’re liberated from the former stereotypes, you must pay attention to the “dress for success” mantra. A full 50% of your credibility is based on how you look, and how you dress. Another 40% is based on how you sound, so it’s not being phony or false to put your best foot forward – it’s strategic.
Now for all you women I hear groaning after that last point, I sympathize with you. As an entrepreneur, one
of my favorite perks is not having to don pantyhose everyday – but that doesn’t mean you can run around in pj’s or sweats either. You can put forth a very presentable, business-like, credible, impression with a neat pant suit – even with low-heel shoes. Add a well maintained haircut and style, and even with minimal makeup and smart jewelry you can look as smart as any office executive.
There’s also something of note for my male readers, if you’ve kept with me this far into the column. Women should pay attention, too, to the shocking statistics I’m about to reveal. Let’s not fall asleep at the switch, ladies!
A figure everyone should watch is:
Women fill less than 15% of Congressional seats. Among our 100 senators, only 14 are women and we hold only 15% of the seats in the House of Representatives. The result is, we have almost no say in Washington in the thousands of decisions that control our businesses, families, and lives. That means that 85% of the people shaping our lives are men.
At a time when women account for more than half of the nation’s population, why don’t we have greater representation in Congress? Surely women haven’t knowingly ceded our important decisions to men. I think this stunning inequity exists because people don’t know about it.
Why do we need more women in office? Because women politicians have a track record of introducing and pushing issues of interest to women and families. An example of this, in 1990, women in Congress realized that the National Institute of Health was conducting heart disease research only on men. So Congressional women called for an investigation of gender bias in medical research and catalyzed the Women’s Health Initiative to study women’s heart disease, breast cancer, and osteoporosis. We now know heart disease is markedly different in women, and with this one effort they saved many of our own lives and those of loved ones.
Granted there are many reasons why women don’t run for office: insufficient funding, family responsibilities, and an incumbency system that favors people in office (usually men). But there’s one reason we can change! Women, unlike men, wait to be asked to run. Ladies, it’s time to stop waiting! Start running!
More women in Congress could help us close the wage gap that still exists, and don’t kid yourself that it doesn’t. Recent research by NAFE shows that men annually earn, on average, $10,000-plus more than women in exactly the same jobs. If you can’t run yourself, then offer to work on the campaign of a woman running in your district and help her win.
Women must not remain the silent majority!!!! Let’s make this year a better year for women.

Cruise to cash

2008-03-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

Today marketing is not the same as it was in the ‘60s or ‘70s, because there are enough products to satisfy customer’s needs. In fact customers are “hyper-satisfied”! Companies have segmented the market until it has become almost too small to service profitably.
Distribution is now largely in the hands of giant corporations such as Wal-Mart and Costco. There are more brands and fewer producers, products “life” have been shortened, and it’s cheaper to replace than to repair - all complicating the process further.
Marketing has always started with identifying the needs of your customer, but many companies are now focusing on the product. They focus on what category it falls into, and then what sub-category (for instance pudding and then what flavors). By focusing on the product, companies then focus on who’ll use the product, and those considered “not using” are excluded from the picture. In doing this, you’ve just given your competitor a target market.
You may have captured 75% of your “user market” because you have a USP (unique selling position) i.e.; more flavors, more convenient packaging, longer shelf life, etc. But why can’t YOU also take care of the other 25% instead of your competitor?
To do that, requires a new way of thinking known as “Lateral Marketing”. Stop thinking about how you can keep the 75% in love with your product (Vertical Marketing), think about drawing in the 25% of the market that wasn’t your customer. This is done by innovative thinking. This may be seen as further “segmenting” the market-place, but at the same time it’s making it bigger.
Let’s say you sell soap. You’ve captured 75% of your market because of some formulary development that makes more suds with less product. The 25% that your competition is trying to capture would rather spend less for soap, than use less. Your method of also capturing that 25% is to start thinking “innovation” and not different product.
Lateral Marketing works within the original category of product and complements it, not competes with it. You could come up with a soap with more bleach, with less foam, fragrance free, with more foam. You can innovate by size – selling in large economy packs, selling in individual packs, and do this without ever changing the formula of the product. This type of marketing works best for mature markets with no growth (after all, what new uses can you come up with for soap). It also can create markets from scratch, requires greater resources, and may redefine your company’s mission and business focus.
This innovative method of marketing doesn’t create “new” categories or markets, it always occurs “within” the category where the idea originated. If you’ve done everything right, you’ve garnered the 25% of customers that might have got away and it didn’t require a lot of overhead – you’re still producing soap!

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash Now

2008-03-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

Every business demands growth, and double-digit growth is the dream of every dedicated business owner, even when lackluster results show up at quarter’s end.
Most entrepreneurial business owners need a guide to navigate their way toward substantial, sustainable growth. It can be done even in a slow economy as demonstrated by such companies as Harley Davidson, Starbucks, and WalMart. Even smaller companies such as Paychex and Oshkosh Truck have been able to make gains in revenue, gross profits and net profits.
Here are 5 disciplines of sustained growth:
Retain Your Customer Base: Keep the growth that you have already earned by coaxing customers into complex relationships that make it a hassle for them to switch to your competitor. Tailor your products/services using data gleaned from your customers giving you an advantage. Proactively managing customer defections will help you anticipate and pre-empt them. Bonding with customers wherever emotion is tied to an interaction is another great way to retain them.
Gain Market Share at the Expense of Your Rivals: Give customers a reason to abandon a competitor’s product/service for yours. Do what it takes to lower the switching costs. Pulling customers away from a competitor can be difficult, so you must devote many resources to raiding their customer base. Offering higher value and quality are crucial to this end. Buying a competitor is another way to do this.
Exploit Market Position: Show up where growth is going to happen by spotting it early. This can be done by watching the industry for shifts in buying criteria, product or service innovations, and population trends. You must be able to spot positioning opportunities to make the most of them by continually using a systematic approach to the process.
Invade Adjacent Markets: Before moving into a nearby market, decide whether it offers significant long-term growth and profitability. Determine whether you have an advantage over a competitor, and ensure you can match its standards of quality and value.
Invest In New Lines of Business: If you take this approach, never overpay for a new line. You must find simple strategies instead of complex ones, and partner with the new business by assessing its leadership team and balance sheet.
Although a successful growth portfolio might not include all five of these disciplines, it must contain more than one. Only a balanced growth portfolio can keep an organization growing when the market shifts dramatically.
In closing I wish a happy and safe Memorial Day to all my entrepreneurial buddies and readers. Drive carefully!

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash 1

2008-03-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

Diversity, diversity, diversity! Some people, political types in particular, are trying to make “diversity” our defining characteristic. Has anyone thought of approaching the topic from the point of “commonality”, a bonding point of view, rather than “diversity”, a dividing point of view? Using the term “diversity” appears to me to mask a hidden and potentially sinister agenda to divide and control us. The parties pursuing this line seem more interested in playing the “blame game” and law suits by using “diversity” to categorize color group rather than individual capability.
We are all unique because DNA has billions of variations which make us so, but our opportunities are not. Humans share only a few dozen needs and desires, at best, but we have a history describing how others have solved similar problems. However, today’s use of the term “diversity” tends to make some feel like victims who only use history as an excuse.
Positive self-worth is an important attribute to every person, but it comes from assuming responsibility for tasks and seeing them completed successfully. Without responsibility, we drift in a sea of self-doubt, but many are using “diversity” as a way to avert this responsibility.
“Sensitivity training” is a negative method assuming certain color groups must have special treatments for special needs. Bull! We are all special and should be treated accordingly. Special treat of sensitive groups simply allows them excuses and the escape from responsibility. The basics of Management 101 states – “don’t give responsibility without authority, or authority without responsibility.” That’s the training needed in place of “sensitivity”.
The United States thrives on individuality which has been the sparkplug of our society. When we meld this individuality with teamwork, as in companies and corporations, we have a powerful engine. Combining individual initiative and other talents with organizational management has led us to become a world leader.
Why not stress “Commonality?” Let’s find ways to cooperate and multiply our individual talents to accomplish meaningful tasks. Let’s look at what each can provide to gain the mutual goal? Let’s join together to:
Define mutual needs/wants, desires.
Gather resources available.
Develop, build, execute, and monitor a plan to this end.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

cruise to cash

2008-03-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Supposed you’ve decided to move part of your business overseas, those administrative fees could look like illegal bribes.
Let’s say that to open a manufacturing plant in Southeast Asia you need a permit from the local government. A government agent there offers to get you the permit within a week – and his commission will only be $1,000. Back off! Watch your step here. In many countries, kickbacks and bribes have long been the accepted cost of doing business. However, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), enacted by Congress in l977, prohibits bribery of officials in other countries.
It’s illegal to make payments, offers or even promises of anything of value to foreign officials to obtain or retain business or get an advantage. It’s also illegal to make such payment to a third party (say the official’s wife or sibling).
For over 20 years the United States was the only country trying to prohibit bribery to foreign officials. U.S. companies complained they faced either bribing foreign officials and risking FCPA prosecution or losing the contract.
Since then, with the urging of the US, international organizations have enacted treaties and conventions aimed at stamping out this practice. The European Union, the United Nations, and the World Bank have adopted resolutions and policies against corruption which has helped to level the playing field.
You don’t want to get tangled up in bribery! The problem is it’s rarely easy to tell whether a proposed payment is actually a bribe. For instance, the FCPA doesn’t prohibit “grease payments” which are fees paid to foreign officials to expedite the actions the government would eventually take anyway, such as issuing a routine permit. But suppose you need a permit to build an oil pipeline, and a government agent asks for a few thousand dollars for advising you on environmental issues and compliances to make sure you get the permit. Would that be a “grease payment,” or a bribe for the officials to look the other way?
In light of the new rulings and laws, people of authority rarely ask for bribes, but they may ask for a small payment for advice on doing business there. For instance, if a government agency asks your company to build a park or pave a road in exchange for approval, that wouldn’t count as a “bribe.”
This whole scenario is further complicated by the layers of people it might take to get a job done. So, if you hire an agent to work with an agent abroad, how do you know he isn’t paying bribes and implicating your firm in corruption? Know what the deal should cost, so you can tell if money is leaking out.
Because complying with the many overlapping laws is tricky, don’t try it alone. Hire a lawyer with experience in international business to help you through this minefield.
In fact, it makes one wonder whether it wouldn’t be better just to stay on your home turf! Such is the way it goes when you start doing business overseas.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash

2008-03-14T10:38:00.001-07:00

Every online company knows that without traffic to their site, they go broke, quickly. There are many ways to get cheap web site traffic. One way is pay per click advertising, where you pay per click through to your site, but you do not know if the customer is going to purchase your product, so you do lose some money with that. Another way is to request links from other relevant, high traffic sites. Links to other well established sites is like personal recommendations, where you establish credibility fast, which increases the chances that they will buy your product. You must be persistent enough with some sites, though. You want to download the alexa toolbar, which gives you information about a website, such as traffic rating, ranking, contact info, site stats, related links, etc.
You can get free advertising by giving away free expert content to relevant sites itching for some new, fresh content. Web site owners are always looking for fresh content. Make sure you write a bit about the author and your web site or product. As long as it is not competing with theirs, they will not mind. You can post on these sites:
www.ezinearticles.com
www.freesticky.com
www.ideamarketers.com
www.findsticky.com
You can become an active expert in a newsgroup that is industry related. A newsgroup is an online forum where people share information and common interests. When you post, you are literally talking to your potential customers. These people do not want to be sold something; they want information from gurus, about the topic they are interested in. Make sure you have a sig file, or signature and start establishing relationships and prove your expertise. Stay with newsgroups that do not accept advertisements. This is also a great way to gather feedback from your website, straight from the horses’ mouth. You can reinvent it if you need to and fix it accordingly. When you post informative articles, people will begin to look forward to your posts, and eventually you may want to direct these people to your brand new newsletter.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

You Can Cruise to Cash

2008-03-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

If there is one word most Internet marketers quiver at the sound of, it is chargebacks. A chargeback is a dispute over a charge -usually an unauthorized or fraudulent charge- between the customer and the company. The merchant must pay back the entire amount along with any credit card fees. This amount is automatically deducted from your merchant account. There are three main problems about chargebacks that concern the merchant: 1. they lose the payment -and also the inventory if it was sent, 2. the fees associated with every chargeback are between $15 to $25, and worse of all 3. chargebacks don’t look good, and you may lose your merchant account. Merchant services are pretty finicky; they do not just hand out accounts to anyone.
The customer could either be dissatisfied with the product, or there could be a duplicate order, or it could be fraud. Whatever the reason may be, it is crucial to your online business to keep chargebacks to a minimum. One way to stop chargebacks is to stop fraudulent orders by checking to make sure the order seems legit. This may mean you may have to call each customer to confirm the order. You do not want to accept an order if it appears fraudulent. Be suspicious, because in the end, receiving too many chargebacks will damage your profit line.
If, on the other hand, your customer is simply dissatisfied with the product, give them a call and send them an email. Ask them what it is they didn’t like about the product. Ask them if there is anything you can do for them to satisfy them. If they still seem reluctant to drop the chargeback, your last resort would be to ask them if they wouldn’t mind dropping the chargeback and you can offer them a full refund. Most people wouldn’t mind this option. You will find that a simple phone call to the upset customer may actually turn things around in your favor.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash

2008-03-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

How many times have you heard that phrase, pitch, advertisement, or
whatever? Lots, I'm sure. It is used so much because marketers know that
staying home and making money is the fondest dream of millions of people.
And why not? Did you know that the majority of fatal heart attacks happen
at 9 a.m. Monday morning? It's true. It seems a lot of people would
rather die than get back to the old grind after a weekend of freedom.
So when someone offers an opportunity or plan for you to take your job and
shove it, yet still make enough money to live and pay all your bills, it
sounds blissfully irresistible.
Of course, bliss and reality are always two different things. Is it
really possible to run a business from your own home that is more than a
hobby or source of part-time income? Can you get rich working out of your
own home? Can you really trade your cubical and necktie for blue jeans and
the comfort of your own den?
Well, for your information, home-based businesses are one of the fastest
growing kinds of enterprises in America today. As this is being written,
some 40 million Americans are doing at least some form of work out of their
homes, and the numbers are rising rapidly. According to the U.S.
Department of Labor, as many as 70 million people will be working out of
their homes by the year 2005. Government studies have indicated that as
much as 75% of all work done in this country could eventually be moved
home.
The overwhelming majority of home workers, however, are not exactly getting
rich. The average work-at-home American earns less than $15,000 per year.
That may not be bad as a supplement to a spouse's full-time income, but
let's face it, fifteen grand in and of itself is not much better than poverty.
As master marketer and author Dr. Jeffrey Lant said: "Frankly, I never saw
any benefit to staying home and being poor."
Lant, without so much as a business card, became a work-at-home
millionaire, and is a perfect example of what truly can be achieved if you
are serious about chucking your day job, staying home, and not settling for
peanuts in exchange for your freedom. You can have it all -- you can stay
home and make as much -- and more -- money than your current job provides
you.
In this report, we are going to outline and discuss five key rules on how
to work at home and make big bucks, no matter where you live. After these
five rules, we'll talk about the most important aspect of any business,
whether it be home-based or a giant factory -- cash flow. Starting your
own business out of your home is all about attitude and inspiration, but
all the attitude in the world won't help you without money!
1. It Takes Commitment
Is it any secret in America that most people detest their jobs? Study
after study proves that most people simply dread going to work Monday
morning, and they live for the freedom of the weekend. But even that
freedom is not pure because we know that it is only temporary. It's hard
to enjoy a Sunday evening when the Monday morning alarm clock is just a few
hours away.
It makes sense that people hate their jobs. Everyday, there is a lot of
butt kissing that needs to be done. There are endless meetings which
usually accomplish nothing. There are pointless interruptions, a lot of
drifting this way and that, and lot of idiot supervisors who do nothing but
waste your time and then dog you for not accomplishing your share of work.
There are co-workers you hate, and who would stab you in the back in a
minute if it meant a raise for them instead of you.
When you work for someone else, you live a regimented life. Your body may
not want to get up at 7 a.m., but you have to be at work by 8 a.m. so you
lurch out of bed with a head full of sleep.
People who choose to work at home are doing more than just escaping the
yoke of their master; they have made a deep, firm, life-altering decision
which says that health, happiness and prosperity depend vitally on the
freedom to work for ourselves, and in doing so in the comfort of the home.
We want to really emphasize that fact that to be successful in a
work-at-home situation, you have to be nothing less than a fanatic; a
zealot, who is utterly committed to making work-at-home not only a
successful venture, but a profound commitment for life. You must be
convinced that a return to an outside office job would be the equivalent of
a spiritual death sentence.
Many people hate their office jobs, but they have made an inner compromise
with themselves. They have convinced themselves that their job is "not so
bad," pays the bills, and that they can stick out because they have to.
If you want to be truly successful at quitting your day job, there cannot
be any room for such compromises in your soul. You have to take the
attitude that to work any longer at your hateful job is akin to fouling
your inner being with a spiritual cancer the will sicken and kill you.
2. Eliminating the Home-Office Mentality
To move our work home, however, does not mean we eliminate every single
thing about the traditional American office. Rather, we should select what
is useful and what is not.
It's a mistake to quit your job and go home with a "home-office" mentality.
By this we mean thinking small, and believing that you will automatically
sacrifice a decent income in exchange for your freedom. Please! Do not
think small!
To quote Jeffrey Lant again: "Too many home-based practitioners fail to
understand the benefits that accrue because of the professional style they
have selected. They focus on the "home" part of the business rather than
the "business" portion, and as a result are doomed to small incomes."
Working at home provides many benefits. We can save a lot of time because
we don't need to commute and we have more control over our schedule. We
can save a lot of costs because we don't have the overhead requirements of
larger businesses. We can cut our stress -- and so have more energy --
because we avoid many of the characteristic problems of life in the late
20th-Century office. We must work these advantages to our profit.
3. Your International Headquarters
The German philosopher Immanuel Kant said that if you sit at home alone at
your empty kitchen table, eventually, the "whole world will come to you."
Well, today you don't need the great mind of a philosopher to make the
entire world come into your living room. What you need is a phone jack.
We live in a unique time in history. Satellites, fiber optics, the
integrated circuit and other communications miracles means that you can be
just about anywhere in the developed world and establish communication with
anyone.
The telephone, the fax machine, the computer, the modem -- all of these are
not only affordable by any middle-class citizen; they are the key to
eliminating your need to drive a hectic freeway everyday to get to a place
of business outside your home.
With these devices at our disposal, we should allow ourselves to "think
globally." Too often, home-based businesses focus on the narrowest market,
the neighborhood, the county, the city or state. This is fine if you are
providing a local service and are content with a certain moderate level of
income. But if you want the big bucks, you should not think small. Also,
you should not believe that, just because you are home-based, you cannot
compete with the big guys.
The purpose of any business is to seek assess and seek out every possible
market for its products and services, to ascertain whether these markets
have the ability to buy these products/services, to determine whether there
is sufficient profit in these markets to warrant approaching them, and,
once positive assessment has been made, to launch a sustained marketing
campaign that gets a significant percentage of this market to purchase the
product or service in question.
Your home telecommunications machines will not only enable you to do this,
but they can also help you overwhelm larger, more cumbersome traditional
businesses that are your competition.
As a home-based entrepreneur, you will not have all of the disadvantages of
your more traditional competitors: no office rent, equipment or expense;
no employees to pay salaries and fringe benefits for; no time wasted on
meetings, employee problems, paid sick leave, etc.
All the money your competitors spend on heating the office and buying
furniture could better be spent on the actual marketing itself.
As a home-based business, you will be already positioned where the
traditional business is currently struggling to move: toward the lowest
possible overhead and the greatest possible concentration of dollars on
products/service development and product/service marketing.
So, a home-based business takes full advantage of three major goals of
modern business success:
(1) Vastly reduced overhead
(2) Easy access to a global market
(3) Full advantage of telecommunications.
To not have the basic telecommunications toys -- computer, modem, fax, and
telephones is impossibly stupid. Still, even in this day and age, many of
people strongly resist the one element that is undoubtedly the heart and
brain of any successful home business -- the computer. The computer is so
important in fact, we have made it a category all itself.
And remember, learning to use a modern computer is easier than learning to
drive a car, so you have no excuse not to plunge forward.
4. The Computer
You should pay close attention to what computers can do for you in your
plans to escape your job and make your work-at-home dreams come true.
People who want to run a home business usually have a very small staff -- in
fact, a staff of one -- yourself! The rest of your needs are handled by
independent contractors, depending on the kind of business you are in and
the services you need.
To run a serious, truly global home business, a computer is as necessary as
oxygen is to life on earth. Those who try to fool themselves into thinking
they will ever make a serious go of their home-based business without a
computer are sadly mistaken.
Computers give you two primary advantages:
(1) They enable you to store large amounts of data and to sort by data
field so that you can easily get the information you need.
(2) They enable you to develop a pattern document for every situation
you'll ever be in in your business. To run a home-based business
successfully, you must anticipate just what situation will emerge and
prepare accordingly.
A business is based on a characteristic series of situations and a
characteristic set of things that happen -- or that do not happen. You
must be prepared with the proper document for each situation. Once you
have established all the protocols, and have experienced all the situations
associated with your kind of business, the time will come when running your
business is, in large part, a repetition of certain key tasks. Computers
are all about handling repetition swiftly and efficiently.
But the computer is much more. Today, by connecting a computer to the
phone line with a modem, your machine becomes more than a data storage
system and repetitive task handler. It becomes a multi-task, multi-level
communications processing center that connects you to the globe.
Such things as e-mail, on-line services, the Internet, the Web and more
can't help but revolutionize the way business is done. If you do not
become a part of it today, you certainly are going to suffer for it greatly
in the near future.
If there is an effective way to market products on the Internet or any
other on-line venue, no one has truly discovered it yet. The only people
making money on Internet marketing are the people who are selling the
concept of doing it. If you have a product or a service and expect to
reach millions of buyers through computer screens, you are sadly mistaken.
The Internet is definitely where a lot of innovative things are happening.
It's a great place to exchange ideas, find out what hot, what's not, and
stay on the cutting edge whatever your particular business is.
5. Your Business Hours
If you've been paying attention to the first four points, you're well on
your way to becoming a successful home-based business owner. Now we don't
want you to blow it by thinking you can keep banker's hours.
The global market is a 24-hour per day market, and a 365-day per year
market. Let the others sleep late on Saturdays and take Sundays off.
Those times could be your day to move and corner loads of customers that
the others miss.
You should get up earlier and quit work later. You should be open for
business on holidays and be available 24-hours a day either personally or
through your answering service.
"But wait a minute!" you might be thinking at this point! "I thought that
working at home was all about freedom and an end to drudgery. This sounds
like nothing but endless work!"
Well, here's the thing. For most of you who quit your regular jobs to go
to work for yourself, you'll discover something magical. You'll discover
that when you are working for yourself, when you are building your own
business, a lot of what you does not seem like work at all.
The great writer Jane Roberts said, "Inspiration is its own motivator."
Running your own business is all about being inspired 24-hours-a-day. When
you stop selling your body and soul to some company or corporation and
start giving your energy to yourself, work has a way of turning into
inspiration and play.
The perfect work for you is that which you don't think of as work, yet
doing it makes money and provides you with the bread and shelter of life.

Cruise to Cash

2008-03-11T11:12:00.001-07:00

When the first generation of women entered the workforce in earnest in the 1970s, they succeeded in the only way they could – by imitating men. Authoritarian leadership and tight control was the hallmark of that day’s businessman, and women were not exactly welcomed into the ranks of management. Well ladies, that was yesterday, and today is today!
Forget what your mama or your boss told you, because following the rules can be bad for your career. Today’s CEO/entrepreneur can no longer tap his/her company’s full potential using a “command-and-control” style. The 21st century business woman needs to be able to build a vision based on the awareness of economic transformation, then help her partners and staff fulfill that vision. She must draw on a wide range of skills to get to the top and stay there. Following are 7 Key Characteristics that are essential:
Sell the Vision: A leader with a fresh, independent plan for her company’s growth and future has a distinct advantage in luring and keeping great talent and investors. Vision is not some lofty ideal, but an obtainable concept that is easy to understand and will make the company grow to another level.
Reinvent the Rules: While women have traditionally been socialized to please others, the 21st century leader knows that good girls rarely post great returns. The strong managers/owners today not only anticipate change, they create entirely new organizations that respond to shifts and search for innovation.
Achieve With A Laser Focus: Go where others fear to tread! Being aggressive and ambitious has long been considered male traits, but they are key qualities for new leaders. Today’s business woman has the ability to home in on opportunities that others may simply not see, and then excel in that uncharted territory.
Use High-Touch in a High-Tech Era: When a number of leaders are conducting business by e-mail, voice mail, passwords, and PINs, the female entrepreneur succeeds because she guides with a strong, personal, bed-side manner. Today’s business woman is just as technologically savvy as her peers, but her skill with staff and customers is “high-touch” which gives her a critical edge and separation from the “pack”.
Challenge or Opportunity? – Women are great at turning a challenge into an opportunity instead of using the “slash-and-burn” approach. They are able to make bold strokes, but they also win the cooperation of others in the organization in making any transformation a success.
A Customer Preference Obsession: In this information age which makes it easier to shop around for the best “whatever”, businesses must work harder to give people what they want before their competitors do. There is no substitute for spending time with clients to become expert at their businesses and learn their demands. Female leaders are almost intuitively adept in doing just that, and without the client even suspecting.
Courage Under Fire: Show me any career woman or female entrepreneur today that isn’t able to “stand-the-heat” in any tough-call situation. Their decision-making skills are rooted in a high level of confidence, because they’ve had to weather and surpass any and all “corporate” storms they’ve encountered over time.
It takes a certain mind-set and bravado for anyone to start their own business and succeed, but it’s even more difficult for a female entrepreneur. Let’s face it, ladies! We’ve always had to be twice-as-smart and twice-as-confident as any male counterpart in the corporate world. After all, if we can bear and raise the future generation, how can running a successful business scare us?

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash With Steve Whitehead

2008-03-07T09:32:00.001-08:00

Here it is holiday time again, and while Ms. Abby and Manners takes care of our social etiquette I’d like to share some practical tips for business holiday parties.
Here are some DO’S….
Attend the Event: It’s an unspoken expectation that showing up may not be mandatory or can it be required, but attending isn’t really optional. That is if you want to be working there next year.
If you RSVP – by all means ATTEND: Many business functions are paid on the basis of the number who attend, and that is calculated by the number of RSVP’s.
Mingle, Mix, and Move: Talk to different people and learn something new. Don’t stick with your usual watercooler pals.
Pay Attention to Start and End Times on the Invitation: This is there for a reason, and you don’t want to overstay your welcome.
Remember that Any Business Party is Really a Business Event: Although it might be outside the standard office meeting and be accompanied with food and beverage, the same rules of conduct apply.
Limit Gift Giving: Colleagues will often feel obligated to give gifts in return for receiving gifts. If you do give, give from the heart and keep it simple, and priced at a minimum.
Dress Appropriately and Professionally: All eyes are not meant to be on you, and this is not the time for provocative dress. Lean toward the conservative or classic look.
Give Thank-You’s: When appropriate write either a note of thanks, or if at a private home tell the host/hostess in person that you enjoyed the celebration.
Now for the Don’ts…..
Say “yes” to a Blind Date: You don’t know who the person is or who he/she might know. Rule of thumb – when in doubt, go stag.
Be Flirtatious or Get Frisky: This is crossing the line of appropriate and adult behavior at a business event.
Drink Too Much: it’s not worth taking the chance that you’ll say something you wish you hadn’t. Rule of thumb is- limit yourself to 2 drinks.
Talk All Business: BORING!! After all it is a social gathering. The guests are supposed to have fun, get to know each other, and have a different experience outside of daily office routine.
Prospect for New Business: TACKY!!
Assume Everyone Celebrated the Same Holiday: If you say “Merry Christmas” to someone who doesn’t observe the holiday it might offend them. Be generic and say “Happy Holidays.”
Give Gag Gifts: This is not the place to risk offending or embarrassing someone.
Gossip: Gossiping in any situation is usually damaging and not a good practice, but it’s especially not appropriate at a business-related event.
Hopefully with these tips under your belt, your appearance at you next business holiday event will go successfully.
The majority of business professionals know these things, but there’s always some newcomers to the firm who may not be as seasoned as some of us.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash

2008-03-03T06:39:00.001-08:00

Whether you’re thinking it’s Spring Cleaning Time or time for an annual checkup, your business needs to undergo a checkup each year. No matter how large or small your business is, you cannot gauge the effectiveness of any changes you’ve made without analyzing the benefits and bottom line.
Here are 10 questions to get you started:
How do your year-to-date sales compare to the last couple of years? Don’t be satisfied if you managed to match them because if sales stayed the same then you’ve achieved zero growth. With inflation, this flat growth line is a warning sign for more trouble down the road.
What percentage of your business is from repeat customers? This is important to know because if it’s too low, then it needs to be improved. The estimated cost of getting a new customer versus retaining an existing one can be as much as five to one in terms of dollars spent. Keeping customers is more cost-effective than constantly seeking new ones.
How long has it been since you offered a new product or service? Loyal customers like to see you changing and progressing with the times. If you’re stuck for an idea, ask your customers what they need.
Do you consider marketing and advertising expenses or investments? How you look at the money spent in these areas affects your willingness to spend money at all. Would you look at prescriptions as a waste of money? Marketing is really investing in you, your vision, and your company. The old adage that you must spend money to make money is true, but you must spend it wisely. Spend it on ads that are pulling responses and orders, and if they’re not maybe you need to change publications.
Do you know what PR is and how to use it to positively position your business in the media? I’ll bet that at least one of your competitors does. Nearly every mention of a company or business in the newspapers and magazines is a direct result of publicity efforts. Being quoted or featured in an article speaks volumes to your clients and readers who are your potential prospects. A good PR consultant can do that for you and show you ways to extend the shelf life of that article beyond its publication.
Are you listed in the yellow pages? If you only have a line listing, consider including a small ad in the yellow pages. If you can afford it, it will pay dividends throughout the year.
Do you teat your regular customers better than your drop-ins? You should. If your customers don’t feel special when coming to you for products of services, why should they remain loyal to you? Have a customer appreciation day or a special invitation only sale for your regulars. Create a mailing list of your regulars. Send occasional post cards or greeting cards for special events or just to keep in touch. Learn to recognize them on sight and greet them by name when they visit you.
How long has it been since you really talked to one of your customers? Just as you appreciate when your Doctor takes time to talk to you, your customers will appreciate you if you take an interest in their needs. If you have a service business, have lunch or coffee periodically with some regulars – even if they only contact you once or twice a year. The personal touch in an impersonal world will be remembered.
How is your business doing compared to your competition? Every company, no matter what the size, has competition – even home-based businesses. Is their business growing or downsizing? Is their pricing or service better than yours? If so, what can you tell potential customers about the price difference? Think about how you can improve your service to meet or exceed your customer’s expectations.
Are your employees happy? Don’t ask them directly, but observe them throughout the day. Watch, listen and learn. Employees who like their jobs don’t watch the clock for quitting time, aren’t habitually late, don’t have poor body language, don’t spend time on personal phone calls, and don’t look like they never smiled. Observe how they interact with customers. Not everyone is a match for direct contact with the public, so make sure you don’t have an employee who is driving business away.
I can remember when I was working at my very first job out of school. It was a service business with just the owner and me at work. There was direct contact with the clients, and there was never a problem with smiling when talking face to face with them. I was given the best business tip of my life by that employer, when he pointed out to me that when talking to clients on the telephone I should smile too. For some unexplainable reason, when you smile as you talk on the phone, the exchange with the client becomes more pleasant and more productive. It’s as if that smile went right through the phone wires to the person to whom you’re talking.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash Today

2008-02-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

Like it or not, the first impression people get from you is your appearance. When engaged in an interview or you are already hired, you always want to look best. Clean cut, professional looking people get treated like a professional. How you dress sends specific signals to people. Let’s start from head to toe for women. First of all, never wear too much jewelry or makeup. One item of jewelry is enough. A small ring on one finger, or small earrings is plenty. No big loops ladies. Makeup should be conservative, just plain powder or concealer and barely any eye makeup. No lipstick is appropriate at an interview. It is just not professional. The woman’s suit should be wool, linen, or cotton/polyester. Stick with navy, gray, and medium blues, at least for the first interview. As for blouses, solid colors and natural fabrics, such as cotton or silk look clean and professional. A scarf says a lot about a business woman; it is a powerful status symbol. Shoes should never be open toed and stay within 2 ½ inch heels, nothing faddish or multicolored. The color of your shoe should be the same or darker than your skirt. Pantyhose should always be neutral skin tones, nothing outlandish, unless you are interviewing in the fashion industry. A briefcase is an excellent choice for a business woman, but don’t bring along your purse too. It looks awkward trying to juggle them around. You should choose either brown or burgundy, black or navy, either one is fine. You do not want to ever distract the interviewer with your outfit, makeup or accessories. Last but definitely not least is your personal hygiene. Bad breath, dandruff, body odor, and dirty unmanicured nails do not give a good impression. When it comes to body odor, you are what you eat. If you consume a lot of garlic, onions, cilantro, and junk food, not only will it show in your skin, but it will seep through your pores. Gross. Make sure you eat a natural healthy diet so you always smell pleasant.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

You Too Can Cruise to Cash

2008-02-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

The general dress code guidelines for men during an interview are that they wear suits in navy blue or dark blue. This is preferred over gray or charcoal gray. Sometimes brown can be acceptable but not on the first interview. Usually, the darker the suit, the more authority it carries. But beware; a man should never wear black to an interview unless he is applying as an undertaker. A two piece suit is acceptable as is a three button single breasted jacket. What matters most is that the suit fits well and it is good quality. The trousers should fit comfortably at the waist and a slimmer fit is preferred. There should only be a slight break where the trouser hits the shoe. If your ankles are showing, they are way too short.
A man at an interview should always wear a long sleeved shirt either in white, cream or pale blue. Monograms are not a good decision on the first interview. If you tend to perspire often, cotton shirts are the way to go professionally cleaned and starched. The higher the cotton content, the better the shirt will look. Make sure your shirt fits the neck properly and that the sleeve cuff ends just at the wrist. All your interview clothes should be professionally cleaned and pressed and ready to go.
Ties that are cheap looking do not give off a good first impression. A pure silk tie makes the most powerful professional impact, has the best finish and feel, and is easiest to tie well. The tie should complement your suit, not match it. No outlandish, flamboyant ties are necessary. The length of the tie should be extended to your trouser belt.
Shoes should be brown or black leather. No other materials or colors are acceptable. Socks should complement the suit, blue, black, gray, or brown. A briefcase is a symbol of authority, which makes a strong professional statement. Brown or burgundy are the colors of choice.
As with women, men’s jewelry should be kept to a minimum. No visible body piercing or tattoos -if you can help it.
This clean cut, well manicured image says a lot about a professional man. He should smell wonderful, have a nicely trimmed hair cut and appear clean and crisp. Good luck.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

You Can Cruise to Cash

2008-02-27T11:05:00.001-08:00

Americans throw away enough paper in a year to build a wall 12 feet high from New York City to Los Angeles. This fact is from earth911.org, a public service Website that focuses on recycling issues. Now that’s a lot of paper!
Despite the hype that computer makers fed us a few years ago, the computer has NOT decreased the paper used in most offices today. According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Clean Your Files Day Program, the average citizen uses 1 ½ pounds of paper per day. The average office employee uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year according to
the Environmental Defense Fund.
Now that’s just the figures on paper. What about the ink cartridges and cell phones that are tossed into landfills each year. No matter how you slice it, recycling today is big business.
Whether it’s glass, paper, plastic, steel, ink cartridges, computers, magazines, cardboard boxes, cell phones or another material, recycling products reduces waste and cost, and saves energy and resources. So why isn’t your business utilizing a recycling program?
Many small business owners feel overwhelmed when asked about recycling, but it needn’t be daunting because there are a lot of resources available. Many of them are just an Internet click away. Some that you might look at are:
http://www.earth911.org/
www.epa.gov/recyclecity/
http://www.greenofficerecycling.com/
www.obviously.com/recycle
http://www.nre-recycle.org/
http://www.recyclingtoday.com/
There may also be businesses nearby you that have “been there and done that” and may be willing to share advice, strategies, plans, and programs. Why reinvent the wheel when you can duplicate it?
Here are 18 steps that will help start your recycling program, and help your business become a good corporate citizen:
Make the decision to start. Believing that a recycling program is positive and beneficial to the business must exist as the foundation.
Get “buy-in” from other manage-ment and employees.
Decide if you need a “designated” recycling coordinator. This could be a volunteer who feels strongly about the subject.
Find a mentor or model. Find a business similar in size that has a successful program and ask for help.
Create a program plan. This should include goals and measurable objectives.
Know what can be recycled – what to collect and what to toss. There are regulations as to what can and cannot be recycled.
Understand recycling and educate the team. Tell your employees why you want to recycle, why it’s important and what’s expected of each employee.
Determine a collection method. Decide from the beginning whether recyclables will be commingled or separated by source.
Make recycling convenient and easy. Don’t skimp on collection bins, for example. If a bin is easier to find than a trash can than your program is bound to work.
Choose a method for removal. Here in Santa Clarita we’re fortunate to have our own trash companies alert about recycling and willing to assist citizens.
Establish program guidelines. Keep it simple and foolproof for employees.
Launch your program and get team “buy in”. Make it fun. Schedule a kick off program, or even a company-wide contest to name the program.
Implement! Now it’s time to put the program into practice. Purchase and place bins, label recycling areas/bins. Make sure you place signs about what is recyclable and what isn’t in the same vicinity as the collection bins.
Promote and market your program. Keep the momentum going among your employees. Some companies even offer incentive programs to recognize individuals or departments for their efforts.
Evaluate the program periodically. Analyze your program’s effectiveness and let team members know the result. How much waste is being saved? Is it reducing costs? Are supply expenses lower?
Keep it going and build on the program. If you started with just paper, now extend it to plastic/ink cartridges, for example.
Publicize successes. Internally promote the program with workers via a newsletter or email. Externally, use it for a PR boost by sharing results with local and trade publications with a Press Release. Hey, great advertising!
Close the loop. Buy recycled content products for your business, reduce waste in the office, and reuse materials when possible.
The start of a new business year is the perfect time to start a recycling program in your business. It’s just what’s needed to re-energize holiday-worn workers, and make them feel like a part of your company’s planning team. Happy Recycling!

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise To Cash

2008-02-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

When building your own website there are a few things to consider. If you know nothing about web design, you will need to pay someone to design it exactly the way you want. Make sure you use a reputable source so you are not wasting your money. Be very picky about choosing your domain name. Make sure it is short, sweet and memorable. One popular site you can visit to check what domains are available is www.whois.sc This is also a good site to see who owns a particular domain you are interested. If the owner is not using the domain, you can offer to purchase it from them.
Probably one of the most important factors in an internet company is choosing a very good web host. If your web site goes down, you are completely out of business. When searching for a web host company make sure they have secure server capabilities, fast servers, lots of space, unrestricted CGI access, SSH and FTP access, web-based administration, access to raw server logs, full email services, power and daily server backups, and no minimum contracts. You may want to test their technical support and see if they offer services, scripts, and software. Inquire about their downtime and how long they have been in business. Make sure you are not being charged for the extra services.
When a customer visits your website, you want them to see professionalism, knowledge and fast connections. If your visitors notice advertisements from your free or low cost web host server they will perceive your site to be unprofessional and very small time. Slow connection speeds will definitely lose customers and cost you much money. So, choose your web host server carefully and you will be well on your way to creating a website that will attract all types of visitors.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to cash

2008-02-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

When you are at an interview, you may not be aware of this but your interviewer is observing your body language, very carefully. Your body language says a lot about yourself, so you need to control negative body movements and encourage positive body movements and habits. Humans naturally send and receive nonverbal communication; they have been doing so since the beginning of time. When your girlfriend folds her arms but has a smile on her face, are you not wondering what she upset is about or clammed up for. At an interview, you never want your body language to contradict your words, this makes you appear like a liar. The first impression, or the first few minutes of your interview are the most lasting.
The Handshake: your hands should be clean and well manicured, and free of perspiration. You want to allow the interviewer to initiate the handshake, which should match the interviewer in firmness, do not give a firmer handshake than them. Smile at the interviewer and look them in the eyes. It should last between two to five seconds. When departing the interview, the handshake may last longer, smile and lean forward as you shake.
Here are a few things you will want to avoid at an interview:
Clasping your hands behind your head
Adjusting your tie constantly
Slouching in your chair
Pulling your collar away
Picking at your face or outfit
Tight smiles or tension in face
Little eye contact
Wrinkling your eyebrows
Rapidly nodding your head
Any nervous tics
Crossing your ankles - means withholding information
Crossing your legs away from the interviewer- toward is ok
Crossing one ankle over the other knee
Crossing your interviewers personal space
Avoid grinning idiotically
Gnawing on one’s lips absentmindedly
“Faking” a cough during a tough question
Folding or crossing your arms
Avoid compulsive jabbing the floor or desk with your foot
Loud, obnoxious laughter

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Steve Whitehead

2008-02-19T08:48:00.001-08:00

When I saw the January issue of Entrepreneur Magazine I was thrilled. Cover copy had a teaser on it to the effect that entrepreneurs had been surveyed and inside were their answers. I was certain that, finally, someone was paying attention to entrepreneurs who were striving for a successful business. It was time to hear from us little guys!
I can’t tell you how surprised I was as I began to read the article. Their idea of an “entrepreneur” and mine were as different as night and day. I always classified an entrepreneur as someone like the “Mom and Pop” coffee shop around the corner, the family run produce market in town, or the 18 to 24 year old who had come up with a fantastic “gizmo” and was scooped up into a corporation as their newest genius. Let me give you a quote from the article that will clue you into its idea of an “entrepreneur”.
To explain the method used for the survey they state, “Entrepreneur magazine and PricewaterhouseCoopers “Entrepreneurial Challenges Survey” is an annual telephone survey of more than 300 CEOs of privately held, U.S.-based businesses recognized for their sustained, rapid growth. They average $31.5 million in annual revenue with an average of 185 employees, and have an ongoing annual growth rate of more than 23 percent……”
That definitely was not my picture of an entrepreneur. I don’t know too many entrepreneurs who average $31.5 million annually, or employ 185 people. To me, that’s a pretty successful company on its way to being a corporation. We should all be such entrepreneurs!
At any rate, I continued reading and I must say the information was worth the read, and the business of doing business can apply to those of us who aren’t quite making that $31.5 million per year yet. Here’s what the survey discovered.
What were considered their biggest challenges for 2006?
73% - Retention of key workers
38% - Developing new products/services
36% - Expansion to domestic markets
35% - Increased productivity
28% - Upgrading technology
23% - Creating business alliances
21% - Better management of cash flow
14% - Expansion outside the U.S.
13% - Improving risk management
11% - Finding new financing
11% - Buying another company or launching a spinoff
7% - Preparing company for sale
2% - Going public
Now when you stop and think about it, that’s pretty much what most entrepreneurs think about each year. Maybe not to the extent of expanding to foreign markets or launching a spinoff, but to keep your business perking along the road of improvement - all the rest are considered.
The next part of the survey was interesting because entrepreneurs were given a list of several “wild-card” factors that could affect business in 2006. When asked which three would be most harmful to their business, here’s what they said:
47% - Unstable U.S. economy
43% - Rising health-care costs
41% - Shortage of qualified workers
40% - Weak market demand
24% - Rising oil/energy costs
24% - Rising interest rates
22% - New government regulations
18% - Weaker capital spending
14% - Weakening world economy
12% - Increased global competition
11% - Decreased access to capital
10% - Sudden drop in U.S. real estate market
10% - Tax increases
9% - Inflation
So maybe my entrepreneurs and those surveyed are not really that much different in thinking. The outlook of most entrepreneurs is probably optimistic, or will be unless more unforeseen disasters strike.
Even after the huge devastation of 9/11, within two quarters we were back to the same level of optimism as we had before. People get used to dealing with tough circumstances and factor them in, but are not swayed by them. When you really think about it; isn’t that what most entrepreneurs are like?
If they’re not, then they aren’t entrepreneurs by my way of thinking.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

You Should Cruise to Cash

2008-02-18T11:08:00.000-08:00

Budgets and personal finances are not most people’s favorite topics, and certainly not one of mine. Even bank executives have problems in this area, but if you’re an entrepreneur so do you. You’re concentrating so much time on your business, your personal checkbook takes a back seat. Then one day you are met with the startling fact that you’re not saving enough for lean times and you panic.
Well, just apply your professional talents to the situation and become your own personal CFO. By using your CFO eyes on the situation, it somehow tempers the pain of dealing with your own money. To get started, here are 5 rules for treating your personal finances like a business:
Be Your Own Board of Directors. To make good decisions, you must know what you’re trying to achieve. In business, Board of Directors write mission statements to keep the company on track with goals. At home, it’s up to you to define your mission and make sure you’re fulfilling it by writing down your goals. Not just your financial goals either, but your “life” goals.
Know Your Operating Costs. Do you know what you spend every month on average? Businesses do because they base their budgets on historic spending patterns. Most people, however, don’t know what it costs to keep their lives running. You can make out detailed budgets, but find out at the end of the month that you haven’t stuck to it. So instead of doing a budget that dictates how much to spend, do a “cash flow statement” that records how much you actually spend each month broken into several categories.
Know Your Net Worth. Companies measure progress toward goals through balance sheets which list their assets and liabilities. Your net worth is your balance sheet where you list everything that you own. That means your checking and savings accounts, investments, car, house, etc. minus everything you owe. Track your net worth quarterly to make sure you’re moving toward your personal goals. Without this step, you might not see the impact of your money decisions until it’s too late.
Forecast Money Decisions Results. When a business makes important decisions, they use a process called “scenario planning”. They look at the possible outcomes of one choice compare to another. You can use the same process to make smart money decisions. For any choice, pick two options, and then look at what each answer would do to your cash flow and net worth. Remember, there are no “good” or “bad” choices – only choices that put you closer or farther from your goals.
Track Progress by Annual Reports. Just as companies assess their progress in their annual reports, you need to review your list of priorities every year. Have you accomplished any goals? Have your spending patterns changed? Did you spend less than you earned? Did you save as much as you planned?
You need to treat your money like you treat your business. Give it the time it deserves, because in the end the time you spend is really an investment in yourself and your dreams.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Want to Cruise to Cash?

2008-02-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

If you’ve tried to get a loan from the bank for your business lately, you know it’s no slam-dunk. The promos for SBA loans and loans for minority or women owned businesses sounds great, but when you get nose-to-nose with a banker it’s another story.
Some of the reasons that make it seem so difficult are that many lending officers feel that they’re lending you their money instead of the bank’s. They take almost personal responsibility for maximizing repayment.
Another is that they are particularly suspect of new ventures. Since 4 out of 5 or 80% fail within the first three years, many lenders require a three-year history of doing business.
Lastly, with all the bank merging and acquisitions that have taken place the decision-making process has been moved far off-site from the local branch. Add all of these reasons up, and you had better be prepared to razzle-dazzle the banker.
Here are some tips to make lending you more attractive to the bank. First, start with a two-part presentation. Initially submit a brief overview of your loan request. In this overview include:
Excerpts from your business plan about your business concept, management team, and financial projections.
Credit history overviews of the principals of your business.
Brief answers to key lender questions of how much you’ll need, how you’ll use it, and how will you pay it back?
This should be a two to three page document and can be considered a mutual qualifier. It determines if the bank has any interest in lending you funds before you spin your wheels for hours in front of the loan officer. You may want to end the document with your phone number so that the banker can call you back for an appointment or discussion.
If you’ve dazzled the loan officer sufficiently and have obtained an appointment to meet with him, then it’s time to prepare the “big guns”. The ammo you’ll come prepared with will be three years of personal tax returns for all the principals of your company and the existing business. Include credit reports on all principals, a complete and impressive business plan, and collateral and capitalization information.
This sounds like a lot of information and will require immense effort, but that’s why business ownership isn’t for everyone.
In addition to being prepared with all that paperwork be prepared for any off-the-wall questions the lender might throw at you. Take time to think about and originate a 30-second commercial about what you plan on doing and how it will benefit them and the business.
Be prepared to explain away any credit blemishes that show up on the credit reports before the banker has an opportunity to worry about them. Be sure you’re able to show “cash-flow” understanding and awareness, without which any business is doomed. Plot your most realistic estimated cash flow and bank account balance. Make sure the bank balance never goes negative, and for a good touch show the loan repayment as a separate line item. This shows the banker that you understand priorities.
Collateral may be needed to satisfy the lender’s angst about repayment of the loan, and unfortunately most small businesses have too few assets to satisfy this need. Many entrepreneurs are forced to pledge personal assets such as their home to allay the bank. This may seem scary, and it is, unless you’re really sure of your success.
It sounds like a daunting task, but with some preparation and determination it can be done. It’s not as easy as all the ads you’ve heard, and just the fact that you are starting a “woman-owned” business won’t cut any ice with a banker, but all of life is a gamble isn’t it?
After all, that’s why you’re an entrepreneur instead of a corporate lackey isn’t it? GO FOR THE GOLD!

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash Immediately

2008-02-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

Now that we’ve covered the approach you’re going to take in your ads let’s take a look at “Aspects of the Approach”. These are actually subsections that needed a place to live, but don’t tell anyone.
Tone & Personality:
You have to make a decision about your ad relating to its tone and personality. What disposition/character/behavior/or attitude is going to be the most effective?
Now tone is the undercurrent of your ad or the mood. Personality is the make-up of the ad’s character. It’s important to think about this because some advertisers ignore it and when they pull the pieces together (picture, copy, etc) the ad doesn’t project anything.
For instance think of the grabber line being, “Big budget delivers big results.” Hmm? Just as money can’t solve all social ills, big budgets don’t automatically create inventive advertising. Many times we’ve seen an enormous budget plus a rotten idea = a huge failure. Yet, there are times when we see a small budget plus a first-rate idea = marvelous success. Be prepared to make do and still make it fantastic.
Break the Limits.
If you have a small ad, demonstrate that you’re better than the space you’re in. Remember the prospect doesn’t care about the size of the ad, he only cares about what you’re doing for him.
Turn Adversity Into Advantage.
If your client insists on showing woodchucks in his jewelry ad, turn out the best woodchuck jewelry ad ever. You’ll get points for originality, and because it’s a “zag” you’ll probably get results.
Use What’s Already Available.
Before you spend a lot on photos and illustrations, look at what you have lying around. It’s free.
Can the Approach Work?
Not to discourage free form thinking, but you should reject approaches that demand too much BLT (budget, labor, and time). Instead, prepare ads that require your talent and not months and bucks.
Frugality Makes You Timely.
The smaller the production budget, the sooner your ad can get in the market. This is the “Rule of Thumb.” The reason is because you’re not relying on other resources. So, unchain your ads from expenses and move fast.
This is worthwhile because if economic conditions suddenly change (and they will), you can quickly respond with a new ad message that addresses the new economy. You might decide to say, “Now more than ever, it pays to use our product.” You’ll again leave your competitors in the dust because they’re tied to expensive ads and long production timetables.
Watch Your Language.
Most people don’t realize the power that’s packed in language. One misused phrase can upset thousands of people, so keep you antennas up and use your judgment.
For instance, use nothing at the expense of a certain group. This will offend people. Instead, show that an ad can get results from scores of readers and a smile from every one of them.
Don’t make fun of the prospect in a “we’re just kidding” way. He’s not paying much attention to your ad, so he won’t get the subtle nuances of your wit – only enough to be insulted.
If you can follow these hints you should be able to work out a “cracker-jack” ad for either yourself or a client. Next week we’ll take a look at handling the media.
-30-
KNOW THE SCORE
by Maureen Stephenson
Advertising 101 By/For Entrepreneurs
When you’re doing your ad, remember that you must use psychology. You must, and I mean MUST, make your prospect want your product more than anything they can think of – and right NOW!
By the time they get through reading your ad, they should be panting to run out to your store or shove their check in an envelope and run to the mailbox.
Today I’m going to give you some tips that will help you. First always remember that enticing, siren of advertising AIDA. Who is AIDA you ask? Well AIDA stands for,
A=Attention – Grab your targets attention.
I=Interest – Create curiosity
D=Detail – Provide details
A=Action – Call for action
If you have AIDA before you every time you start to do an ad, you’ll never fail. The most important point is the “call to action”. You’d be surprised at the number of sales that are lost because the client is never asked to “order now, try it for 30 days, fill out the coupon” - or whatever you use to make your client take action.
Here are some advertising pearls that will keep you on the beam:
Force yourself to operate under deadlines. When you start buying advertising space you’ll have to meet deadlines so get used to them.
A good headline answers the question WIIFM (What’s In It For Me)?
A customer who buys from you two times is twice as likely to buy as a customer that only buys from you once.
If you’ve got a good product, a good, liberal, strong guarantee should go with it and will increase your sales. The amount of returns/refunds you get will be insignificant compared to the increase in sales.
The more your sales letter looks like a “personal” letter, the better it will work.
Remember the 40-40-20 rule for using direct mail. It breaks your success in three ways: 40% of you success is using the right list, another 40% is having the right offer, and 20% is everything else (copy, format, graphics, paper, etc.).
In advertising it is better to offer a Free Bonus than to offer a discount.
Direct mail advertising statistics show that mail delivered on Saturdays and Mondays get the poorest response. Best days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday-and in that order.
Use testimonials in your ad and put them before the call to action and after the details about your widget.
“Buy 1 get 1 FREE” always out-pulls “2 for the price of 1”.
Nothing is more powerful than “goodwill” except ill will. If a client is dissatisfied, make good and make it fast.
Always make your customer feel like they’re the most important customer you have, and they’ll keep buying from you and not your competitor.
If you want to mail an ad for your business to prospects, research mailing lists on the Internet at: www.edithroman.com You’ll have access to virtually every direct response mailing lists in the U.S.
Sales copy can never be too long, it can only be boring.
You can increase your response rate from a mailing if you add a “post-it” note on your sales letter. You can say something like, “Only for the month of June”, or “Reply before 6/30 to get the discount.”
The best way to keep tabs on your competition is to become their customer and see how you’re treated.
In Direct Marketing (which ads by mail are called) there are only two rules: Rule #1: Test everything. Rule #2: See Rule #1
Ad copy type-set in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS is harder to read than all lowercase of Mixed Case.
Repeat your offer and guarantee on your order form.
Whenever possible, give your customers an extra added and unexpected bonus or gift along with the order to show your appreciation.
There are only three ways to grow your business: (1) increase the number of customers; (2) increase your average dollars per sale; (3) increase the frequency you do business with your customer. Always remember, “turn-over may feed your ego, but it won’t feed your family.”
The more you treat your clients as friends, the more likely they’ll talk about you and do more business with you.
Don’t ever let a Holiday come and go without offering your current customers a special deal in an ad. Use the event as the “hook” for the ad, and if you research the subject you’ll find there’s a holiday of some sort almost every month. Not just the big ones like Valentine’s Day or Easter, but use one’s like Groundhog’s Day, National Dairy Month, Boy Scout’s Week, or whatever you can work into your product line.
Now that I’ve introduced you to AIDA, and given you all these marketing pearls you should be able to compose an ad that will not only increase your presence in the marketplace, but also bring you more clients, business, and profits.
-30-
KNOW THE SCORE
by Maureen Stephenson
Image, Timesaving and Cash Saving Tips
Since entrepreneurs are wearing all the hats in their business, every little shortcut or tip that makes life easier is always welcome. Let me share some “been there-done that” information with you to make your business life a little easier.
Office furnishings and decorations say a great deal about you, so to convey the image you want to convey pay attention to these:
Furniture Arrangement: Setting your desk in the middle of the floor with chairs facing it conveys a “formal” atmosphere. It conveys to your clients that you want to maintain a distance from visitors. Instead, place your desk against a wall (not facing it) to convey confidence.
Messy Desks: A small amount of messiness implies comfort and friendliness, but too much clutter makes visitors think you don’t care about making a good impression on anyone. The opposite extreme, an immaculate desk conveys coldness and could be perceived as you not having enough work to do.
Decorations: Plants, drapes, and artwork will convey a comfortable, relaxed attitude. Books and artwork express your sincerity.
Awards & Certificates: If job-related, they reassure visitors that you are experienced and competent.
Planning is essential for the entrepreneur, and all you need is 30 minutes to plan your entire week if you use the OATS formula.
Objectives: What results do you want to have by week end? Write them down and rank them.
Activities: List the necessary activities you must do to achieve your goals, and rank them.
Time: How much time will each activity require? Plan realistically allowing more time than you think you’ll need to compensate for unexpected problems.
Schedule: Look at your calendar and decide when you can do each activity. Most people underestimate the power of a schedule, but you won’t accomplish anything if you don’t schedule the time.
Underlining reading material is another great timesaver. With the mountains of material entrepreneurs must read to keep abreast of their niche, being able to find it again when you need it is essential. After you’ve read the article/book/paper/report, then go back and underline the important information so you can find it again easily. The reason for underlining after you has read it. is because most of us underline too many words before we’ve finished the passage and understand the key points. Wait until you’ve finished an entire section or chapter, then go back and highlight key points.
Returning phone calls is another time-stealer for entrepreneurs. Time-management experts recommend setting aside an hour a day to make and return your phone calls. But which hour do you choose? The best times of day are the first two hours of the morning or the last two hours of the afternoon. Those are the times when most people are in the office and accessible.
Do you think business is doing better because of your optimistic attitude? I would think so. However many management experts are now saying that pessimists make better managers. Why? Because they’re always thinking of what could go wrong and are coming up with solutions to problems in case the worst happens. My suggestion is not to toss your optimism away, I’ve found it very helpful some days, instead force yourself to write down everything that could go wrong with a new project, ideas, or employees. (Remember “Murphy’s Law – Whatever can go wrong, will.”) Personally, I think Murphy was an optimist! My advice is to be optimistic but be prepared. Once you do this you’ll naturally be prepared with solutions if disaster does strike.
In this present age of computers and time-saving gadgets, we are at times prone to purchasing the latest thing that promises to save us some work. When it comes to purchasing software, a good question to ask yourself is: Is it better than a pencil? The answer will help you decide if the expense is really justified. Keep in mind that computers are supposed to make your work easier and faster.
For the entrepreneur that travels overseas often, consider registering your handprint with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and obtaining an INSPASS card. It’s not exactly Star Trek technology, but it’s close. With the card, all you have to do is slide it through a machine, press your hand against a screen, and slip on through bypassing the lines. For information wit to: INSPASS, P.O. Box 2010, Newark, NJ 07114-2010
Want to impress your clients with Broadway shows? Call the Actor’s Fund of America and ask for “Fund Tix”, 212-221-7300. The tickets are double the price, but half goes to charity (tax write off) and the seats are great.
Are there days when you want to give up? Is your family telling you you’re too old to try something new? Well age isn’t always a factor in your success or failure. Consider these famous examples:
Actor George Burns won his first Oscar at age 80.
Golda Meir was 71 when she became prime minister of Israel.
At 96, playwright George Bernard Shaw broke his leg falling out of a tree he was trimming in his backyard.
Painter Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until she was 80 years old. She completed more than 1,500 paintings after that; 25% of those were produced when she was past 100.
Michelangelo was 71 when he painted the Sistine Chapel.
Albert Schweitzer was still performing operations in his African hospital at 89.
Doc Counsilman, at 58, became the oldest person ever to swim the English Channel.
S. I. Hayakawa retired as president of San Francisco State University at 70, and then was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Casey Stengel didn’t retire from managing the New York Mets until he was 75.
Entrepreneurs often have crazy ideas for making money and giving good customer service. The next one you have, remember the story of Phil Romano the founder of Fuddruckers the national hamburger chain. He once owned a small, out-of-the-way Italian restaurant called Macaroni’s. He packed the place every Monday and Tuesday nights, a time when most restaurants struggle to keep their doors open. How? Apart from the obvious fact that Macaroni’s served good food, Romano had a “gimmick” based on the old Psych 101 principle, “Random rewards beget regular behavior.”
If you happened to be dining there on a randomly chosen Monday or Tuesday night, you and the other 200 customers received a letter instead of a bill at the end of the meal. The letter stated that because the Macaroni mission was to make you feel like guests, it seemed awkward to charge guests for having a good time. So, once each month on a Monday or Tuesday, and always unannounced, everyone would eat free.
What did it cost Romano? One night “comped” out of 30 reduces his revenues by 3.3%, but he has a full house on 8 nights a month when the place would normally be empty. Word-of-mouth testimonials are one of the most effective forms of advertising, and in one fell swoop Romano got a couple hundred tongues wagging.
Remember what Goethe said; “Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.”

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash Now!

2008-02-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Publishing and distributing a mail order ad sheet can be very profitable. They are simple and easy to produce, with most quick print shops able to handle the printing at fairly low cost. The important consideration is that you can use them to pull in advertising dollars for yourself, as a free advertising media for your own products, and as an exchange medium with which to get greater exposure for your own ads.

Before starting an ad sheet, you should plan it all out - decide on an interesting, informative title, choose a masthead, lay out your columns for size, determine if it is to be a simple 8 1/2 x 11 single sheet of paper or an 11 x 17 sheet folded in half. You'll also need to know your production cost for the number you intend to have printed, and the postage cost to mail them out.

Most ad sheets start out as single sheets of paper, 8 1/2 x 11, printed on both sides. Usually, the front side is divided into three equal columns about 2 1/4 inches wide, with a 1/2 inch margin from the edge of the paper on both sides and top and bottom.

Assuming that the space occupied by your title, masthead and listing of rates for advertisers interested in placing an ad with you is two inches deep, this leaves you about 24 inches of advertising space to sell on the front side. Figuring a cost of $50 for 1,000 copies of such an ad sheet, printed both sides, and a third-class bulk-rate postage of $110, this means that your 24 inches of ad space will have to be sold at a rate of $6.25 each in order to break even. This means: You have to sell all of the ad space on the front of your ad sheet at $6.25 per ad - and then expect to make your profits from the sale of the back side of your ad sheet. Actually, it would be feasible to charge $7.00 per inch for the space on the front side, and carry your own full page ad on the back side. At any rate, don't box yourself into a loss situation where you can't afford to place your own ads in your ad sheet.

You get ads by making up an advertising solicitation sales letter and sending it out to as many mail order dealers as you can find. You can also run ads in other people's publications, inviting the readers to check with you regarding placement of an ad in your publication. And of course, you'll be wanting to work out some exchange advertising deals (whereby another publisher runs your ad in his publication, and you run his in exchange). From the experience of many, many publishers, this can be one of the most effective ways of getting your ads run, at low/no cost, and it is recognized to be successful in the field of Mail Order.

You probably won't be able to fill up all of your available ad space with paid ads until you are well established - but no problem - first you fill your ad space with paid ads, and then you fill in the empty space with ads of your own. Some beginning advertisers fill a part of their empty space with complimentary ads for other mail order operators, send them a copy of the issue in which the complimentary ad appears, and invite them to continue the ad on a "paid" basis from there. Many of them will appreciate the favor and send you a check or money order to continue running the ad.

If you undertake the publication of an ad sheet, be sure to consider the possibilities of sending out 100 to 1,000 copies of your ad sheet to other mail order operators to rubber stamp their names/addresses as co-publishers and mail out for you. Thus, if you had 50 other mail order operators sending out 100 copies each of your ad sheet, you'd be talking about a circulation of 5,000 copies plus the number of copies you mail out. If you can get this kind of program going, you'll quickly build your reputation as well as your circulation, and at the bottom line, your profits.

Some ad sheet publishers, once they've established themselves and are putting out an impressive publication, set up distributor networks. Generally, they run ads calling for distributor/dealers and asking for a $5 to $10 registration fee. In reply to the registration application, they send out a letter explaining that each distributor can buy at half price, so many copies of each issue of the ad sheet, rubber stamp their name on each copy, and send them out as their own. In return, the distributors usually get 50% of the incoming advertising orders, a half-price ad for themselves, and an opportunity to sell subscriptions.

The bottom line relative to becoming a successful ad sheet publisher has to do with keeping your production costs - printing and mailing - as low as possible, while putting out a quality product that other people in the mail order business will want to advertise in - while at the same time using it as an advertising/selling vehicle for your own products.

Everyone involved in mail order selling should have some sort of ad sheet - if for no other reason than as a means to an end - an advertising vehicle for your own products, an extra income form advertising revenues, and as an exchange media with which to gain greater exposure for your own products in other people's publications. Once you've got an ad sheet, or any kind of publication set up and being seen by other mail order operators, you'll quickly gain stature and a certain amount of prestige.
As with any business, your ultimate success depends on your own feasibility studies, and your "sharp-pencil" planning completed before you order your first issue printed. Think about it, weigh the pro's & con's, then go with your decision.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

You Should Cruise to Cash

2008-02-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

HERE IS THE PLAN THAT WILL ENABLE YOU TO GET YOUR CIRCULARS
PRINTED AND MAILED FREE, PLUS REDUCE THE COST OF YOUR OWN MAILING TO NOTHING.
LOCATE AN OFFSET PRINTER IN YOUR AREA, OR BY MAIL ORDER IN ONE OF THE MANY MAIL ORDER PUBLICATIONS, WHO WILL PRINT BOTH SIDES OF A 81/2 X 11 SHEET FOR $25.0 PER 1,000, THEN RUN THE FOLLOWING AD OVER YOUR NAME IN VARIOUS MAIL ORDER PUBLICATIONS:
"CO-OP PRINTING (our ad on back side) 1,000
2 1/2 X5 1/2, ONLY $ 5.00. SEND CAMERA-READY
COPY TO: (your name and address)."
"CIRCULARS PRINTED (our ad on back side).
1,000 3X6, ONLY $ 5.00 SEND CAMERA-READY
COPY TO: (your name and address).
ON AN 8 1/2 X 11 SHEET OF PAPER, YOU CAN GET SIX 3X6 CIRCULARS,
RECEIVED FROM RESPONSES TO YOUR AD, PLUS SIX 3X6'S ON THE OTHER SIDE, FREE!
HAVE THE PRINTER CUT THEM INTO SIX 3X6'S, 1,000 EACH. SEND 1,000
TO EACH OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. YOU GET 6,000 OF YOUR SIDE PRINTED
FREE AND MAILED BY YOUR CUSTOMERS FREE!
SIX RESPONSES TO YOUR AD WILL GIVE YOU $30.00; $25.00 FOR
PRINTING AND CUTTING AND $ 5.00 FOR MAILING CIRCULARS TO YOUR
CUSTOMERS. WHEN PRINTING AND POSTAGE COSTS GO UP AGAIN, ADJUST YOUR PRICE ACCORDINGLY.
CHECK THE MAIL ORDER PUBLICATIONS TO SEE WHAT OTHERS ARE GETTING FOR SIMILAR PROGRAMS. STAY WITH THE COMPETITION IN PRICES.
THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO GET YOUR CIRCULARS MAILED FREE. AS SOON AS YOU CAN AFFORD IT, BECOME A SUPPLIER OF COMMISSION CIRCULARS. THE EASIEST WAY TO DO THIS IS TO TAKE "ALL PROFIT" OFFERS AND HAVE CIRCULARS PRINTED ON TWO SIDES. ON THE ONE SIDE, HAVE YOUR OWN NAME AND ADDRESS PRINTED. ON THE OTHER SIDE, LEAVE A SPACE FOR A RUBBER STAMP IMPRINT.
OFFER THESE CIRCULARS TO CIRCULAR MAILERS ON A COMMISSION BASIS.
THEY KEEP A COMMISSION FROM 50% TO 100% ON THE ONE SIDE AND YOU MAKE YOUR PROFIT ON THE OTHER. USE THE SAME METHOD FOR ANY OFFERS THAT YOU DEVELOP FOR YOURSELF.
YOU CAN REACH THESE MAILERS BY ADVERTISING IN OR SUBSCRIBING TO SEVERAL MAIL ORDER TRADE MAGAZINES AND AD SHEETS. ANOTHER WAY TO LOCATE MAILERS FOR YOUR LITERATURE IS TO NOTICE THE ADS BY MAILERS. USUALLY, AT THE BOTTOM OF THEIR ADS THEY STATE "COMMISSION CIRCULARS MAILED FREE", WHICH MEANS THEY GET ONE SIDE AND YOU GET THE OTHER, AS ABOVE.
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET ROLLING USING THIS METHOD, TAKE TWO
"ALL PROFIT" OFFERS, ONE ON EACH SIDE, AND GIVE THE MAILER 100% ON ONE SIDE. YOU STILL MAKE YOUR PROFIT ON THE OTHER OFFER.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN OBTAINING ADDITIONAL COMMISSION
CIRCULARS FOR YOURSELF, INCLUDE "COMMISSION CIRCULARS MAILED FREE", IN YOUR OWN ADS.
STILL AN OTHER WAY TO GET YOUR LITERATURE MAILED FREE IS TO
INCLUDE THIS LITTLE NOTE IN ALL YOUR ADVERTISING - AT THE END OF
THE COPY - "STAMP APPRECIATED". IT ONLY COSTS YOU TWO WORDS, BUT IT COULD SAVE YOU A GREAT DEAL IN POSTAGE. IF YOUR ARE
ADVERTISING IN TRADE PUBLICATIONS OR ADSHEETS USE "S.A.S.E" WHICH MEANS SELF ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE. THE SAVINGS FOR ENVELOPES, ADDRESSING LABOR AND POSTAGE CAN ADD UP FAST. MANY SMALL DEALERS USE THIS METHOD EXCLUSIVELY, EVEN IN LARGE CIRCULATION MAGAZINES. THEY HAVE BEEN USING IT FOR YEARS AND IT STILL WORKS!

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

You Too Can Cruise to Cash

2008-02-08T08:27:00.001-08:00

Publishing and distributing a mail order ad sheet can be very profitable. They are simple and easy to produce, with most quick print shops able to handle the printing at fairly low cost. The important consideration is that you can use them to pull in advertising dollars for yourself, as a free advertising media for your own products, and as an exchange medium with which to get greater exposure for your own ads.
Before starting an ad sheet, you should plan it all out - decide on an interesting, informative title, choose a masthead, lay out your columns for size, determine if it is to be a simple 8 1/2 x 11 single sheet of paper or an 11 x 17 sheet folded in half. You'll also need to know your production cost for the number you intend to have printed, and the postage cost to mail them out.
Most ad sheets start out as single sheets of paper, 8 1/2 x 11, printed on both sides. Usually, the front side is divided into three equal columns about 2 1/4 inches wide, with a 1/2 inch margin from the edge of the paper on both sides and top and bottom.
Assuming that the space occupied by your title, masthead and listing of rates for advertisers interested in placing an ad with you is two inches deep, this leaves you about 24 inches of advertising space to sell on the front side. Figuring a cost of $50 for 1,000 copies of such an ad sheet, printed both sides, and a third-class bulk-rate postage of $110, this means that your 24 inches of ad space will have to be sold at a rate of $6.25 each in order to break even. This means: You have to sell all of the ad space on the front of your ad sheet at $6.25 per ad - and then expect to make your profits from the sale of the back side of your ad sheet. Actually, it would be feasible to charge $7.00 per inch for the space on the front side, and carry your own full page ad on the back side. At any rate, don't box yourself into a loss situation where you can't afford to place your own ads in your ad sheet.
You get ads by making up an advertising solicitation sales letter and sending it out to as many mail order dealers as you can find. You can also run ads in other people's publications, inviting the readers to check with you regarding placement of an ad in your publication. And of course, you'll be wanting to work out some exchange advertising deals (whereby another publisher runs your ad in his publication, and you run his in exchange). From the experience of many, many publishers, this can be one of the most effective ways of getting your ads run, at low/no cost, and it is recognized to be successful in the field of Mail Order.
You probably won't be able to fill up all of your available ad space with paid ads until you are well established - but no problem - first you fill your ad space with paid ads, and then you fill in the empty space with ads of your own. Some beginning advertisers fill a part of their empty space with complimentary ads for other mail order operators, send them a copy of the issue in which the complimentary ad appears, and invite them to continue the ad on a "paid" basis from there. Many of them will appreciate the favor and send you a check or money order to continue running the ad.
If you undertake the publication of an ad sheet, be sure to consider the possibilities of sending out 100 to 1,000 copies of your ad sheet to other mail order operators to rubber stamp their names/addresses as co-publishers and mail out for you. Thus, if you had 50 other mail order operators sending out 100 copies each of your ad sheet, you'd be talking about a circulation of 5,000 copies plus the number of copies you mail out. If you can get this kind of program going, you'll quickly build your reputation as well as your circulation, and at the bottom line, your profits.
Some ad sheet publishers, once they've established themselves and are putting out an impressive publication, set up distributor networks. Generally, they run ads calling for distributor/dealers and asking for a $5 to $10 registration fee. In reply to the registration application, they send out a letter explaining that each distributor can buy at half price, so many copies of each issue of the ad sheet, rubber stamp their name on each copy, and send them out as their own. In return, the distributors usually get 50% of the incoming advertising orders, a half-price ad for themselves, and an opportunity to sell subscriptions.
The bottom line relative to becoming a successful ad sheet publisher has to do with keeping your production costs - printing and mailing - as low as possible, while putting out a quality product that other people in the mail order business will want to advertise in - while at the same time using it as an advertising/selling vehicle for your own products.
Everyone involved in mail order selling should have some sort of ad sheet - if for no other reason than as a means to an end - an advertising vehicle for your own products, an extra income form advertising revenues, and as an exchange media with which to gain greater exposure for your own products in other people's publications. Once you've got an ad sheet, or any kind of publication set up and being seen by other mail order operators, you'll quickly gain stature and a certain amount of prestige.
As with any business, your ultimate success depends on your own feasibility studies, and your "sharp-pencil" planning completed before you order your first issue printed. Think about it, weigh the pro's & con's, then go with your decision.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

You Can Cruise to Cash

2008-02-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Co-op Mailing (short for co-operative) means that two or more businesses
share in the cost and distribution of a direct mail campaign. It's kind of
like having you and another non-competing business split the cost of
printing, assembling and mailing an advertising flyer to a shared (same)
marketbase.
Co-op dealing is very beneficial (and usually safe) for everyone involved.
One example of co-op dealing in mail order is to send your 8 1/2x11 camera-
ready circular to a co-op printer and they'll print your ad on one side,
their ad on the back side and ship them back to you for a low cost of around
$10 per 1,000. You get your printing almost free and the other dealer gets
his or her flyers mailed on the back of yours free.
But what do you do with them when they are mailed back to you? If you're new
to mail order it's doubtful you have a mailing list to distribute them to.
Plus, postage costs alone would run you about $290.00 first-class. At this
rate it would have been cheaper to send the camera-ready to a tabloid or
adsheet publisher rather than by a co-op. But don't despair.
Simply have the printer ship your copies to a co-op circular mailer instead
of sending them to you. A couple good circular mailers we recommend are BMG
Services, PO Box 429, Johnson KS 67855 (your cost is only 1c for 8 1/2x11
pre-printed circular) or Thorn Gifts, 1807 Stillwater #5, St Paul MN 55119
(your cost is only 5c for each 8 1/2x11 pre-printed circular.) Why the
difference in price? BMG mails by bulk rate and Thorn mails by first-class.
Either method is effective and sure beats paying 29c each.
In addition, you benefit from the mailing list of the circular mailer. If
this particular mailer sells a mailing list, having them do a 1,000 or 5,000
"test" mailing for you would be a way to test their names. You should get a
few responses from a mailing of this size but it all depends on "what" you
are offering and the "price" you are offering it for. It's very difficult to
sell any item for more than $50 on a 8 1/2x11" circular. For items costing
more than $50, you need to use the two-step approach. In other words, use
the 8 1/2x11" circular to generate inquiries and follow-up with the complete
sales materials that constitute the higher price the customer may decide to
pay.
Another idea is that you could contact a dealer with products and services
not conflicting with your own and ask them to co-op mail for you. In this
deal, you would pay for the 2-sided printing (with the mailer's ad on back
of yours) and he/she would mail them for you free of charge. It works!
Another way to co-op deal in mail order is by co-op advertising. High
Mountain Advertiser and Popular Advertiser are both long running co-op
publications. You place your ad the first time through a dealer and all
future ads are 50% less. Then you have the option of mailing pre-printed
copies with your name in the publisher's block as an authorized dealer.
When other people order advertising, they will send their orders to you.
You keep 50% of the money and send the rest (along with the order) back to
the publisher. This way, you can have your 8 1/2x11 circulars printed and
mailed in a publication at a 50% savings.
Coal Publishing, 27 South 4th Avenue, Highland Park NJ 08904 also offers
co-op advertising in their "Small Business Keeps America Growing" tabloid.
For the low cost of $35 per tabloid-size page, you can have your 8 1/2x11"
circular along with four 2-inch ads printed and mailed to a whopping 5,000
circulation. All you are responsible for is the mailing of 200 of them.
Any beginner can handle mailing 50 per week to a mailing list or to their
own customers. Besides, no one can offer you a 5,000 honest circulation for
this price. This is a real money-saver!
If you market the direct mail method, it's a good idea to send a good
circular you plan to keep around for awhile to a mail order printer and
have 1,000 printed on 1 side. Then, you can use the back of 100 or so for
testing purposes of other circulars. Run down to the copy shop and run the
circulars through the copier by printing on the back side. Only run 100 or
less and send them to the best names you can find. If they pull orders, you
may have a winner and can have 1,000 printed. Nothing is more annoying than
being stuck with 1,000 circulars with something you want to mail on one side
and something outdated on the back.
NOTICE: Rates and prices shown here were current at the time of writing.
Call for quotes.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

cruise to cash with steve whitehead

2008-02-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

As I said in my last column, like it or not we are all salesmen. Our lives are made up of a series of “sales presentations”, otherwise known as presenting ourself in the best light possible. Whether we’re out for a job interview, trying for a raise, or just convincing our employees that a job must be accomplished – you are making a presentation.
To become masterful at it can be summed up in the acronym IPRESENT! In my last column we covered the steps “I” through “E”:
I – involve your audience
P – prepare your audience
R – research your arsenal
E – explain “Why?”
Let’s finish the acronym today.
“S” stands for State (mental) Management. The mental state of the successful presenter must be congruent with the message. If you don’t believe that, try giving a pep talk to your sales force when you’re depressed – it won’t work! You must be aware of and manage your own mental state and that of your listeners or communication channels will not be open. I don’t have space to elaborate on methods of doing this, but here are a few key hints. First, “AAI” – act as if. Act the way you want to feel, it’s amazing how this works. Use music to set the mood if necessary, dress the part, and reduce your anxiety by whatever method works for you. Remember that you’re the one in charge, and presentation mastery isn’t about being perfect – it’s about achieving your objective.
“E” is for eliminating the unknowns. Fear of public speaking ranks high on most people’s list of worst fears. You may find you’re unusually nervous, develop poor voice tone or negative body language, and be unable to respond to audience feedback. Managing your anxiety permits you to focus on your audience and their needs. The basic approach to do this is the asking ourselves a list of “what if?” questions. Another way to overcome our fear is to take ownership of the situation. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Double check your notes, and prepare yourself.
“N” is fudging a little by using the second letter of the word “know” – as in kNow Your Audience. Whether it is one person or many that you are presenting to you must do three basic things: Meet their needs, reduce tension, and avoid mistakes. A good knowledge of the listeners will give you a chance to tailor your objectives to meet their needs. This also allows you to reduce the “audience-presenter” tension so they will focus on what you’re saying. With a clear knowledge of your audience’s views you’ll be sensitive to potential “hot buttons”.
“T” stands for “Tailor Your Presentation Throughout”. Boring listeners leads to missed objectives or total failure. You must be flexible and responsive to your audience. To do this you need to use techniques that will give you audience feedback; you must diagnose the cause of the problem you’re addressing, and finally you must choose the solution to act upon.
When you’re presenting watch for non-verbal behavior such as clock-watching, foot-tapping, and cat-napping. When any of these are present get some feedback with, “Is it too warm in here?” or “Should I pick up the pace?” That breaks the attention or lack of, of the audience and brings them back to your talk. One important thing to remember is that the mind can absorb no more than the seat can endure. Sometimes a simple thing like taking a short stretch break will solve the problem.
The techniques for achieving your most desired outcomes are at your fingertips, when you remember that life is a series of presentations.

Cruise to Cash Today

2008-02-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

In my most recent columns we’ve covered issues about improving your business and marketing, but today let’s start right at the beginning.
You’re really getting tired of the 9 to 5 “rat race” and are thinking about chucking it for your own business. All your friends keep telling you that you could do for yourself just what you’re doing now for your boss. Why shouldn’t you profit from your ideas instead of him?
You keep thinking about it because you know that you’ll never be financially where you want to be with a weekly paycheck, but what business would you start?
Before you pack in that weekly paycheck, this is the time to evaluate yourself and your future and it takes some real, down to heart honesty. You want to change your life for the better, so let’s start.
Did you know that you have the potential to do and be anything you want? People have different perceptions of the ideal life, and it ranges from obtaining financial freedom to as simple as owning a new pair of sneakers. Unfortunately, many fail to reach their aspirations because they can’t get a solid, clear picture in their mind of what they want.
Take the next few days and embark on a fact-finding journey that will be a life-changing experience. Get a pad and pencil and start with this first step:
STEP 1 - KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT – Be specific in your passions, then focus all your efforts on that particular desire.
Those who always change their minds and those who give up easily when the going gets tough will never get anywhere. If you’re a bit confused and aren’t sure what you really want in life answer these questions:
What makes your heart beat with excitement?
What makes you happy?
What are you constantly thinking of day and night?
What do you want to do with the rest of your life?
What do you enjoy doing?
What are your obsessions?
What things make you jump for joy?
Write down all your possible answers to the above questions. Write down everything, no matter how silly or unimportant it seems. Put all your desires on paper that answers any of the above questions.
When that’s done, go back and circle five to seven items that interest you the most. Then evaluate and choose with your heart, not your mind, the one and only thing worthy to spend all your time and resources on and that brings out the best in you.
Now you may wind up with something like, “I want to play quarterback for the RAMS.” If you’re over 20 I’d say that isn’t too viable a choice, but you could do something related to football or sports. How about starting a sports publication? Or perhaps a sporting goods retail business, sports memorabilia business, or even a gym could be the answer. You can always read books and surf the net to help you in your search.
The most important thing to remember, no matter how “pie in the sky” it seems, is to USE YOUR HEART. Others may disagree with you, but you should be firm with what you really want. Others may offer comments or advice, but the final decision is always yours to make. You should concentrate on what you want, not what others want.
Remember you only get one shot at living your life. There are no replays and you don’t get to do it over. You may not do it right, but at least you’re doing it. Too many lives have been lived in quiet desperation waiting until – until they had saved a nest egg, until the children are out of school, until I retire, and they depart this life before “until” ever arrives.
Don’t go to sleep tonight without making a decision on WHAT YOU REALLY WANT IN LIFE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
Then spend a few days evaluating how to make it possible and make a living at it. Begin living every day as if it were the last day you had – never leaving anything to be done next week, next month, or next year.
There will always be bills, things will always break down eventually and need replacing, there may be storms and earthquakes and repairs – but there will only be one life for you to live. It can’t be put on “hold”!
The final outcome of your efforts may be in the future, but you’re living each day by taking steps toward that outcome.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to cash Steve whitehead

2008-02-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

This is that time of year when we all start getting those emails that want to purloin our secret codes and passwords. You know the ones that have subject lines like: “Your Account Is About To Be Closed,” “There’s A Block On Your Account,” “Could You Help Me Claim My Funds,” or my all-time favorite “Congratulations – You’ve Won The UK Lottery.”
This is the time of year when we are all shopping for gifts for family or customers, and the last thing we need is for our bank or credit cards account to be hindered. That is exactly what these “cyber grifters” are counting on, and unfortunately some of us are tempted to follow the instructions sent to investigate.
First and foremost, DON’T FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE EMAIL! If you think there might be a problem, access the account in question as you normally do on your PC and not with the link supplied in the phony email.
I’ve had some very authentic looking email supposedly from banks, that even went so far as to copy the colors of the bank logo and stationery style. But, don’t fall for the scam. In fact, don’t even open the email, because many are just set to loose a virus program on your computer by being opened. Simply forward the suspicious email to the “spoof email” address supplied by your bank, or credit card company.
Nearly 10 million Americans fell prey to identity theft last year, costing businesses and individuals billions of dollars. Here are some other tips to help you:
Understand debit card dangers: Greater liability than credit cards. When it comes to fraud, debit cards carry much greater personal liability than credit cards, depending on how quickly you report the loss of the card. If you fail to report unauthorized use within 60 days of receiving your bank statements, you could lose all the money in the account and be held responsible for the amount of money that has been tapped from your line of credit.
Rethink check writing: That little slip of paper has way too much information. Some experts advise against check writing because it gives away your address, bank account number, signature and license number to complete strangers. On top of that, there’s no federal legislation to limit your liability for forged checks (each state has its own set of rules). Experts advise that you look into automating your bill paying.
Secure your mail: Your mailbox is a goldmine of information. Between bank statement, bills, and all those pre-approved credit card offers, your mailbox is loaded with personal data which identity thieves can use to easily apply for a credit card in your name. Unless you diligently check your credit report, you may never even know about it. One way to avoid this is to have your mailbox under lock and key, but most of us in Santa Clarita have our mailboxes at the curb in front of our house and the postman frowns on carrying dozens and dozens of keys around. The other solution is to have a rented mailbox, or to foil “dumpster-diving” thieves by buying a shredder and destroy documents before discarding.
Go virtual: For shopping online, there are “virtual” card numbers. These are randomly generated credit card numbers that are disposable and that on-line shoppers use once and throw away. It’s linked directly to your real credit card account so purchases show up on your monthly bill. The service is easy to use – and it’s FREE! All you need to do is register with companies offering the virtual card, and they are MBNA, Discover, and Citigroup.
Create an emergency identity kit: Would you know how to contact your credit card company in an emergency? Create an emergency kit that contains: your account number, expiration date, issuing company name, and emergency contact number for each card you own. While you’re at it, make copies of your driver’s license, social security card, birth certificate and passport and store them in a locked box or file cabinet, or a safe deposit box. I like the safe deposit box best, because this gives you protection in the event of a catastrophe such as fire, earthquake, etc.
This may all seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but if you’re ever the victim of identity theft – even just once – you’ll realize that it’s well worth the effort.
Many of us forget that were it not for what we carry in our wallets or in our purses, we’re all John and Jane Doe’s if we can’t speak due to injury or are unaccompanied by someone who knows us. How much less stressful is it to know that in a bank box, no matter where you are, there are items that can verify your identity. Better to be safe, than sorry!
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

steve whitehead cruise to cash

2008-01-28T07:38:00.000-08:00

Every year thousands of men and women across America sign on with
direct selling firm-Tupperware, Amway, or a cosmetic
company-hoping to make money enough for new draperies, a new
davenport, or some new clothes. They sell a little merchandise to
a few relatives and close friends. Then they are through. They
quit before they give themselves a chance to learn the basics of
success in sales. "I am simply not a born salesperson," they
often say.
No one is born a salesperson, any more than one is born a doctor
or born a lawyer. Sales is a profession. To be successful in any
profession one must learn not only the basic techniques, but also
how to apply those techniques. Success in sales makes use of all
the abilities one is born with, plus all those acquired through
education and experience.
If you are looking for a career opportunity or "extra income" to
help with the family budget, direct selling offers you
dream-fulfilling possibilities. However, you must give yourself
time to learn the techniques of sales. Ask yourself. "How long
does a doctor to be study? A lawyer to be study?"
WHAT IS DIRECT SELLING?
Direct selling is marketing a product directly to the consumer
with no middleman involved. Most reliable firms are members of
the National Association of Direct Selling
Companies. They bring to the public fine products that are
modestly priced in order to insure mass consumption.
Most direct selling companies furnish their representatives with
a starter kit and essential supplies below-cost prices. In many
instances the investment is under $100.
There is an old adage which says "Give a man a fish and you feed
him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a
lifetime."
Many of them were able to change their lives for the better. They
took their families on nice vacations. They purchased a piano or
an organ and provided music lessons for their children. They
saved money for college education. They redecorated their homes,
bought needed furniture. One highly successful saleslady built a
new home.
The rewards of direct selling are many
1. You can be your own boss.
2. You can set your own hours.
3. You can own your own businesses with little or no investment.
4. You can pay yourself more than any boss would ever pay you.
5. You can give yourself regular raises as your business grows.
It is only fair to tell you that there are failures, too. There
are people who will not work for themselves. When working for a
boss, they rise early, are well-groomed, and get to the office on
time. However, when they are their own boss, they are still in a
bathrobe, drinking one more cup of coffee at 11:00 A.M.
If you can be your own boss and discipline yourself to do what
has to be done when it has to be done, direct selling offers a
most unusual earning opportunity.
THE TEN STEPS
Here are ten steps that will assure your success:
1. BE A GOAL SETTER. What do you want to accomplish? Do you want
to save for college education for your children? A new car? A
new home? You can have whatever you want, but you must want it
enough to do the things that have to be done to get it. Whatever
your goal, write it down and set a target date for reaching it.
Divide the time period into blocks of achievement that are
reachable. Work consistently toward accomplishing each day, each
week, each month what you set out to do. Goal-setting is a must
in every area of life. Little is ever accomplished without
definite goals.
2. BE A LIST MAKER. Each evening list all the things you want to
get done the following day. That gives you an organized approach
to each day. As each task is finished, mark it off your list. It
is amazing how much gets done when one works with a
"things-to-do" list. Also, have a notebook listing appointments,
potential clients, repeat clients, and referrals, and keep it
with you at all times. You will be adding to it constantly.
3. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. Enthusiasm is the high-octane "fuel" that
salespeople run on. Enthusiasm generates its own energy. Energy
and good health are synonymous with busy, happy people, people
who are achieving.
4. RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAGIC WORD IN SALES IS "ASK." In direct
sales we don't have to wait for business to come to us. We create
our own business by asking for it. Ask for appointments, then you
can do business. Ask for business, then you will close sales. Ask
for referrals, then you always have a full list of potential
clients. Be quietly, yet firmly aggressive.
5. EXPECT NO'S. Realize that no's are not personal. In sales, as
perhaps nowhere else, the law of averages works. Every no gets
you closer to a yes. Keep track of your ratio. It will help
improve your techniques. Are you getting ten no's to one yes? Is
your ratio five to one? Remember, the yes's are your income. Also
remember that "no" does not necessarily mean "no." Often a "no"
is simply a stall for more time to think. It may be a request for
more information about your product or your service. What your
client is actually buying is assurance. Assure here by your
helpful attitude and your complete honesty, that you want what is
best for her. She will most likely respect you and do business
with you.
6. SCHEDULE TIME WISELY. A schedule is the roadmap by which
salespeople travel. It takes the frustration out of the day. It
assures that the necessary things get done and get done on time.
Plan your work then work your plan.
7. BE POSITIVE IN YOUR ATTITUDE. Success in sales, as in all
areas of life is 90 percent attitude and 10 percent aptitude. All
of us must work at developing habits of constructive thinking. I
am proud to be a salesperson. Sales make the wheels of our
economy turn. Bernard Baruch, advisor to several presidents, is
quoted as saying, "If every salesperson sat down and took no
orders for twenty-four hours, it would bankrupt our country!"
Every company that manufactures any kind of product depends upon
salespeople to move that product. Without salespeople business
would be paralyzed.
Remember, sales is one of the highest paid of all professions.
Statistics show that good salespeople enjoy incomes far above the
average.
8. HAVE AN OFFICE AREA. Most direct salespeople work from their
own homes, but it is essential to have a place where you can work
in a organized and efficient manner. An office plus a strict
working schedule gives you dignity. Both are absolutely essential
for efficient operation and accurate record keeping, so important
to the success of any business.
9. BE INVOLVED. Most sales organization offer contests to
stimulate production. Include winning contests as part of your
business goals. Contests make your business fun as well as adding
considerable dollar value to your income.
10. LEARN TO HANDLE MONEY INTELLIGENTLY. A regular nine-to-five
job usually means a paycheck at the end of the second week.
Direct sales "reps" handle money constantly. Direct sales is
instant income and constant income. Therefore. it is absolutely
necessary to become an efficient money manager.
Deposit every penny collected from
clients into a checking account set up especially for its
business. Since bank statements show an exact record of all
monies collected, and business expenses can be verified by
canceled checks, record keeping becomes simple and accurate.
Everything except a few "petty cash" transactions can be directly
taken from bank statements.
Money saved regularly and put at interest, soon develops a second
income in addition to earned income. A long-term goal, which is
realistic in direct sales, is to be able to live in retirement
off the interest earned on savings.
Would financial security mean a lot to you? If so, ask yourself
these questions:
* Am I honest?
* Do I really like people?
* Am I willing to learn?
* Am I willing to work?
* Am I capable of being my own boss?
If your answers are yes, to find a good product
for the direct sales market, one that you like, one that fills
the need of a lot of people, and go to work for yourself! .You
can turn dreams into reality.

To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash 2

2008-01-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

If there was a a way you could bust out of the pack, earn 100% commission on $477 and $977 sales plus monthly residual commissions from every member of your team, and take unlimited vacations all at the sames time would you want to know about it? Of course you would and Steve Whitehead has found the way to do that with Cruise to Cash. Steve has found a way to vacation his way to wealth and you can too! With Cruise Cash Steve has found a way to receive the benefits of four income streams and he started off by making money from his very first sale.
Finally a program has come along that has all of the best products and commissions all wrapped up in one package. Some of the benefits of Cruise to Cash include: Four income streams, 100% commission, $10 or $20 residuals on every person in your downline, no more reused eBooks or useless software, unlimited vacations, and free corporate marketing on your website. The benefits are endless the program really speaks for itself.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve just go to http://www.stwparadise.com and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.

Cruise to Cash

2008-01-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

Regardless of what you're trying to sell, you really can't sell it without "talking" with your prospective buyer. An in attempting to sell anything on the Internet, the sales letter you send out is when and how you talk to your prospect. Ever wanted to cruise to cash, or find your roadmap to riches. well know you can with steve whitehead. Roadmap to riches and cruise to cash are sure fire ways to make money and fast.
All winning sales letters "talk" to the prospect by creating an image in the mind of the reader. They set "the scene" by appealing to a desire or need; and then they flow smoothly into the "visionary" part of the sales pitch by describing in detail how "wonderful" life will be and, how "good" the prospect is going to feel after he's purchased your product. This is the "body or guts" of a sales letter.
Overall, a winning sales letter follows a time-tested and proven formula: 1) Get his attention 2) Get him interested in what you can do for him 3) Make him desire the benefits of your product so badly his mouth begins to water 4) Demand action from him - tell him to click the right button or send for whatever it is you're selling without delay - any procrastination on his part might cause him to lose out. This is called the "AIDA" formula (Attention, Interest, Desire and
Action) - it works.
On your website, your sales page should be the length of what it would be
if were doing a mailing, or longer if you're using bullets to emphasize benefits to build the desire. Of course on the Internet you don't have to worry about letterhead stationery or the cost of postage, which is a considerable savings. If, however, you want to also do a mailing campaign then the following would apply. The sales letters in mailings that pull in the most sales are almost always two pages with 1 1/2 spaces between lines. For really big ticket items, they'll run at least four pages. - on an 11 by 17 sheet of paper folded in half. If your sales letter is only two pages in length, there's nothing wrong with running it on the front and back of one sheet of 8 1/2 by 11 paper. However, your sales letter should always be on letterhead paper - your letterhead printed, and including your logo and business motto if you have one.
Regardless of the length of your sales letter, it should do one thing, and that's sell, and sell hard! If you intend to close the sale, you've got to do it with your sales letter. You should never be "wishy-washy" with your sales letter. You do the actual selling and the closing of that sale with your sales letter - any brochure or circular you send along with in your mailing will just reinforce what you say in the sales letter.
There's been a great deal of discussion in the past few years regarding just how long a sales letter should be. A lot of people are asking: Will people really take the time to read a long sales letter? The answer is a simple and time-tested yes indeed! Surveys and tests over the years emphatically prove that "longer sales letters" pull even better than the shorter ones, so don't worry about the length of your sales letter - just make sure that it sells your product for you!
The "inside secret" is to make your sales letter so interesting, and "visionary" with the benefits you're offering to the reader, that he can't resist reading it all the way through. You break up the "work" of reading by using short, punchy sentences, underlining important points you're trying to make, with the use of subheadlines, indentations and even the use of a second color, and leaving lots of white space around it. On your website, the sales letter should run down the middle of the page so the viewer doesn't have to keep adjusting the screen to see the whole sentence. This is very distracting and more apt to send that client to another website than losing patience reading a long letter.
Relative to the brochures and circulars you may want to include in your mailing with your sales letter - providing the materials you're enclosing are of the best quality, they will generally reinforce the sale for you. But, if they are of poor quality, look cheap and don't compliment your sales letter, then you shouldn't be using them. Another thing, it will definitely classify you as an independent home worker if you hand-stamp your name/address on these brochures or advertising circulars instead of having them printed.
Whenever possible, and so long as you have really good brochures to send out, have your printer run them through his press and print your name/address - even your telephone number and company logo - on them before you send them out. The thing is, you want your prospect to think of you as his supplier - the company - and not as just another independent entrepreneur. Sure, you can get by with less expense but you'll end up with fewer orders and in the end, less profits.
Another thing that's been bandied about and discussed from every direction for years is whether to use a post office box number or your street address. Personally, I don't like Post Office Boxes in a business address - because it transmits an aura of instability or temporary location. If your business is run from home, get a mail box from a post box vendor that has a street address. Then your address looks like, 1234 Willow Lane, #567, Your Town, and the box number could appear to the reader as a Suite number. However, if you live in a remote area where your address is 7890 Main St., RFD 42, Box 123, Your Town, then you have no choice but to include both your post office box number, AND, your street address on your sales letter. When doing it strictly for your website, put your street address, telephone number, and email address at the bottom of the page. More than likely, the customer will contact you by email, but it conveys dependability if that Internet buyer sees that you're willing to give your address. This kind of open display of your honesty will give you credibility and dispel the thought of you being just another "fly-by-night" mail order company in the mind of your prospect.
Above all else, you've got to include some sort of ordering page or coupon if you're mailing. The coupon has to be as simple and as easy for the prospect to fill out and return to you as you can possible make it. The order page on your website should already be filled out, with perhaps just the shipping left to choice. If your product is an eBook or software to be instantly downloaded, then you don't have any options to be chosen. A great many sales are lost because this order coupon is just too complicated for the would-be buyer to follow. Don't get fancy! Keep it simple, and you'll find your prospects responding with glee.
Should you or shouldn't you include in your mailing a self-addressed reply envelope? There are a lot of variables, as well as, pros and cons to this question. Overall, when you send out a "winning" sales letter to a good mailing list, a return reply envelope will increase your response tremendously.
Tests of late seem to indicate that it isn't that big a deal or difference in responses relative to whether you do or don't pre-stamp the return reply envelope. Again, the decision here will rest primarily on the product you're selling and the mailing list you're using. Our recommendation is that you experiment - try it both ways - with subsequent mailings and decide for yourself from there.

Steve Whitehead is here to show you how you can Cruise to Cash. With his program you can start making the money you have always wanted to make and in the proccess get unlimited vacations at the same time. To find out more about Steve's great program go to http://cruisetocash.com/index.php?id=alhayes today and sign up for more information.