A traffic exchange is a type of website on the Internet, which provides a service for network marketer to exchange of traffic.
Usually, a traffic exchange site receives submissions of websites. They sign up for traffic exchange networks.
The person who submitted the website then has to browse other member sites on the exchange program to earn credits, which enable their sites to be viewed by other members through the surf system.
This increases the number of visitors to all the sites involved.
Exchanges generally enforce a 2-to-1 or 4-to-1 credit ratio, meaning members earn 0.5 or 0.25 in credit for visiting one member site, and each credit is translated to one page view for them.
However, this ratio can often be upgraded to better ratios such as 1-to-1.
In theory, website owners would visit other sites through the exchange's surf system and thus channel more traffic back to their own sites.
As the viewers are all website owners or network marketers, it is possible that some of them might find certain member sites interesting and thus make note of them on their own sites, sending more traffic their way.
Most traffic exchange programs also impose a time limit when members are browsing, ranging from 10 seconds to 60 seconds.
Some incorporate the use of CAPTCHA to ensure user interaction; although there are exchange programs that let members browse without manually clicking, automatically moving on to the next site in rotation once the time limit is up, these methods are called AUTOSURF.
A CAPTCHA (an acronym for "completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart", trademarked by Carnegie Mellon University) is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to determine whether or not the user is human.
Almost all traffic exchange programs are free, although many of them offer special features to paid members and offer credits for purchase.
Almost all traffic exchange programs encourage users to build their own referral networks, which would in turn help the referrers accumulate more credits.
For example, when a referred member receives credits through browsing, the referrer would get a small portion of the credits earned.
In practice, traffic exchange programs are mostly used by small business owners or network marketers who either want free advertising or use the exchange programs for low-budget advertisement campaigns.
The usefulness of at least some of these programs is doubtful, as many people simply forget sites once the time limit is up as they are only interested in promoting their own site.
Also, a small number of users may simply purchase credits because of their low price.
Also, traffic exchange programs tend to exaggerate their own effectiveness.
For example, exchange programs often use attractive and misleading slogans such as "Get Traffic To Your Website" or "Watch Your Traffic Explode".
Despite those slogans, the delivered visitors are often untargeted and unlikely to return.
Advertising on traffic exchanges is similar to advertising on TV. The only way to successfully use a traffic exchange is to advertise a page specifically designed to catch the user's attention. Otherwise it is easily ignored.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Network Marketing - What is a Contact/Customer List?
If you don’t know what a contact/custom list is, well this article will tell you.
The contact/customer list is a list of people who have opted in to receive your newsletters, services, products, etc.
Building a list will allows you to grow a large network of people that you can send email promotions to, build business relationship with, etc.
In essence, you refer people to a program, and once they join, they will be in your mailing contact list.
With effort, you can create a list of many, many people who agree to receive your ads via email.
Trying to sell to a cold list is almost always an exercise in frustration.
Beating your head against the wall is only slightly less painful.
Once someone opt-in to your list you can start to build a business relationship with them by offering to help them.
Without building a relationship with them they will have no reason to trust you or want to do business with you.
People will start to trust those that help them and very quickly start to rely on them for recommendations and information.
Give them something of value for joining your list. Now you will have the opportunity to create the relationship where they will trust you and will love to do business with you.
No longer are you a peddler selling them something but a friend and helper making recommendations.
Here is a couple of quick tips for composing your message:
1. Use note pad or something similar to create your message.
2. You don’t get a second chance once you click the send button.
3. Your message should be 50-55 characters wide.
It gives a more professional look if you have taken the time to format your message.
4. Have a clear call for action.
Don’t let there be any question about the action you are requesting. If you don’t ask you don’t get.
Only ask for one specific action. Offering three, four or more choices will just confuse the reader and you will get no action at all.
5. Put in full contact information in your message.
Remember, you are trying to create a relationship with this person.
Just using contact information shows you that you are a real person with a real name and address not some anonymous user name.
Remember that you should offer them something of value that is free for opting into your list.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
The contact/customer list is a list of people who have opted in to receive your newsletters, services, products, etc.
Building a list will allows you to grow a large network of people that you can send email promotions to, build business relationship with, etc.
In essence, you refer people to a program, and once they join, they will be in your mailing contact list.
With effort, you can create a list of many, many people who agree to receive your ads via email.
Trying to sell to a cold list is almost always an exercise in frustration.
Beating your head against the wall is only slightly less painful.
Once someone opt-in to your list you can start to build a business relationship with them by offering to help them.
Without building a relationship with them they will have no reason to trust you or want to do business with you.
People will start to trust those that help them and very quickly start to rely on them for recommendations and information.
Give them something of value for joining your list. Now you will have the opportunity to create the relationship where they will trust you and will love to do business with you.
No longer are you a peddler selling them something but a friend and helper making recommendations.
Here is a couple of quick tips for composing your message:
1. Use note pad or something similar to create your message.
2. You don’t get a second chance once you click the send button.
3. Your message should be 50-55 characters wide.
It gives a more professional look if you have taken the time to format your message.
4. Have a clear call for action.
Don’t let there be any question about the action you are requesting. If you don’t ask you don’t get.
Only ask for one specific action. Offering three, four or more choices will just confuse the reader and you will get no action at all.
5. Put in full contact information in your message.
Remember, you are trying to create a relationship with this person.
Just using contact information shows you that you are a real person with a real name and address not some anonymous user name.
Remember that you should offer them something of value that is free for opting into your list.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Network Marketing - Making The Most Of Your Internet Business with Your Website
Designing and developing your website is one of the must important tasks that you will be undertaking.
The first step before you began to develop your website is to decide on your relevant keywords and keyword phrases that you are going to use.
Step Two: Your website must be content rich using your keywords and keyword phrases.
The reason for this is for the search engines. I will be talking more about this in another BLOG.
Your website will give you new ways of marketing and selling your products and building relationships with your customers.
Your web site should be powerful, emotional and should show the reader that his or her life would be more complete - better, easier, more productive, more profitable and happier - if they owned what it is you’re selling.
Your design needs to move the reader while your content grabs them, working together they should build confidence in both your business and products.
You have two seconds to tell your visitor what you sell and what’s in it for them.
If that aligns with what they want, they’ll spend more time on your site and that should lead to more sells .
It’s never about money People buy for emotional reasons and justify it after the sell with logic.
If your website builds enough confidence in your product or service then your reader will buy from you regardless of price.
How Not Too Make An Ugly Website
I thought the best thing to do was look around the web and name a couple of things that a lot of people do that they should not.
Maybe this will help others not make the same mistakes.
1. Never Ever have a "under Construction" on a website. All website are under construction all the time.
2. Stay with one style of font. I know there are a lot of styles that are really cool but the site will look a lot better if you only use one.
3. Use 2 font colors and no more. Again there are some really cool colors but trying to use them all does not help anyone.
4. Scrolling text. If someone is trying to read the text on your site and something keeps moving around in the corner of there eye it really makes it tough to stay focused.
5. Don’t use pop-up Windows. No one likes them and most people see them as unwanted ads, and close them without looking at them. That’s if they don’t already have some type of pop-up blocker installed.
6. Flash introduction. Everyone already knows that this does not work. It has been tested and users hate them. So do not use them.
7. Opening New Browser Windows. I hate when I finish looking at a site and find I have to close 20 windows.
Do not open new windows. These are only a couple things that make up a really bad designed website.
The list could go on and on but I wanted to point out a couple.
Let’s work together and make the web better for everyone.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
The first step before you began to develop your website is to decide on your relevant keywords and keyword phrases that you are going to use.
Step Two: Your website must be content rich using your keywords and keyword phrases.
The reason for this is for the search engines. I will be talking more about this in another BLOG.
Your website will give you new ways of marketing and selling your products and building relationships with your customers.
Your web site should be powerful, emotional and should show the reader that his or her life would be more complete - better, easier, more productive, more profitable and happier - if they owned what it is you’re selling.
Your design needs to move the reader while your content grabs them, working together they should build confidence in both your business and products.
You have two seconds to tell your visitor what you sell and what’s in it for them.
If that aligns with what they want, they’ll spend more time on your site and that should lead to more sells .
It’s never about money People buy for emotional reasons and justify it after the sell with logic.
If your website builds enough confidence in your product or service then your reader will buy from you regardless of price.
How Not Too Make An Ugly Website
I thought the best thing to do was look around the web and name a couple of things that a lot of people do that they should not.
Maybe this will help others not make the same mistakes.
1. Never Ever have a "under Construction" on a website. All website are under construction all the time.
2. Stay with one style of font. I know there are a lot of styles that are really cool but the site will look a lot better if you only use one.
3. Use 2 font colors and no more. Again there are some really cool colors but trying to use them all does not help anyone.
4. Scrolling text. If someone is trying to read the text on your site and something keeps moving around in the corner of there eye it really makes it tough to stay focused.
5. Don’t use pop-up Windows. No one likes them and most people see them as unwanted ads, and close them without looking at them. That’s if they don’t already have some type of pop-up blocker installed.
6. Flash introduction. Everyone already knows that this does not work. It has been tested and users hate them. So do not use them.
7. Opening New Browser Windows. I hate when I finish looking at a site and find I have to close 20 windows.
Do not open new windows. These are only a couple things that make up a really bad designed website.
The list could go on and on but I wanted to point out a couple.
Let’s work together and make the web better for everyone.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Network Marketing - What Is SEO
First let’s define a website, web site, or properly Web site (often shortened to just site) is a collection of Web pages, typically common to a particular domain name or sub-domain on the World Wide Web on the Internet.
A web page is an HTML/XHTML document accessible generally via HyperText Transfer Protocol( HTTP). By way of a search engine: Internet Explorer, Yahoo, MSN
All publicly accessible websites in existence comprise the World Wide Web.
The pages of a website will be accessed from a common root URL called the homepage, and usually reside on the same physical server.
The URLs of the pages organize them into a hierarchy, although the hyperlinks between them control how the reader perceives the overall structure and how the traffic flows between the different parts of the sites.
Some websites require a subscription to access some or all of their content. Examples of subscription sites include many Internet pornography sites, parts of many news sites, gaming sites, message boards, Web-based e-mail services and sites providing real-time stock market data.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is a set of methods aimed at improving the ranking of a website in search engine listings.
The term also refers to an industry of consultants that carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients' sites.
Using search engines, visitors can find sites in a variety of ways: via paid for advertisements in the search engine results pages (SERPs), via third parties who are listed in the search engines, or via "organic" listings, i.e. the results the search engines present users.
SEO is primarily concerned with improving the visibility of a web site in the organic search results.
High rankings in the organic search results can provide targeted traffic for a site.
Obtaining that traffic by other means can potentially be expensive.
For particularly competitive terms, the cost per click can run several dollars, or more, when pay per click advertising or banner advertising are used.
For even moderately competitive terms the cost can range from a few cents to several tens of dollars per visitor.
Given those costs, it often makes sense for site owners to optimize their sites for organic search.
Not all sites have identical goals in mind when they optimize for search engines.
Some sites are seeking any and all traffic, and may be optimized to rank highly for common search phrase.
This can be a poor marketing strategy for a business because it can generate a large volume of low-quality inquiries that cost money to handle, yet result in little business.
The "shotgun approach" to search optimization can possibly work well for a site that has broad interest, such as a periodical, a directory, or site that displays advertising with a CPM revenue model.
Other sites target a specific population, with particular needs or interests.
Many businesses try to optimize their sites for large numbers of highly specific keywords that indicate a prospective customer who is ready to buy their product.
Focusing on desired traffic can generate more high-quality sales leads, and fewer time-wasting inquiries.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
A web page is an HTML/XHTML document accessible generally via HyperText Transfer Protocol( HTTP). By way of a search engine: Internet Explorer, Yahoo, MSN
All publicly accessible websites in existence comprise the World Wide Web.
The pages of a website will be accessed from a common root URL called the homepage, and usually reside on the same physical server.
The URLs of the pages organize them into a hierarchy, although the hyperlinks between them control how the reader perceives the overall structure and how the traffic flows between the different parts of the sites.
Some websites require a subscription to access some or all of their content. Examples of subscription sites include many Internet pornography sites, parts of many news sites, gaming sites, message boards, Web-based e-mail services and sites providing real-time stock market data.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is a set of methods aimed at improving the ranking of a website in search engine listings.
The term also refers to an industry of consultants that carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients' sites.
Using search engines, visitors can find sites in a variety of ways: via paid for advertisements in the search engine results pages (SERPs), via third parties who are listed in the search engines, or via "organic" listings, i.e. the results the search engines present users.
SEO is primarily concerned with improving the visibility of a web site in the organic search results.
High rankings in the organic search results can provide targeted traffic for a site.
Obtaining that traffic by other means can potentially be expensive.
For particularly competitive terms, the cost per click can run several dollars, or more, when pay per click advertising or banner advertising are used.
For even moderately competitive terms the cost can range from a few cents to several tens of dollars per visitor.
Given those costs, it often makes sense for site owners to optimize their sites for organic search.
Not all sites have identical goals in mind when they optimize for search engines.
Some sites are seeking any and all traffic, and may be optimized to rank highly for common search phrase.
This can be a poor marketing strategy for a business because it can generate a large volume of low-quality inquiries that cost money to handle, yet result in little business.
The "shotgun approach" to search optimization can possibly work well for a site that has broad interest, such as a periodical, a directory, or site that displays advertising with a CPM revenue model.
Other sites target a specific population, with particular needs or interests.
Many businesses try to optimize their sites for large numbers of highly specific keywords that indicate a prospective customer who is ready to buy their product.
Focusing on desired traffic can generate more high-quality sales leads, and fewer time-wasting inquiries.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Network Marketing - What is A Website?
A Web site is a collection of information about a particular topic or subject.
Designing a website is defined as the arrangement and creation of Web pages that in turn make up a website.
A Web page consists of information for which the Web site is developed. A website might be compared to a book, where each page of the book is a web page.
There are many aspects (design concerns) in this process, and due to the rapid development of the Internet, new aspects may emerge.
For typical commercial Web sites, the basic aspects of design are:
The content: The substance and information on the site should be relevant to the site and should target the area of the public that the website is concerned with.
The usability: The site should be user-friendly, with the interface and navigation simple and reliable.
The appearance: The graphics and text should include a single style that flows throughout, to show consistency. The style should be professional, appealing and relevant.
The visibility: The site must also be easy to find via most, if not all, major search engines and advertisement media.
A Web site typically consists of text and images.
The first page of a website is known as the Home page or Index.
Some websites use what is commonly called a Splash Page.
Splash pages might include a welcome message, language/region selection, or disclaimer.
Each web page within a Web site is an HTML file which has its own URL.
After each Web page is created, they are typically linked together using a navigation menu composed of hyperlinks.
Faster browsing speeds have led to shorter attention spans and more demanding online visitors and this has resulted in less use of Splash Pages, particularly where commercial websites are concerned.
Once a Web site is completed, it must be published or uploaded to a web server in order to be viewable to the public over the internet.
This may be done using an FTP client. Once published, the Web master may use a variety of techniques to increase the traffic, or hits, that the website receives.
This may include submitting the Web site to a search engine such as Google or Yahoo, exchanging links with other Web sites, creating affiliations with similar Web sites, etc.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Designing a website is defined as the arrangement and creation of Web pages that in turn make up a website.
A Web page consists of information for which the Web site is developed. A website might be compared to a book, where each page of the book is a web page.
There are many aspects (design concerns) in this process, and due to the rapid development of the Internet, new aspects may emerge.
For typical commercial Web sites, the basic aspects of design are:
The content: The substance and information on the site should be relevant to the site and should target the area of the public that the website is concerned with.
The usability: The site should be user-friendly, with the interface and navigation simple and reliable.
The appearance: The graphics and text should include a single style that flows throughout, to show consistency. The style should be professional, appealing and relevant.
The visibility: The site must also be easy to find via most, if not all, major search engines and advertisement media.
A Web site typically consists of text and images.
The first page of a website is known as the Home page or Index.
Some websites use what is commonly called a Splash Page.
Splash pages might include a welcome message, language/region selection, or disclaimer.
Each web page within a Web site is an HTML file which has its own URL.
After each Web page is created, they are typically linked together using a navigation menu composed of hyperlinks.
Faster browsing speeds have led to shorter attention spans and more demanding online visitors and this has resulted in less use of Splash Pages, particularly where commercial websites are concerned.
Once a Web site is completed, it must be published or uploaded to a web server in order to be viewable to the public over the internet.
This may be done using an FTP client. Once published, the Web master may use a variety of techniques to increase the traffic, or hits, that the website receives.
This may include submitting the Web site to a search engine such as Google or Yahoo, exchanging links with other Web sites, creating affiliations with similar Web sites, etc.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Network Marketing - Why Should You Have Your Own Domain Name?
Why Should You Have Your Own Domain Name?
So how do you set yourself or your business apart on the Internet with a unique presence?
There's one way - establish your own domain name, like "yourcompany.com". Registering a domain name used to be a daunting process; but now, there are companies set up for the purpose of taking care of the red-tape for you.
Nowadays, it's as easy as deciding what name you want to claim, finding out if it's available (and that's automated!) and then registering it for yourself if it is.
Then it's yours to keep as long as you (or the company you choose to handle it) renew your registration every year.
Think about it. You can have the same email addresses for the rest of your life and even pass them down to your children or company.
You are now in total control of never losing contact via your email addresses. (or something like this)
When you combine it with proper website and e-mail hosting, the establishment of your unique domain name gives you several advantages:
1) It increases your name recognition and allows your friends, family or customers to remember more easily how to find you and your site.
It's a lot easier to remember www.example.com than it is to remember
www.free-hosting.com/business/~example.
2) It gives you a more serious and professional "appearance" on the Net. Even if they allowed it and could handle the volume of traffic, hosting a busy commercial website on an individual's free web space or on a free server like GeoCities isn't very practical or professional.
3) It helps brand your image and adds a level of trust and integrity to your site. You don't want to be the attorney at the city club with an e-mail address like joelaw38@hotmail.com when everybody's passing out their business cards!
4) It helps people find you through search engines. Sites like Yahoo! and Google have taken on immense importance, and getting your site in users' search results is key to establishing new relationships with them.
Many search engines only index the first page of a site with a domain name, and some refuse to list pages on free hosting sites at all!
5) Nobody else will get the name that you need. In the early days of the Web, people would register domain names later to be coveted by large corporations; and a few made lots of money selling their rights to those names before the practice was made illegal. But even now, anyone with a business similar to yours may lay claim to the perfect name and you'd have to settle for a less desirable choice.
6) It gives you a permanent "anchor" for your Internet identity. Even if you're not ready to establish a website, you can still register the name now and use it later. Most domain name registration services will allow you to "park" your domain for as long as you wish without really doing anything with it.
7) E-mail addresses hosted in association with your domain name will not change, even if you switch ISPs or temporarily lose your access during a move, for example. Until fairly recently, all the great reasons to establish your own domain name were outweighed for an individual or small-business by the difficulty of actually doing it.
That has changed, however, and finding a hosting provider who will set you up with your own domain, e-mail and a website is easy and inexpensive.
It doesn't make any sense at all for a business, or even an individual, to go another day without taking this step forward.
The Internet is here to stay - it's important to make sure that your Internet identity is too.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
So how do you set yourself or your business apart on the Internet with a unique presence?
There's one way - establish your own domain name, like "yourcompany.com". Registering a domain name used to be a daunting process; but now, there are companies set up for the purpose of taking care of the red-tape for you.
Nowadays, it's as easy as deciding what name you want to claim, finding out if it's available (and that's automated!) and then registering it for yourself if it is.
Then it's yours to keep as long as you (or the company you choose to handle it) renew your registration every year.
Think about it. You can have the same email addresses for the rest of your life and even pass them down to your children or company.
You are now in total control of never losing contact via your email addresses. (or something like this)
When you combine it with proper website and e-mail hosting, the establishment of your unique domain name gives you several advantages:
1) It increases your name recognition and allows your friends, family or customers to remember more easily how to find you and your site.
It's a lot easier to remember www.example.com than it is to remember
www.free-hosting.com/business/~example.
2) It gives you a more serious and professional "appearance" on the Net. Even if they allowed it and could handle the volume of traffic, hosting a busy commercial website on an individual's free web space or on a free server like GeoCities isn't very practical or professional.
3) It helps brand your image and adds a level of trust and integrity to your site. You don't want to be the attorney at the city club with an e-mail address like joelaw38@hotmail.com when everybody's passing out their business cards!
4) It helps people find you through search engines. Sites like Yahoo! and Google have taken on immense importance, and getting your site in users' search results is key to establishing new relationships with them.
Many search engines only index the first page of a site with a domain name, and some refuse to list pages on free hosting sites at all!
5) Nobody else will get the name that you need. In the early days of the Web, people would register domain names later to be coveted by large corporations; and a few made lots of money selling their rights to those names before the practice was made illegal. But even now, anyone with a business similar to yours may lay claim to the perfect name and you'd have to settle for a less desirable choice.
6) It gives you a permanent "anchor" for your Internet identity. Even if you're not ready to establish a website, you can still register the name now and use it later. Most domain name registration services will allow you to "park" your domain for as long as you wish without really doing anything with it.
7) E-mail addresses hosted in association with your domain name will not change, even if you switch ISPs or temporarily lose your access during a move, for example. Until fairly recently, all the great reasons to establish your own domain name were outweighed for an individual or small-business by the difficulty of actually doing it.
That has changed, however, and finding a hosting provider who will set you up with your own domain, e-mail and a website is easy and inexpensive.
It doesn't make any sense at all for a business, or even an individual, to go another day without taking this step forward.
The Internet is here to stay - it's important to make sure that your Internet identity is too.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Network Marketing - Building A Business Relationship
Research shows that even with the bestest products and business practices, you still need strong relationships to succeed in this marketplace.
The following is a roadmap to turn personality differences into positive business results.
Respect is at the heart of building business relationships. It is the glue that holds together the functioning of teams, partnerships and managing relationships. ( Up and down, peer-to-peer, internally and externally).
Respecting the right to differ is a concept like apple pie and motherhood. We all agree with it but can we truly foster it?
The first step is to identify the specific areas of difference. Many people see things in terms of rights and wrongs. "My way" is right and therefore "other ways" are wrong. When a situation is viewed through this lens, a power struggle ensues.
When, however, a situation can be seen through the lens of difference, and a position is simply a matter of opinion not fact, then cooperation and compromise is possible.
Identifying and understanding differences allows people to shift their position to one of compromise and negotiation.
The following steps are the roadmap to success:
• Respect leads to accepting a person for what he/she is.
• Accepting a person where they are, creates an environment of trust.
• Trust, leads to a willingness to be open to:
o new opportunities
o new collaborations
o new strategies
o new ideas
o new products
Once you understand the above you can use the following list to avoid power struggles, which drain energy from your effectiveness.
Here is a list of 6 list type of differences to look for:
1. Communication Styles. All people do not communicate in the same fashion. There are many inventories available to identify differing styles. Once you understand a person's style, this knowledge can lead to respect not conflict
2. Non-Verbal Communication. All forms of communication must be considered. This form of communication is more covert, but not any less important. Non-verbal communication includes; body language, and tone. Non-verbal communication may differ from the verbal. With this additional understanding of what is really being communicated more effective collaboration is possible.
3. Learning Styles. People learn in different ways. When this concept is in the forefront of understanding then communications can be geared to various styles and will meet with greater success.
4. Differing Values. This concept can be a little tricky. While values need to be identified and respected, there are times when conflicting values can be so different that they cannot coexist on the same team. When mutually exclusive values are encountered, collaboration is not recommended.
5. Boundaries. We all have different space needs and boundary needs. (Boundaries are the limits you place on the behavior of others around you.) The first step is to be aware of peoples' boundaries and then to use this understanding to approach them respectfully. This new behavior often avoids conflict and strengthens relationships.
6. The Self. Self-respect is a vital and primary building block that supports the formation of relationships.
By being aware of your own needs and styles you create a healthy foundation and the ensuing relationships are more solid.
Well! This is the end of Building A Buiness Relation.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
The following is a roadmap to turn personality differences into positive business results.
Respect is at the heart of building business relationships. It is the glue that holds together the functioning of teams, partnerships and managing relationships. ( Up and down, peer-to-peer, internally and externally).
Respecting the right to differ is a concept like apple pie and motherhood. We all agree with it but can we truly foster it?
The first step is to identify the specific areas of difference. Many people see things in terms of rights and wrongs. "My way" is right and therefore "other ways" are wrong. When a situation is viewed through this lens, a power struggle ensues.
When, however, a situation can be seen through the lens of difference, and a position is simply a matter of opinion not fact, then cooperation and compromise is possible.
Identifying and understanding differences allows people to shift their position to one of compromise and negotiation.
The following steps are the roadmap to success:
• Respect leads to accepting a person for what he/she is.
• Accepting a person where they are, creates an environment of trust.
• Trust, leads to a willingness to be open to:
o new opportunities
o new collaborations
o new strategies
o new ideas
o new products
Once you understand the above you can use the following list to avoid power struggles, which drain energy from your effectiveness.
Here is a list of 6 list type of differences to look for:
1. Communication Styles. All people do not communicate in the same fashion. There are many inventories available to identify differing styles. Once you understand a person's style, this knowledge can lead to respect not conflict
2. Non-Verbal Communication. All forms of communication must be considered. This form of communication is more covert, but not any less important. Non-verbal communication includes; body language, and tone. Non-verbal communication may differ from the verbal. With this additional understanding of what is really being communicated more effective collaboration is possible.
3. Learning Styles. People learn in different ways. When this concept is in the forefront of understanding then communications can be geared to various styles and will meet with greater success.
4. Differing Values. This concept can be a little tricky. While values need to be identified and respected, there are times when conflicting values can be so different that they cannot coexist on the same team. When mutually exclusive values are encountered, collaboration is not recommended.
5. Boundaries. We all have different space needs and boundary needs. (Boundaries are the limits you place on the behavior of others around you.) The first step is to be aware of peoples' boundaries and then to use this understanding to approach them respectfully. This new behavior often avoids conflict and strengthens relationships.
6. The Self. Self-respect is a vital and primary building block that supports the formation of relationships.
By being aware of your own needs and styles you create a healthy foundation and the ensuing relationships are more solid.
Well! This is the end of Building A Buiness Relation.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Network Marketing - Start Up Money
This article was written By Paul and Sarah Edwards
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
While the old saying "It takes money to make money" has some bearing on starting a home based business, how much money it's going to take depends on the kind of business you're starting.
But before thinking about how to fund your home business, you have to determine how much you need--and that may not be as much as you thought.
For example, the startup costs for some home businesses--like cleaning services, daily money management and pet sitting--are quite low, costing in the hundreds of dollars to launch.
Other businesses--like medical transcription, private investigating and mobile pet grooming--will cost $10,000 or more.
And neither of these estimates includes living expenses, which you'll need to take into account when calculating your startup costs if you don't already have a job to cover those costs.
The most common sources of startup funds are tapping into your own piggy bank, retirement funds, insurance policies, employee severance package, a loan from a family member or friend, credit cards or a home equity loan.
If you've already considered or drawn from those sources but still need additional funds, here are some other types of wells you might be able to draw from:
First, think about assets or resources you own or are entitled to, such as: Taxes. While still employed at a job, you can reduce withholding taxes by changing your number of allowances.
Each additional allowance on a $1,000 paycheck is worth about $20; on a $2,000 paycheck, $25. So you can unlock an instant cash stream by increasing your allowances in line with the deductions you expect to have available when you file your annual income taxes.
Simply follow the instructions on the IRS form or consult with a tax professional for more information.
Calculate these at http://www.dinkytown.net/java/Payroll.html
Collectibles. For almost instant cash, you can sell collectibles you've acquired yourself or through an inheritance.
This could be anything from your childhood comic book collection to your great aunt's silver tea service, so check your attic! You'd be surprised what people will pay money for, so don't overlook things you might just consider "junk."
Auction sites like eBay, as well as sites specializing in the type of collectible you have, make it easy and inexpensive for you to get a good price for your belongings.
Disability help. If you're disabled, you may be eligible for a program that provides you with counseling, classes and capital with which to start a business.
Check with your state's Vocational Rehabilitation Agency to determine what it offers. You can find your state's agency by checking the Social Security Administration's website.
Second, you may be able to tap into: SBA loans.
Probably the loan program most suitable for home based businesses is the SBA's Micro loan Program, which is administered through local non-profit community lenders.
The average micro loan size is about $10,500, but loans can be for as much as $35,000. When this program was started, loans were character-based, that is, they didn't require collateral.
Most programs now require some type of collateral, as well as the personal guarantee of the borrower. You can find the agency administering these loans nearest you on the SBA's website.
Angel investors.
While most angel investors, such as those you'd find through sites like http://www.ace-net.org and http://www.businesspartners.com are interested in companies that already have a track record, if you have a hot, innovative idea, you may be able to interest a well-to-do person in your community, like a doctor or a group of doctors, to invest in your venture.
Finally, you may be able to line up prepaid work so that your customers can help finance your startup. For example, you can:
Get deposits on contracts you line up.
This might be in the form of a purchase order on which you may be able to get a bank to advance your funds. Or, if you're a service provider, such as a professional speaker, it's common to require and get half your fee in advance from clients.
This can also be done if you have a product your customer will be reselling, giving the customer confidence that they'll get back the money they pay to you upfront with something they believe their customers will gladly pay for.
Barter for the products or services you need. For example, if you provide lawn-care services, you may be able to get printing, web design or equipment you need by your trading your own business' services.
When it comes to funding your home-based startup, thinking creatively could help you achieve your financial goals.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
While the old saying "It takes money to make money" has some bearing on starting a home based business, how much money it's going to take depends on the kind of business you're starting.
But before thinking about how to fund your home business, you have to determine how much you need--and that may not be as much as you thought.
For example, the startup costs for some home businesses--like cleaning services, daily money management and pet sitting--are quite low, costing in the hundreds of dollars to launch.
Other businesses--like medical transcription, private investigating and mobile pet grooming--will cost $10,000 or more.
And neither of these estimates includes living expenses, which you'll need to take into account when calculating your startup costs if you don't already have a job to cover those costs.
The most common sources of startup funds are tapping into your own piggy bank, retirement funds, insurance policies, employee severance package, a loan from a family member or friend, credit cards or a home equity loan.
If you've already considered or drawn from those sources but still need additional funds, here are some other types of wells you might be able to draw from:
First, think about assets or resources you own or are entitled to, such as: Taxes. While still employed at a job, you can reduce withholding taxes by changing your number of allowances.
Each additional allowance on a $1,000 paycheck is worth about $20; on a $2,000 paycheck, $25. So you can unlock an instant cash stream by increasing your allowances in line with the deductions you expect to have available when you file your annual income taxes.
Simply follow the instructions on the IRS form or consult with a tax professional for more information.
Calculate these at http://www.dinkytown.net/java/Payroll.html
Collectibles. For almost instant cash, you can sell collectibles you've acquired yourself or through an inheritance.
This could be anything from your childhood comic book collection to your great aunt's silver tea service, so check your attic! You'd be surprised what people will pay money for, so don't overlook things you might just consider "junk."
Auction sites like eBay, as well as sites specializing in the type of collectible you have, make it easy and inexpensive for you to get a good price for your belongings.
Disability help. If you're disabled, you may be eligible for a program that provides you with counseling, classes and capital with which to start a business.
Check with your state's Vocational Rehabilitation Agency to determine what it offers. You can find your state's agency by checking the Social Security Administration's website.
Second, you may be able to tap into: SBA loans.
Probably the loan program most suitable for home based businesses is the SBA's Micro loan Program, which is administered through local non-profit community lenders.
The average micro loan size is about $10,500, but loans can be for as much as $35,000. When this program was started, loans were character-based, that is, they didn't require collateral.
Most programs now require some type of collateral, as well as the personal guarantee of the borrower. You can find the agency administering these loans nearest you on the SBA's website.
Angel investors.
While most angel investors, such as those you'd find through sites like http://www.ace-net.org and http://www.businesspartners.com are interested in companies that already have a track record, if you have a hot, innovative idea, you may be able to interest a well-to-do person in your community, like a doctor or a group of doctors, to invest in your venture.
Finally, you may be able to line up prepaid work so that your customers can help finance your startup. For example, you can:
Get deposits on contracts you line up.
This might be in the form of a purchase order on which you may be able to get a bank to advance your funds. Or, if you're a service provider, such as a professional speaker, it's common to require and get half your fee in advance from clients.
This can also be done if you have a product your customer will be reselling, giving the customer confidence that they'll get back the money they pay to you upfront with something they believe their customers will gladly pay for.
Barter for the products or services you need. For example, if you provide lawn-care services, you may be able to get printing, web design or equipment you need by your trading your own business' services.
When it comes to funding your home-based startup, thinking creatively could help you achieve your financial goals.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Network Marketing - Determination To Succeed
This article is to give you something to think about.
Contrary to a great many textbook assertions, having the best product, the better mousetrap, a whiz-bang new idea, the top location, the best market, the smartest accountant, the neatest bookkeeping system, a ton of capital—or all of them together—does not ensure success.
On the other hand, having the worst product, a mediocre mousetrap, a silly idea, a bad location, a weak market, an accountant who can’t count, a shoe box and paper bag bookkeeping system, or no money—or all of these things together—does not ensure failure.
I have seen people succeed under the most improbable conditions.
I’ve also seen people who have everything going for them still manage to screw it up.
In all of these cases, it’s the person making the difference. That’s why there really is no business successes or failures; there are people successes and people failures.
Entrepreneurial Success Is Mostly a Matter of Decision, a partnership, friendship, intimate relationship, or marriage that succeeds or fails, a book that gets written or remains a jumble of notes in a drawer, the garage that gets cleaned out Saturday or put off until next week—these are all the result of decision and determination to make the decision right.
Making the right decisions is often a lot less important than determining to make your decisions right.
Only by making a decision and acting on it can you get into action and move forward. By waiting to make only the perfect decisions, you remain inert and cannot move forward at all.
Most people go through life making decisions by default, choosing only from narrow options dictated by others or by evolving circumstances.
One millionaire friend of mine grew up in a very small town where, as he put it, there were two career options: working at the factory or raising pigs and chickens.
With only a few exceptions, everybody he went to school and graduated with chose one of those two options.
I am often amused when I’m traveling and get asked what I do; when I describe my job as best I can, I often get the envious sigh, the gee-I-wish-I-could-do-that, and then the laundry list of complaints and dissatisfactions from my fellow traveler about present career or business or life.
I’m amused because he apparently does not know he can change those circumstances by decision.
Similarly, when I told fellow travelers that I lived in “sunny Phoenix” (where I lived for more than ten years), I’d often hear the envious sigh, the gee-I-wish-I-lived-there-instead-of-in-X, then the litany of unpleasant things about their home city.
This amuses me because apparently they haven’t noticed the highway signs in their town pointing the way out.
Successful entrepreneurs learn to be much more assertive, proactive, and creative in making decisions to change things as they prefer, to make things happen.
If you are to succeed as an entrepreneur, you have to break free of your old reacting and responding mode and switch to the assertive, proactive mode.
You have to reject the entire idea of limited choices. As an entrepreneur, you need to reject every single piece of programming you’ve ever received about limited options or prerequisites for exercising certain options.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com/ and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Contrary to a great many textbook assertions, having the best product, the better mousetrap, a whiz-bang new idea, the top location, the best market, the smartest accountant, the neatest bookkeeping system, a ton of capital—or all of them together—does not ensure success.
On the other hand, having the worst product, a mediocre mousetrap, a silly idea, a bad location, a weak market, an accountant who can’t count, a shoe box and paper bag bookkeeping system, or no money—or all of these things together—does not ensure failure.
I have seen people succeed under the most improbable conditions.
I’ve also seen people who have everything going for them still manage to screw it up.
In all of these cases, it’s the person making the difference. That’s why there really is no business successes or failures; there are people successes and people failures.
Entrepreneurial Success Is Mostly a Matter of Decision, a partnership, friendship, intimate relationship, or marriage that succeeds or fails, a book that gets written or remains a jumble of notes in a drawer, the garage that gets cleaned out Saturday or put off until next week—these are all the result of decision and determination to make the decision right.
Making the right decisions is often a lot less important than determining to make your decisions right.
Only by making a decision and acting on it can you get into action and move forward. By waiting to make only the perfect decisions, you remain inert and cannot move forward at all.
Most people go through life making decisions by default, choosing only from narrow options dictated by others or by evolving circumstances.
One millionaire friend of mine grew up in a very small town where, as he put it, there were two career options: working at the factory or raising pigs and chickens.
With only a few exceptions, everybody he went to school and graduated with chose one of those two options.
I am often amused when I’m traveling and get asked what I do; when I describe my job as best I can, I often get the envious sigh, the gee-I-wish-I-could-do-that, and then the laundry list of complaints and dissatisfactions from my fellow traveler about present career or business or life.
I’m amused because he apparently does not know he can change those circumstances by decision.
Similarly, when I told fellow travelers that I lived in “sunny Phoenix” (where I lived for more than ten years), I’d often hear the envious sigh, the gee-I-wish-I-lived-there-instead-of-in-X, then the litany of unpleasant things about their home city.
This amuses me because apparently they haven’t noticed the highway signs in their town pointing the way out.
Successful entrepreneurs learn to be much more assertive, proactive, and creative in making decisions to change things as they prefer, to make things happen.
If you are to succeed as an entrepreneur, you have to break free of your old reacting and responding mode and switch to the assertive, proactive mode.
You have to reject the entire idea of limited choices. As an entrepreneur, you need to reject every single piece of programming you’ve ever received about limited options or prerequisites for exercising certain options.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com/ and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Network Marketing - Developing A Good Business Plan
Preparation of a business plan can be your most important task in running a small business.
Its hard work and some business owners are reluctant to write a business plan because of the time and research involved.
Many small business owners don't realize the need for a written plan because they say, “I know what I'm doing” or " I've been in business for years.”
The steps to preparing a business plan:
1. Aids in the thought process
2. Functions as an efficient communication tool
3. Allow you to test the idea(s) on paper and get objective feedback
4. Provides a yardstick to measure progress in the future.
Many people get stuck because they hate to write, the process is too time consuming or they know what they want to say, but just can't seem to get it down on paper.
Here are some ideas to help you with these problems:1. Write a little at a time - a few sentences are a great start.
The most important part is that you get your thoughts on paper and let someone you trust, read them.
Sometimes a person not involved in the business can be a source of very good ideas.
2. Don't worry too much about format. The suggested format that follows is just a starting point.
A good business plan must contain certain elements (the Executive Summary is a must), but the logic in the plan and believable financial projections are the most important parts.
If the numbers don't work, no amount of beautiful presentation will make your plan a good one!
3. Don't write a book! Whenever possible use charts, tables and graphs to present and analyze information.
A picture is truly worth a thousand words. In general, a good business plan should answer to the following questions:
1. Who are your customers?
2. How will you reach these customers?
3. What is it that your customers want and how do you know this?
4. How does your business provide customer wants?
5. Do you know your business and how it should operate?
6. Do you know your industry and the current trends in the market?
7. How are you qualified to do what you want to accomplish?
8. Do your assumptions make sense to someone unfamiliar with your business?
9. Are your financial projections believable and do they make sense?
10. How will you measure your progress financially and in other ways?
11. What will you do to make it easy for people to do business with you?
12. What differentiates your business from all the others in your industry?
The single most important aspect of a good business plan is that it must be based on your market and your customers' desires.
What you want, and think, as a business owner is much less important than what your customers want and think.
The reason for your business to exist is to create and service customers.
The Key Parts of the Business Plan:
You should have specific goals and develop realistic strategies to meet those goals in a variety of areas:
financial, business growth, market share, employment goals, etc.
Goals and Strategies will appear in your plan briefly at the beginning and in the body of the business plan: both to express your vision of future business and as the foundation of your financial projections.
The Mission Statement - You should answer the question:
WHY are you in business?
Your mission should be a concise statement of the primary goals of the business and how they will be achieved. Often it reflects a personal philosophy.
Goals - Your goals are concise statements of WHAT will your business set out to do and WHEN will the goal be achieved.
Goals are time based and measurable - most importantly, goals must be achievable.
Strategies - The strategies you use will show HOW will you meet your goals and WHO will be responsible.
Strategies tell the reader what method you will use to meet your goals.
You may have multiple strategies to reach a single goal and strategies may overlap among goals.
This concludes Developing A Good Business Plan.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com/ and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Its hard work and some business owners are reluctant to write a business plan because of the time and research involved.
Many small business owners don't realize the need for a written plan because they say, “I know what I'm doing” or " I've been in business for years.”
The steps to preparing a business plan:
1. Aids in the thought process
2. Functions as an efficient communication tool
3. Allow you to test the idea(s) on paper and get objective feedback
4. Provides a yardstick to measure progress in the future.
Many people get stuck because they hate to write, the process is too time consuming or they know what they want to say, but just can't seem to get it down on paper.
Here are some ideas to help you with these problems:1. Write a little at a time - a few sentences are a great start.
The most important part is that you get your thoughts on paper and let someone you trust, read them.
Sometimes a person not involved in the business can be a source of very good ideas.
2. Don't worry too much about format. The suggested format that follows is just a starting point.
A good business plan must contain certain elements (the Executive Summary is a must), but the logic in the plan and believable financial projections are the most important parts.
If the numbers don't work, no amount of beautiful presentation will make your plan a good one!
3. Don't write a book! Whenever possible use charts, tables and graphs to present and analyze information.
A picture is truly worth a thousand words. In general, a good business plan should answer to the following questions:
1. Who are your customers?
2. How will you reach these customers?
3. What is it that your customers want and how do you know this?
4. How does your business provide customer wants?
5. Do you know your business and how it should operate?
6. Do you know your industry and the current trends in the market?
7. How are you qualified to do what you want to accomplish?
8. Do your assumptions make sense to someone unfamiliar with your business?
9. Are your financial projections believable and do they make sense?
10. How will you measure your progress financially and in other ways?
11. What will you do to make it easy for people to do business with you?
12. What differentiates your business from all the others in your industry?
The single most important aspect of a good business plan is that it must be based on your market and your customers' desires.
What you want, and think, as a business owner is much less important than what your customers want and think.
The reason for your business to exist is to create and service customers.
The Key Parts of the Business Plan:
You should have specific goals and develop realistic strategies to meet those goals in a variety of areas:
financial, business growth, market share, employment goals, etc.
Goals and Strategies will appear in your plan briefly at the beginning and in the body of the business plan: both to express your vision of future business and as the foundation of your financial projections.
The Mission Statement - You should answer the question:
WHY are you in business?
Your mission should be a concise statement of the primary goals of the business and how they will be achieved. Often it reflects a personal philosophy.
Goals - Your goals are concise statements of WHAT will your business set out to do and WHEN will the goal be achieved.
Goals are time based and measurable - most importantly, goals must be achievable.
Strategies - The strategies you use will show HOW will you meet your goals and WHO will be responsible.
Strategies tell the reader what method you will use to meet your goals.
You may have multiple strategies to reach a single goal and strategies may overlap among goals.
This concludes Developing A Good Business Plan.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com/ and pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6594
Network Marketing - The First Step In Becoming A Successful Marketer On The Internet
The First Step In Becoming A Successful Marketer On The Internet
Lets face it the Internet is huge, nobody out there knows you. Right?
What I mean by that is to brand yourself so people will know who you are.
Would you buy from someone you don’t know?
Of course you wouldn’t – Right?
Your next question would be how to I do that? Well, I am going to tell you.
Get a piece of paper and write down everything about yourself:
1. Introduce yourself
2. What are you good at
3. What can you teach other people to do?
Do you know about search engine optimization?
Do you know how to write?
Do you know how to get leads?
Do you know what traffic exchanges get good results; do you know where to advertise at etc?
4. Think about what you can offer someone.
For example, I am very knowledgeable about marketing on the Internet so I can teach you how to market on the Internet.
It can be anything. The goal here is to get your name out there and to build a business relationship with your reader.
Of course the subject matter has to be something that the reader is interested in.
You want to attract people who are interest in thing that you are interested in.
5. Start a newsletter or a blog. And post your writing to it regularly.
Remember to post you name, telephone number and email address.
You want people to contact you. Don’t worry too much about people calling you;
I have been posting my telephone number for years. I may have received one or two calls.
But I do get a lot of email messages.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com/ pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6584
Lets face it the Internet is huge, nobody out there knows you. Right?
What I mean by that is to brand yourself so people will know who you are.
Would you buy from someone you don’t know?
Of course you wouldn’t – Right?
Your next question would be how to I do that? Well, I am going to tell you.
Get a piece of paper and write down everything about yourself:
1. Introduce yourself
2. What are you good at
3. What can you teach other people to do?
Do you know about search engine optimization?
Do you know how to write?
Do you know how to get leads?
Do you know what traffic exchanges get good results; do you know where to advertise at etc?
4. Think about what you can offer someone.
For example, I am very knowledgeable about marketing on the Internet so I can teach you how to market on the Internet.
It can be anything. The goal here is to get your name out there and to build a business relationship with your reader.
Of course the subject matter has to be something that the reader is interested in.
You want to attract people who are interest in thing that you are interested in.
5. Start a newsletter or a blog. And post your writing to it regularly.
Remember to post you name, telephone number and email address.
You want people to contact you. Don’t worry too much about people calling you;
I have been posting my telephone number for years. I may have received one or two calls.
But I do get a lot of email messages.
Please visit my website at http://www.idamaeboyd.com/ pick up some fantastic Network Marketing Tools and more.
Ida Mae Boyd
609-641-6584
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