The Most Critical Strategy to Your Survival, and Prosperity, Online

Ever wondered what to give the "Person Who Has Everything"? A Gift Basket could be just the thing. Have you been from shop to shop and thought "Yes This is It" and then discounted the gift because it wasn't really what you wanted.

My best friend has everything and when I say everything, "I Mean Everything". She has either been given or purchased every conceivable gadget available in the last 5 years. She loves to shop. One of her motto's is "Shop Til you Drop, Spend Til the End". And she lives by that rule!

When it comes to gifts for my friend -- she is "The Hardest Person to Buy For". Oh did I tell you, she even has a kitchen sink on her car key tag !

It was while looking for a present for my friend that I thought "What About A Gift Basket". I was in a specialized shop and the sign said "For the Person Who Has Everything" and the light turned on.

I'm not sure if you are aware but these days gift baskets have changed. No longer are they the old style cane baskets (although there are some very attractive cane baskets available on today's market). Today Gift Baskets came in all shapes and sizes. In fact, it is basically up to your imagination as to what a "Gift Basket" should be. You can use old shoes, buckets, calico bags, pot plant holders in fact anything that holds what items you purchase to fill the basket with.

Gift Baskets are lots of fun to create and very easy to make. Gone are the days of saying... oh I'm not creative enough to make a professional looking basket. Anyone can make a professional looking basket -- as long as you have some imagination and a willingness to give it a try.

If you are stuck for a present for that "Person Who Has Everything" then a Gift Basket is for you!

Firstly decide on a theme or if you aren't sure then write down the interests of the recipient ie. golf or tennis, shopping etc. You could even base it around a coming event. Once you have made the list, work your way through it until you find something that stands out that would fit into your Gift Basket "theme".

For today's basket lets say your friend loves to entertain and one of her favorite meals is "Italian" food.

You could choose a selection of baskets for this theme; today we will use a large pasta bowl as our "basket" or a large cooking pot. Our basket needs to be large enough to hold the goodies that we are going to purchase so that we can then turn this into a Professional Looking "Gift Basket". If neither of these ideas appeals to you, let your imagination take over and choose something that fits into your theme selection.

Next take yourself down to the local supermarket or deli who specialize in gourmet foods. Set yourself a budget as to what you want to spend and then go about buying non-perishable items to fill the basket. Speak to the shop attendant to ensure that the items you are purchasing fit into your theme. Buy different colors and types of pasta to give variety of color and shape to your basket.

Next take yourself to a department store or kitchenware shop and purchase some really great utensils to go with the other items that you have purchased.

You could also add an "Easy Step by Step Guide" if they need cooking help, or send them to a "Cooking Lesson" for something extra.

Once you have gathered these items, it is time to begin to assemble your gift basket.

Depending upon the type of basket you have chosen you may need to fill the bottom of the basket with some shredded paper, as this will give the basket height. Place the items in the basket to give a layered effect. Layering items at different heights in the basket makes the overall design more pleasing to the eye.

Use small pieces of tape to hold items in place. Next wrap clear cellophane around the outside of the basket and tie the top with wired ribbon or curling ribbon to match the color scheme of your gift.

To finish off our basket make a gift tag and tuck a small item into the ribbon around the basket to give a professional look.

Congratulations, you've done it... "A Present For the Person Who Has Everything" -- A Gift Basket!

About Donna: Donna Hamer is the author and publisher of 101 Gift Basket Ideas. For a Free 5 part Mini Course on how to create your own "Personalized Gift Baskets", visit http://www.101giftbasketideas.com

We've all felt stress in our lives. And we're left wondering what's the best way to try and deal with it.

Some exercise, others veg out in front of the TV, I however have discovered the amazing zen of charm bracelets.

Charm bracelets are both a way to collect memories without large obtrusive knick knacks everywhere and is also a fun hobby for people that like collecting things.

It's almost like a treasure hunt looking for new charms to add to your collection and display like a trophy to everyone you come in contact with for them to admire your work and your chance to tell them all about the history of each charm.

See, it's not just about collecting the charms simply to collect them, it's about what they mean to you.

Much like someone that gets many tattoos, there's a story that goes behind them and a memory of when they got it.

It's the same with charms, there is a certain story, a certain reason for having the charms you have and everytime you look at them, they remind you about the things that are special to you.

You can collect charms that remind you of a trip you went on, of a certain belief you have, or a special time in your life. And best of all, these can all be worn on your wrist.

You can even make multiple bracelets for different periods in your life or for different moods.

It's a relzxing, almost theraputic hobby that will help you relieve stress and live your life with great joy and happiness. And all those memories are a short glance away.

I would reccomend this hobby to anyone, and once you've got you're very first charm, you'll know what I mean.

The charms are endless just like your memories. Carry them with you always.

About Juliette: Juliette is the nation's leading expert on the creation of charm bracelets and rare charms. Her site is http://www.coolcharmbracelets.com

One of the biggest and hottest growing trends in the art of tattoo design is Hawaiian arm or leg band tattoos. As this trend goes a lot of people think to themselves, well of course." At least that is what I said to myself at first. You can hardly drive more then 10 minutes on the freeway in southern California where I am from and not see a big SUV like a Lincoln Navigator or a Cadillac Escalade and not see a Hawaiian sticker. Things with flowers designs, or turtles, dolphins. Ya see it started off with the sticker and then the car seat covers with hibiscus flowers everywhere and it just grew from there.

This trend of Hawaiian design has then met it's match with the whole tribal tattoo movement. Tribal tattoos have been the hottest thing in the tattoo world since sliced bread or the old school WWII era Hula dancer. You see these influences have been all around us for a long time my grandpa even has one of those Hula Girls tattoos still. Granted it is a little saggy and faded now but he still has one on his forearm nonetheless.

So the whole tribal tattoo and the growth in interest for Hawaiian designs have combined to make a hot and growing market for Hawaiian tattoos. This is really an up and coming thing and it not huge yet. However many tattoo artists are spotting the trend and jumping on it already.

Of course there is a lot of controversy on this subject also like anything. If you look on the internet there is a controversy about getting Kanji and Japanese Tattoos also. Anytime you try and take the designs of a culture and do not depict them accurately it creates a sense of bastardization or what I call the "Disney Effect" towards the culture. I mean how would you feel if you were in China and someone said, oh you should try this hot new restaurant out it serves this great food that is really American. They have fried chicken and apple pie that is the best." Well, at first you would be excited right? Sure it would be nice for a good home cooked meal if you have been out of the US for a long time. However once you get there you see the place has really tacky and awful reproductions of 50's art and the all the food tastes kind of strange. It would probably bee kind of close or resemble what you were thinking of but it would be missing something or a few key ingredients. I bet this would leave you feeling a little sad and like your culture was not totally understood.

Well, I can not speak for you and maybe you will feel different but I was pretty sad when after staying in Japan for 3 months I was invited to a 1950's classic hamburger joint. When we got there it was Elvis with a funny accent playing on the jukebox and when my hamburger came it had a fried egg on top of it with teriyaki sauce. WOW what a surprise that was for me. I kind of felt weird about being in the place that had tried to recreate something from my own culture.

So, the same controversy rolls on in the world of tattoos. Anytime you get a tattoo design from another culture just make sure you go with a professional. Do not have your friend trace out some Kanji in a book for a tattoo and don't go and rip some design of the internet because it states that it is Hawaiian. Go to a real custom tattoo designer and have them do the research and come up with some designs. After all this is going to be on your body for the rest of your life and since Hawaiian arm band tattoos and leg tattoos are typically big it will be a significant investment in pain, time and money to get the thing done. So you should consult with a professional and get top notch work done.

About Chris: Chris is the owner and webmaster of http://www.designmyattoos.com where you can find custom tattoo artists waiting to design a tattoo for you. Either a Hawaiian Arm Tattoo or some other tattoo design.

This success mistake has cost me so much money that I'm almost embarrassed to tell you.

"So Mike, why are you telling me?"

Because I know that if you can steer away from this success mistake, it can help you improve your income and change your life. That's my goal.

Here's how this came about:

Yesterday, I was reading a book about investing from the very successful money manager Peter Lynch.

Even though he was talking about 'investing', he zeroed in on a success principle that so many people miss.

I did.for 7+ years and it cost me a fortune.

And it caused me a bunch of stress.

What's so interesting is that Warren Buffett used this same success insight to become the 2nd richest person in the world.

Here's the deal:

I used to be so 'short-sighted' and wanted immediate gratification.

If my new 'business idea' didn't work out in 30-60 days, I quit.

Then I'd try something else and, after a week, I went onto something else.

This downward spiral happened for a while because I was 'ruled' by a short-term vision and the desire for immediate gratification.

This is how 98% of the world operates.

THIS is why only 2% of the world live their dreams.

Here's what Peter Lynch was saying and what Warren Buffet knows.

Also, Michael Dell knows this, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Oprah and others all know this.

***One of the biggest 'secrets' to success is taking the LONG-TERM VIEW.

(Let me say that again)

***One of the biggest 'secrets' to success is taking the LONG-TERM VIEW.

When Warren Buffett makes an investment, he's looking 5-15 years out, sometimes more.

All great entrepreneurs understand that in order to WIN BIG they must take the long-term view.

3-years, 5-years, 15-years, 20-years+.

You need to give yourself time for your idea or business to grow.

Most people never do this - it's unfortunate. AND it's also never too late to start.

You need to EXPAND your horizon.

Change your perspective.

You need to take the NEXT STEP today and keep in mind your long-term view. Not necessarily a specific long term goal, but a longer term VIEW.

There's a season for everything.

Take the time to plant the seeds, water them, and be patient for your harvest.

Stay disciplined.

I know you can do it.

Resource box: If you're scattered, if you procrastinate too much, and if you want to 'rev up' your income, see Mike Litman's site at: http://www.powerofconcentration.net

Only about 20% of your copy is going to get read. The rest will simply be scanned. I'm sure you've heard the statistic before. It's nothing new. While it might sound frightening or frustrating, it's a fact of copywriting life. So what do you do next? Give up? What difference does it make if only about 20% will be read anyway?

It makes a world of difference. Especially if you understand that there are some sections of your copy that are practically guaranteed to get read. If you know what these are and work to reinforce them, you'll see your conversions increase dramatically whether your copy is geared toward online or offline promotions.

HEADLINES

Headlines have always been and will always be the most important section in any copy. They are the first thing to get read and have the greatest impact on whether any of the other copy gets read. Those stories you've seen floating around the Internet about marketers who have made minute changes to a headline and tripled their conversion rates are true. It happens all the time. In fact, it's happened to me.

Headlines and sub-headlines can guide your visitors to read deeper into your copy. If you set up a structure of progressive headlines (http://www.marketingwords.com/articles/articles_progressheadlines.html), you'll have a better shot getting your point across. Pay a lot of attention to your headline. It's the powerhouse of your copy.

CAPTIONS

Captions started with newspaper journalists. When they would run a picture with a story, they would add a few words underneath to explain what or who the picture was of. People got into the habit of looking for the captions in order to relate the importance of the image with the information they were receiving. This still holds true. Captions in advertising pieces are highly read. Don't waste the space!

FIRST SENTENCES

When you scan something -- an article, a book, a newspaper, a magazine, a website -- what do you read? Almost everyone reads the first sentence of each paragraph. These sentences are vitally important in order to get your potential customers interested enough to keep reading. If you create exceptional first sentences, one of two things will happen. One: The prospect will be more likely to continue reading the copy. Two: The first sentences in each paragraph will be enough to convince him/her to buy.

FIRST IN BULLETED LIST

Just as with the first sentence in each paragraph, people also almost always read the first entry in a bulleted list. If it hits home, they might keep reading. But, knowing that you have their attention for at least one second, always make sure your first bullet point is extremely powerful and enticing.

PS's

Writing a direct mail or Web sales letter? The PS is another hot spot. Take advantage of this real estate. Repeat offers, remind readers of bonuses, reinforce guarantees or recap limited-time offers. This section is the final pitch before your reader either acts or trashes your copy so make it count.

Have you noticed something about these five sections? Why do you think they are virtually guaranteed to get read in any piece of copy? They are unusual. They are limited. They stand out. They are eye-catching.

You only have a limited number of headlines and sub-heads in copy. They are almost always offset by bolding or underlining so they easily catch the eye of the reader. Captions only appear when there are images. They do not appear all throughout the copy. First sentences are also rare. Only one sentence in each paragraph can be the first one. This tells the reader to keep going or jump to another section that might be of more interest. First entries in bulleted lists are unusually formatted and catch the eye of the reader. PS's? There's only one, and since it's the last thing on the page, most often, it stands out too.

These rare elements give you five guaranteed shots at building curiosity, promoting benefits, generating interest and closing sales. If you haven't done it before, now is the time to review your copy to be sure you're making the most out of these opportunities.

About Karon: Karon Thackston is a veteran copywriting pro who specializes in SEO copy. Learn how to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Get more tips on incorporating keyphrases into your copy with Karon's latest e-report "How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)" at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.

I began the journey of owning a home based business several months ago. Like many others, I found the task of marketing my business overwhelming and frustrating. Without marketing, you don't make sales, and without sales, you can't profitably run your business.

After spending countless hours on the computer and throwing many dollars down the drain, I learned one very important thing: You must combine mass marketing with a personal touch.

There are many great marketing tools you can use to achieve mass marketing including pay per click engines, placing ads, buying leads, banner advertising, and exchanging links just to name a few. While these methods can produce positive results, they lack the personal connection many new business owners need to build a true customer base.

On the other hand, personal touch methods such as emailing your family and friends about your new business can be a great way to start spreading the word, but this approach may not help you reach enough people to give your business the jump start it really needs.

So where did this lead this flailing entrepreneur? Message boards.

I initially visited message boards to get help with my marketing dilemma. In the process, I realized this was not only a place to exchange valuable information with other home business owners, but this was also a great place to market my own online business.

Not only did I find plenty of message board group members willing to give information, I found many interested parties for my own business. Soon, I realized that not only was I becoming a more educated marketing guru, I was introducing my new business to many new friends (and customers).

By joining message board groups, not only will you find a new outlet to advertise your business, but you will also build credibility among your peers.

Follow these simple steps to begin utilizing message boards to market your home business today:

Visit a search engine and do a search on message boards.
Click through to the message boards and search for forums related to work from home and/or your specific type of business.
Join a few message board groups. (Note: Some message board groups will allow you to post without being a member, but membership increases your credibility).
Post information about your business. Remember to give specific instructions about how to reach you including email address, Web URL, etc.

Message boards are an efficient and effective way to reach a targeted market with direct contact, and, best of all, they are free. As you will soon see, these message boards are quite powerful as there are thousands of subscribers who receive posts from message board groups in their email boxes each day.

Start joining message board groups now and take your home business to new heights!

About Leslie: Leslie McGuirk is a CPA and holds a Masters of Business Administration. For additional information on home business and marketing ideas, subscribe to mailto:buckyshome@getresponse.com or http://visit www.buckyshome.com. If you are interested in getting a free website to market your own home business, visit http://www.buckyshome.com/pips.html.

Too often, when we say we are "taking care of business", we think about the paperwork, the accounting, the inventory, etc... the trivial things that are important to get done in order for our business to run smoothly and efficiently. While necessary, they are not the most important.

We need to change our thinking about what "taking care of business" means. We need to make sales in order to have a profitable business, and we know without our customers or consultants, we don't have a business. They are our lifeblood, they are what keeps us moving forward, and meeting their needs should be our primary mission.

Without consultants or customers, there are no sales. Without sales, there is no revenue... without revenue, there is no business and we might as well go back and get a j.o.b. It is crucial that we take care of our customers and consultants. CRM (customer-relationship management) is a buzz-word in "big business". Many large corporations have implemented systems and technology to supposedly create customer care. Some have been successful, many have not.

Most of these systems simply give the illusion of customer care, but have failed miserably in actually providing it.

How many times have you been through the "round robin" of "press 1 for this" and "press 2 for that", only to spend an hour or more and never actually speak to a live person or get your problem solved? You hang up in the phone in frustration and vow never to spend money with XYZ Company again. This approach to customer care continues to baffle me as to why large companies believe this is effective. How can they possibly think that customer relationships can be created and nurtured by a recording?

Are those who make these decisions that far removed up the "corporate ladder" they can't see this isn't customer care at all and having the opposite effect?

Each and every one of our customers and consultants should be made to feel like they are our most important one. If we don't take care of them, someone or some other company will. Small and home businesses have an incredible opportunity to take back customer care and relationships the way it is supposed to be. We are in an incredible position to "take care of business".

Technology is wonderful. Without technology, there would be no internet and many of us would not be in business. However, there is no technology on this earth that can replace human connections. Technology will never replace our customers knowing that there is someone who truly cares about their needs.

So, how about you? Are you taking care of business?

About Patty: Patty Gale is a successful entrepreneur who specializes in personalization and customer care for all her clients. She exchanged her suits, hose and heels for working at home in her "jammies" and is on a mission to empower other women to do the same. She can be reached at: http://www.CommuteInYourJammies.com or http://www.PattysPrettyPaper.com

10 Classic E-zine Advertising TipsKen Hill

1. Target your advertising.

The more targeted the e-zine is for your offer, the greater your response will be for your proven ad.

2. Track your ads.

Don't leave your ad campaigns to guesswork. Use ad tracking to show you exactly which e-zines and ads are most profitable.

3. Run your ad for multiple issues.

You'll get a better response, and possibly save money as many publishers offer special deals on bulk advertising.

4. Spend lots of time writing your headline.

An effective headline will successfully grab your reader's attention and target your audience.

Your winning headline will also get people to read the rest of your ad, leading to more traffic and sales.

If you're new to writing headlines, and need some help check out my "9 Power Packed Headline Formulas" at: http://www.scstats.com/r.cfm?i=5652

5. Don't try to sell your product from your ad.

Write your ads to create interest and get people to visit your site.

From here, your powerful sales page will do the selling for you, and you'll be able to get people to join your e-zine or mailing list for successful follow up.

6. Don't use all caps in your headline.

You'll appear like your yelling at your reader, and your ad will come off as amateurish.

7. Include a "call to action."

At the end of your e-zine ads, include a call to action that tells your reader what you want them to do next (i.e., visit your site or subscribe to your e-zine).

8. Don't be cute or funny with your ad.

You might put your reader in a good mood, but don't count on that translating into more visits to your site or more sales.

9. Offer something for free.

Provide an incentive for visiting your site such as a free ebook, sample chapter, or trial.

10. Subscribe to or view the archives of the
e-zines you would like to advertise in.

You'll be able to see the quality of the content provided, how many ads are published in each issue, and you'll get a good idea of the products those readers are interested in by the ads being run.

About Ken: Ken's articles have been published in numerous e-zines and web sites all over the net. Keep up to date on his latest articles, and get more new valuable tips by visiting him at: http://kenhill.blogspot.com

11 Creative Ways You Can Use AutorespondersShery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

1. Pick 4 or more articles you've written that have a common theme and put them in an autoresponder series. Announce it on your site as an e-mail course on the go.

2. If you have a page for related links, create a related links file and put it on autoresponder. This can be a one-page e-mail containing 15-50 links that are of interest to your visitors. Put your own promotional texts or blurbs at the top, middle and bottom of the e-mail.

3. Create a fun or trivia quiz, put it up on your site and put the answers in an autoresponder that your visitors can request. This way, you'll know the people who took your quiz.

4. Write reviews of books, music, e-books, sites, software or anything you can think of and put each review (or related reviews) in an autoresponder. If what you are reviewing have affiliate programs, use your affiliate links in the autoresponder.

5. Run a contest on your site or e-zine, then have your visitors or subscribers send their responses to your autoresponder. This way, you won't have to worry about manually sending them a confirmation receipt.

6. Create a frequently updated autoresponder and let your visitors and/or subscribers know about it. You can put in weekly tips or links to useful resources in the autoresponder and a reminder to the people who request it that you update it every week or on a regular basis (e.g. tell them to request for the same autoresponder again a week from now). You can use this method instead of using autoresponders with limited follow up messages.

7. If you've written 20 or more articles and you have them on separate autoresponder accounts, create a master list for your articles. In this master list, list the titles of your articles, their autoresponder addresses and their short descriptions. You can then just promote this master list.

8. Put excerpts or free chapters of your e-book, book or paid e-mail courses in an autoresponder series, then include your follow up sales letters at the end.

9. If you're selling your own products, put your testimonials on autoresponder, along with the description of your products, an excerpt or a free chapter. This will increase your credibility.

10. Keep track of people who download your free e-book, e-report, or free software by putting their download links in an autoresponder. When you promote your free product, you can just promote the autoresponder address.

11. Put links to your hidden pages on autoresponder. A hidden page could be the affiliate page where you have all the graphics, text links, promotional articles that interested affiliates can use. Let people know they can have free access to your affiliate page by requesting the autoresponder. This way, you can have a list of people who are interested in becoming your affiliates.

About the author: Shery is the developer of creative, motivating and fun e-mail courses for writers at http://WritingBliss.com. She also authored the e-book that lets you create your own original and profitable E-mail Workshops, eCourses and Tutorials in only 3 days. Visit http://EmailWorkshopsHowTo.com for more info.

Running a contest for your e-zine subscribers or web site visitors is one way you can generate interest and give more exposure for products or services you want to promote.

A contest could be as simple as spotting a word or a set of words within an e-zine's issue or searching for a graphic on a site. A contest can run for one issue, or it can last for a month or more.

If you plan to run a contest, make sure you have a "contest management response system" in place.

This could be as simple as an automated e-mail receipt to let your participants know their entry has been received.

Run a contest that asks your participants to send their responses to specific e-mail addresses. Then create an automated receipt confirmation for each account. Include a link to your products, affiliate links, or services in your confirmation receipt. Every time someone enters your contest and sends her entry, she receives a confirmation message. Thus, you've just exposed your products to your contestant.

Encourage multiple entries and your contest participants get exposed to your promotional texts multiple times.

Ok, what about contest prizes?

If you publish an e-zine and you sell advertising space, you can give away free ad space to the winners.

If you have your own product, or a product you have resell rights to, you can give away free copies of it to your winners.

If you have a service, why not put that up as a prize?

In any case, though, let your prospective contestants be interested in the prizes. Yes -- put the complete prize descriptions, along with the contest mechanics, on autoresponder too.

And then include links where they can purchase the prizes. Hey, some people might not want to wait to win your contest! So it's good to cover all bases.

Run a contest that lets autoresponders handle entries and confirmation receipts and you'll have a promotional tool that can bring in profits for you!

For many people, interviewing is not a natural act any more than going on a blind date is. You are asked a bunch of questions about your work. You answer them. They ask a bunch more; you answer them. Youre graded on your performance (you receive a job offer or not). Yet interviews are predictable processes and as such can be planned for

What does an employer want to know about you?

Do you have the skills to do the job that needs to be filled?
How will you fit in with my company?
If I hire you, are you someone I will need to worry about?

How does this get determined in an interview?

By asking questions about what you have done and how you did it or decided it should be done.
By asking behavioral questions that will give an employer a sense of the scope of your experiences
By asking concrete questions to ascertain your knowledge
By observing your body language or physical response to questioning to observe whether it is consistent with a successful person.

The fourth way (observing body language or physical response to questions) is particularly interesting because it is not skill or experience based and is completely subjective and emotional. AND it is part of the decision process.

And want are firms trying to find out about you? Leadership. Honesty. Trustworthiness.

You can practice with a friend or family member but they may not be much better than you. So how do you practice you presentation and get immediate feedback in order to improve your presentation and demonstrate these attributes?

Toastmasters (www.toastmasters.org) offers people an opportunity to practice how to speak throughout their program. Whether you answer extemporaneous questions off the cuff for 1-2 minutes in Table Topics ("Its warm! Its summer! People start to go to the beach and spending time outdoors. Tell us about a time you had fun at the beach, Jeff." Notice that you only find out when you will speak at the end when you hear your name) or by doing actual 4-6 minute speeches, Toastmasters offers concrete opportunities to get used to being "on the spot" as happens in an interview. It also gives you an opportunity to observe others and learn from them and from the evaluations that are given.

There are Toastmasters clubs throughout the world. To find one, you can go to http://www.toastmasters.org/find/.

About Jeff: Jeff Altman has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines since 1971. He is also co-founder of Your Next Job, a networking group focused on assisting technology professionals with their job search, a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist. For additional job hunting or hiring tips, go to http://www.newyorkmetrotechnologyjobs.com

If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If youre looking for a new position, include your resume).

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that 98% of businesses are small businesses. That bodes well for the entrepreneurial spirit that has made our nation great. The bad news is that 80%, that's right, four out of five new businesses will fail in their first five years.

After years of building my own companies and consulting growing businesses, I've come to the realization that too many business owners can't see their business through an objective eye, which often leads to their demise. It takes an incredible amount of intense drive, determination and a strong ego to breathe life into a business and create products from scratch, but it's also that same ego that won't let a business owner be objective about what their business needs to succeed. The business is up and running at light-speed and management doesn't have the time or willingness to stand back and take a real look at what they have created. They are too close to the problems to see them. Just like a proud parent, they have spent sweat and time creating this "baby," and they refuse to believe that it might be less than perfect.

I call this the "business parent trap." It is in this trap that business owners often create and introduce products that would not test out in the marketplace. There's an attitude of "Hey, it's gotta be great because I thought of it."

I've found that there are usually two basic things wrong with a business: the product (the Baby) and the management (the Breath).

So how do you assess your business? Are your employees going to tell you that you're headed in the wrong direction? Not likely. Occasionally a consultant will be brought in to review the company's performance in a given area. Unfortunately, when management does bring in a consultant, they often are really looking for affirmation not straight-forward constructive criticism. Sadly, some consultants are more than willing to "affirm for a fee."

If you're going to succeed, then someone needs to tell you if your baby's ugly or you've got bad (corporate) breath. So here are some blunt yet truthful thoughts for your business, and perhaps you:

GET OVER YOURSELF: Know yourself, trust yourself, believe in yourself...then Get Over Yourself. You're really not the smartest person in the world. You built the business and know it better than anyone else, but no one else really cares how much you know.

SPECTATOR SPORT: Conversation with you should not be a spectator sport for others. Remember that there's a huge difference between listening and merely waiting for your turn to talk. You hired your employees and perhaps a consultant because you assumed they had brains, so let them use them. Ask questions and listen to answers.

JUST ANOTHER PRODUCT Realize that even though you think that your new product or service is the greatest thing since the flip-top beer can, the world just sees one more product and must be convinced. You created this product and you know every function of it, but customers do not buy functions, they buy only benefits. Whether your product is a high tech internet service or office furniture, you must show how it is uniquely beneficial to your customer. Functionality makes your products work, Benefits make them sell.

PAPER WEIGHT: If you have the high tech inventive skills to create a product, chances are that you don't have the skills to market and sell it. Many small business owners think that marketing and sales are the simplest part of their business, so it is almost an afterthought. There is only one reason that inferior products outsell better ones; and that is successful marketing. Think of your marketing plan as the complete story book that sells your product. If your story book is a best seller, then your product will be a best seller. Without the right story that will build sales and distribution, your wonderful product is just another paper weight head for a land fill.

STAND BACK: Your competitors are not all stupid. Guess what? They think their babies are cute too, and they may tell better stories that make them look even better than yours. So stand back and look at yourself and your baby and try to look through the eyes of a disinterested party, because believe it or not, the world is a disinterested party.

Remember, there's an 80% chance that you will not be in business in 5 years. As busy as you are, and successful as you think you are, you must set your ego aside and realize that there are things beyond your control. Successful companies know that the secret to success doesn't lie in knowing everything; it lies in knowing what you don't know, and finding those who do.

I wish you good luck and great success.

About Steve: Steve Baker is a business advisor who has founded successful start-up companies and specializes in market development. He founded a company that did $500 million the first year and he was sued for $1.4 Billion. He speak on How to be a Successful Failure, and he is the author of the award winning book, PUSHING WATER UPHILL With A Rake; Memoirs of a Successful Failure. He lives in Colorado where he is an avid poor golfer. He can be reached through his website www.PushingWaterUphill.com

Make your products sell quickly by adding a lot of bonuses. You could get the free bonuses for little or no cost by joint venturing with other businesses. You could go to the "freebies" directories and find things. Then you could ask the legal owner's permission to use the item as a free bonus for your product.

Keep your loyal customers happy because they are your future profits. Give them discounts and free gifts as often as possible. If you are thoughtful and loyal to your customers, most of them will be your customers forever. They will make up about 80% of your business and profits.

Test different web site color themes to see which combination will sell your product better. You can also test the size and style of your web site text. For example, red usually signals: stop, anger, excitement, love, sex, fun, etc. Another example, blue usually signals: relaxation, authority, coolness, etc.

Promise your readers an end result or outcome in your ad. You must give them a solid guarantee that your product will solve their problem. For example, you could say, "I personally guarantee you will get over your shyness in 10 days or less or your money back."

Increase the perceived value of your free things or bonuses by including the retail dollar amount the freebies would normally sell for. For example, you could say, "Bonus 1# Marketing Tips Newsletter (a value of $120)." Another example, "Get 7 Bonuses With A Retail Value Of $345! That more than pays for your purchase!"

Give your customers free shipping. If you can't afford that, you can give free shipping to customers who buy over a certain dollar amount to raise profits. You could also charge other businesses for inserting ads in your product package. This will make up for your free shipping losses.

About Ed: Ed is the owner of a couple of websites that provides valuable information on how to retire early by using your computer in the comfort of your own home.
http://www.online-home-based-business.biz
http://www.ezinfocenter.com/8614146/SIM
http://1269187225.freestoreclub.com

Cash advance loans are a quick and hassle free way of obtaining some much needed cash. The loan is generally meant to be repaid in the short term.

Cash advance pay day loans is helpful for those people who have run out of money before the end of the month and need some assistance to sustain them until their next paycheck.

A cash advance agency will usually pay between $200 to $1000 in increments of $50 or $100. When you repay your loan there will be a fee charged depending on the amount of money loaned.

Choosing the right cash advance agency requires shopping around to make sure you are getting the best deal. Not all agency offers will be equal. When selecting a firm for cash advance loans you need to find out the following items:

Will the amount of money you receive be enough to cover your immediate financial needs?

What fees and interest rate will be charged after obtaining the loan?

How long with the loan approval process take and how long until the money is made available for you?

Usually such companies have instant approval and can provide instant money since most of their customers require the cash in a hurry. A majority of cash advance services will not check your credit history before making a loan.

Using cash advance wisely

Misusing cash advance loans can be deadly for any individual and can increase their debts and ruin their credit ratings. Cash advance is meant to be short term, convenient loans to get people out of tough situation and not as long term loans. They should be paid off with the next pay check.

Those people who are unable to pay the loans when they are due will be paying a huge chunk in interest fees. If you know you will not be able to fully repay the loan by the due date, cash advance might not be a good choice and can lead you into a cycle of debt accumulation.

If you require a long term loan, you should look for other sources for acquiring this loan.

Many people still find it a valuable source for obtaining much needed cash. Even though there is a fee to pay to borrow the money, it might be helpful for people who are in an emergency. If the costs of the loan are offset by the benefits, such as keeping your phone line or your electricity from being cut, then payday cash advance loans become a viable option for many families.

Now you can even apply for online cash advance. Borrowing money has become even easier. Cash advance payday loan agencies work hard to make the process of borrowing money easier for their clients and to reduce the amount of red tape surrounding the loan process.

About Jakob: Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.

Many individuals have been helped by consumer credit counseling to take control of their finances and to eliminate debt. Consumer credit counseling can work for you by teaching money management skills which can help you throughout your lifetime.

Consumer credit counseling can help you better understand your credit situation. It can help you understand the costs associated with misusing a credit card and make you a more informed consumer.

Consumer credit counseling is especially useful for people suffering from huge debt burdens. They can benefit from consumer credit counseling as it can help them find a way out of their present financial crisis. If you have a weak credit history and low credit ratings, consumer credit counseling can show you ways to repair your credit.

By making an appointment with a credit counseling agent, you can get all of these advantages and find out what more the agent can do for you.

Many debt management companies provide consumer credit counseling agents to advise and help individuals find a way out of debt. Debt management agencies help you reduce and consolidate your loans by negotiating with your creditors. Their credit counselors are the ones that teach their clients better ways of avoiding debt in the future and to find ways to saving money to pay back their current debts.

When selecting a debt management company, be sure that they have qualified credit counseling personnel.

Their teams of expert and experienced credit counselors, who have wide knowledge in the finance field, can help the layperson better understand their credit situation and how to improve their financial standing.

The consumer credit counseling agent will first understand the situation you are in. Then they will formulate ways in which you can save more money, become debt free and start on your way towards financial freedom.

These are just some of the things consumer credit counseling services can do for you:

They can teach you how to better manage your household expenses.
They can help you deal with harassing collectors.
They can teach you understand relevant financial issues surrounding your credit.
They can advise you on how to reduce your debt burden.
They can help you avoid situations where you may have to declare bankruptcy.

The counselors can work with you to create financial plans such as a savings and budget plan, and help you find ways to sticking to them. Comprehensive plans can lead you to better manage your cash inflows and outflows.

Taking some time for consumer credit counseling can help you get rid of your debt problems and start you on your way to a secure financial future.

About Jakob: Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.

For reasons that escape me now, I kept sort of a diary during my first full year of working at a home based business. It was nothing close to being a complete daily diary, but was more of a collection of scribbles about things that I felt were worthy of note at the time. Since quite a bit of time has passed since then, I decided to revisit these notes.

In no particular order, here are some of the things that I had made note of.

Choosing the path...in the beginning, my enthusiasm was very high (perhaps too high?) and I was chasing off on several different home-based business opportunities at the same time (exhibiting the "dog in a meat market" syndrome, I suppose) and not focusing my efforts enough to be successful at any single one of them. I finally reigned myself in and focused on a single work at home business opportunity.

In other notes I find reference to emotional and/or psychological issues that I experienced and are probably typical for most people when starting a home based business. When working at home a person can, at times, experience a feeling of isolation which is probably brought on by the lack of interaction of a work force environment.

There were also periods of doubt in the early going...did I pick a viable business opportunity?...am I doing the right things to develop my business?...when will I start making a profit?, and so on.

Many of the entries in my so-called diary had to do with the proverbial "two steps forward and one step backward" thing and the ever-looming temptation to become discouraged. Although I didn't appreciate it at the time, it is now obvious that as long as you have more steps forward than backward you will eventually get ahead! Isn't hindsight wonderful?

Other entries reflect the fact that relatively minor events can seem huge in the early stages of developing a work at home business and can really contribute to an emotional roller coaster ride. For example, if you are just starting out and you have two customers/clients and you lose one...that's a 50% drop! However, if you fast-forward in time to the point where you have hundreds of customers/clients and you lose one...that's just a mere fraction of 1%! Same event, just at a different point in time.

Looking back on it now, some of the stuff I recorded now seems humorous, but I'm pretty sure that I was not amused at the time I made the notations.

About Kirk: Kirk Bannerman operates his own successful home based business and also coaches others seeking to start their own home based business. For more information visit his website, Proven Work At Home Business, at http://www.home-based-business-team.com

Overview

In the Pre-Budget Report of December 2003 the Chancellor Gordon Brown announced proposals to levy an Income Tax charge from 6th April 2005 in those circumstances where the transferor of an asset retains and interest or continues to benefit from that asset. In the instance of real property, the 'benefit' envisaged is the transferor continuing to reside in the property he/she has allegedly given away.

How the Charge Applies

The Government refer to such assets as 'pre-owned assets' and, broadly speaking, its intention is to tax the 'annual value' of such assets as a benefit-in-kind on the former owner still enjoying the use of the asset. The annual value on which the charge is based will be the open-market rental for a property or a fixed percentage of the capital value of most other assets to which the new charge applies. Any amounts which the transferor pays for the use of the asset - rent for example - will be deducted from the annual value in arriving at the taxable benefit.

The charge will also apply if a person provides the funds to purchase an asset which they go on to enjoy the benefit of after 5th April 2005.

Rationale Behind the Charge

The charge is intended to counter many Inheritance Tax planning schemes, but unfortunately, it will also impact many innocent and unintended victims. Thankfully, the legislation has included some exceptions to the application of the charge. The charge will not apply if;

The asset was gifted before 8th March 1986

The asset is owned by the transferor's spouse

The asset is, in fact, still caught by the 'Gifts with Reservation' rules and as such Inheritance Tax applies instead (hence, the Income Tax charge will not be levied on top).

The asset was sold at an arm's length price for cash (even if to a connected party).

The transferor of the asset had themselves inherited it and their ownership had ceased as a result of a Deed of Variation affecting that inheritance.

The transferor's continued enjoyment of the asset is merely incidental or has arisen only as a result of an unforeseen change in family circumstances.

The annual taxable benefit (after deducting any contributions by the transferor, where necessary) does not exceed 2,500.

The Inland Revenue have also confirmed that the charge will not apply in most cases where a taxpayer has funded life insurance policies held on trust. Finally, there is also an 'Opt Out' option whereby the transferor can opt not to pay the charge provided the asset is included back into their estate and therefore consequently being subject to Inheritance Tax.

The Implications of the Charge

Most of the Inheritance Tax Planning techniques usually involve a widow or widower having continued enjoyment of their former spouse's share of the property and thus it would appear on first inspection that in the majority of cases the charge would not apply as the transferor themselves would not be around to continue to enjoy or benefit from the property.

However, a problem seems to arise where a couple own their property as joint tenants prior to commencing their tax planning strategy and subsequently changing their ownership title to tenants in common. Where the widow or widower formerly owned the property as joint tenants they had a share in ownership of the whole property. This means that the new Income Tax charge could conceivably apply to their continued occupation of the property after their spouse's death.

A possible consequence of this for the future might mean that instead of acquiring property as joint tenants which has been the general rule, the wise policy would be to own the property as tenants in common instead. But how many people are aware of this distinction? Will legal advisors be prepared to explain the tax implications of acquiring property with the different legal titles?

Conclusion

How far will the new charge impact on current Inheritance Tax Planning schemes? As yet, it is too soon to tell, as the rules have not been fully fleshed out and as yet, it is too soon to say with any certainty what will happen and which schemes will be affected.

But it seem fair to argue that the current Labour Government is doing its utmost to tax its citizens at every possible turn. Inheritance Tax avoidance schemes - indeed any tax avoidance scheme -are not unlawful. Planning for the future does not mean that people are engaging in tax evasion - which IS unlawful. But the policies being employed leave an uncomfortable impression of an angry parent chastising their child simply for being astute and planning for the future!

Needless to say, the whole approach leaves a somewhat bitter taste in one's mouth.

About Janine: Miss JsByrne holds a Bachelor of Law degree with Honours & a post-graduate diploma in Legal Practice. Also gained qualification in Wills Writing & is the owner/author of www.Draft-Your-Will.com and DYW Wills & Estate Planning Newsletter

There are numerous reasons why people choose to start a home-based business. Some of those reasons include:

1. Dissatisfied with their present employment situation.

2. Out of work due to being laid off or downsizing by their employer.

3. A need to be home more with young children, an infirm family member, or aging parents.

4. A yearning to be their own boss.

Whatever your particular reason for exploring a home-based business, there are a few common steps you need to take in order to launch your business.

First off, you need to come to grips with reality...be realistic in your expectations. Far too many folks read advertisements that are hype and imply quick money, and lots of it, from a home-based business start-up. It will certainly take a year, and in some cases it may take up to three years, before you begin to truly make a significant profit from your business.

I have helped a large number of people start up their own home-based businesses using the Internet. Over time, I have come to recognize two of the most important factors for identifying people that should NOT start a home based business. If a prospective entrepreneur says something like...

"I'm broke and need to make some money, fast!"

or,

"I want to start a home-based business, but I don't want to spend anything on it until after I start earning some money."

...it is certain that they have not addressed reality and, with that mindset, they will most certainly fail.

It takes a lot of time to successfully market and promote a new business. If you are planning a home-based business in order to spend a lot of time with young children or care for the elderly, a full-time business (and income) may not be a realistic objective.

Second, spend some time researching your business idea. Make sure there is truly enough of a market for your product or service. It's easy to fall into the trap of having a hobby or passion for something that you like to do and just assuming that you can turn it into an economically viable business.

Third, learn as much as you can about small business. There is a wealth of information available on this topic and the US Small Business Administration is probably as good a place to start as any. Just go to http://www.sba.gov/ and navigate to the sections dealing with home based businesses.

Fourth, write a business plan. It is your roadmap to reaching your objectives. There are numerous articles on the Internet and in libraries that can assist you in developing your business plan as well as addressing the many other issues involved with starting and operating a business from home. As a starting point, here are a couple of Small Business Administration website locations that should prove useful:

http://www.sba.gov/starting/indexbusplans.html
http://www.sba.gov/library/pubs.html

And last, but not least, seek the advice of a tax professional. Your first reaction may be that you can't afford such expenses right now; but, in reality, you can't afford not to seek such advice from the very beginning of your home business start-up. They can advise you about ways you may be able to reduce the amount of taxable business income at the end of the year. Paying for an hour or two of consultation with a tax professional at the beginning will probably save you much more than that amount later on down the road.

I never cease to be amazed at the number of people that seem to think that some magic is somehow created when you put the words "home based" in front of the word "business". It's still business...it just happens to be based in the home.

Why is it some people are incredibly successful at utilizing the power of the Internet in their marketing while others can't seem to figure out the winning formula?

How often do entrepreneurs and salespeople look for that next magic formula to build their business and increasing revenues, never quite making any of it work? Many people make it much more difficult to succeed than it need be while others know exactly what to do -- and they do it.

Ask anyone who has effectively integrated the use of the Internet into their overall marketing strategy and they will tell you success in building your business, both online and off, is about systems. Simple as that.

Developing and utilizing systems is nothing new. Yet, the great search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and getting rich quick continues.

The place you'll find more gold than virtually anywhere else is in doing something many people just don't find appealing. It is in developing and maintaining a solid database. Unfortunately, many people don't find database management sexy enough. So they continually buy into that next secret formula.

Fact is, with a well-groomed database you can increase your revenues and decrease your marketing costs. You can build customer relations and keep your name fresh in the minds of your market by keeping in touch. This establishes excellent position within your market.

Most people would be amazed at how simple it is to build an incredibly profitable database by applying a few simple strategies. Remember, simple is not always easy. It will take time, commitment and focus.

Bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to your database. Depending on your industry and what you sell you may be well served to focus on the few dozen or few hundred who want to buy from you rather than thousands who don't care about what you offer.

On the other hand, there will be situations where building a massive list is exactly what you need to do. Especially if you have mass quantity products you are selling at a very low price. Then you may want to go for the numbers.

Driving traffic to your site is an ongoing process as is building and maintaining your database. If you are serious about using the Internet in your marketing you need to lay the groundwork to optimize your opportunities.

Develop a fully operational web site
Have a way to capture contact information such as a sign up form
Give people a reason for leaving their contact information such as an Ezine, free report or ebook, an article of interest to your target market or anything that is of benefit to the reader
Develop a series of content driven messages that address your customers' needs
Keep your name in front of your market consistently without being annoying
Write and distribute articles to various online resources that are pertinent to your market
Create a byline that contains your web address
Do not make the articles a hard sell. Rather, provide information that positions you as a resource before you are a vendor
Develop a list of forums and discussion groups you can participate in
Commit to the long-term.

By focusing on developing a solid database and providing incredible value to your market you can and will achieve success in your business. Guaranteed!

About Kathleen: Kathleen Gage is an award winning keynote speaker, author and business advisor specializing in marketing and promotions. She is the recipient of the Utah 2004 Giant Step Award for business creativity and success. Access Gage's FREE eBook Street Smarts eMarketing Tips Guaranteed to Jump Start Your Internet Presence to Put You Miles Ahead of the Competition at http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm

Not having enough money for a comfortable retirement tops the list of financial concerns among aging Americans, according to a recent Gallup Poll. It even outweighs peoples' worries about having a serious illness or accident.

With statistics showing that Americans can expect to live 20 or more years after reaching retirement age and our longevity continuing to inch upward, these fears could be well founded.

Three out of 10 American workers haven't saved at all for retirement, and among those who do, many have not saved enough, according to another study. The study showed that three out of 10 workers age 55 or older have saved less than $25,000.

Many of us plan to work past the normal retirement age. But at this rate, we may not have a choice. Some of us in the Baby Boom generation can expect to work beyond age 65, whether we want to or not.

There is an alternative to having to work full-time until we're in a wheelchair. It's also a smart choice as we get past age 50 and want to slow down a bit, but still stay active and
stimulated. And that's to gradually make the transition from working full-time as an employee to being in business for ourselves on a contract or per-project basis. By planning ahead,
you can gradually turn your job skills into a "microbusiness" while you are still employed.

If you have worked in a specific industry for 10, 15 or more years, you are ideally suited for this type of transition. You can set up a home office in a spare bedroom of your home,
get the equipment you need and gradually establish your business.

When the time comes and you want to make the change, you can do it on your own terms often by negotiating a contract with your existing employers for 50 percent of your time. There are other ways to make the change, such as
negotiating with your employer for a reduced work week, or working from home as a "teleworker" for a few days a week.

Still others have begun their private practice by moonlighting doing a few projects for other clients on the side at night or on weekends in the year leading up to their departure, and
building up a clientele that way. Provided such work isn't prohibited by your full-time employment contract, it's another smart way to get started.

Enjoy The freedom

Being your own boss means you get to choose how hard you work and how much you are compensated. If you want to earn extra cash for an upcoming trip or purchase, you can work a few extra hours per week or take an extra project. If you want to take four weeks off and visit friends in Florida, simply plan ahead,keep your clients informed, and off you go.

Perhaps that's why people over 50 are much more likely to be self-employed, according to a study commissioned by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The study showed that 16 percent of people over 50 were self-employed, compared with 10 percent of the general workforce. Plus one-third of self-employed seniors were first-time entrepreneurs who began their business after turning 50 and spending many years working for other people.

Being in business for yourself especially after a lifetime of being an employee for a larger organization is the next best thing to being financially independent while still earning a living.

You can scale back your hours worked per week to ease into retirement. Or work in bursts of activity to earn extra money for special purchases or travel. And the best part is it often doesn't even feel like "work" anymore.

About Barnaby: Barnaby Kalan is an award-winning copywriter and direct marketing consultant who also helps people launch and build their businesses. His book, Outsourcing Yourself, reveals the safest, smartest ways to turn your current job skills into a six-figure income as a self-employed freelancer or consultant. For details, visit www.outsourcing-yourself.com

One of the most effective ways to help your staff succeed is to provide regular, consistent coaching throughout the year. A Progress Review is a specific kind of coaching discussion, tied to the employee's Annual Objectives and Standards. It is an informal discussion in which the manager coaches the direct report to meet any unmet goals that are below target, and praises him or her for goals that are being met. Conducting progress reviews are a very important role for being an effective leader or coach. It is suggested that each of your direct reports receive a progress review discussion from you at least 2-3 times per year.

An outline of process for conducting a Progress Review is below:

1. Refer to the annual objectives and standards previously developed. Give a copy to the employee.

2. Ask the employee to review his or her progress to date.

3. Praise the employee for all on-target performance.

4. For below-target performance, ask the employee for suggestions to improve. After all the employee's suggestions have been made, contribute any additional ideas you may have.

5. Revise and change the standards or objectives where necessary.

6. Set a date for the next progress review session.

If you schedule progress reviews with each of your direct report at designated intervals throughout the year, you will find that it helps you remember to conduct these very important coaching discussions. The end result is that your staff will be more productive, and you will be an excellent leader. Don't put them off! Schedule progress reviews today!

About Susan: Susan Cullen is President of Quantum Learning Solutions, Inc., based in New Jersey. She has over 15 years experience in Organizational Development and is considered an expert in the use of blended learning methodologies for lasting organizational change. For more information go to http://www.quantumlearn.com or you can reach us at (800) 683-0681.

Definition of affiliate marketing:

Affiliate marketing is taking someone else's product or service and advertising it using your own affiliate website or link in order to make money. The owner of the website/product/service will pay you a percentage of each sale generated through your unique affiliate link or website. Sounds a bit confusing, but in reality is a very simple process with a win/win situation for all parties involved and a fun way to make money online.

How to get started:

You have two options to consider when doing affiliate marketing, whether to have a website or to simply advertise using your unique affiliate link. Many affiliates will create an informational website to be used as a basis for related affiliate links. This can be a great option, due to the fact that you would only need to advertise one website in order to make money.

To go this route, think of something that you are passionate about or something that is a hot topic right now. Once you have determined your theme you need to decide on a website name. To find ideas and keywords to be used as a URL, or domain name, I would recommend using http://wordtracker.com to find appropriate popular keywords related to your theme. It is good to use a popular keyword as your website and domain name so that you will rank higher in search engines.

Once you have your theme and have chosen a name, you need to register your domain name and obtain website hosting. I recommend using Yahoo for your website hosting needs. They offer a free domain name and website builder that does not require knowledge of html when you purchase website hosting. They also allow you to pay monthly rather than having to pay a year in advance which helps you save with upfront costs.

Your next step would be to build your website and fill it to the brim with great information related to your theme. A great and easy way to do this is to get articles from free article websites like the ones listed below:

http://www.1st-in-articles.com/
http://www.advertisingknowhow.com
http://www.amazines.com
http://www.articlecity.com
http://www.ArticleHub.com http://www.articles911.com http://www.articletrades.com
http://www.marketing-seek.com
http://www.parentclicks.com
http://www.zongoo.com

Then, once you have a great website full of information about your theme, your next step is to work on search engine optimization. Do a search on Google for SEO and you will find lots of free information on how to do this. You also need to offer a free newsletter so that you can establish repeat visitors.

When your informational website is complete and fully optimized, submit it to all of the major search engines. Google's "submit a URL" can be found under "About" Google. This is the main one and the best place to start. Yahoo charges a fee to submit your website to them so this would be something you could do later.

Now you are ready to start adding affiliate links to your website so you can earn money! Sign up at these free websites and find appropriate websites to affiliate with:

http://www.LinkShare.com
http://www.CJ.com
http://www.ShareASale.com
http://www.Clickbank.com

Also, add Google Adsense to your website for added revenue. Advertise using Pay Per Click such as Google.com/Adwords and Overture.com. Continue to add a page of information to your website daily. The more information you have, the higher your chances of ranking with more keywords on the major search engines. Have fun maintaining your website and watching your traffic...and your revenue grow! Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money and your earning potential is almost endless. Affiliate marketing is something you can get started doing today to earn money online.

About Monica: Monica Faircloth is a freelance writer and a work at home mentor as well as the owner of: http://www.TheMommySite.com, http://www.HomeBasedMommy.com and http://www.Work-Online.org.

Many students start becoming consumers of credit when they get their first student credit card in college. Student credit cards can give them a highly convenient way of making purchases; however this is also a time of great responsibility as they start their first endeavor into money management.

You need to be careful when using your student credit card. This is the time you start building your credit report which will come into play when you start needing money to buy a house or a car. It is very easy to misuse credit in college. Usually it is very expensive being a college student nowadays and it can be hard to keep track of bills and pay them on time.

However a student credit card can also be very convenient. It can teach you better money management skills. If you work hard you can start building a solid credit score. Students can also avoid carrying around cash. Many student credit cards offer protection incase the card gets stolen or lost.

There is much choice for students when it comes to selecting a card. The first thing when choosing a student credit card is to find one with a low APR.

Many student credit cards will even allow you to accumulate points from your purchases which you can redeem for DVDs, books, CDs and other cool rewards.

If you misuse your student credit card and keep making late payments, you will be under a huge debt burden when you graduate and need to buy a home or a car. Student credit cards are not a student loan. Consider them as high interest loans which you should pay off immediately.

On the other hand by properly managing your payments, you can have a good credit score when you graduate. If you make your payments on time, you can also avoid the interest charges. Be careful of the late fees on your student credit card.

Student credit cards generally have low interest rates but they might have a smaller maximum credit limit.

If you are a college student, you may have received a lot of student credit card offers through the mail. Credit card companies want you to get hooked on their card early in life, so that you remain their loyal customer in the future.

Online applications have made it very convenient to apply for a student credit card. In addition the Internet can let you shop around from a wider selection of cards right from your home. Usually it is a secure way to apply if the online site has a secure server.

You can qualify for a student credit card if you are at least 18 years of age.

About Jakob: Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.

Everyone can be put at a disadvantage if they have poor credit. Lenders are less likely to loan to people with a poor credit history, therefore it becomes a huge handicap for people looking to buy on credit.

If you want to buy your car or house on credit, poor credit can be a huge obstacle. Even if you are approved for the loan, it is hard to secure competitively low interest rates in the industry.

Anyone with a Fico score under 600 is usually considered a person with poor credit. Many people end up with poor credit due to misuse of credit cards. People are usually uninformed about how late payments can negatively affect their credit report. In fact a lot of bankruptcies in the United States are caused by mishandling of credit cards.

Fixing Poor Credit

Tired of being rejected for loans? Tired of sky-high interest payments? It is time to repair your poor credit.

One way you can fix your poor credit is to try to regain control over your debt situation. There are many agencies that can provide debt consolidation or complete debt elimination services. Once you are able to make your debt payments in time, you will reduce the deductions taking place on your credit score.

Poor credit can be caused by not properly planning your expenses so that you do not have enough money left over to pay your bills on time. By creating financial plans such as a household budget and a savings plan, you can get control over your expenses. Proper organization can help you get rid of your poor credit.

Credit cards available to people with poor credit usually have lots of fees such as an annual fee and a high APR. However these cards can give you the chance to start repairing your credit. With a good credit score you can become eligible to lower interest rates and fees on any loan you take out, therefore it is certainly very desirous to start fixing your poor credit.

If you need money in an emergency and are hindered by your poor credit, you can look into a cash advance payday loan. Cash advance agencies usually do not carry out credit checks. However these loans are meant only for the short term and could cost you dearly if you delay the repayment.

Good credit is not built in a day. It will take persistence on your part to repair your credit. With a good credit you can finally be able to buy the house or car of your dreams. You will find many more doors open to you after you have fixed your poor credit.

Even with poor credit you may find agencies willing to loan to you. Search the advertised offers from home mortgage companies, auto dealers and credit card agencies where they say they will provide loans even to people with poor credit.

About Jakob: Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.

12 Tips For A Successful Affiliate ProgramKen Hill

1. Look around at other competing businesses that offer affiliate programs, and think of ways that you can make your affiliate program more attractive.

2. Pay your affiliates well for their efforts.

If you're thinking about offering a 10% commission for sales of your product and a competing business is paying a 50% commission for referrals, you'll lose affiliates to your
competitor.

3. Make your affiliate program more lucrative by offering residual commissions.

This is an excellent choice if you offer a product that is paid for on a residual basis such as webhosting or access to your membership site.

4. Offer lifetime commissions.

Your affiliates will see the power of lifetime commissions, and work hard to promote your business and send you more sales.

5. Make your affiliate program two-tier.

Reward your affiliates by giving them a commission on the sales of people they refer to your affiliate program.

6. Don't leave your affiliates out in the cold.

Provide your affiliates with lots of sales items that they can use to successfully promote your products.

Some items you could offer your affiliates:

- e-zine ads (sponsor ads, classified ads, 2 liners)
- signature file ads
- sales letters/solo ads
- brandable ebooks
- sample recommendations
- email courses
- your articles that they can reprint with their affiliate URLs in your resource box.

7. Be quick to respond to your affiliates' emails.

An easy way to lose your affiliates is to not respond to their questions in a timely manner, or to not respond to their e-mails at all.

It shows that you don't value them, and since their are tons of other affiliate programs, you would be losing potentially very good affiliates to other businesses.

8. Provide your own tips and advice.

Follow up with your affiliates with tips and strategies that they can use to increase their commissions.

9. Reward your top affiliates with higher commissions and bonuses.

You'll be able to achieve more sales over the long term because your top affiliates won't jump to another affiliate program where their efforts are more appreciated.

10. Publish an affiliate's newsletter.

Your affiliate's newsletter will help you to share your tips with your affiliates, and keep them going in the right direction.

You could also use your newsletter to keep your top affiliates excited about your program.

Some effective ways to do this are:

- Share what your top affiliates do to earn big commission checks.
- Showcase their sites and tell why their sites sell.
- List your 5 or 10 highest earning affiliates for the month.

11. Track your affiliates' sales accurately.

Your affiliates will find out if they send you customers and you don't credit them with their commissions.

Your affiliate program will lose credibility and you'll end up losing your affiliates as word gets around.

12. Participate in affiliate marketing forums.

Share your valuable advice and expertise with the members of the forums you participate in.

Include your signature file that promotes your affiliate program, and always follow the rules of the forums you join.

Resource box: Want To Start Your Own Profit Driving Affiliate Program? Power packed solution has what you need. Includes affiliate program software, shopping cart, ad tracking and easy e-zine management. Automate your online business today at: http://www.scstats.com/r.cfm?i=5029

Here's a quiz question (Not trick question):

What attracts online success?

Success is attracted to speed.

Speed attracts success.

In fact, because I want to get this message across to you as fast as possible, you'll find grammatical errors because it's not been proof read yet. I just thought of this and you're reading it right now after this tip was manifested from my mind.

Do you know that ...

There are millions of other people having the same ideas you have in mind this instant on how make money on the internet?

Let's say, you saw an opportunity in an online niche market.

Maybe, you think that writing an ebook about 'A Guide To Breed Persian Cats' would be a profitable info-product to sell online.

If this is true, do you think that you are the only person who found or realized this potential?

I doubt it.

On the internet, it's not the big that swallows the small, but the fast that beats the slow.

If you delay your online income stream ideas you have in mind, it's just a matter of time before someone else around the world 'steal' it away.

Those who had pioneered the profitable online niche will be the leader of the market. And the leaders will take home big fat checks each month.

The more time you delay from launching your excellent ideas you have, the higher risk you are exposing yourself from 'losing' it to someone else.

Here's another example:

Have you notice that when a product is 'hot' in the market, you'll see many marketers promoting it as an affiliate?

If you are promoting the same product, do you think you'll get more sales if you are the first one who promotes it or the 10th person to do that?

It's a no-brainer question. The earlier you get to promote it BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE, the higher your chance of getting more sales.

In a nutshell, speed is very important to be successful online.

So, if online success is attracted to speed, how are you going to use this to your advantage?

Always use leverage to save your time whenever you can because the LONGER TIME you take, the SLOWER you'll start your online income stream.

Like, instead of me thinking on how to write more business tips or create marketing content, I've purchased Viral Article Tool Kit that allows me to use the content in it. This way, I save time by using other people's time and knowledge.

Viral Article Tool Kit package includes 199 prewritten articles and 900 business tips that you rebrand or rewrite for your own use for free.
http://www.internetcoachingprogram.com/vat/index.html

Or you can always hire a ghost writer if you do not have enough time to create content for your website.

But the most important part is to be able to absorb internet marketing knowledge and information as much as possible at THE SHORTEST PERIOD of time.

This can be done by using speed-reading strategy. I've recently tested it and it works.

If you like a recommendation from me, I'll recommend 'The 16-Minute Speed-Reading Audio Program' because I've used it personally.

You can now DOUBLE your reading speed for all of the internet marketing ebooks that you have. Go to:

http://www.internetcoachingprogram.com/speedread/index.html

Now that you realized that speed is very important to attract online success, don't you feel an urgency to start making money online today?

About Patric: Patric Chan is a direct response expert, internet infopreneur, marketing strategist and author. At the age of 24, he had achieved many extraordinary results in the internet marketing world. He had joint-ventured with many famous internet marketing experts in product creations and selling online. http://www.InternetMarketing-Tactics.com

There's good news for public relations execs, marketing professionals and even one-man-band entrepreneurs: journalists are surfing your sites looking for news.

It's true - while some PR people spend months trying to win over cynical reporters in order to wrangle a company profile or CEO interview (and get nowhere), an army of journalists are proactively hunting for facts, figures and interview candidates.

Now the bad news: these same journalists say most online press rooms suck. Big time. If you're thinking to yourself: 'We don't have a press room,' chances are you're missing out on important media opportunities. If you're thinking 'What's a press room', you need to act fast.

In an ideal world, a press room is a vibrant, constantly updated section of your corporate website including company backgrounders, executive profiles, news releases (with a comprehensive searchable archive), media mailing list and - perhaps most importantly - clear and concise contact information if journalists need to get in touch.

Want to see a great press room? As usual, Google pulls it off by keeping things nice and simple:

http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/index.html

If you haven't got the time or resources to put together a world-class press room like that, here are a couple of strategies that can help you in the short-term. But keep in mind these are suggested as temporary measures - an accessible, professional press room is no longer a luxury for a company that considers itself professional, it's an absolute necessity.

Blog It!

Sign up for a blog at one of the big free providers such as Blogger (http://www.blogger.com). These services are template based and you can have their standard layouts look and feel like your own site in a jiffy. To be honest, even if you use the standard template, change the title and give it the odd tweak here and there you've still covered the important bases.

Then place a link on your corporate website to the new blog (perhaps label it as 'News Blog' or plain old 'News Room' or 'Press Room') and you're ready to promote your news. Be sure to include full contact details in the blog's bio section - remember, journalists are always on one deadline or another and they want your input NOW! If you're worried about spambots gathering your email address, include them as 'name <-at-> domain dot com'. If a journalist can't work that out you probably don't want to hear from them anyway.

Once your blog is up and running, turn it over to one or two key members of your staff. Have them post news releases - and shorter news updates - to the blog as often as possible. The beauty of this solution is that you get free XML/RSS feeds thrown in via the Blogger engine. If you don't go for Blogger, be sure to check on XML/RSS feeds before you select a suitable service.

The Single-Click Press Room

Even if your corporate website is a few pages of plain HTML a friend knocked together as a favour and you're unwilling to make any drastic changes to it in order to add a press room, you can still provide visitors with a full list of your press releases with the addition of a single link to your main site.

First of all, ensure you're making full use of one of the free press release distribution services. For the sake of this example I hope nobody objects if I use our own, ClickPress (http://www.clickpress.com).

Enter your company name in quotes as a search term - for example: "Vegetarian Society". Hit search and you will be presented with the results: press releases about or including references to your company. Click on the link below for a live example using "Vegetarian Society":

http://www.clickpress.com/cgi-bin/releases/search.cgi?query=%22Vegetarian+Society%22

A search for "Your Company" will look something like this:

http://www.clickpress.com/cgi-bin/releases/search.cgi?query=%22Your+Company%22

Copy that URL (with your own company's name, of course) and there you have it. Well, almost, you still need to add it to your site. Add a link to the URL, label the link 'Recent Press Releases' and every time you add a new press release to the news distribution site it will be included in the dynamic search - you've got an automatic, single-click press room.

Contacts, Contacts. Contacts

Perhaps the most regular criticism made by web-savvy journalists is a lack of media contact info on most corporate sites. If you do nothing else to your site you should add a few lines explaining who journalists should contact at your company and how they should do it.

If you're worried about spam, encrypt email addresses as explained above or include them as a graphic rather than a hot link. Provide a landline number and explain between what hours someone will be available to take calls (and be sure to include your time zone, unless you're happy to field calls at three in the morning from a journalist half way around the world).

There are a wealth of additional cost-free additions you could make to your site to make it media friendly (a press release mailing list hosted by Yahoo! Groups or Topica perhaps), so be sure to check out what other companies are doing.

Best place to find them? In the results of a news search engine, because they're the ones that have secured media coverage thanks to a proper press room.

Copyright 2005 George Hopkin

About George: George Hopkin is a freelance journalist and CEO of ClickPress (http://www.clickpress.com), a free press release distribution service which distributes content to some of the world's most influential news and web search engines. ClickPress is a propery of Pressventures, a provider of free and fee-based services to PR professionals.

Reel them in!

Think for a moment about newspapers. Have you ever heard the phrase, "the headline screamed...?" This will probably give you an image of a headline that says, "Town demolished by flood", or, "Strange virus discovered in water supply". Doesn't it make you want to read on, to find out the details of the story?

For the purpose of your headline, you do not have to proclaim disaster in order to get attention. In most cases, you won't want "disaster" mentioned in connection with anything having to do with your business, unless you fix disasters! You also don't have to be overly clever or humorous. The direct approach works best, and is appreciated the most.

When prospective clients are at the door, invite them in. Here are some steps to help you put together a winning headline, and create not just a reading audience, but a buying audience.

Define your target market.

* Who is your target audience?

* What are the hopes, dreams, wishes, and needs of this audience?

* Who do you think would buy from you? Are they business people, teenagers, or married
couples? Are they spiritual, health-conscious, or disorganized?

* Why is your product a good fit for this market? Provide a hook.

Targeting your target market.

* Speak directly to your audience, as this is the market that will purchase from you.

* Use specifics. "Tired moms", "time-challenged business owners". Let them know you are talking right to them. Generally, retired people will not be interested in the trendiest t-shirts for the in-crowd at the local high school. Aim for your audience.

By boiling your business down to its essential parts, you will be better situated to make sure you are reaching the right audience, and grabbing their attention. A buyer needs to feel right away that you are talking directly to them and that you can improve their life in some way, or else they will give you neither their time, nor their dollars.

On the web, you generally have only one opportunity to not only get someone's attention, but to keep it. If you lose them at the headline, you have just lost your opportunity to convince them why it is such a great idea to do business with you. Grab their interest. If you don't, it's doubtful they will come back again, and you may have lost a great prospect. Make your headline count.

About David: Visit David Geer's Web site for eBusiness marketing information and resources
http://www.cashflowseller.com/index.html

When you step into a room, you get one free moment. In that moment colleagues and clients are making assumptions of who and what you are all about. If your visual integrity does not reflect your capabilities, it may take many further meetings to undo that first impression.

Call it impression management, style or good grooming, the business professional knows the power of a positive image. Savvy business style requires more than an expensive suit! Details from your shirt to your shoes, and your hairstyle to your accessories can reveal an approachable, professional harmony or compromise your credibility in the blink of an eye.

In todays highly competitive market, your image is an investment. Whether corporate or business casual, suitable clothing enhances your personal silhouette, colouring and reflects your current business environment. Business casual does not mean weekend wear. Good quality separates can stretch your wardrobe and still polish your professional look.

William Thoroulby was the Marlboro man; he became one of Americas first male image consultants. His favourite phrase was "you are what to wear." Something to seriously consider...

About Shelley: Shelley Brown-Williams is a professional speaker, author and the founder of The Style File Image Consulting System Inc. Visit www.stylefilesystem.com or email info@stylefilesystem.com for more information.

Are you unable to pay your bills? Pick up your phone and call your creditors; you will be surprised at the goodwill most creditors and collectors give the persons who bothers to pick up the phone and make an agreement.

You should not loose your night sleep or turn into a nervous wreck because of your inability to pay some bills. In most cases you do not even need help from others to solve the problems, a phone call to the bill collectors is usually enough. Yes, you will feel embarrassed when you call some stranger and tell them that you are unable to pay your debt and you will most likely feel like a beggar. The short moment of embarrassment is however, a low price to get your financial issues straightened.

Here it was you should do. Find your invoice that you are unable to pay, if you have more than one invoice and are unable to pay all of them, choose the invoice with the lowest amount. Find the phone number to the invoice issuer, you will most likely find the phone number at the invoice, and call it. One important notice: you will most likely be transferred between two or more people before you reach someone who can help you. Be prepared to explain your situation more than one time and be prepared to be waiting on hold for a long time. Surprisingly many people give up because of these small, maybe irritating, details. Do not give up; explain, wait, repeat, wait, etc. Accept that this is how it works and don not get frustrated, your mission is too important.

When you finally reach someone who has the authorities to help you, be humble. Explain the person that you have some economical difficulties this month and that you are unable to pay your debt. Note that you will have a much stronger case if you are able to pay some of your invoiced amount immediate. Here are some of the possible outcomes of your conversation:

1. You will not reach any agreement. You most probably fear this outcome. You should not; nothing has changed. Your situation has not been worsening, but you have eliminated one solution.

2. You will make an agreement to pay your invoice later. Most probably, you will have to pay a fee due to the delay.

3. You will make be able to split the invoices into several smaller invoices.

You should know what kind of deal you want before you make your call. However, be prepared to accept a deal that is poorer than your suggestion. Most important do not accept a deal that you are unable to fulfill.

Why does this usually work? There are many reasons, but I will give you three:

1. Your creditors want the money, and they see that they will get the money faster if they cooperate with you.

2. The creditors are humans too, and they have no intentions to make your living hard. Most people do not realize this.

3. You are practicing engagement. You are telling your creditors "I have difficulties now, but I do not ignore you". Nobody want to be ignored, especially not when it comes to money.

There are still a lot of possible solutions if you do not succeed to make an agreement, but you should always try the simple solutions first. I wish you good luck.

About Fredric: Fredric Johnson is a contributing writer for Pluto Loans (http://www.pluto-loans.com/), an information site on loans and credits.

Don't you just hate junk mail that screams at you about supposed secrets to success that can be yours for a mere $9.95, $19.95, $99.95 or whatever? Well, here are some real "secrets" for you -- and there's no price tag attached.

Ever wonder how other companies keep their sales momentum going? Smart marketing and communications programs are critical. Here are three key marketing strategies you can put to work for your business.

1) VISIBILITY Awareness is where the selling process starts. After all, it's hard for someone to buy from you if they don't know you exist. Or let's say you're Apple Computer. Your name may be well known, but you need to let people know about your newest product -- the iPod.

Advertising creates visibility on a broad scale, but it may not be right for your company. To find a tactic that fits, start with these questions. Who's your audience? How can you get your company in front of them? What can your company spend? What return are you looking for?

2) CONSISTENCY Brand and brand management are major buzzwords in marketing and communications. But what do they really mean? If you're a company like Target or Goodyear, it can mean complex product naming schemes and identity standards

For many other businesses it boils down to consistency. Determine your message, look and tone and then stick with it. It's a way to increase cost efficiency, plus it's easier to make an impression if you look and sound the same over time.

3) REPETITION Forget everything you've heard about the evils of redundancy. The truth is that human beings learn through repetition. In this highly saturated environment it can take seven or more repetitions for a message to sink in.

Copyright 2005 Clairvoyant Communications, Inc.

About Claire: Claire Cunningham, president of Clairvoyant Communications, Inc., has 20+ years' experience developing and implementing successful marketing and communications programs. Sign up for Claire's monthly e-newsletter, Communiqu, at http://www.clairvoyantcommunications.com. Claire can be reached at 763-479-3499 (Fax: 763-479-2809, e-mail: claire@claircomm.com)

Your investment club will need to decide what type of entity you're going to adopt for business purposes. You'll have to decide whether you're going to be a corporation, a general partnership, or limited liability partnership. Each of these business models has their own advantages and disadvantages.

Corporation. Most investment clubs will avoid becoming a corporation. This is because corporations are taxable business entities that require knowledgeable accounting skills to make them run smoothly and in accord with government regulations. A corporation generally means a lot of paperwork. This paperwork can be avoided by choosing another business model for your purpose of running an investment club.

General partnership. This type of business model requires less paperwork and knowledge about taxes and other financial issues. Most investment clubs choose a general partnership as their choice of a business entity. A general partnership has nominal paperwork and costs associated with it because the taxes are passed to each partner's tax returns. This type of business model will let you accomplish what you need to do to run your investment club with the least amount of tax influence.

Limited liability corporations. This type of a business model is much like the general partnership but it gives individual members of your investment group a bit more liability protection. Keep in mind that this type of business entity can be expensive and will need more paperwork.

Members of your investment group will have to decide which of the above business models works best for your club.

You will have to make a decision one way or the other since establishing a business entity is a requirement for tax purposes.

About Robert: Robert Smith owns a full info site about investment clubs. Check out his site at http://www.ez-investment-clubs.com

When an employer decides to conduct an interview with you, there are certain things that they are looking for from you. Naturally, you are likely to focus on these things during an interview, but you should remember all of the tips in this manual because following those tips is what is going to make the employers see all of those things in you.

Since everybody wants to have a leg up when it comes to an interview, it naturally seemed to be appropriate to let you in on what the employers are evaluating you on during an interview. So here is that list.

Your Enthusiasm : Employers want to know that you are willing and eager to be a part of their company. Being fully stocked with knowledge about the company is a sure fire way to show your enthusiasm.

Your ability to speak clearly : If you approach an interview mumbling and speaking slang, a prospective employer will not see you as a professional.

Showing your teamwork skills : You should show an example of your ability to work as a team during your interview.

Leadership skills : You should show your leadership abilities by approaching your interview with an offensive train of thought.

Problem solving ability : Employers needs to know that you can handle yourself when a problem arrives.

Work related experience : You definitely want to show that you have some experience in the field already, so that the employer knows that you will not be overwhelmed.

Community involvement : Employers love to see that you have done volunteer work. It shows that you take pride in your community, and a willingness to be a team player.

Company knowledge: Again, this stipulates that employers like to see that you have done your research about their company. It shows that your interest in working for them is sincere.

Flexibility : Employers want to know that you are able to go with the flow. It proves that they can depend on you later.

Ambition and Motivation : Ambitious people are generally motivated enough to make great improvements in the company as they are working their way up the ladder. Ambition usually means more money for the company.

People skills : Your ability to get along with others is very important to an employer. They need to know that you won't ruffle any feathers when you are hired.

Professional appearance : Nobody wants a slob working in their office. Be certain to dress appropriately for the job that you are applying for.

Ability to Multitask : This is getting to be a very necessary skill in the workplace. Most days, you will be required to multitask. Even if you are not, employers need to know that you can do it without freaking out on them.

Computer ease : These days, just about every company in the world is running on computers. The ability to work a computer with at least minimal amount of ease is important. It is best to keep a leg up on the most common software like MS Office, Quark Express, and Linux.

Reliability : Employers want dependable and reliable people to work for them. Your ability to arrive on time is a good place to start when trying to prove that you possess this quality.

About Robert: Robert Smith owns a site that will teach you how to prepare for your job interview step by step. Check out his website at http://www.job-interview-prep.com

"We don't have any competition. We're a truly a one-of-a-kind company." I've heard that line from clients for years. I wish it were true, but it's simply not. In fact, it wouldn't matter if you held a monopoly on your particular product or service; you'd still have competition. How? Because your competition doesn't come from a singular source.

There may be no other businesses that sell the product or service you sell, but you still have competition. Once that's understood you have a greater advantage when it comes to copywriting. You can recognize the other options your customers have before them and can position yourself as the only logical choice.

Know Who Your Competition Is

Competition comes from a variety of sources. Yes, there are those who sell the same things you sell, but there competition comes in other forms, too.

The Same But Different

Charitable organizations are a good example of "same but different." Your group may be the only one raising funds to save the purple spotted toad of northern Antarctica but that doesn't mean you'll receive a flood of contributions from everyone you call. Why? Because there are a million and a half other charitable organizations out there all vying for the same money from the same people.

None of these other groups is trying to raise funds to save the purple spotted toad of northern Antarctica, but they are trying to get individuals to donate to their causes. That makes them all your competition.

How do you get around this problem? Assuming your traffic generating efforts or your mailing list is highly targeted, you'll want to make a strong case for this little toad. In your copy, let the readers know why the purple spotted toad is important to the environment (he's the only toad in existence that carries antibodies that can cure cancer). Tell them why the world would be a much sadder place without our bouncing little friend. (In addition to being the only purple toad in the world, this guy is the only food the frosty wilder beast will eat so he's vital to the food chain).

Just like with any other type of copywriting, list the benefits of the purple spotted toad. Why is he important to nature, how will the ecology suffer with his demise and what will happen to the rest of Antarctica if he becomes extinct? All of these are vital to convincing your audience that they should favor you with their contributions instead of some other organization.

Everyone In the Search Results

Go to your favorite search engine and type in "copywriting course" (without the quotes). What do you see? There are a lot of options listed on the search results page. Are all these products the same? By all means no!

Some are live workshops, others are e-courses, some focus strictly on one type of copywriting leaving all others by the wayside, some are correspondence courses while others are downloadable. But because they all appear in response to the query "copywriting course," they all have the potential to take sales away. Even if your site falls into the coveted #1 position, the others on the page could potentially grab some of your sales.

So how do you get surfers to click on your site's listing? Your title and description have to be first rate.

If your copywriting course has a specialty (sales letters, search engines, catalogs, etc.) say so. Choose the most powerful benefit and a way to set yourself apart (your USP) and use those in the tags for your search results along with your keyphrases. Simply having keywords in your title and description might get you ranked with the engine but it sure won't entice anybody to click to your site.

Other Options

There are options and substitutes for practically everything in the world. If people don't want to pay for a computer and Internet access so they can send email, they can write letters or call their