10 Ways To Create A Popular Online Community

An online community could be a chat room, e-mail discussion list, discussion forum or other technologies that allow groups of people to communicate at your web site. When you have a popular online community it will increase your traffic and sales. Below are ten ways to attract people to participate in your online community.

1. Tell your visitors that you post a new, free offer every day, week or month in your online community. The free offers should be attractive to your target audience.

2. Regularly schedule experts or famous guests to participate in your online community. You could
design it to be a virtual class or a question/answer session.

3. Post testimonials on your web site from people that have participated in your online community.
The testimonials could be about what people have learned or liked while participating in it.

4. Don't allow blatant ads in your online communities. If people decide to visit your online community and see a ton of ads they most likely won't be back.

5. Post all the benefits of participating in your online community on your web site. You could write it like you're writing an ad for a product you're selling.

6. Submit your chat room, e-mail discussion list or discussion board to online community directories. You can find them by typing " the community type" with the word "directory" in any search engine.

7. Create an e-zine just for people who participate in your online community. Allow them to subscribe for free. When they receive each issue, it will remind them to come back and participate in your community.

8. You (the owner of the online community) should participate regularly. Post information that will benefit the other people. This will show them you care about your online community members.

9. Have plenty of people to monitor your online community. They could remove postings that turn
away people like profanity, spam and other off-subject postings.

10. Your online community should contain user friendly features, like a search option for archived
discussions, easy posting or chatting options, email updates or digests, etc.

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Quote of the Day:

"If I can line up the people who, back through the ages, have gone at life in ways I greatly admire, then I can feel their strength supporting me, all their standards and values pointing the way in which I am to go." -- Bonaro W. Overstreet  

10 Ways To Get New Product Ideas

Today's feature article is: 10 Ways To Get New Product Ideas

1. Solve an existing problem for people. There are thousands of problems in the world. Create a product that can provide a solution to one of those problems.

2. Find out what's the current hot trend. You can find out what the new trends are by watching TV, reading magazines and surfing the net. Just create a product that's related to the current hot trend.

3. Improve a product that is already on the market. You see products at home, in ads, at stores etc. Just take a product that's already out there and improve it.

4. Create a new niche for a current product. You can set yourself apart from your competition by creating a niche. Your product could be faster, bigger, smaller, or quicker than you competitor's product.

5. Add on to an existing product. You could package your current product with other related products. For example, you could package a football with a team jersey and football cards.

6. Reincarnate an older product. Maybe you have a book that's out of print and is no longer being sold. You could change the title, design a new front cover, and bring some of the old content up to date.

7. Ask your current customers. You could contact some of your existing customers by phone or e-mail and ask them what kind of new products they would like to see on the market.

8. Combine two or more products together to create a new one. For example, you could take a brief case and add a thermos compartment inside to keep a drink hot or cold.

9. Survey the people who visit your web site. You could post a survey or questionnaire on your web site. Ask visitors what kind of products they would like to see on the market.

10. You could create a new market for your existing product. For example, if you're selling plastic bottles to a pop company, you could turn around and sell those bottles to a fruit drink company.

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Quote of the Day:

"...if we are willing to abandon our usual coercive tactics and approach our problems sideways and kitty-corner we stand a good chance of finding our way through some interesting gates." -- Eloise Ristad

10 Ways To Get Your Ads Or Messages Noticed

Today's feature article is: 10 Ways To Get Your Ads Or Messages Noticed

Do you post to message boards, e-mail discussion lists, classified ads sites, FFA sites or newsgroups? People will usually read the subject line before they read your ad or message, so it's important they get noticed. Below are ten simple, but powerful tips to get your ads or messages noticed.

1. Use extra white space creatively in your subject line. You can add extra blank spaces between your words or letters.

2. Combine capital letters with lower case letters. Use all capital letters in every other word or use a
capital letter between every other lower case letter.

3. Add text symbols in your subject line. You could use them between words and letters. Start and end your subject with a text symbol. ( *, $, >,{,] )

4. Begin your subject line with the word "STOP!". People have been trained their whole life to stop
what they are doing when they see that word.

5. Ask people a question in your subject line. We all went to school and were repetitively branded to answer questions.

6. Use the word "FREE" in your subject line. Your offer should be attractive to your target audience. It could be free information, software, trials, etc.

7. Begin your subject line with an "online smile :)". People use smiles offline to gain people's attention and to win their trust, why not use them online too.

8. Don't use unbelievable claims in your subject line. People have or know some who has been ripped off and trained themselves to ignore those claims.

9. Don't use all capital letters in your subject line. It is hard to read, looks unprofessional, and on the internet it's considered a symbol for shouting.

10. Test different subject lines to see which ones draws the most traffic to your web site. Also, read the FAQ before posting a message or ad anywhere.

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Quote of the Day:

"The frontiers are not east or west, north or south, but wherever a man fronts a fact." -- Henry David Thoreau

10 Ways To Increase Sales By Promoting Yourself

Today's feature article is: 10 Ways To Increase Sales By Promoting Yourself

People will feel more comfortable purchasing your products if you give them a little information about yourself or business. The information could be your profile, employee profiles, overall business history, education credentials, awards you've won, etc. Below are 10 ways you can use to promote yourself.

1. Teach a free chat room class on a subject related to your business. You could install a chat room on your web site or use a free one from another web site. Before the class starts tell them a little about yourself.

2. Publish a free e-zine. Use some of the extra space in your e-zine to write about yourself or business. This could be called "A Note From the Editor".

3. Publish a section on your web site called "About Us". With your information you could also include pictures. This shows people your not hiding behind your business.

4. Write an article on your area of expertise. Include a resource box at the end of the article. You can add information about yourself in the resource box. E-mail the article to web sites or e-zines that accept article submissions.

5. Create and giveaway a free ebook. In the ebook include a section called "About The Author". Also, include an advertisement for your business.

6. Participate in online communities like newsgroups, discussion boards, e-mail discussion lists and chat rooms. You will meet many people and in return they will get to know you.

7. Donate your time, products, or services to charities. You can list the charities you've contributed to on your web site. This will show visitors that you and your business care about others.

8. Promote yourself offline; teach a free class offline, speak at business seminars, join a business club or association. Assemble fundraisers for charity. These are just few ideas to promote yourself offline.

9. Offer free consulting to your visitors. You could do it via e-mail or phone. They will get to know you and feel more comfortable buying your products.

10. Publish information about yourself and business history in your ad copy. While people are reading it they begin to trust you and your business. Don't over do it though, you want to keep them interested in your product.

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Quote of the Day:

"For children to take morality seriously they must be in the presence of adults who take morality seriously. And with their own eyes they must see adults take morality seriously." -- William J. Bennett

5 Cell Phone Etiquette Rules

Cell Phone Etiquette: Calling with Uncommon Courtesy by Bill Lampton, Ph.D.

Cell phones are a nearly indispensable business tool. But are you offending your customers and those around you with bad habits? Here are five cell phone etiquette rules you'll want to follow.

There are 6 billion cell phone subscribers scattered around the world. Yet, judging by what we see and hear in both business and social settings, only a small percentage of those subscribers use their phones without offending other people. Stated more positively, you will become a caller respected for your uncommon courtesy by following, at a minimum, five rather simple steps.

Limit your listening audience to one person


How many times have you entered a shuttle bus after your flight arrived, and as a member of a captive audience heard a fellow passenger call her home office as if no one else had boarded the bus? You heard, “Hi, Margaret, just landed. No, the meeting with that CEO didn’t go well. Her reputation was right on target. She was rude, barely even listened to my presentation, kept looking at her watch. If we’re counting on her as the deal closer, I think we’re sunk. And now let me tell you why that hotel was a lousy choice. . . .”

Already, people around you are rolling their eyes, as you are rolling yours. All of you recognize that this conversation does not belong in public. The caller has allowed you to listen to confidential information that you aren’t interested in at all. Equally as bad, she has shattered the reasonably serene ride to the terminal you had anticipated.

To make sure you avoid becoming the offending caller, realize that there are only two people who could possibly want to hear you talk on your cell phone. One is the person you called. The other could be the person who called you. Nobody else wants in on the conversation, period. Anyone who desires an audience should go give a speech, not make phone calls.

Respect the other person’s convenience, not yours

Chances are very good you have experienced this next incident as well. You answer the phone, and one of your friends opens the conversation with, “Hi, I’m driving from Atlanta to Nashville, so I’ve got plenty of time to chat. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this, when I’d enjoy an uninterrupted hour. So now we can catch up on what’s been happening with each other without watching the time.”

Definitely, your caller has assumed that because the time is convenient for him, you can hang on leisurely. However, you’re scheduled to e-mail your budget revision in ten minutes, just before directing your staff meeting.

Uncommon courtesy will set you apart from the time-consuming, ego focused caller. Either before your call or when you start a call, you’ll ask whether the recipient can spare a few minutes. If they can’t, the two of you will select a different day and hour.

Remember it’s a phone, not a megaphone

Many telephone courtesy consultants warn against “cell yell.” Mistakenly, some callers think that because the phone has a small mouthpiece, the volume provided will not be sufficient. So they become sound blasters, about as annoying as a demolition crew using dynamite.

Unless you are in a setting where the noise becomes excessive, as when the cleaning crew turns on a vacuum cleaner, you will be audibly adequate when you use the same decibel level you use for chit chat at lunch.

Mention the caller’s name when you answer

Typically, we answer calls with our own name. That is what the caller expected us to say, because they dialed the number to reach us. What they don’t expect to hear is their name. You will surprise and please them when you answer, “Marvin, hi, I’m glad you called.” To make that easy, assuming you have a cell phone with this feature, add the names and numbers of key people into your “Contacts” and “Favorites” categories. Once you do that, the caller’s name will show automatically as your phone starts ringing.

The saying is old, but still valid: Everybody’s favorite sound is the sound of his or her name. So get off to a warm start by saying your caller’s name, with genuine enthusiasm.

Tell only part of your story on your voice message

When you aren’t able to receive a call someone placed to your number, they will hear your voice message. Assure that they hear only a small part of what you provide professionally. Why? Because if you tell them all they need to know, why will they need to talk directly? And if you’re that long winded on a recording, callers will wonder how excessively wordy you will be in an initial meeting.

Yes, common cell phone practice goes like this, ad nauseum: “Hello, thanks for calling. Certainly you’ve come to the right place to get competent financial management. Our firm helps you with life insurance, mutual funds, retirement plans, health care insurance, homeowners insurance, long term care, and unemployment insurance.”

This show business adage works best: “Leave them wanting more.” A more courteous revision of the just-mentioned voice message could go like this: “Hello, thanks for calling. When I return your call, I’ll be glad to answer your questions about which financial services we provide. We’ll be in touch soon, for sure.”

So to become a cell phone user with uncommon courtesy, talk to only one person at a time, at that person’s convenience, with the volume you use for other conversations, mentioning the caller’s name when you answer, and telling only a small part of your services when callers reach your voice mail message.

10 Killer Ways To Sell Your Back-End Products

Today's feature article is: 10 Killer Ways To Sell Your Back-End Products

A back-end product is a product you attempt to sell your customers after they have recently purchased a related product from your business. If you're not trying to sell back-end products to your customers, you're making a big mistake. It is easier to sell to existing customers than it is to sell to new ones who don't trust your business yet. Below are ten killer strategies you can use to sell your back-end products to your existing customers:
1. When you ship people the first product they bought, insert a flyer or brochure for your back-end product
in the package.
2. Give customers a free subscription to a customers only e-zine when they buy your product. You could
include your ad for your back-end product in each issue.
3. Send your customers greeting cards on holidays or on their birthday. Include a small advertisement inside
the card for your back-end product.
4. After people order your first product from your web site, take them to a "thank you" web page and include your back-end product ad on that page.
5. Send customers a free surprise gift after they order your first product. You could attach another ad with
the free gift for your back-end product.
6. If you're selling an electronic product, like an ebook, include your ad for your back-end product somewhere inside the electronic product.
7. Give your customers a free membership into your "customers only" private site. You could include your
ad for your back-end product somewhere inside the private site.
8. Contact your customers by phone and ask them if they were happy with their purchase. You could tell
them about your back-end product.
9. Send your customers a thank you letter by mail or e-mail. You could mention your back-end product
somewhere on the letter.
10. Ask your customers if they want to be updated in the future when you have new product offers. You
could have them sign up to receive e-mail or snail mail updates.
Your business will have a greater chance of surviving when you attempt to sell back-end products to your
existing customers.

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Quote of the Day:
"Criticism should not be querulous and wasting, all knife and rootpuller, but guiding, instructive, inspiring." --
Ralph Waldo Emerson

10 Heavy Duty Online Sales Grabbers

Today's feature article is: 10 Heavy Duty Online Sales Grabbers

1. Give your prospects extra incentives so they will order quicker. It could be free shipping, a faster shipping option, free gift wrapping, etc.
2. Make your small business look big on the world wide web. Design your web site using professional graphics, ordering systems, organized layouts, etc.
3. Attract a lot more customers by giving them clear ordering instructions. Give them all the information they need so they can complete their order easily.
4. Give your customers buying incentives so they'll make repeat purchases. Offer them discounts, free gifts, bonus points, etc.
5. Tell people about your site whenever you get a chance. Those people will tell other people and so on. It's a cheap way to multiply your advertising.
6. Write and send press releases for your web site. Use a strong headlines, make it newsworthy, and tell the journalist why their readers would like it.
7. Use a lot of headlines on your web site and ezine. Some types of headlines are free offers, questions, problem solvers, sales, and statistics.
8. Design graphics, templates, buttons and banner ads for other sites. Allow people to use them in exchange for your web link on their home page.
9. Use time saving promotional software. You can automate your search engine submissions, posting
to online classified sites, etc.
10. Advertise your online business by dressing in clothes that are imprinted with your ad. It could be
a T-shirt, ball cap, coat, etc.

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Quote of the Day:
"When you become detached mentally from yourself and concentrate on helping other people with their
difficulties, you will be able to cope with your own more effectively. Somehow, the act of self-giving is a personal power-releasing factor." -- Norman Vincent Peale

Lesson 14: Make Money at Home free

Lesson 14: Make Money at Home free
Make money at home is the dream of millions because of its benefits and privileges; it allows you to work while seated with your family saving your time that you used to spend to reach your work place, you might need two hours preparing yourself, shaving or putting make up, getting dressed and going to your work place. Working at home will save all these time and expenses you need to spend in the other ways. Here we list you five make money at home ways that you can join free and to make extra money or to be self employed working at home.

Make Money at home to answer Paid Survey
Make money at home to answer paid survey is very easy way to make extra money at home it does not need any experience, or skills. All what you need to start making money at home for answering paid survey are a few tips and the best list paid survey companies to join, you can get these free.

Make Money at home to be Mystery Shopper
Would you like to have a job that you will get paid to eat, get paid to shop, get paid to watch a movie, and get paid to buy some products at no cost and keep them for you? So you should be a mystery shopper to get all these benefits and make some money, you can be mystery shopper for free.

Make Money at home with Google Adsense
Make money at home with Google ADsense is the easiest way to make money at home from your website or blog, all what you need to do is to set up a Google ADsense account, fill you correct information, Generate html code for the ads you want to place on your site then place it on your website or blog, you will be paid for each click your visitors make, this program is free.

Make Money at home Ways to read Paid Email
Make money at home for reading e-mails PTR is very easy way to make extra money at home it does not need any experience, or skills. All what you need to start making money at home for reading e-mails are a few tips and the best list programs to join, , you can get these free.

Make Money at home Ways to Affiliate
Make money at home to affiliate is very important way to make money at home it allows you to sell others products to get huge commission for that it's very easy and flexible way, affiliate is one of those ways might make you 10,000's monthly. All affiliate programs are free to join.

The Truth About Stress

Good Stress, Bad Stress

There are plenty of ways to increase your heart rate. You can exercise or you can drink five cans of Red Bull. One provides good stress, the other provides bad stress. Negative stress can kill you. Positive stress can build you up. But there's a fine line. Today, I want to share with you the right mindset to have when dealing with mental stress. This solution comes from the book that has had the greatest impact on me in my adult life.

Craig Ballantyne

"The failure to act is much more often the product of inner, emotional resistance than external resistance." – Dan Kennedy

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The Truth About Stress

By Craig Ballantyne

Last week, in preparation for the Tough Mudder race that ETR Publisher Matt Smith and I are doing in June, I went to the local YMCA to run 'hill sprints' on the treadmill. Running for one minute at 9 miles per hour at a 6% incline for six intervals was tough, but it put a positive stress on my muscles and cardiovascular system. When this stimulus is combined with appropriate recovery between training sessions, my body improves and gets better at the task.

When exercising, our goal is to apply a stress to the body in order to achieve an adaptation. For example, a young man might apply the stress of repetitive biceps curls to cause muscular growth as the desired adaptation. In contrast, a practitioner of yoga would hold stretches for extended periods of time in order to stress the body into increased flexibility over time.

However, each one of these good stresses can go bad. A runner who increases mileage too quickly can suffer from overuse injury. A beginner yoga enthusiast can stretch too far, too soon.

Physical adaptation (i.e. training improvements) is what happens when we apply good stress during a workout. Physical deterioration (i.e. overuse and and overtraining detriments) is what happens when we apply either a bad stress or too much of a good stress during a workout.

The big lesson is that there are both good and bad types of stress. Keep that in mind as we go along. The stress we deal with often walks a fine line between good and bad. Stress can make you grow (literally and figuratively), and stress can damage and destroy you.

In our exercise examples, a situation where you physically can't handle the stress requires you to use a more appropriate alternative exercise method or to eliminate the stress completely. A good coach or trainer always makes sure to have a good reason for everything you do. Again, it's a fine line between good stress and bad stress.

This is exactly the same approach we must take with the mental stress in our life.

Recently I posted the following as my daily inspirational quote on my personal Facebook Fanpage.

"Stress (can) kill. No matter how painful in the short-term, remove all chronically (negative) stressful situations, environment, and people from your life...Search out positive people and experiences." – Kekich Credo #35

While some of my connections agreed with me and "Liked" it, I was dismayed to see so many other people offering excuses as to why they couldn't follow Kekich's advice. There was a lot of 'moaning and groaning', as my mom would say (that's the phrase she used to describe my childish excuses when I was asked to take out the garbage back when I was 10 years old). But moaning and groaning is expected only of a child, but not as an adult. Certainly not an adult that is taking personal responsibility for their actions, as one should.

Listen, you can't go your whole life blaming everyone else for the life you've gotten yourself into. That's right, you got yourself here. Only you can get yourself out of whatever negative situation you are in. And only you determine how the stress is going to affect you mentally. You control your reactions. You control your life.

For this outlook in life, the best advice comes from Dr. Viktor Frankl. As a prisoner of war in Auschwitz, the most infamous of all German concentration camps, Frankl suffered and toiled for several years, and was one of the few to survive the atrocities.

In 1946, Frankl published the first version of what eventually became his book, "Man's Search for Meaning". This book has been the most influential of all the books I've read in my adult life. In it, Frankl chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate based on his psychotherapeutic method of finding meaning in all experiences, even the most heinous ones, and thus a reason to continue living.

Two of my favorite quotes from Frankl are:

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

"Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

Unfortunately, most people do not, and will not ever understand this. They choose only to complain and will not look for a way to change their circumstances.

You, on the other hand, are different. You can change. And you are willing to, as Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

To do that, you must start today. After all, as Dan Sullivan, one of my coaches, once said, "You can either create or you can complain."

If there are stresses and troubles in your life, what steps can you take right now deal with those issues? Are you actively working on creating a better life or are you just being lazy and complaining about your circumstances?

Seek those who will support your change. Good people are out there...they do exist. They want to help.

If it is physical changes you want to make, there are many excellent colleagues of mine in the fitness industry all over the world who would be happy to help.

If the changes you seek are financial, heed this thought from another one of my mentors, Dan Kennedy, who says, "Show me the people you hang out with, the library in your house, and the material you read day-to-day, and I can predict your bank balance. Association matters."

Make the right choices, starting today. And forget about past mistakes. Take only the lessons, and not the regrets, from the past.

If you fall "off the wagon" – in any area of life – cut your losses, don't stress about it, and get right back on track. Immediately. It's minor damage that can be dealt with and there's nothing you can do about the past anyways. Focus on what you can do now and in the future.

[Ed. Note. Craig Ballantyne is the author of Financial Independence Monthly, a program that shows you how to achieve your financial independence in the new economy. He's also shared the 10 books that have had the greatest impact on his business and philosophies.

Creating a Balanced Life

We Want It All

Health, happiness, family, and a financially secure future. We want it all. Achieving "balance" has become a goal of almost mythical proportions. Is it possible? Is it even worthwhile? Today, MaryEllen Tribby, a popular contributor to Early To Rise, shares her counterintuitive steps to building balance in your life.

Craig Ballantyne

"I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can't truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles." – Zig Ziglar

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Five Steps to Creating a Balanced Life

By MaryEllen Tribby

It was a simple business call. My colleague – "Larry" – had invited me to speak to his mastermind group on a teleconference later in the week. Nothing out of the ordinary. But my sister-in-law's mouth was hanging wide open.

"I can't believe he called you at 9:00 at night! Don't you think that is totally inappropriate?", Nancy asked.

Larry wanted me to speak to his mastermind group about accelerating their businesses' growth via multi-channel marketing. Given the fact that his attendee list included people like Tony Hsieh, Tony Robbins, and John Carlton – people I personally considered my mentors – I was honored to accept.

When I tried explaining this to my sister-in-law, she just waved her hand and said, "In my day, when you left the office at 5:00, you were done until 9:00 the next morning."

I thought about dropping the subject, but I couldn't resist the challenge.

She opted for early retirement about six years ago – but I asked her if, during her working years, she'd ever left the office to pick up a sick kid from school, go to a dentist appointment, or meet the cable man at her house.

When she begrudgingly nodded her head yes, I knew I had her attention. And I hope I have yours as well. If you think that your work life exists only between 9:00 and 5:00... and that your home and social life exists only between 5:00 and 9:00, you need to make a change.

I recommend that you resolve, right here and now, to make your life better, more rewarding, and more balanced. And I'm going to help you do it.

Who am I to talk about balance? Well, I'm a happily married mother of three who runs a business (with 38 employees), and a foundation, and is heavily involved in her kids school and sporting activities. Over the past few years, I've gotten pretty good at managing all the different aspects of my life in a way that makes me feel happy and proud.

The very first step to creating a happier, healthier lifestyle is to realize that "9:00 to 5:00" no longer applies. By giving yourself the flexibility to do business at all hours of the day or night, you are actually better able to enjoy both your work and your family even more.

This may sound counter-intuitive but by taking the following five simple steps, you will be able to break free of the 9:00 to 5:00 shackles.

Creating Balance Step One: Define what a balanced life means to you.

Many people think that having a balanced life means spending the same number of hours on work as you do on personal activities. This is a big mistake, because most of the time it's not realistic.

To define what will work for you, you need to take into consideration that life is constantly changing. And the right balance for you today may not be the right balance for you tomorrow or next week or next month, because over time your priorities change.

Creating Balance Step Two: Create Boundaries

Some people may agree with my sister-in-law that receiving a business call at 9:00 at night is inappropriate. But the way I look at it is that Larry is someone who is good for my organization and good for my career. Besides, when I met him at a conference earlier this year, he asked me for the best way to reach me. I gave him my e-mail address and my cell number. So why shouldn't he call?

And keep in mind that I made the decision to take his call that night – I created the boundary. It happened to be a good time to talk. However, if he'd made the call 90 minutes earlier – when I was doing homework with the kids – I would have let it go to voice mail and called him back when it was convenient for me.

Later that week, I was the keynote speaker on the mastermind teleconference Larry had invited me to. Many of the attendees learned a great deal. In fact, I got several e-mails from attendees saying they'd purchased Changing the Channel, the book on multi-channel marketing that I co-authored with Michael Masterson. Others called or e-mailed to ask if they could promote the book to their in-house list.

Had I adopted the attitude that I would do business only from 9:00 to 5:00, I may have lost out on a wonderful opportunity that proved to be valuable both to my company and to me personally.

Because I advocate balance, I support the efforts my team members make in striving for balance in their own lives. Some of them work in the evening and/or on the weekends. So I have no problem with it if they need to leave to take care of something personal. I truly believe that your accomplishments aren't dependent on how much time you spend in the office.

Creating Balance Step Three: Learn how to say "No."

No one wants to say no to their boss, their spouse, their employees, their friends, or their kids. But to achieve balance, you are going to have to do it once in a while.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. And we cannot possibly do everything that we want to do AND everything that everyone else wants us to do. So a big part of leading a more balanced life is to cut down on unnecessary tasks and protect your priorities.

When requests or conflicts are set before you, ask yourself: "Is this going to give me a feeling of accomplishment and a feeling of happiness?"

Years ago, a good friend of mine – "Rita" – wanted my husband and me to meet her new boyfriend. He was "the one" as she put it. So we made dinner plans for the following evening.

But when our two-month-old baby Delanie woke up in the morning, with a fever, I called Rita and apologized, but told her we would have to cancel. I just did not feel right about leaving the baby with a sitter.

Rita was irate. She said I was overreacting, and asked how I could possibly feel that way given that Delanie was our third child.

As I held Delanie though the day and night, I knew I had made the right decision. But I was saddened by Rita's anger – and her anger lasted for weeks.

Then, about five weeks after the infamous missed dinner, Rita called to say that "the one" had dumped her. This time it was her turn to apologize, saying that now she realized I had made the right decision.

Social decisions are one thing, but work decisions can be more difficult. You must learn that sometimes you have to choose your family, your health, or even your social life over work. And you'll also have to make some hard decisions to put work first.

For instance, I take my health seriously. A few months ago, a doctor's appointment conflicted with a last-minute visit from one of the industry's top marketing minds. The only chance I had to see him was during the time I'd reserved for my appointment. Since I wasn't sick and the appointment was for a simple check up, I didn't think twice about rescheduling.

Creating Balance Step Four: Keep a journal.

The only way to make your life better is to understand what you're doing, what's working, and what isn't. And there are far too many things going on in our lives to try to keep it all in our heads.

So keep a journal. Write down what you spend time on – everything from the meetings you attend to how many times you go to the gym.

Keeping a journal will help you see if you are spending your time in the most productive way – and it will make you accountable for your actions. It will help you accomplish your professional and personal goals, and will make you proud of those accomplishments.

Creating Balance Step Five: Understand that you're not a superhero.

Having a balanced life means being realistic. Realistic about the fact that some things are just not going to get done. And you have to be okay with that.

When my husband and I got married 15 year ago, we both had busy careers. But we still enjoyed spending time decorating and upgrading our home with art and new furniture. After a busy day, we loved coming home to our immaculate sanctuary.

Well... once we had kids, things started looking a lot different. Instead of the beautiful vase I picked up in Mexico on the coffee table – there was a stuffed Elmo.

Soon our Tiffany picture frames were replaced by toy trains. And many days, while we're making dinner, the kids have all the pots and pans on the floor.

But instead of spending my time cleaning up and trying to make my house look perfect, I would much rather play with the kids, banging on the pots and pans with them and playing with trains.

There are always things out of place in my house – but that is exactly the way it should be. Because when I come home to my family, I absolutely have a feeling of great accomplishment and happiness!

This goes for work, too. You may have a dozen projects on your plate, and only so much time to complete them. Don't get down on yourself for re-prioritizing one of them so you can spend more time on marketing, or so you can care for your ailing grandmother, or so you can spend an hour at the gym.

Following the other guidelines I've recommended – figuring out what kind of balance is right for you, creating boundaries, picking priorities, and knowing what's working and what isn't – will help you feel confident that your accomplishments are enough... even if you have more goals you want to achieve.

[Ed. Note. MaryEllen Tribby has created the site, www.WorkingMomsOnly.com, as the leading website and newsletter for the empowerment of the working moms. Her mission is to supply the tools that can give EVERY working mom the ability to lead a healthy, wealthy, and more balanced/blended lifestyle. To create a community where millions of working moms from all over the world come together in support and celebration of each other.]

10 Extreme Ways To Rocket Launch Your Profits

Today's feature article is: 10 Extreme Ways To Rocket Launch Your Profits

1. Advertise your web site with banner ads that are animated and include a call to action. You must grab people's attention and make them to click.
2. Use pop up windows or advertisements on your web site. They grab your visitors attention because
they jump right out at them.
3. Buy internet business books, ebooks, private site memberships, etc. Study and learn all the new web
site promotional ideas you can.
4. Analyze all your promotional efforts. Concentrate on the ones that work and drop the ones that don't
work. Don't waste your valuable time.
5. Get the most from each one of your visitors. Ask them to subscribe to your e-zine, participate on your
message board, bookmark your site, etc.
6. Use text links if your banner ads are not pulling traffic. People don't ignore text links as much as
they do banner ads.
7. Trade content with other ezine publishers or web sites. This is a powerful and effective way to place
your links on other targeted web sites.
8. Keep your product available to your customers at all times. If you have to backorder it, they may
end up canceling their order.
9. Use content on your web site so people can skim through it easily. Most people have little time so try
using lists, short tips, short articles,etc
10 Add a message board or chat room to your web site. If people enjoy it, they will revisit your web site
to participate regularly.

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Quote of the Day:
"Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can  achieve a permanently happy spirit." -- Norman Vincent Peale

10 Ways To Make Your Online Testimonials More Believable

Today's feature article is: 10 Ways To Make Your Online Testimonials More Believable

1. PICTURES
Ask people if they would e-mail a picture with their testimonial. If they don't have one scanned you could
have them send their picture by mail and you could scan it. This technique will give your testimonials more
credibility.

2. ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES
Most online testimonials you see have text signatures. You could have people mail their written signature, scan it, and upload it with their testimonial. People will feel the testimonial is more official.

3. ONLINE AUDIO
You could record people's testimonials with a mini tape recorder over the phone, on your answering machine, or voice mail. Then you could convert the recording into a online audio file and upload it to your web site. You can find more information about converting audio recording's by typing "real audio" at a search engine.

4. POSTCARDS
Have people mail you their testimonial on a postcard, scan it and upload it to your web site. This will give
people proof that the testimonial isn't fake because it will have a post mark on it.

5. PROFILES
Ask people to include a profile of themselves with their testimonial. You could just have them answer some
questions like age, occupation, hobbies, favorite quote, etc. This will make your testimonials more entertaining to read.

6. HAND WRITTEN LETTERS
This is similar to the "electronic signature" tip. Scan and upload the entire written testimonial or letter to
your web site. This will give your testimonials a feel of realism.

7. RECORDINGS
You could record peoples testimonials over the phone with a mini tape recorder. Then, take the recording
and record it to an answering machine or voice mail system. Under each one, include a phone number they
can call to hear the actual testimonial.

8. E-MAIL MESSAGES
When you get e-mail testimonials, publish the entire e-mail message instead of just the contents. It will be
more believable because it will include the date, time, subject, who it's from and who it's to.

9. CONTACT INFORMATION
When you get testimonials from people, ask them if you could include their contact information under the
testimonial. This will allow potential customers to ask your current customers questions about your product
or service before they buy. Usually, they will trust them more than you.

10. ONLINE VIDEO
If some of the people who give you testimonials have a camcorder, ask them to record their testimonial on
video and send it to you. Then you could convert the video to an online video file and upload it to your site. You can find more information about converting audio recording's by typing "real video" at a search engine.

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Quote of the Day:
"Knowledge is the food of the soul." -- Plato

Why you MUST Build Your Own List

A famous Internet marketer was once quoted as saying. "If you took away all of my websites and online advertising, as long as you left me with my email list, I can earn a full time living on the Internet"! That pretty much sums up why you need to build your own list.

However let's talk about a few specific things that should mean  something to you.

1. Having a list you can market to is an asset that will pay you  over and over. Just as a home or real estate grows in value so does your email list.
2. Many email marketers with large lists report earning one dollar  per month for every subscriber they have. You can do the math, but a person with a mailing list of 100,000 people can earn over $1 million a year doing nothing but email marketing.
3. An email list is an excellent source of traffic for your  business. People who subscribe to your list are also people who will come back and visit your website or blog. You can drive traffic to your business just by sending a mailing to your email list and notifying them of something new you are selling.
4. Social networking is very popular today and email marketing  is a form of that. Building relationships with your subscribers is one of the keys to long term home business success.

10 Eye Popping, Jaw Dropping Ad Copy Secrets

Today's feature article is:
10 Eye Popping, Jaw Dropping Ad Copy Secrets

1. Use a hand written letter on your ad copy instead of text. Write the ad on a piece of paper, scan it and publish the ad on your web page. Adding a personal touch will always increase your sales.
2. Publish a list of famous and respected customers who have bought from you on your a copy. People will think that if these people bought from you, they should also trust your business and purchase your products. Make sure to get their permission first.
3. Show before and after photos for your products on your web page copy. Show the problem picture and then beside it, show the picture of the resolution to the problem when they use your product.
4. Include an article or review that has been written about you or your business with your ad copy. This
will show people that your business is respected and will increase your credibility.
5. When you offer free bonuses in your ad copy, also list the dollar value beside each bonus. People will
feel they're getting a good deal and it will increase the value of your product.
6. Hire a famous person to endorse your product or service. Make sure the person is well known to your
target audience. Include their picture and statements on your ad copy.
7. Include your own picture on your ad copy. This will show people that you're not hiding behind your
ad copy and will increase their trust. Also, include your contact information below the picture and a brief statement or quote.
8. Tell your potential customers on your ad copy that you will donate a percentage of their purchase price to specific charity. This will show them you really care about the people. They may just buy your product to donate to the charity.
9. Ask your potential customers plenty of yes and no questions in your ad copy. The questions should remind them of their problem and make them think about what will happen if they don't purchase your product.
10. Tell your potential customers they will receive a free prize if they find the five words in your ad copy that are misspelled or spelled backwards. The longer you can keep someone reading your copy the greater chance of them purchasing.

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Quote of the Day:
"I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good  therefore that I can do, or any kindness or ablities that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." -- William Penn

4 Ways to Get Traffic to Your Website

Having an attractive website is not going to make you any money if nobody knows about it. Once your business is set up, and ready to promote, the most important thing you can do is get traffic to your website.
Here are four proven ways to do that.
1. The fastest way to get traffic to a website is pay per click advertising. Google Adwords is the largest PPC search engine in the world.Other popular search engines to promote on include Yahoo and Bing. There are advantages to all three of these.
2. For long term advertising results article marketing is a great way to get traffic to your website. Archived articles and article directories can bring you traffic many years after they are first posted online.Plus search engines love articles and they can serve as search engine bait to bring you even more traffic.
3. Social marketing is extremely popular right now. Not only is it fun to do it can bring you quality traffic. Examples of social marketing include blogging, discussion forums, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, YouTube videos, and much more.
4. Organic search engine traffic is something anyone can learn how to get. Learning how to optimize web pages and blog articles for targeted keyword phrases can bring you huge amounts of traffic over a period of time.One of the best tips we can offer you is the importance of building your own email marketing list. In our next message we will go over why that is so important!

To Your Success,
John Baril

10 Killer Ways To Keep Your Profits Rolling

Today's feature article is: 10 Killer Ways To Keep Your Profits Rolling

Read it below!

1. Give people a free online utility. When you offer a utility that can solve a person's problem, people will definitely visit your web site.
2. Offer a free affiliate/reseller program. When you offer people a free opportunity to make money they will line up to visit your web site.
3. Supply news stories related to your site. People want current news on the topics they are interested in. You could also include new "how to" articles.
4. Offer your visitors a free community. People like to have a place were they can have discussions with
others on a particular subject.
5. Make people feel safe when they order. Explain to them you won't sell their e-mail address and all
their personal information will be kept confidential.
6. Offer free samples or trials of your product. This will let people experience your product and attract
people to your web site.
7. Make your ad copy attractive. Your ad should lists benefits before the features. Include guarantees
and testimonials in your ad.
8. Remind people to come back and visit your site. They usually don't purchase the first time. The more
times they visit, the greater the chance they'll buy.
9. Let people know anything about your business history. They'll feel more comfortable if they know
who they are buying from.
10. Give people as many ordering options. Accept credit cards, checks, money orders, and other forms
of electronic payments.

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Quote of the Day:
"We can get over being poor, but it takes longer to get  over being ignorant." -- Jane Sequichie Hifler

Lesson 12: Make Money At Home with Affiliate Marketing

Make Money At Home Online

Lesson 12: Make Money At Home with Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is very simple way to make unlimited money online by leading visitors to others� websites and help online business owners to make more sales or let other averters to send their traffic to your website to make you more sales.
Affiliate marketing is a great way for publishers and advertisers to make money online and share the profit between both of them as a commission sellers give it to advertisers every time they make a sale form visitor has been referred by the advertisers.
Publishers get more visitors, leads, backlinks, and sales form this powerful tool and advertisers make very good money as a commission, both of them are very happy of this tool.

What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a tool that allows advertisers to get commission for sending visitors to buy products from others� websites. It is a great way for advertisers to make money online and great way to generate more sales for online merchandise, some affiliate programs pay per click or impressions depends on the agreement.

Why affiliate marketing tool is mandatory for merchandise?
If you sell products online you need a marketing campaign to generate traffic to your websites, there are so many ways to generate traffic to your website like search engines traffic and other websites leads to you, affiliate marketing give webmasters a good reason to send their visitors to your website because they will get paid for each sale generated by these visitors. Webmasters need to make money from their websites and they need contents to their websites or their newsletter, affiliate marketing gives them what they need when they advertise to your products and you will get more traffic and backlinks to generate more sales and ranked higher in major search engines for your website main keywords to get more targeted traffic.
Why affiliate marketing is the best way to make money online for advertisers?
Affiliate marketing is flexible in how to advertise
You can use your website, mailing list, Ezine, free classifies ads, email marketing, or any other way to advertise for these products, and you do not need to have a website to sell.
Affiliate marketing is flexible in what to advertise
You can put new products list and refresh your website every short time because there are 1000�s products you can sell, you can advertise for any product you want.
Affiliate marketing able to be accompanied with ads
You can use ads in your website because your visitor did not come to your web site to buy a cretin product, you list the products you affiliate for and tell the main function of them if the visitor did not like them but they might like anything in your ads. If you sell your own product you cannot add ads on the same pages.
Affiliate marketers is not responsible about convincing customers
You are not responsible about convincing costumers to buy the product all what you have to do is to put the link and a few descriptions about it and the product owner will take over the whole process.
Affiliate marketers is not responsible about Customer satisfaction
You are not responsible about the costumer satisfaction because your mission is not selling or convincing costumers your mission is to guide them to products they are looking for.
How does affiliate marketing work?
Advertisers join affiliate programs for others; they get a unique link this like shows that the visitor you have referred has come by you even if it is not from your website if this visitor bought something you will get your commission.
How much can affiliate marketers make per month?
You will not believe me that some affiliates marketers make over than $250,000 per month and still growing, 10,000s advertisers make over than $20,000 per month from different affiliate programs.
I�m Publisher and I want to offer affiliate program to make others advertise for mine
I�m Advertiser and I want to join affiliate programs.

The Best Way to Operate

Do Not Tell The World

It's important to share your vision and goals with positive people who will support you. However, when it comes to what you are working on, sometimes it is better to show the world, rather than telling the world. Robert Ringer explains today.

Craig Ballantyne

"You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action." – Anthony Robbins

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Zip the Lip

By Robert Ringer

As I watch the daily news, I am constantly reminded that an oversized ego can be the biggest obstacle to long-term success. Of course, everyone has an ego, so it's pointless to delude yourself into believing you're an exception. It's far better to acknowledge the existence of your ego and try to keep it under control.

A hungry ego is like a dinosaur lying on your front lawn. If you don't continually feed it, it might just decide to get up and step on your house. At its extreme, a bloated ego can even result in Egoruptcy, a form of bankruptcy caused by the investment of too much time and capital in one's vanity.

It's also wise to avoid becoming involved with others who appear to be afflicted with this insidious disease. Feeding the ego is habit forming and can lead the addict to commit dishonest acts in his desperation to feed his habit. And when he goes down for the count, he's liable to take you with him.

Following are some telltale signs of an individual suffering from Egoruptcy.

1. Trying to impress others with how well he's doing. (The more someone volunteers to tell you about his accomplishments, the less likely it is that he's accomplished much of anything.)
2. Constantly mouthing off about the deals he's working on.
3. Lavishly refurbishing his offices.
4. Talking incessantly about what he owns.
5. Talking incessantly about who he knows.

When most or all of the above signs are evident, the Egoruptcy clearly is in its advanced stages and the patient's condition has probably deteriorated beyond hope. Best you shield your face when passing him to avoid becoming infected.

How can you tell if you are developing Early Onset Egoruptcy? The most common symptom is perpetual movement of the mouth and tongue, especially when triggered by the desire to tell others about your plans.

Some years ago, I developed what I believe to be the perfect antidote to this constant, ego-feeding babbling. I refer to it simply as the Zip-the-Lip Theory, which states: If you've got something good going, shut up!

Put more gently: Learn to be both quiet and patient. The safest way to operate is behind the scenes with a low profile. There's seldom anything to be gained by giving the world advance notice of your objectives. How many times have you jumped the gun and talked about your plans, only to be embarrassed when they fell through?

If you manage to achieve your desired end, people will know about it soon enough. You may even gain a reputation for being humble as a result of not shooting off your mouth about what you're working on. Always remember, people love humility and hate arrogance.

The next time you're tempted to make a premature announcement to the world, remember that Old Man Murphy (of Murphy's Law fame) is out there somewhere, lying in wait to trip you up. It's simply not worth the risk of having a bunch of neurotics jealously gnashing their teeth and doing everything possible to see to it that you end up dining on your own words some fine evening.

The best way to let others know what you're going to do is to actually do it. The more confident you are about what you intend to accomplish, the less reason you'll have to risk putting your foot in your mouth. Your ego will be more than sufficiently assuaged, massaged, and patted after you have succeeded.

And the more you succeed, the more reason you'll have to feel secure, which should result in your having less of an urge to talk about your plans and more of a desire to produce results. Getting your ego out of the way gives you a clear mind to focus on success.

Granted, it can be difficult to suppress the instant-gratification urge to be highly thought of. But there's a big difference between difficult and impossible. No one can force you to do the wrong thing. Remember, the choice is always yours. A lot of things are difficult but not impossible. You always have a choice.

As retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade (played by Al Pacino) put it in the film classic Scent of a Woman, "I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew. But I never took it. You know why? It was too damn hard." Translation: You always have a choice.

What is your choice when it comes to instant ego gratification versus long-term success?

[Ed. Note: If you're ready for a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques that are guaranteed to dramatically improve your dealmaking skills - and, in the process, increase your income many times over - you won't want to miss Robert Ringer's bestselling audio series, A Dealmaker's Dream.

Robert Ringer is a New York Times #1 bestselling author and host of the highly acclaimed Liberty Education Interview Series, which features interviews with top political, economic, and social leaders. His recently released work, Restoring the American Dream: The Defining Voice in the Movement for Liberty, is a clarion call to liberty-loving citizens to take back the country. Ringer has appeared on numerous national talk shows and has been the subject of feature articles in such major publications as Time, People, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Barron's, and The New York Times. To sign up for his e-letter, A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World, visit www.robertringer.com.]

10 Explosive Ways To Turbo-Boost Your Sales

Today's feature article is: 10 Explosive Ways To Turbo-Boost Your Sales
Read it below!

1. Design your web site to be a targeted resource center. Choose one subject and build on it. You'll gain repeat visitors that are interested in that topic.
2. Offer something that is really free. If people go to your site and what you said was free really isn't, you'll lose their trust and they won't buy anything.
3. Add a chat room or message board to your web site. People want to interact with other people that
have they same interests as them.
4. Entice people to link to your web site by giving them something free in return. This'll increase your ranking in some search engines.
5. Trigger your reader's emotions in your ad copy. Example, if you sell a book on gambling tips, tell them the feelings they'll get when they win money.
6. Make sure your site looks good in all browsers. You could be losing sales because it looks distorted
in some web browsers.
7. Increase your sales by e-mailing full page ads to your e-zine subscribers. Remember to tell people before they subscribe or they may consider it spam.
8. Ask people questions in your ad copy that make them think about their problems. For example: Do
you want to be free of your debts?
9. Magnify the size of your prospects problem in your ad; show how your product can solve it. The bigger the problem, the more sales you'll have.
10. Invest a percentage of your profits right back into your business. Spend it on marketing, product improvement, customer service, advertising, etc.

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Quote of the Day:
"The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have." -- Norman Vincent Peale

10 Killer Ways To Defeat Your Competition

Today's feature article is: 10 Killer Ways To Defeat Your Competition
Read it below!

1. Offer free original content. It's important to give your visitors information they can't find anywhere else. If you're the only source, they'll visit your site.
2. Give people free software. Most people like to find good deals on software for their computers. If the software is free, that is even better.
3. Hold free contests or sweepstakes. Most people like to win things. If you can fulfill that need, people will stop by to visit.
4. Provide a free web directory. Create a directory of web sites on a popular topic that will attract your target audience.
5. Offer a free e-zine. Most people love to get free information that's e-mailed to them regularly. This saves them time and money.
6. Make your web site look professional. You want to have your own domain name, easy navigation, attractive graphics, etc.
7. Let people read your ad before they get to your freebie. When you use free stuff to lure people to your web site list it below your ad copy.
8. Attract the target audience that would buy your product or service. A simple way to do this is to survey your existing customers.
9. Test and improve your ad copy. There are many people who write an ad and never change it. Make
sure you get the highest possible response rate.
10. Give people an urgency so they buy now. Many people are interested in your product but they put
off buying it until later and eventually forget about it.

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Quote of the Day:
"Never let formal education get in the way of your  learning." -- Mark Twain

10 Killer Ways To Make People Click

Today's feature article is: 10 Killer Ways To Make People Click

Read it below!

1. Use reverse psychology on your banner ads. You could tell people not to click on your banner ad. For
example "Don't Click Here If You Are Comfortable With Your Looks"
2. Make your banner ad words as attractive as possible. Use words like ultimate, powerful, sizzling, hot, etc. Your words should relate and highlightyour total offer.
3. Offer a discount offer on your banner ad. People are always looking for good deals. You could offer
a percentage discount, dollar discount, buy one get one free discount, etc
4. Use a testimonial on your banner ad. This'll give people proof they aren't wasting their time clicking
on your banner ad. The testimonial should include enough information so they understand the offer.
5. You could have a famous and respectable person on your banner ad representing your product, web site or service. People will click because they'll trust them over you.
6. Use a strong guarantee on your banner ad. You could include the guarantee as a headline for your offer. It could read double or triple your money back guarantee, lifetime your money back guarantee, etc.
7. Tell people to click on your banner ad. Newbies to the internet may net even know they can click on banners. Just having the phrase "click here" on your banner will increase your clickthroughs.
8. You could advertise a trial or sample offer. This will tell people there is no risk or obligation if they click on your banner ad and try out your product or service.
9. Tell people the major benefit of your product, web site or service on your banner ad. It could be benefits
like make money, lose weight, increase energy, save money, save time, etc.
10. You could advertise a free offer on your banner ad. People love free stuff. The freebie should relate
to your target audience. If the freebie is attractive to them they will click.

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Quote of the Day:
"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." --  Sir Richard Steele

Affiliate Marketing BANNED

Quick question for you today... Do you think affiliate marketing should be banned?
It's a question to think about because if certain regulators get their way, affiliate marketing as we know it may be gone... And here's the thing...Like anything there's good and bad out there. After all, if you give a hammer to the wrong person, that person is likely to hurt someone... And so it is in any field... Here's food for thought as you may be looking for additional ways to grow your income...Starting a business 'can be' one of the most rewarding of ways to maximize your time and income potential, however like anything it comes with some risk.
Here's a critical question to think through before you pursue anything... or consider working with someone: "If we get back together in one year from today,  what would have to happen in order for you to feel like this was a rewarding experience?"
If you take the time to answer that question as you're presented with any opportunity, it will certainly save you time, money and headaches...

Write it down.  Post it some where.

I think I first learned a 'version of this question' about 5 years ago from a colleague of mine Joe Polish and I've found it useful with decisons I make bothin my personal and biz life...Fact is: Not all 'opportunities are created equal'.Whatever you're considering, I recommend youget what's called a P.S.I. in place first and
then expand to develop an O.S.I.

That's it for today!
Prosperity and Success,
Dan

PS - The biggest mistake 95% of small business owners make is not having their P.S.I. in place...

How To Live the Best Life You Can

I Admit It

I admit it. I like country music. There, I've said it. It's now all over the Internet.

Here's why I like it. Once a month I spend the weekend writing in the comfort of my Mom's kitchen out on the farm where she still lives (41 years and counting). While I write, she has the radio tuned to country music as she cooks up a storm and entertains my dog. Sure, country music is often ridiculously sappy and clichéd, but sometimes it hits the spot, too. It certainly fits the memory I want to share with you today.

Craig Ballantyne

"Recognize your highest calling as early as possible in life". – Frank McKinney

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Live Like You Were Dying

By Craig Ballantyne

"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."
Tim McGraw

It was an odd place for such a deep conversation. I ran into my friend Rob in the hallway at a large Internet Marketing seminar. "Hey Rob," I greeted him with enthusiasm, "It's been a long time."

"Craig," he replied with hesitation, "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch lately, but my mother passed away."

"Oh Rob, I'm sorry to hear that," I replied sincerely as we sat down amidst the hustle and bustle of seminar attendees.

"Thank you. I appreciate it," he replied. "You know, seeing you write about your dad in your email newsletters really helped."

I nodded and thanked him. Back in 2009, the year after my father passed away, I wrote a series of 'personal notes' that I shared with my fitness readers. These included the many lessons I learned from my old man (mostly by watching him and learning what not to do – a topic for another day, perhaps).

As Rob and I continued our conversation, he said something that brought back vivid memories of the final day I spent with my father, one that reminds me to make the most of today.

"It was the strangest thing," Rob started to describe, "When my mom was in the hospital those last days, she hardly recognized anyone. Then one day, she sat up and we had this really great conversation, as if everything was fine. The next day, she passed away."

His story hit me hard. I had the exact same experience with my father.

On a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, September 6, 2008, to be exact, my father, who was very sick with cancer, wanted to go for a drive. That's how we had spent most of our time together in the last 18 months after he was first diagnosed with his illness. We'd hop in his truck, and I'd drive him around through the countryside to "check out the corn" or to visit his old buddies.

About a month before this sunny September drive my dad had been rushed to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. He and I rarely spoke about his illness, and frankly I don't think he ever accepted that he was dying, but I talked to his doctor who said my dad might be able to make it to Christmas. That was my expectation as we set out on our drive that late summer morning.

It turned out that Dad was in great spirits that day. He was moving better than he had been in weeks. This gave me a false sense of hope that he had turned the corner with his recent struggles and that he'd be this way for weeks.

Our first stop that morning was at a cousin's house to check out their new barn, and then we visited a gentleman who often sold my dad tractors. (That was my father's hobby, collecting and restoring old tractors.)

It was one of the best Saturday mornings of my life, and my optimism increased for a fall filled with similar drives through the countryside. We finished off with a trip to the local burger drive-in where my dad wanted to pick up a couple of milkshakes (that's about all he could tolerate eating at this stage).

Once we arrived home, he went to lie down, and I went out to the mall to buy him a new TV. I had my eye on a nice big 40-inch flat screen that would keep him entertained throughout the night when he couldn't sleep.

When I arrived home with his gift, his condition had already started to change. He wasn't really in the mood to watch TV and just wanted to sleep. That was fine, and we agreed upon another drive in the morning.

But he never did get a chance to use the new television set.

The next morning he woke up at 6am with severe abdominal pain. I brought him to the hospital where he was admitted, rushed to intensive care and placed on mind-fogging pain medications. We never did have another comprehensible conversation after that, and he passed away just two days later. Fortunately, my mother was able to get in contact me with at my home in Toronto, and I raced back to the hospital with fifteen minutes to spare so I could see my father one more time.

During the subsequent funeral home visitation for my father, I recounted this story over and over again to those who came to pay their respects.

My aunt nodded her head and explained this 'great day phenomenon' is a common occurrence. For some reason, many terminally ill people have a short-term revitalization for a day just before death.

They perk up, they move with ease unknown to them for months. They are alert, even chipper. They give optimism to their friends and family, and one more chance to visit with the person everyone used to know.

They lived like they were dying.

They took advantage of whatever the source of energy it is to give everyone one last memory. They gave one last glimpse of all the great days that had come before.

It happened for my friend Rob with his mother, and it happened on that sunny Saturday in September for me.

Whatever the source of my father's vitality that day, it gave me one last important memory to hold onto – to remember what really matters in life.

Listen, I hope you're in the greatest of health, but I also hope that you are taking time for what really matters in your life.

Our minutes are not best spent surfing over to another news website, or watching another television show, or arguing on the Internet.

How we spend our time is the most important decision we will make in our lives. What we do with each minute of every day determines our legacy, what our children will remember, and what we will leave behind.

Live every day with purpose. Live every day according to your mission and your plan. Have a vision for what you want to accomplish, and act in congruence with it.

Love deeper, speak sweeter, and give the forgiveness you've been denying.

Live passionately, live honestly, and live the best life that you can.

[Ed. Note: Our mission here is to provide you with the tools you need to enjoy a Live Lived Well. This may be in the form of time management tips, resources for building a second income, expert advice for investing your money, or simply a reminder to reflect on what really matters in your life. If there is a way that we can help you, please let us know.]

10 Intriguing Ways To Propel Your Online Sales

Today's feature article is: 10 Intriguing Ways To Propel Your Online Sales

1. Add extra subjects to your web site. Most free ad sites only allow you to submit your web site to one category. This'll allow you to submit it to many.
2. Increase the perceived value of your product by making your offer scarce. You could use limited time bonuses, low prices, low quantities, etc.
3. Find out your competitions' weakness and use it as your "Unique Selling Proposition". It's the reason why people buy your products and not theirs.
4. Sell your products or services to a specific niche market. For example, instead of selling your fishing book to all fisherman, target it toward fly fisherman.
5. Test your advertising and marketing. You'll save time, money and big headaches promoting the right
offer to the right group of people.
6. Persuade visitors to buy your product by telling them the future. Tell them what'll happen with their life in the future if they buy or don't buy.
7. Offer a free trial of your product for a set period of time. Don't charge or bill them until they decided to buy it. This'll take away any risk they have.
8. Create other web sites that draw your initial target audience. Then you can lead your prospects to your
main web site by linking to your other web sites.
9. Inform people about your site or freebie through e-mail announce lists. You can find them by typing "e-mail announce lists" in any search engine.
10. Tell your visitors what they can avoid by buying your product or service will motivate them to buy. They may want to avoid pain, fear, danger, etc.
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Quote of the Day:
"To help the young soul, to add energy, inspire hope, and  blow the coals into a useful flame; to redeem defeat by new thought and firm action, this, though not easy, is the work of divine man." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

10 Killer Ways To Jump Start Your Profits

Today's feature article is: 10 Killer Ways To Jump Start Your Profits

1. Offer to write exclusive articles (that means you only submit them to one place) for high traffic web sites in exchange for a link back to your site.
2. Create a positive online image. Tell your visitors about fundraisers you have sponsored or that you donate a part of your profits to charity.
3. Improve your customer service on a regular basis. Try out new technologies that make it easier to communicate with your customers over the net.
4. Ask your customers what they would like to see offered by your business in the future. This type of
information can boost your sales.
5. Make sure your web host isn't losing your sales. If you get an e-mail from someone that told you that they couldn't access your site, it might be your host.
6. Allow your visitors experience to be an enjoyable one at your web site. Provide easy navigation, good
content, fast loading graphics, search options, etc.
7. Keep changing or adding freebies to your web site. If people see the same freebie in your ads they
will say to themselves, "been there done that".
8. Add a directory to your web site. When visitors submit their web site, e-mail them confirming their
link has been added and remind them to revisit.
9. Organize your marketing and advertising into a plan. Create a list of daily, weekly, monthly and all
other future promotional plans.
10. Trade links only with web sites that your target audience or yourself would visit. They should offer
their visitors valuable content or freebies.

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Quote of the Day:
"If you want to increase your success rate, double your  failure rate." -- Thomas Watson, Sr., founder of IBM

10 Boundless Ways To Anchor Down More Sales

Today's feature article is: 10 Boundless Ways To Anchor Down More Sales

1. Multiply your marketing and advertising efforts  on the Internet. You can accomplish this by starting an affiliate program or using viral marketing.
2. Increase your ratio of visitors that purchase your product(s). You could change your headline, offer a  stronger guarantee, add testimonials, etc.
3. Find out who are your strongest leads for buying your product by offering a free ezine. The visitors that are very interested will subscribe to it.
4. Team up with your competition by starting an association for your specific industry. It could lead to a profitable partnership with them.
5. Publish an e-zine for your employees. This could motivate them to do a better job or fill them in on were your business is headed
6. Search for your business' name in newsgroups and discussion boards. Some of the comments you find could help you improve your business
7. Attract people to link to your web site. You could offer them a discount on the products you sell or give them free stuff for linking.
8. Develop your own opt in email list by giving your visitors a reason to give you their e-mail address. Allow them sign up to free stuff and contests.
9. Create a "PR" web page for your business. List information that could be considered newsworthy for e-zines, newspapers, magazines, etc.
10. Give your business and products credibility by linking to web sites that have written positive stories
about your business.

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Quote of the Day:
"...if the next generation is to face the future with zest and self-confidence, we must educate them to be original as well as competent." -- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

10 Effective Ways To Reduce Your Business Costs

Today's feature article is: 10 Effective Ways To Reduce Your Business Costs

1. Barter
If you have a business you should be bartering goods and services with other businesses. You should try to
trade for something before you buy it. Barter deals usually require little or no money.

2. Network
Try networking your business with other businesses. You could trade leads or mailing lists. This will cut
down on your marketing and advertising costs. You may also try bartering goods and services with them.

3. Wholesale/Bulk
You'll save money buying your business supplies in bulk quantities. You could get a membership at a
wholesale warehouse or buy them through a mail order wholesaler. Buy the supplies you are always running out of.

4. Free Stuff
You should try visiting the thousands of freebie sites on the internet before buying your business supplies.
You can find free software, graphics, backgrounds, online business services etc.

5. Borrow/Rent
Have you ever purchased business equipment you only needed for a small period of time? You could
have just borrowed the equipment from someone else or rented the equipment from a "rent-all" store.

6. Online/Offline Auctions
You can find lower prices on business supplies and equipment at online and offline auctions. I'm not
saying all the time, but before you go pay retail for these items try bidding on them first.

7. Plan Ahead
Make a list of business supplies or equipment you'll need in the future. Keep an eye out for stores that have big sales. Purchase the supplies when they go on sale before you need them.

8. Used Stuff
If your business equipment and supplies don't need to be new, buy them used. You can find used items
at yard and garage sales, used stores, used stuff for sale message boards and newsgroups etc.

9. Negotiate
You should always try negotiate a lower price for any business equipment or supplies. It doesn't hurt to try. Pretend you are talking to a salesman at a car lot.

10. Search
You can always be searching for new suppliers for your business supplies and equipment. Look for suppliers with lower prices and better quality. Don't just be satisfied with a few.

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Quote of the Day:
"It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of  life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity." -- Horace

Lesson 10: Make Money At Home for Selling Your Own Products

Lesson 10: Make Money At Home for Selling Your Own Products
Basically make money at home classified into two categories:
1. Make money for selling products at home.
2. Make money for serving people at home.
Let�s talk about make money At home for selling products at home; there are tow major ways to sell products at home:
1.Selling your own products. 2. Selling other own Products.
In this Article I will focus about making money at home for selling your own products and cover its advantages and its disadvantages and talk about the other ways later.
Before we start let�s describe your own product, your own product does not have to be
A hard material product, it could be software, an e-book, Music mix or anything you think people will pay to have it; it might be an e-book consult others to do something the right way that you know it, so you can make lots products about things you know.
Selling your own Products needs to have a shop online which is your web site and this website has to have a list of your products that you offer, full description about each product including price, and the most important thing is to have a reliable third party which allows costumers to pay online safely and securely

The advantages of selling your own products:
1.Easy to market for it and write ads for it because it’s your product and nobody can describes it and tells it’s benefits more than you can do.
2.You can make other people market for you, post links which link to your website, write ads for you, and send email for you in order to get commission so you are not alone in your marketing campaign.
3.You are the person who is responsible about the price, update, and description of your product.
4.You can support your product by another product and make sale if they buy more than one and make offers which will make costumes think seriously about buying products they did not come to buy it
5.Nobody can change your partnership or cancel it but you can do so because the source of money will be your web site so people need you.

The disadvantages of selling your own product:
1.You cannot put new list and add products every short time because you need time to have new product.
2.You cannot put links or ads on your website because you will loose costumer then.
3.You are the responsible about convincing costumes to buy your product.
4.You are the responsible about the costumer satisfaction.

 In my point of view the best advantage of selling your own products that so many people will help you in your marketing campaign they will market for you, post links which link to your website, write ads for you, and send email for you in order to get commission so you are not alone in your marketing campaign. The worst disadvantage is you are the responsible about convincing costumers to buy.

The Only Thing That Really Matters

The Only Thing That Really Matters  

By Alex Green  

Why do some folks look back on their lives and say they wouldn't change much? Or anything?

Is there a formula? Some mix of love, work, habits, or attitudes that offers the best chance of a well-lived life?

Researchers at Harvard have been examining this question for 72 years by following 268 men who entered college in the late 1930s.

Their discoveries might surprise you.

Just listen to Dr. George Vaillant. Since 1967, the Harvard Medical School professor has dedicated his career to the "Grant Study." (It was named after its patron, the department-store magnate W.T. Grant.)

Vaillant's specialty is the comprehensive study of a small number of people over a long period of time.

His subjects were never a representative sample of society. They were all young men from relatively privileged backgrounds.

Yet Vaillant's findings offer profound insights into the human condition. They have universal applications. And they illuminate the one factor that correlates most highly with a positive life assessment in old age.

So let's take a closer look...

From the beginning, the Grant Study was meant to be exhaustive. The researchers assembled a team that included medical doctors, physiologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and anthropologists.

Participants were monitored, interviewed, and studied from every conceivable angle. That included their eating and drinking habits, exercise, mental and physical health, career changes, and financial successes and setbacks.

They were subjected to general aptitude tests and personality inventories, and were required to provide regular documentation.

Many of the men achieved dramatic success. Some became captains of industry. One was a bestselling author. Four ran for the U.S. Senate. One served in a presidential cabinet. And one – JFK (we now know) – was president. (His files have been sealed until 2040.)

Some of the subjects were disappointments, too. Case number 47, for example, literally fell down drunk and died. (Not quite what the study had in mind.)

Most of the participants remain anonymous. (Although a few, like Ben Bradlee, the long-time editor of The Washington Post, have identified themselves.)

Over the last four decades, the lives of the Grant men were Vaillant's personal and professional obsession. In his book Adaptation to Life, he writes, "Their lives were too human for science, too beautiful for numbers, too sad for diagnosis, and too immortal for bound journals."

Yet more than 70 years of data and enabled Vaillant to reach some broad conclusions.

He found seven major factors that predict healthy aging, both physically and psychologically: education, stable marriage, healthy weight, some exercise, not smoking, not abusing alcohol, and "employing mature adaptations." (Vaillant believes social skills and coping methods are crucial in determining overall satisfaction.)

However, his most important finding was revealed in a 2008 interview. He was asked, "What have you learned from the Grant Study men?"

Vaillant's response: "That the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people."

The Grant Study confirms what the wisest have always known. That a successful life is not about the grim determination to get or have more. Nor is it about low cholesterol levels or intellectual brilliance or career accomplishments.

It's about human connections: parents, siblings, spouses, children, friends, neighbors, and mentors.

Without them, life quickly loses its flavor, whatever material successes we enjoy.

Look back at your life. You'll almost certainly find that the most significant moments were births, deaths, weddings, and celebrations.

Your most profound moments? When you touched others. Or they touched you.

In times of suffering – loss, sickness, death – it is not prescriptions, formulas, or advice we seek. It is the healing presence of another.

When we forget this – when we think only of ourselves – we choke the source of our development.

Real meaning comes from taking care of those you love, letting them know how you feel.

Fortunately, we have countless opportunities to give a bit of ourselves each day through a thoughtful act, a word of appreciation, or a sense of understanding.

As Dr. Vaillant concludes, true success "is more about us than me."

[Ed. Note: Alex Green is the author of excellent books like, "The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters", and "Beyond Wealth", that show you how to lead a "rich" life during trying economic times.]

Are you Suffering from Information Overload?

Hi

One of the hardest things about getting started online is that  feeling of being overwhelmed with too much information. Here are a few tips on how to avoid information overload when you first get started.
1. One thing to remember is you have as much time as you need to  learn things. Think of starting your home business as a marathon and not a sprint.
Work at your own pace and don't get frustrated if things are not moving as quickly as you want. We all learn at different speeds and running a home business is not rocket science.
As long as you have average intelligence you can build a very large business from the comfort of your own home. Just relax and take your time.
2. Get your business set up online and ready to promote. Then spend the majority of your time working on getting website visitors.It's very easy to go off on tangents and fiddle around with your business. You will find you waste a lot of time reading information and doing things that are not important right now. Focus on spending your time doing profitable things and your business will thank you for it.
3. Do not join every online newsletter or blog feed you come across. You certainly want to stay educated in your business.
4. Don't buy every new ebook you hear about either. Many people have hard drives full of ebooks that were never read.To survive online you need website visitors.