EmploySocial: Secrets

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Simple Stress-Busting Secrets to Creating a First Class Support Team In Any Business

Stress and an occasional sense of overwhelm is a normal by-product of a successful business. Yes, we are lucky to have all the opportunities that the business world presents to us. And yes, at times, it is impossible to make wise use of our time and resources. So, the result is inevitably: Stress!

We differentiate between primary, situational, short-lived stress and long-term, accumulated levels of stress. The purpose of this article is then to help you instantly with the first type of stress. To give you tools you already possess but we all don’t utilize enough. In addition, my High-Impact Business Coaching Formula allows you to grow thriving businesses while creating rich, balanced lives and with that eliminate the second type of long-standing, highly damaging stress.

Yet, this is not an overnight process as any transformation takes time, effort and commitment. So then, this article is about allowing you to find instant relief. To find ways to bust your sense of “too-much-to-do” immediately, within seconds.

I am going to start you off with a somewhat strange statement: “Believe it and you’ll see it”. This seemingly bizarre concept is now part of a highly success stress-reduction program at the Stanford University School of Medicine. For further education I recommend “Stress Free For Good” – 10 scientifically proven life skills for health and happiness” by Dr. Fred Luskin and Dr. Kenneth Pelletier. One interesting fact about the mind is that the brain has absolutely no actual connection to reality. It relies on chemical signals from other organs to decide what's happening out in the real world. The fact that the brain is ignorant of reality is precisely what makes it so susceptible to suggestion. Harvard's Professor Jonathan B. Cohen showed that imagining performing an activity, and even just seeing someone perform it, fires the same neurotransmitters and the same pathways as actually performing the activity!

In sports, visualization has been considered an essential tool for decades. In a 1984 survey of the 235 Canadian Olympic athletes preparing for the Games, 99 percent of them were using imagery. "There's no one who doesn't use imagery," says Rebecca Smith, a clinical research assistant in sports psychology at the U.S. Olympic Training center in Colorado. No professional athlete has ever won first place by visualizing coming in last and yet we do this so often in our business world.

Since the principle is called: “Seeing the good in others”, what comes to mind for you? The saying is old but listen to it again: “Seeing the good in others”, is about seeing it in your mind’s eye, isn’t it? How often do we prefer to blame others for our stress? How often do we love talking behind somebody’s back more than finding the good in others? So, then how does that affect our leadership abilities? Since this concept of “Seeing the good in others” coincides with chapter five in my book: The Art of Succeeding by Design” which deals with leadership, it should come as no surprise that our ability to see the good in others is a highly effective trait as the leader of your small business.

Why? Well, think about it. If we could regularly let go of our judgmental tendencies and make a 100% commitment to taking responsibility for our lives (which means NO blaming, ever), combined with an ability to see the best qualities in our team members, what would that allow us to do? Yes, you would see different results. Why, because as our attitude changes, our thoughts change, our body language changes. Those working for you will feel safe and when feeling safe, there is no limit to creativity and productivity. Do you notice the disabling effects of stress on YOUR performance? It is not any different for your staff. They also get stressed and even more stressed when feeling criticized and judged. It impedes their ability to work in their highest performance zone, for you.

I guess, you are figuring out what I am proposing here. Yes, a win-win situation! Seeing the good in others allows your stress level to go down since you consistently trust that things will get done and that everybody does their best, your positive actions based on this great attitude influences your brain, and as a crucial consequence your employees or support staff can keep working in a stress-free environment giving their best in turn.

Secret number 1:

Practice your compassion. Put yourself in their shoes just for a second. Do you really know what’s going on their lives? Do you know if they are deadly scared of losing their job? Do you know if they feel empowered and equipped to do their job right? What do you know about their battle scares of life?

This does not mean being permissive and lowering your standard of performance. No, quite the opposite. By you setting the stage for an environment where fear and stress is not the driving force, you invest your time very wisely. Having a staff that lives with stress and fear is a waste of your money. Nothing gets accomplished, no new ideas come up, no responsibility is taken when fear and stress is present. If you want to create a team that is loyal, productive, innovative and equipped to take your business to success in a climate where an A+ team will be harder and harder to find, your efforts to practice compassion is essential for sustainable business success.

Ok, with that out of the way, I want to give you another 10-second secret:

It’s smiling. Yes, you heard me right, smiling. So smile right now, hold it for 10 seconds. Really smile, laugh! Do you feel better? I do. If it makes you feel better, how do you think the recipient of this smile feels? How do you feel when you encounter someone who just for the fun, throws you a smile? Yes, I thought so… pretty good.

Ok, practicing compassion and smiling more often, more randomly, more just for the fun of it, is then good for business, good for employee retention and good for your stress-management. The funny part is that you already knew all this, right? We do and still, at times, we forget. Why? Because we are stressed. Yes, that’s why.

One of my clients reported that she has attracted a much “nicer” clientele since her attitude changed and another client reported that “seeing the good in people” has significantly lowered his anxiety.

Remember, as far back as Napoleon Hill, the famous author of “Think and Grow Rich” said: “Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.”

Like they say: War is not the way to peace, peace is. Don’t let your thoughts take you to a war zone driven by fear and doubt. Let your attitude guide you to thoughts that make you feel connected and you will reduce your stress level and make others feel safe and cared for. There is no possible negative outcome and lots of potent positive outcomes.

Do we need scientific proof for that? No, just give it a try tonight in the check-out line at the store or smile to someone at a red light, especially when you feel tired, burned out, foggy in your head. I can promise you that even a quick smile back will help your attitude at home with your family or your friends. Don’t waste a minute, practice all of the above or maybe just one but do it and do it often. Stress-busting is guaranteed.

7 Secrets To Starting A Home Based Business

So, you've decided to start a home based business. Congratulations, and welcome to the high energy world of entrepreneurship. I have owned and operated my own home based business since 1994. While is takes some time to learn, one of the fastest ways is to role model someone who is achieving their goals. I learned fast that having a success coach or mentor will help you succeed at much faster pace. One of the biggest thrills of owning your own business is the flexibility of your work time, deciding when to work, go to the beach or spend time with your family. The financial rewards can be numerous. The nice thing about owning your own business is you get paid what you are worth.

Now that you've decided to start your own business, you might be thinking "How can I become successful, what does it take and what do I have to do?" These seven secrets will help:

1) set up a separate working area in your home. All you need is an area that you can maintain your focus in and get your work done. I remember a person whose home based business was doing 7 figures a year say to me,” Ron when I work I work, but when it’s time for family time it’s time for family time, you have to separate the two.”

2) Set Goals that you want to achieve in the coming year. Make your goals crystal clear, put them up on the wall, and set annual, quarterly and monthly goals. The clearer your goals are the better chance you have of achieving them. Put up a Vision Board in your home office, look at it everyday and see yourself accomplishing your goal.

3) Your third step is marketing. Decide who your target market is, what is the best way to reach them. Determine the best way to attract your target market. Who is your ideal client? Invest at least a week and go to your local library and read some books on marketing to see what the experts are doing. I myself invest in one marketing book at month to keep up to date on current marketing trends.

4) Time management is crucial to the success of your home based business. We all have 24 hours in a day but how you invest them will determine your success at the end of the year. A good thought is to work on your top priorities when you are the freshest, so you accomplish the most towards your goal.

5) Network with other like minded people. One of the fastest ways to grow any business is to promote Joint ventures with people who can introduce you to your best clients. I’ll never forget one of my first joint ventures that resulted in a 6 figure income in 90 days, the feeling and financial rewards are what make owning your own business exciting.

6) Look the part. If you want to be treated professionally, act like a professional. Set up a separate bank account for your business. Have a dedicated phone line and fax line for business. Outsource the creation of your marketing materials so your business has that high tech look.

7) Automation is the key. Learn how to become a prospecting machine. The number one things most successful home based business has are good high quality leads. Have automatic systems in place to help you identify and attract your ideal client. Target marketing is where your profits are at. Focus on adding value to the life of your clients and you will be reward handsomely.

These seven secrets will jump start your home based business in a hurry.

Top 10 Secrets Of Outrageously Successful Business Owners

Are you struggling to make a profit? Are you challenged in reaching your next success level? Would just like to reach your desired business goals faster?

Then “THE TOP 10 SECRETS OF OUTRAGEOUSLY SUCCESSFUL ENTERPRISES” is a *must* for you. These business secrets are the *BEST OF THE BEST.* These secrets were not gotten from a book or seminar. Rather they represent the wisdom I gained from coaching & consulting hundreds of businesses over the last 21 years ... from the soloist entrepreneur to multi-billion dollar companies.

I GUARANTEE if you apply any one of these top 10 secrets with conviction and commitment, you will experience quantum leaps in your business.

MINDSET SECRETS

1. *EXPECT* TO WIN... *EXPECT* TO SUCCEED

While we all experience highs and lows in our business, outrageously successful enterprises EXPECT to succeed over the long run. For such enterprises,

Success is the ONLY option.

To what extent do you EXPECT to succeed in your business? What less empowering expectations currently undermine your success? Make a *decision* today to succeed. “Cut the cord” on all other possible outcomes.

2. LIVE AND BREATHE YOUR MISSION STATEMENT

While most businesses have crafted a mission statement, it is not enough just to have one. Outrageously successful enterprises live and breathe their missiion statement ... in every goal, every strategy and every project of their business. It is the life force and the reason for everything they do.

Do you have a compelling mission statement for your business? Do you communicate it - both in words and actions - to every client, every prospect, every employee? If you asked any one of these stakeholders what is your mission, would they know what to say?

Post and read your mission statement daily. Include it in all your collateral materials. Live and breathe your mission statement in every goal, decision and action. This one principle will make your business a compelling magnet for greater and greater levels of success.

3. ALWAYS ASK THE MILLION $$ QUESTION:

***** “Where is the opportunity in this situation?” *******

Within *every business challenge,* there is an extraordinary opportunity for a HUGE breakthrough. Even with the most difficult challenges, outrageously successful enterprises never see challenges. They ONLY see opportunities. They constantly ask: “Where is the opportunity in this situation?”

Where is your focus right now in your business - on the challenge or the opporunity? Make it a habit with every challenge to ask: “Where is the opportunity in this situation?” that one question will blow open the doors to new solutions, new strategies and new possibilities to take your business to the next level.

4. BECOME THE ULTIMATE BUSINESS “ROMANTICIST”

Outrageously successful enterprises are constantly “IN LOVE.” Yes, that’s right. They LOVE their customers. They LOVE their employees and vendors. They LOVE their visions. They LOVE everything about their business.

This priniciple is not something you get from a book. It comes from the very heart and soul of why you are in business. When you are “in love,” it shines forth in every client interaction, every exchange with a prospect, every dealing with a peer or vendor. Remember the old cliche, “People don’t care what you know; they want to know that you care.”

Are you “IN LOVE” wiith your clients and prospects? Are you “IN LOVE” with the benefits you offer? Are you “IN LOVE” with every aspect of your business? If not, why not? What do you need to change about your attitude, beliefs or actions to become the “Ultimate Business Romanticist.”

STRATEGY SECRETS

5. LOOK AT MARKETING AS A *CONTINUUM*, NOT AN EVENT.

Contrary to conventional business thinking, marketing does not end with a sale. Outrageously successful enterprises know that marketing is a perpetual process. And, contrary to most business practices, these enterprises focus more than 50% of their marketing efforts **after the sale** -- such as ‘post sale” follow-up, repeat business incentives, backend selling, referral marketing, etc. They know that the greatest revenues are generated *after the sale.”

How do you see and practice marketing in your business -- as an event or a continuum? What *post sales* and prospect follow-up activities can you incorporate as the focus of your marketing efforts? This one shift n your marketing focus alone can increase your revenues 100%, 200%, even 500% ... more than any marketing action you take in your business.

6. CONSTANTLY “MARKET UP”

Within every target market, there is a high end and a low end market and everything in between. Million $$ enterprises constantly stretch their marketing sights and target prospects that most businesses would think impossible to acquire as clients. They constantly “market up” to high end prospects ... a strategy that catalyzes their business to a much bigger game.

What specific prospects ... or kinds of prospects ... would you love to have a clients or customers but think it is impossible? Think out side the box and think BIG. It could be celebrities, politicians, admired companies or CEOs, leaders in your community, rolemodels, etc.

Pick one high end prospect to start. Build a marketing campaign to reach that person or company. This strategy requires persisitence, yet is well worth it. From my own first hand experience, ”marketing up” can skyrocket your reveneues and business exposure instantly and multiply your profits for years to come .

7. MAKE “ADDING MORE VALUE” YOUR #1 CRUSADE.

Outrageously successful enterprises are in the business of creating value. They have a stgrong conviction to contribute to more and more richness to their cleints’ lives and businesses.

In everything they say and do. they let clients know “you matter. Your well-being and success is important to us.” They focus on “what do I have to give?” ... NOT “what do I have to do to get a sale?”

Where is your focus right now --- on adding value, or making the sale? Make a list of at least 10 ways yo can increase the value of your products and services. Implement the easiest one ideas ... starting now. Make “adding value” a routine business priorty. When you do, your products and services will sell themselves.

PERFORMANCE SECRETS

8. OPTIMIZE, OPTIMIZE, OPTIMIZE

Outrageously successful enterprises are masters at achieving the greatest return at the lowest possible risk. They constantly look for ways to reduce the amount of time, money and energy to achieve their ultimate goals.

They take what works and see if they can make it better, faster, cheaper. They know the “what if” implications of every new strategy, goal, product or service. They are pros at maximizing performance tradeoffs.

Do your know the profitabilty of each product or service you offered? Do you know what clients are the most expensive, demanding or time-consuming to serve? If you doubled your client base, do you know the implications on costs, revenues and the operations of your business?

To optimize your business results, think highest and best use of your time, energy and money. ALWAYS THINK HIGHEST AND BEST!!

9. MULTIPLY PROFITS THROUGH THE POWER OF LEVERAGE.

Most businesses build their enterprises in a haphazard way. Outrageously successful businesses grow their businesses from a place of leverge. They look for new ways to convert their current assets, strengths and opportunities into new revenue streams. They constantly take inventory and seek ways to profit from untapped capabilities and underutilized resources. They integrate marketing activities into a single business strategy to maximize results.

How can you leverage

*** your current assets (eg., your client base, employees),
*** your current strengths (eg., your knowledge base, processes),
*** your current resources (eg., your business network, capital),
to quickly grow your business?

How can you revamp your marketing activities so that your products and services sell each other? Leverage is one of the most under-utilized principles for multiplying profits in business.

10. DEVELOP A BIAS TOWARD ACTION

Outrageously successful enteprises understand that, in today’s economy, windows of oportunity are often measured in months ... not years and decades. They know they cannot wait for the perfect strategy, the perfect solution to capitalize on these opportunities. They must act quickly if they want to thrive in these highly changing times.

What new projects, strategies or opporatunites are you stalling in order to achieve perfoection? What new practices, support structures or habits will accelerate your bias toward action?

Top Home Based Business Secrets Revealed

Have you been scouring through all those home-based business opportunities on the Internet looking for the perfect niche? Have you invested in a couple of them and realized that the home-based business you picked was not what it seemed at first? Have you watched dozens or even hundreds of multimedia presentations while visions of dollar signs danced in your head?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of the questions above, you may be facing some difficult decisions regarding starting a home-based business. Do not part with another cent of your hard-earned money until you thoroughly read this article about what some home-based business sellers do not want you to know.

Every day millions of people dream about owning their own home-based business. What’s not to dream about? The opportunity to work the hours you desire and make an extraordinary sum of money is an intoxicating idea. In fact, it can be downright addictive. In response, thousands of new home-based business opportunities spring up every day that promise investors easy riches and the lifestyle that comes with ultimate success.

Most new business opportunities are quick to tell you about all the great things about their particular business model. Flashy websites, well-crafted audio presentations, and difficult to ignore graphs and charts are all part of the equation. Lost in the throes of all the excitement is that many people that buy into these programs do not consider the downside. Let’s take a look at some of the downsides that many of these businesses conveniently forget to mention.

Most home-based business opportunities leave out the fact that you will have to SELL…SELL…SELL! You should ask yourself if you like selling? Most business opportunities require you to be an expert salesperson. That’s what business is all about. Contrary to what you may believe, selling is an art. The person who may have gotten you to join in the first place might actually be making a lot of money, but again they may be a great salesperson blessed with a golden tongue (they sold you didn’t they?). So unless you really like to sell, you should be careful about the business you invest in. The art of selling is not something that everyone can do. It takes a type of dedication that has to be immune to rejection and the ability to persevere through difficult times. The fact is that most people hate selling so much that they never really succeed in their home-based business.

Did you really think the product your home based business offers will just “sell itself”? Many of the home-based business opportunities bandied across the World Wide Web indicate that their products do in fact, sell themselves. This is a definite warning sign. Very few ideas sell themselves, and in the rare occasion that an idea is so extraordinary that it would sell itself, it usually takes an inordinate effort to get the word out. A huge mistake that most first time home-based business owners face is not having enough cash to invest in advertising.

Advertising, of course, is the medium through which a product or service gathers name recognition. A basic rule in advertising 101 is that in order to be effective advertising must be consistent. It must also target a specific group of people that are likely to buy. You wouldn’t target a sports product to those who detest sports, would you? Contrary to what many home-based business sellers might tell you, very few buying decisions are impulsive. This means that a potential customer might have to see an advertisement for your product or service dozens of times before they decide to make a purchase. So if you business plans is to just invest a few hundred dollars on advertising with the hopes of gaining thousands of dollars to reinvest—think again! In order to get sales rolling you need to make a bigger commitment than that. Think about the vast amounts of money that change hands for a thirty second Super Bowl commercial. If you don’t think advertising works, then it’s already too hot in the kitchen!

Most home-based business sellers promise you that once you sign up there is very little work involved. It’s amazing that after all these years people still believe that you can get something for nothing. Can you imagine going into a job interview and expecting not to do any work? Do you think that you will be paid to just sit back on a white sand beach in some tropical paradise and drink margaritas all day while your bank account continues to grow and the good times continue to roll? If you’ve got that mindset, it would be wise to shed it in favor of a more logical approach. Of course, without proper advertising, you are not going to get very far. If you are spending your time trying to close unqualified leads then you are not going to have much time to lie on the beach and soak up the rays.

One of the ways you can get around some of these important considerations is to look for a home-based business that automates the sales process. Without automation tire-kickers and time-wasters will rob you of your valuable time. If the sales process is automated, you may be onto something. Think about the time you will save if you don’t have to track down each client and negotiate a deal. If you are on the edge of investing in a home-based business, be sure to ask if the business opportunity you are about to invest in has trained closers that work with you to close the coveted sale.

Passive income is the golden word in which most home-based businesses sell the dream of ultimate prosperity. In our society people continuously dream about having the freedom to do whatever they want, whenever they want. Passive income is income that you basically do not have to do very much for in the present. That is, it has been established already. While passive income is generated in the present, it is a result of PAST efforts. The foundation was previously constructed by people who had to work diligently and productively in order to reach their goals. Think about someone who owns a rental property and makes a nice income every month from rent. That property did not simply materialize out of thin air. The owner did not rub a magic lamp three times and receive three wishes for his efforts. It looks like the property owner has done nothing for that income but the truth is that they had to do a lot of work and build their savings in the PAST in order to be able to have enough money to buy that rental property.

Do not get sold on the idea that purchasing a home-based business will give you immediate passive income. This is a pipe dream that can cost you both time and money. Whatever endeavor you wish to pursue takes dogged determination, resiliency, and getting your hands dirty in order to succeed. You have to work and pay your dues before you can generate positive cash flow. This article is not trying to dissuade you from pursuing the dream of a home-based business – not at all! In fact, there are hundreds of thousands of people who have succeeded in starting their home-based business. What is being suggested is the fact that wealth and prosperity do not come easy. If they did, then wouldn’t everyone be working from home by now?

Starting a home-based business is a plausible investment. However, it takes hard work at first, but if you stick with it and demonstrate the ability to work through difficult times, you will be rewarded in the end. This brings up the last success factor that most home-based businesses neglect to tell you. Their advertisements show you flashy cars, luxurious homes, pearly white beaches, and vast landscapes that are usually the playgrounds for millionaires. The truth is that pursuing a home-based business takes a serious commitment of time and effort. Very simply put, you get out what you put in. A business opportunity is just like a car. If you continue to pump fuel into it, make sure it is properly maintained, and get the oil changed every couple of months, it will perform at its peak for a long period of time. On the other hand, if you let it run dry you’ll be waiting for a tow truck on the highway to oblivion!

The goal of attaining passive income is very possible if you pay your dues and do a little bit of hard work. Never forget that the time you put into your home based business is an investment. It is more than likely that your business will not take off the first day, week, or month after you start it. However, with persistence and a never-say-die attitude, you will probably experience success faster than others.

If you have the drive to make your home-based business a successful and thriving reality, visit our website for a free 6 Minute Movie. If you are interested in a home-based business that has an automated sales process and helps you close the sale then visit our website for a free no hassle presentation without pushy sales staff that pressure you into action.

This could be a watershed moment in your life. It could be a time where your fortunes do indeed change for the better, so it makes sense to carefully consider your options. After you view the free 6 Minute Movie on our website, you will have a better idea of what is entailed in the automated sales process, and how you wish to proceed with your dream of a realistic, successful, and quality home-based business.

Compromising Business Behavior: How Not To Expose Your Company's Secrets

Everyday behaviors such as using your laptop at the airport or conducting a business call while walking down a crowded street can jeopardize your company's information.

"Most corporate intelligence losses aren't a result of high-tech crime," says Ira Winkler, president of the Internet Security Advisors Group and author of "Spies Among Us: How to Stop the Spies, Terrorists, Hackers, and Criminals You Don't Even Know You Encounter Every Day." "They're the result of human errors or system loopholes that can be remedied easily and cost-effectively."

Yet many small- and mid-sized companies remain vulnerable because they don't believe they're at risk. According to the Small Business Technology Institute, more than half of all small businesses in the U.S.-or as many as 13 million-experienced a security breach in the past year due to insufficient virus protection, employee manipulation (also called social engineering) or everyday behaviors that disclose business strategies unintentionally.

That's why Winkler teamed up with Office Depot to create a downloadable brochure, called "Compromising Behaviors: Don't Leave Your Business Exposed," with simple, affordable recommendations for protecting corporate information. Among the highlights:

• Always use passwords and keep them safe. Passwords are a simple way to protect your information but make sure to avoid basic passwords, like your name or phone number, that could be easily figured out by intruders. Do not write down your password, keep it in a secure location and do not share it. Trouble remembering passwords? The Microsoft Fingerprint Reader helps by eliminating the need for passwords entirely.

• Be cautious when reading confidential information. Reviewing documents when traveling or working outside the office can maximize your time, but you want to be sure important information is kept safe from prying eyes. One helpful solution: Use a laptop privacy filter like the 3M™ Notebook Privacy Filter, which darkens screen data from a side view-allowing only the user to view information on-screen.

• Keep your PC and security software up to date. Just like you put on your seat belt when driving a car, the most basic security protection for your PC is to make sure the operating system is up to date and utilizing the recommended security updates. Likewise, you should always install antivirus software, anti-spyware and a personal firewall to protect computer files. Keep your software updated, as new viruses and spyware bugs are released virtually daily. One protective software package is the Office Depot Internet Security Suite, which shields against viruses, spyware, hackers and phishing scams.

Business To Business Copywriting Secrets

If you want to increase your marketing results and get more qualified leads, you will need to improve the effectiveness of the copywriting on your website, print ads, emails and direct mail.

This is vital because copywriting is your “salesperson in cyberspace, in print and in the mail” … and great salesmanship produces great sales … average salesmanship gets only average or worse results.

Here are the copywriting tips that will improve your marketing results. These are proven based on our copywriting work for over 450 businesses since 1978.

This is a list of what your prospect is thinking as he reads your marketing copy. It’s important to make sure everything is addressed on this list. If you do this, your marketing results will improve dramatically.

1. You’d better have done your research to know what benefits I want most from your type of product or service. If you don’t, I won’t even notice you, and if I do, I won’t even give you a hearing.

2. What do you do? How will it help me? I need to know “what’s in it for me” instantly or I’m gone.

3. Why should I believe you?

4. I already have a supplier for that – why should I listen to you?

5. Make it easy for me to read, understand, navigate, and “scan” your marketing material.

6. I want a specialized expert in your field for my situation or my needs or my type of business.

7. Don’t bore me! I’m sick of corporate talk, business buzz terms and mumbo-jumbo. Almost all business marketing is very dull and boring and I won’t read it.

8. I want ALL the details and specs, including product information, product applications, CAD drawings and plans, costs and shipping. A ThomasNet.com study finds a very large percentage of buyers say these details are not readily available.

9. I want to read copywriting from a real live person talking to me person to person, and not from some emotionless corporation.

10. I won’t admit it on the record, but I make purchases based on my emotions. Sure I need logic and features for verification, but if you can touch my emotions, I’m much more likely to buy from you.

11. I badly want more from my life than just work. I’m very interested in saving time, work and stress.

12. Make it easy for me! You list many different things I can do and I’m confused. What one thing should I do now and why?

13. Don’t overload your website or brochure with fluff – stick only to relevant and helpful information I need. I’m tired of all the irrelevant “filler” information on the web and I won’t read through it anymore.

14. Compare your product or service against your competitors for me if it is really as good as you say it is. Be honest, as I’ll see through any favoritism.

15. Be specific; generalities go right into my garbage.

16. What’s your guarantee?

17. How can I test your product, service or company first, in a low or no cost way, before I make a large commitment?

18. Help me justify the investment to my boss on an ROI basis.

These copywriting secrets applied properly are a main reason one website, direct mail piece or ad can pull 2 to 3 times the response as another for the same product or service. This is why the most successful marketers hire the best outside freelance copywriters they can afford.

Adsense secrets are exposed, home based business secrets revealed , by adsenselover.com

Many publishers love the ease with which Google's AdSense enables them to make money for their troubles. This program, however, doesn't always work like it's supposed to. Should ads completely unrelated to a site's theme continue to pop up, tweaking the system could be in order to protect income potential.

Google has been working hard to correct this issue, but there are things publishers can do on their own to increase their chances of getting ads that match content. Most of the measures are quite easy to employ. Since they can result in better revenue, they're worth considering if mismatched ads keep appearing.

AdSense is an easy program to work from home, to start online jobs, easy ways to make money from home, get adsense ready sites, adsense websites: it's a great form of an advertising bringing a lot of benefits to every person in the chain. And of course, seeing the results it can have on a business (and a publisher) people encourage this form of publicity.

But why does it work for the people clicking the links, as opposed to a standard approach?

It is aided by today's society. With bloggers and information based articles on the internet, people may be encouraged to complete purchases, which adsense can provide links to relevant suppliers whilst also benefiting the publisher.

And the good thing about this is that it works for site visitors as well. In fact Google realized that by pleasing the people who are looking for something, and directing them to what they need faster, everybody wins.

It is because of this that a lot of websites promote through AdSense in both content and search. They do it because they ultimately learned that it works for everyone.

If we look in the past, we can realize that this kind of publicity has a great impact over the people, especially in the last few years. When we enter on a web site and we see a graphical banner, our first idea is to cancel it out of our mind, because it's of no concern to us.

That's why traditional banner advertising is wrong. It's precisely because people are becoming savvy that they don't look at a flashy banner because they think they'll be losing their time with it.

We've gotten accustomed to banners that don't interest us. And we're accustomed to them having nice graphics. So we naturally associate the two things and think that a banner with nice graphics has nothing to tell us.

But we might look at a text-ad because we've grown accustomed to them being targeted at what we're looking for. Basically these advertisements have marketed themselves into being looked at by any visitor.

This is a typical "no fluff, just stuff" situation. And in the end it means the visitors will see what they're interested in, not some random cool graphics you throw at them.

As stated above, site visitors adopt this advertising mechanism, because it is efficient in leading them to pages of interest and can offer ton of things they really want to see. Someone coming across an article on adsense was probably looking for shoes or doing research on shoes when they came across the article.

And most importantly for everyone, including visitors, this scheme can only improve as the process gets further refined to make ads more relevant to what you're looking for, not just a couple of keywords on a site.

3 Secrets For Anyone Looking To Start A Home Based Business

If you’re looking for information on how to start a home based business, there are several things that are vital to your success. As someone who has earned 6 figures for the last five years with a home based business, I’ve learned through trial and error what it takes to successfully earn a very comfortable living from home.

In this brief article, I’m going to give you an overview of 3 very important things that you absolutely must do in order to start and success with a home based business idea or opportunity. Hopefully by the time you’ve finished reading this, you’ll have an idea of what it takes to make it in this industry and be better prepared to get the ball rolling.

1. Have a dedicated work space or office at your home. - Having an area that is classified as your “home business office” will allow you to stay organized and focused on your daily tasks. There is nothing that is more frustrating than trying to get work done in a common area, where you have to compete with conversations, the television, and more.

2. Turn off the TV. - When I first started working from home, I would get easily distracted by the television. I would turn it on while having lunch, and before I knew it half my day was gone. I made what at that time was a very difficult decision to discontinue my cable TV subscription, and my income dramatically increased as a result. While this may seem extreme to some, eliminating unproductive distractions has proven to be one of the most valuable decisions I have made in regards to my home based business.

3. Set daily work hours. - When working from home, it’s very easy to turn into a workaholic. Due to the fact that you’re always home, it can actually be tempting to work too much. While it’s important to become successful, it’s also vital that you live a balanced and healthy life. Set “work hours” and stick to them, you’ll be better off for it and will avoid the dreaded “burn out” that many work at home entrepreneurs encounter.

Hopefully this article has given you some good ideas on what it takes to become successful if you’re looking to start a home based business. Working from home isn’t always easy, but it will be the best decision you’ll ever make.

Best Leadership Advice: Business Success Secrets From 7 Top Leaders

Fortune magazine once published an article entitled "The Best Advice I Ever Got." It was a great article that offered wit and wisdom about achieving business success. I liked it so much, that it motivated me to produce my newest book, Leadership:Best Advice I Ever Got, which describes the best leadership advice 136 successful CEOs, coaches, consultants, professors, managers, executives, presidents, politicians, and religious leaders received that most helped them become effective and successful leaders.

Here are 7 secrets to leadership success:

1. Leadership is about making things happen

If you want to make something happen with your life, in school, in your profession or in your community, do it. Perceived obstacles crumble against persistent desire. John Baldoni, Author, Leadership Communication Consultant and Founder of Baldoni Consulting LLC, shared this advice that had come from his father, a physician. He taught him the value of persistence. At the same time, his mother taught him compassion for others. Therefore, persistence for your cause should not be gained at the expense of others. Another bit of leadership wisdom!

2. Listen and understand the issue, then lead

Time and time again we have all been told, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason"...or as Stephen Covey said..."Seek to understand, rather than be understood." As a leader, listening first to the issue, then trying to coach, has been the most valuable advice that Cordia Harrington, President and CEO of Tennessee Bun Company has been given.

3. Answer the three questions everyone within your organization wants answers to

What the people of an organization want from their leader are answers to the following: Where are we going? How are we going to get there? What is my role? Kevin Nolan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Health Systems, Inc. believes the more clarity that can be added to each of the three questions, the better the result.

4. Master the goals that will allow you to work anywhere in today’s dynamic business world

Debbe Kennedy, President, CEO and Founder of Global Dialogue Center and Leadership Solutions Companies, and author of Action Dialogues and Breakthrough once shared this piece of advice that was instrumental in shaping her direction, future and achievements.

She was a young manager at IBM just promoted to her first staff assignment in a regional marketing office. For reasons she can’t explain, one of her colleagues named Bookie called her into his office while she was visiting his location. He then began to offer unsolicited advice, but advice that now stays fresh in her mind. He mentioned that jobs, missions, titles and organizations would come and go as business is dynamic-- meaning it is always changing. He advised her not to focus your goals toward any of these, but instead learn to master the skills that will allow you to work anywhere.

He was talking about four skills:

The ability to develop an idea

Effectively plan for its implementation

Execute second-to-none

Achieve superior results time after time

With this in mind, Kennedy advises readers to seek jobs and opportunities with this in mind. Forget what others do. Work to be known for delivering excellence. It speaks for itself and it opens doors.

5. Be curious

Curiosity is a prerequisite to continuous improvement and even excellence. The person who gave Mary Jean Thornton, Former Executive Vice President & CIO, The Travelers this advice urged her to study people, processes, and structures. He inspired her to be intellectually curious. He often reminded Thornton that making progress, in part, was based upon thinking. She has learned to apply this notion of intellectual curiosity by thinking about her organization’s future, understanding the present, and knowing and challenging herself to creatively move the people and the organization closer to its vision.

6. Listen to both sides of the argument

The most valuable advice Brian P. Lees, Massachusetts State Senator and Senate Minority Leader ever received came from his mentor, United States Senator Edward W. Brooke III. He told him to listen to all different kinds of people and ideas. Listening only to those who share your background and opinions can be imprudent. It is important to respect your neighbors’ rights to their own views. Listening to and talking with a variety of people, from professors to police officers, from senior citizens to schoolchildren, is essential not only to be a good leader in business, but to also be a valuable member within your community.

7. Prepare, prepare, prepare

If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail. If one has truly prepared and something goes wrong the strength of the rest of what you've prepared for usually makes this something easier to handle without crisis and panic. One of the best pieces of advice Dave Hixson, Men’s Varsity Basketball Coach at Amherst College has ever received and continues to use and pass on is this anonymous quote, "Preparation is the science of winning."

Along with this are two expressions from Rick Pitino's book Success is a Choice, which speaks to preparation. Hixson asks his teams every year: "Do you deserve to win?" and "Have you done the work?" This speaks to the importance of preparation toward achieving your final goal. If you haven't done the work (preparation) the answer to the second question is an easy "no!"

Great advice comes from many sources: parents, other relatives, consultants, bosses, co-workers, mentors, teachers, coaches, and friends. The important point to remember is to stay open, listen to everyone, but also develop your own leadership style.

4 Secrets to Turn Any Business Into a Successful Web Business - Part 3

10 Setup Secrets For Your Home Based Business - Ten Of Them!

Setting up a home based business doesn't have to be intimidating, expensive or time consuming. When you decide to make your living working from home, you simply need to go through a basic set up process to ensure you are ready.

Here are the steps for setting up your home business for success:

1. Attitude

- The key to your business success is your attitude.
- Treat your business like a business.

This is critical whether you are working part-time or full-time. For example, the mom who works from home around her family. She always puts her family first, at the same time developing her business. She says, "I may work part-time, but I have a full-time attitude." To put another way, "Have a hobby attitude, get a hobby income, have a business attitude get a business income."

You can be successful working part-time and you can be successful working full-time but it is unlikely that you will be successful just working in your "spare time".

2. Describe Your Business

Be able to describe your business concisely; a powerful one or two sentence description that someone can repeat in describing your business to others.

A unique and memorable tag line can also be invaluable for promoting your business. This is often referred to as your "elevator pitch" or "audio logo". Think about it, if you ask someone about their business and they describe it as "a errr, well, I kind of take care of, you know, well in as much as..." would you be impressed? Would you think that you should really hire that person? It's much better to be able to speak briefly, confidently and memorably about your business and what makes it unique.

3. Know Your Product or Service

Once you have chosen the product or service to sell you need to know your product intimately. If you are selling e-books for example, then know the content and its value. If you are selling software then use it and know it "inside out".

You will develop a reputation of providing quality information and because of your product knowledge, you can become the preferred supplier.

If it is not practical to use certain products (for example a woman may choose to sell man's shoes or vice versa) then you won't be using the product, however you can still know the benefits and features of the product intimately.

4. Get a Domain Name

Welcome to the twenty first century, you need a domain name for your business! You'll need an account with a reputable hosting company who will provide a "space" on the web for your domain name and site. The fees can be as low as $4.95 per month and go up from there. If you do not have any knowledge of HTML there are hosting companies that provide "site builder" software via the web. This can be a great option but be sure you like the application before you plunk down your money as you will probably be using it a lot!

5. Email

Once you have your own domain you will have one or more email accounts for that domain. This can assist in the promotion of your business and promotes a more professional business image.

Using email smartly can help you in the task of organizing your business communications. For example, sales can arrive via sales@your-company.com, support and help requests via support@your-company.com and so on.

By setting up some basic rules in Outlook or other email program you can have the mail conveniently sorted into folders for you as soon as it arrives.

6. Payment Processing

You will probably need a way to process credit cards. You could use services such as:

- PayPal https://www.paypal.com
- StormPay http://www.stormpay.com
- 2 Checkout http://www.2checkout.com
- Clickbank http://www.clickbank.com

Paypal now has a Pro level of service that includes a virtual terminal, helping to keep the costs low. Once your business picks up you may need to look into your own merchant account for credit card transactions but any of the sites listed will certainly get you started and may be all you need for the life of your business.

7. Computer Protection

Your computer is the lifeline to your business dealings and must be protected including the data that is stored. You will need a virus scanner, personal firewall, anti-spyware and anti-adware and preferably an email scanner with the ability to delete suspect of spam email from the server before it is downloaded to your computer.

Some suggestions are:

- AVG Anti-Virus: http://www.grisoft.com (free version available)
- Spybot S&D: http://www.safer-networking.org
- Microsoft Anti-Spyware: www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
- Adaware: http://www.lavasoft.com/
- Mailwasher Email Scanner: http://www.mailwasher.net

A good all-round selection is one of the Norton products as they are kept up to date and have many if not all the features mentioned.

8. Working Environment

Getting organized is highly important, to ensure that you complete projects on time but also pay your bills on time and even bill your clients on time!

Having a working environment that help rather than hinders you work is also highly important. It can be tough but you need to establish a definite workspace for both yourself and any other people that are around.

- A space that you can call your own, free from distractions for your scheduled time.
- A comfortable chair and organized desk.
- Stationery supplies as required.
- Ensure you have a good computer monitor if you will be staring at it for long periods of time.
- Consider the value of a broadband connection. Your time is valuable and a broadband connection can allow you to get more done in a given time frame.

9. Administration

Use good record keeping practices... please!

You may need to consult a tax advisor who can let you know about the best way to set up your financial records and what records need to be kept. Your advisor can recommend record keeping systems and software may simplify this aspect of your business.

Additionally you can obtain advice on the best arrangement for your bank accounts. You will most likely be advised to have a separate account. Many banks now offer free checking for small business so do your research in to the options available to you.

Keep track of your various logins, usernames and passwords. This can be quite a big deal once your have a number of business resources online.

There are other useful tools for this also from a simple paper notebook to free and commercial password keepers. One popular solution is PasswordSafe.com. They provide a free web based service for storing username / passwords so you can access them from anywhere with an internet connection. They've been around since 1998 so the service is both trustworthy and reliable.

10. Schedule

Develop a schedule that works for you, your family and your business. When you mark off a block of time for work, then use that time for work. Equally important is to schedule time for your other commitments - family time, self-education (reading, listening and viewing), "health time" (exercise, cooking and eating), and leisure time. During these other times don't work. Remember, one of the reasons to work from home is to spend more time with your family and you don't want your working at home time to consume your family time.

You are working for yourself and your schedule (by your choice) is your "boss". When you have people calling you or dropping around unexpectedly or maybe out-of-town visitors may want to catch up with you then you need to make a choice. Are you committed to your own business success? What will be your choice in these situations? Only you can decide what is important to you.

In a family environment you may need to negotiate with your family and have your business time agreed upon, during which you will not be interrupted. Put this schedule prominently somewhere so all family members are aware of your work schedule.

These are the ten basics of working at home. Some of these items may change a little depending on the type of business you choose but in essence, this is it. A home based business can be the most fun, most rewarding experience of your adult life as long as you realize there are a few simple rules to keeping everything on track along the way.

4 Secrets to Turn Any Business Into a Successful Web Business - Part 2

Copyright 2006 Lynn VanDyke

There are a few secrets that I'd like to share with you. You may have been privy to a few of them before. Actually you may have heard of all 4, but I can promise that you will finish each article with a fresh perspective. I will show you how 4 simple secrets can create a powerhouse web business. This is the second part of the 4 article series.

Before I divulge the vault of successful web business secrets I must warn you of one thing. All the information in the world will not take the place of determination and persistence. A web business is just like an offline business. It takes hard work and resolve to succeed. However working smart is heads and tails better than plain old working. These 4 secrets will turn any smart working, dedicated average Joe or Jane into a successful web business owner.

Web Success Secret #2) Without Traffic- What’s the Point?

Part 1 of this series really got down and dirty about content. Content’s main focus is twofold- make your visitors happy and make search engines happy. This article is all about making you happy! Think of this as your starter guide to increasing traffic and building a profitable business.

Traffic can be summed up in 2 words- free and paid. I consider all PPC (pay-per-click), ezine advertising, offline advertising, and paid directory submissions a form of paying for your traffic. I also consider any project that takes up your time to be paid advertising. After all in the business world time is money. Paid advertising is not bad. It just means that you are paying to receive traffic.

Free traffic is harder to attract, but it costs you absolutely no money. Almost all free traffic is the result of surfers finding your site on the search engines. We talked about using content as your ultimate search engine ranking booster in the last article.

Here are several ways to increase traffic. Some are paid advertising options and others are totally free.

- Write articles and submit them to several niche websites. Manually submitting articles to many websites can take a long time. I use a submission service to do all my hard work. Contact me for more info.

- Post in forums. Many forums will not allow you to market your product or services. That’s totally understandable. What I recommend doing is finding a really great forum that you can participant in. When people have questions, provide top notch and comprehensive answers. No selling. Almost all forums allow you to post your website in your sig file. Take advantage of that.

- Submit each page of your website to all major search engines. Also submit each page to all major search engines whenever you make a change on that page. Be careful with this one. Each engine has very specific directions and rules about submission rules. Be sure you do not spam! Submit pages according to each engine’s guidelines. I also use a submission service that does this for me at no additional cost.

- Create joint ventures with non-competing websites. Work with a company that compliments your product or service. Also be sure the joint venture is a win-win-win for you, the other company and your customers. Joint ventures can be a pain to set up and complete, but well worth it if done correctly.

- Look into ezine advertising, web advertising and/or PPC. Each method takes an initial investment and some time to learn, but can bring back traffic. Personally I do not prefer this method to increase traffic because it’s “iffy” at best.

- Print your website name on all business correspondences. This is a simple task, but one that is simple to do. Add it to your email sig line, forum sig lines, letterhead and business cards.

- Create an atmosphere of amazing customer service. This always leads to referrals from current clients. The more referrals the more traffic!

The bottom line is without traffic your site is floating in a sea of doom. No one is seeing your content or services. Traffic is the lifeline of any business, and the rule of thumb is more traffic means more income.

This brings me to my last and final point about traffic. Once you develop a nice flow of visitors you need to know specifics. Where did those visitors come from? How did they find you? What pages are the most popular on your site? What page did they enter into your site? What page did they leave your site? What keywords did they use to find you? You must know your visitor inside and out!

As I mentioned earlier, it is best to work smarter and not harder. Traffic analysis and search engine submissions can be very time consuming, but your hosting company should be providing most of these services to you free of charge. There are a small few that do this, but it is well worth the investigation. Contact me for further resources and information. Having a successful web business starts with effective content. Stay tuned for parts 3 and 4! If you missed Part 1 and would like a complimentary copy please contact me and I will forward it to you immediately.

4 Secrets to Turn Any Business Into a Successful Web Business- Part 4

Business And Life Success Secrets Of A Remarkable Woman

I have wanted to write this article for some time. It is about what some have called a remarkable woman. As a matter of fact, she was recently featured in a book by the same name, “Remarkable Woman” by Insight Publishing.

The businesswoman’s name is Dr. Devona Williams. She is the Founder and President/ Chief Executive Officer of a 16-year-old Performance Consulting Company Goeins-Williams Associates, Inc. Dr. Williams is an accomplished inspirational speaker, trainer and consultant with nearly 30 years experience in the fields of public policy, planning and public relations with the corporate, government and non-profit sectors.

Highlights of her public career include her appointment as a Presidential Management Intern in the Reagan Administration and Legislative Fellow in the Delaware House of Representatives. With an eye to business as a young child, she found her way clear to start her own very successful full time consulting and training business in 1993, Goeins-Williams Associates, Inc.

Besides being a successful businesswoman, she is a wife, mother and recently became a grandmother. Incredibly accomplished, she has a story of overcoming tremendous obstacles and challenges in both her personal and business life. Her story of overcoming those challenges can provide business and life skills for us all.

I met her over 30 years ago when she was just a smart, pretty young teenager attending a prestigious high school in Philadelphia. I was attending Central High School of Philadelphia and she, Philadelphia High Schools for Girls.

More than 30 years after that fateful meeting, after not having seen or talk with her for almost 30 years, I read Dr. William’s remarkable story of how she was raised, the incredible challenges she has faced in her equally remarkable life, learned of her business success, and was inspired by her ability to persevere, overcome and experience genuine success.

The Remarkable Women book talks about her professional accomplishments, but also the obstacles and personal challenges she has endured, including sexual assault as a young college freshman, breaking the glass ceiling at a Fortune 500 company, starting her Consulting business in a State that historically was challenged when it came to women owned businesses, a devastating injury, and an unfaithful husband and a resulting divorce.

While reading her story, I could not help thinking that the obstacles and challenges Dr. Devona faced could have ended most careers and certainly a business.

In Chapter 22 of the book where Dr. Williams’ story is featured, she tells for the first time publicly, in detail, of these obstacles and challenges that she overcame, spawning for her a unique strength, philosophy and approach to life that forged the foundation for her successful 30-year career. Her unique philosophy, strength and faith have allowed her to preserver, grow and prosper even during these challenging circumstances.

The book discusses the key beliefs and principles that allowed her to continue and experience success while going through these challenges. To put it mildly, Dr. Williams’ story is both startling and inspirational.

In the book she shares some of her core beliefs that she has applied in her life and her business. Here are a few:

· Success is planned. It is not an accident.
· You must have multiple plans. Success people plan and have multiple plans.
· You can do the right thing, prepare yourself and then sometimes things just don’t go as plan. That’s ok. All things work together for good if you believe.
· You must have an overall vision for your own personal success. What will it look like when you get there?
· You must have multiple approaches to your goals and dreams, most of them written down or at least in a framework. The yellow brick road was not the only way to Oz!
· When unexpected things happen, contemplate the impact, readjust if necessary then quickly continue to move forward.

Dr. Williams continues in her book, “ Obstacles that come along should be viewed as temporary challenges or setbacks. Find a way to get around them. Learn from them. Use painful or a key learning’s to continue to fulfill your purpose. Your vision of success. Whatever that looks like for you.”

She describes the circumstances of a violent assault at the innocent age of 18. Dr. Devona says,“ The cab driver violently attacked me, and during our struggle he yelled racial and sexual obscenities, letting me know that he intended to rape me. He punched me in my eye and nearly knocked me unconscious. At this point, I called out to God to intervene. He helped me to escape. I felt like it was the end of my life. ”

She describes how that for her, was an end of a period of innocence, and at that early age in 1973, there was not a lot of opportunity for her to get the help she needed after such an incident. She was ashamed to tell her parents. Embarrassed as if she was responsible for the attack. Never got therapy. Never told anyone until recently. But through sheer will power and the need to complete her education, pay for it, and just plain survive the humiliation of the event…she just kept going.

As a business owner particularly as a start up home-based business, you are going to have many challenges. Some will seem like they just simply cannot be overcome. You will frequently take two steps forward and one step back prior to your business becoming what you and I would call “successful.” There will be times when your expense far out weigh your revenues. You will want to quit, give up, go and get a real job!

During those periods, take some advice from Dr. Williams. She says,” Obstacles that come along the way should be viewed as challenges that are temporary, that can be overcome.”

Dr. Devona believes everyone can be remarkable in both his or her business and personal life as well. It is possible to have it all…if you just refuse to give in.

She says, “ If you continue and never quit, then you too can be a Remarkable Success in your company, home, business and most importantly, in your life.”

Get the book and read her complete story. Have a handkerchief in your hand and then become that remarkable person that is you.

Warm regards,
Kenny Anderson

4 Secrets to Turn Any Business Into a Successful Web Business - Part 1

Copyright 2006 Lynn VanDyke

There are a few secrets that I'd like to share with you. You may have been privy to a few of them before. Actually you may have heard of all 4, but I can promise that you will finish each article with a fresh perspective. I will show you how 4 simple secrets can create a powerhouse web business. This is the first part of the 4 article series.

Before I divulge the vault of successful web business secrets I must warn you of one thing. All the information in the world will not take the place of determination and persistence. A web business is just like an offline business. It takes hard work and resolve to succeed. However working smart is heads and tails better than plain old working. These 4 secrets will turn any smart working, dedicated average Joe or Jane into a successful web business owner.

Web Success Secret #1) Content is king.

Heard that before? I know I have. The thing I never knew was how to use content to my advantage. Content is useless unless it is optimized for the search engines. It must also be optimized for your reader. You have two customers- readers and search engines. You must satisfy both with the same exact content.

Content is king only if you have exact and highly specific keywords placed in correct locations. Unfortunately the hard part is determining what keywords to use. A keyword can be a single word or a phrase. It is the term that web surfers use to search for information. Place yourself in their shoes and try to discover what search terms they use. You must then evaluate the search term. How many people search using that term? How many sites already deliver information on that search term? Simple demand and supply rules. The more demand with the less supply equals more profitability.

You have several options for determining keywords and their profit potential. Search yourself, pay a company to search for you or have your hosting company do a complete keyword search for your niche or web business topic. If your hosting company does not offer this service I recommend you switch to a plan that does. This feature alone can make or break your business' future. If you would like my recommended hosting plan, please contact me.

Without a proper keyword search and analysis you may as well forget about becoming successful with an Internet business. Investing in this one secret is literally the start of planning your website.

Your next action step is to plan your site layout based on the 50-175 high-demand and low-supply keywords. Your site should be structured in three tiers. Tier one is your home page. Tier two is made of all of your main topics and also constitutes your navigation bar buttons. Tier three keywords are sub-topics of tier two pages. Organize your 50-175 keywords into three tiers. Doing this makes it easier for visitors to navigate through your site and it makes it easier for search engine spiders to find all of your pages.

Search engine spiders do not like to fish around for all of your pages and links. This is why many sites offer a “site map”. A site map is one page that contains links to all of the content pages. This is a fine route to take; however most people agree that pages with a lot of links on it are valued less than content pages that casually link to other content pages.

Using three tiers allows you to go from topic to sub-topic to sub-sub-topic all by natural in-content links. For example, tier 1 is the homepage on a fitness site. Tier 2 is a page all about cardio activity and its benefits. A tier three page off of that tier 2 page is about different treadmill routines. Do you see how the site visitor would like this structure? They click on “Cardio” and are given links to more specific pages about cardio topics. Search engine spiders like the three tier structure too. It means they do not have to dig through layers and levels of useless links.

There is even more to content than finding profitable keywords and structuring your site into easy-to-navigate tiers. You must optimize each and every page on your website to perform well and rank high at search engines. Many people devote their working life to optimization secrets. A full length article just on optimizing is possible. Heck, a full length book is possible. My recommendation is to use a hosting company that automatically teaches you how to optimize web pages for the engines. Doing that will cause less headache and frustration and it will keep you focused on building content.

A quick education in optimization: place your specific keyword in the file name, title, description and keyword section of your page. Then sprinkle the keyword throughout the content. Also provide a link using your specific keyword in the link text. If all of this has you spinning your head, I recommend going the hosting company I use. They literally teach you to build a website using blocks. It’s all simple and easier than you think.

There is one last piece to content. It must effectively pre-sell your product or service and position you as the expert in your field. When your website has 50-175 optimized pages for your visitors to read through it will start to position you as the expert. Your site will become known as the place for information about (insert your niche).

When visitors find your site through search engines they are seeking information about a problem or question they have. If they land on your site and you try to sell them something right away one thing is sure- they click the back button and find another site that will give them information. This is why pre-selling your product or service is paramount. Give your visitors what they want. Answer their question and in the process let them know about your services and products.

All of the information develops rapport and trust with your site visitor. It positions you as an expert. It keeps your visitor on your site longer since they are actually reading content. Search engines notice this and rank you better. How well your site can keep visitors is known as "stickiness." Your site must attract and keep visitors for as long as possible.

Provide content that pre-sells your products, positions you as the expert and focuses on highly profitable keywords. You cannot go wrong with your web business if you do those things. The secret to content is to satisfy both your visitor and search engines. Lose one or both and you are doomed. As I mentioned earlier, it is best to work smarter and not harder. Your hosting company should be providing most of these services to you free of charge. There are a small few that do this, but it is well worth the investigation. Contact me for further resources and information. Having a successful web business starts with effective content. Stay tuned for parts 2-4!

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