For years, businesses have been using business cards to entice new customers or to keep contact with existing ones. But as society changes and technology evolves, promotional materials including business cards have become more and more high-tech. Needless to say, it is essential for every business that their advertising materials communicates effectively what is distinctive about their business and what sets them apart from their competitors.
Today, there is a better and more cost effective way of marketing your products and services – that is through digital business cards. But what exactly are these digital business cards? In essence, it is a pocket size CD-ROM roughly the same size as a typical business card that can be played in most electronic equipment that have CD drivers. With digital business cards, your customers can actually access your site, know your products and services and have up to date information with just a click of the mouse. Compared to brochures, catalogs and newsletters which need to be printed every month or every quarter to include new additions in products or services, digital business cards eliminate the need to print brochures every month. You only need to change or improve your website to accommodate new products. From the digital business card itself, customers will already be able to know whatever new products you have. Hence, handing out digital business cards can better provide your customers with better and fuller access to what you have to offer.
Imagine providing your customers large volumes of information for less than the cost of a standard catalog printing. You can better equip your customers with what they need to know regarding your products and perhaps you can encourage them to try your services. Doing so, your marketing tactic will have a new life and meaning when you start to use this technologically advanced advertising tool.
Digital business cards can also make you stay ahead of the competition. Envision you and your competitor handing out business cards at the same time. Your competitor is giving out the standard business card strategy while you are handing out digital business cards. You would notice that your unique strategy would create good impression to you and your business. Customers would also be fascinated with your distinctive tactic and would be encourage to visit your web site and better yet avail of your products and services. Hence, this is a good way to get noticed and stand out among the rest.
Digital business card is becoming the ‘it’ tool in the business market today. The endless possibilities it offers and the savvy professional look that it gives can really offer several benefits to businesses. It has, in fact, become one of the most cost effective and good marketing tool to hit the electronic media business.
Driven to Success by Digital Business Cards
7 Reasons Why A Network Marketing (mlm) Business Is The Best Kind Of Business To Own
A lot of people are down on network marketing businesses (also know as multi-level marketing or MLM), but I’d like to give you 7 reasons why a network marketing business is the best kind of business to own.
1. Your chances for success are better in network marketing.
Yes, some people fail at it. In MLM or network marketing, you will often find that 20% of the people are making 80% of the money. Do you know what? That is exactly the same as the church I belong to-- 20% of the people who attend are actively involved and do 80% of the work that needs to be done.
I’m not surprised that it is similar in MLM. People are people. Some of the people who fail at network marketing are not motivated, some aren’t cut out for self employment, some are in the wrong company for them, and some are just not properly trained. But a motivated and trained person in a good company has a great chance of succeeding in their business.
On the other hand, if you start a “traditional” business your odds of success are much lower. According to the SBA, at least 50% of small businesses fail in their first year and 95% fail within the first five years. So, after 5 years of 12 hour days, in debt up to your eyeballs, you only have a 5% chance of succeeding. For some reason that just doesn’t do it for me.
2. The costs are much less to get into a network marketing business.
Most network marketing companies ask for a monthly minimum order to keep an active distributor status, it is true. This is part of what keeps the machine running. It is part of the business operating costs. It may be as much as $100, depending on the company.
Now compare that to the costs of traditional business ownership, like rent, utilities, inventory, insurance, taxes, employees, marketing and advertising, and much more. I think you get the idea.
You don’t have to be rich or go deep in debt to have your own home based network marketing business. It truly is an equalizer, giving everyone a fair chance at succeeding, no matter what the financial background or credit history is.
3. A network marketing business is simpler to run.
If you had your own business hopefully you could afford to hire an accountant and a secretary who would keep all your red-tape, paperwork, receipts, bookkeeping and such. If not, you would spend much of your time doing this.
With MLM, the company you are with handles most of the paperwork. You just need to keep your own financial records for your income taxes. This frees you up to spend your time and energy making money.
4. A network marketing business is easier to market and promote.
Most people who have their own “traditional” business are on their own when it comes to marketing and advertising. They usually try a little of everything to see if something will actually work. Often desperate business owners get taken in by slick sales people who promise results with their newest expensive advertising scheme.
A network marketing company has a proven marketing system that has been tested and used by many people. They will usually have their own marketing material that can be purchased at a lower cost because they can order in larger quantities.
5. You get the business training you need to succeed network marketing.
You don’t need to know anything about business to be successful in MLM. Your company has done all the work and research. They often hire the best marketers in the business to help them develop a training program because really want you to succeed and will do everything in their power to help you.
In traditional business you have to find the training you need on your own.
6. With a home based network marketing business, taxes are on your side.
There are many deductions you can take with a home based network marketing business that will help you reduce your taxes.
On the other hand, the government (federal, state, and local) all seem to have it in for traditional small businesses. And if you have employees, you are really paying much more for them than their salary, as any employer can tell you.
7. Network marketing is the future.
Some people say that network marketing or MLM is a pyramid scheme. That is not true. A pyramid scheme is illegal because it doesn’t work. There is no product, and thus no value to it. The people at the bottom put money in but the value doesn’t flow down to them. It is a scam because only the people who got in at the top make any money. Most of the people get ripped off. A good example of this is chain letters or the airplane game.
A pyramid the natural shape of structure for all businesses, including governments. A network marketing organization is no exception. Network marketing is just a new way to distribute and market goods and services. It is the way of the future. Even many huge traditional companies see this and are jumping on board.
Are you ready to give it a try? There are a lot of great network marketing companies out there. Do some research and try find the company that is right for you.
I found a new online network marketing program that I am excited about. It is called ProWealthSolutions and it is the fastest growing program on the internet according to alexa.com.
ProWealthSolutions is a fully automated online business that provides you with the website, tools, training, and resources to start an online business from home. NO SELLING. NO MEETINGS. NO PRESSURE. You can make up to $1092 a month without ever sponsoring even one person.
Part Time Business Ideas, To Help Pay The Bills
A couple of friends of mine needed to generate a little extra income on top of their wages. They were both into keep fit and enjoyed working out. They decided to supplement their income by becoming part time fitness instructors.
They had to do a course which lasted less then six months and taught them the basics of keep fit. They both enjoyed doing the course and made some great friends along the way.
The money is good and they keep fit at the same time! One teaches spinning on the stationary bikes whilst the other does aerobics classes. They both benefit from free membership in the gym they teach in…
If you are good with your hands and into DIY then why not become a part time handy man? Busy people now a days just never get round to fixing that faulty cupboard… and the money that they are willing to pay for odd jobs is not that bad either for a couple of hours work.
Start up costs are very low as long as you have the full range of basic tools. Most people who start out working part time find that this can easily turn into a full time occupation!
Do you enjoy gardening? This is a great little earner if you do not mind getting your hands dirty… especially enjoyable if you find someone rich with a beautiful garden! The only problem with this business is that work dies away in the winter months.
A mobile car wash can be a nice earner and if you buy all the equipment it can be very easy to clean a large number of cars in a short time. Pick one or two street and whiz around a couple of times a week.
You will need to buy a van with some specialist tools and carry your own water on board. Starts up costs are higher than other part time businesses and therefore this business demands a lot more careful planning.
A photography business can be run from home and it is easy to make a decent income. Digital cameras are so good now that you do not even need a dark room to process your pictures. Start of with the usual weddings and birthday parties. Take pictures of all the landmarks in your city.
More websites are being created every day and all of them need some images. Speak to web designers and take pictures to their specifications. Online networks are expanding rapidly and people need portrait pictures. Demand for head and shoulders shots is massive.
The great thing about the photography business is that you can take pictures all the time. You do not have to be in work mode to snap away! It is easy to build a huge collection of images and showcase your work on a website. Start up costs are now very low and this business can become extremely lucrative once you have built up a collection of images.
Do you have any ideas for a part time business that can help to provide additional cash flow for people struggling to pay the bills?
Using Your Domain Name To Create More Business Products
The internet is a source of income within itself if you know what avenues to go down in order to generate the interest. Most companies nowadays have their own websites which offer information around the globe on what they offer. Whilst you may already be expanding due to this type of advertising would it not make sense to utilize this space to the best potential you can get from it? There are a few extra business opportunities that can bring in some extra cash for you and your business.
Examples of Business Opportunities Online
More often than not you will be using an Internet Service Provider to host your websites. It also means that the domain name that is used is not yours, it will be one assigned to you which promotes their name and not your. Normally if this service is provided free it also means that all advertising that is placed on your website is generating profits for your provider and not for you. This is just one of the many ways that you can use your domain name to attract business and generate income from various avenues globally.
There are companies who will provide you with the guidance to getting your website recognized and utilize your domain name to attract more business your way, making you stand out amongst the competition. They will research you and your website and find the pieces of information that stand out that will attract interest in your clients from amongst the rest of the competition that will get returned from online web searches.
Another way of ensuring added exposure of your business is by targeting your advertising spaces. In this way you will be linked with products and services that are in direct relation to what you are doing. This means that users who search for your type of product may be directed to you for that little something extra that they may require after their purchases. This is why your domain name is important in its clarity and simpleness.
Many companies may not realize that they need to register their domain names with the big search engine companies in order for them to get picked up in user searches. Search engine companies will list your domain name on their server and use specialized software to scan your site for word combinations that may be entered into a search engine. In this way you are ensured of being turned up in an online search, exposing you to literally millions of users the world over.
Email is a virtually free form of advertising. It is easy to gather peoples email addresses from those who wish to receive further information on your product. These can be from existing clients, online users who may subscribe to your email news letters; however it is important that when you use this sort of advertising you are not breaking the laws by encroaching on peoples privacy rights. This could get you and your company into some serious trouble and incur hefty penalties and even law suits against you.
Using these types of online opportunities means utilizing your web space to its full capacity. It is also a relatively cheap way of exposing your name to the international market without having to launch into expensive ad campaigns around the world. There are many opportunities for you to use your domain name as an extra business opportunity and all the research information is readily available online. Become a part of the ever growing popularity of online marketing and expand your business globally.
Ways To Make Money At Home- Turning A Concept Into A Business
Description: You might have innovative and novel ideas that you think might revolutionize the way people work. Or it maybe something simple that helps improve people’s lives. Well, why not turn this concept into an online business and find ways to make money at home?
Things you need
You may have any concept in your mind that is new and interesting. However when it comes to making it a reality – a full-time business – it’s a whole new arena. To turn it into one of the ways to make money from home you need patience and dedication. It involves not just having prior programming experience, but also the knowledge and know-how on the workings of the Internet. To find ways to make money at home you also need to know how to ‘market’ or sell your website. Then you need to find ways to attract traffic to your site, making the content interesting and having advertisements to boost ways to make money at home. PPC campaigns, SEO techniques and banner ads – all play a part in helping you earn good revenues online. This is one of the easiest ways to make money from home without doing any real hard work. The ads keep bringing in revenues and ways to make money from home even though you’re not selling anything on your site.
Selling your idea
Your concept maybe the most brilliant ones around, but if you can’t sell it to others, there’s no way you will find ways to make money at home. To sell your concept or idea you need to have interesting articles that entice customers to visit your site. You also basically have to create a need in the minds of customers for your products or services. This is totally a sales-oriented approach. Apart from this, affiliate marketers can help you find ways to make money from home – they do the advertising and referrals while you get the customers and the money!
Training and workshops
Another one of the ways to make money at home using your concept is by providing training to other people. Of course this can be a paid service you provide where you conduct workshops and training sessions. Let’s say you wish to introduce a website for all woolen products, you could find ways to make money at home by having workshops on how to knit or weave. This is another one of the ways to make money from home. Once you find that your workshop is a success with people, you could even write a small e-book on how to knit or dos and don’ts of making woolen garments. This way you can sell your e-book and find new ways to make money from home. The idea to making an concept a successful business reality is to churn out a good business plan and implement it wisely.
What Home Business Systems Can Do For You
The dynamic home based entreprenuer is constantly on the lookout for anything and everything that can increase their profitability. This is as it should be. Any type of business which does not strive for excellence can soon expect to be overshadowed in our increasingly competative world by those that do.
Whether you are a home business veteran or are just starting out, you need to understand what home business systems can do for you. A good home business system could hold the key to increasing your competitiveness and ensuring your profitability in the years to come.
What is a home business system? Put simply, a home business system is a set-up which allows an entrepreneur to earn money from home in an efficient manner. There are a multitude of these systems available, and the one you choose will be directly related to what your interests are and to what you really want to do. The best home business systems will have a few things in common however. These characteristics will include:
Simplicity. A good home business system must be easy to understand. If it is too complex, it runs the risk of not working at all. An excellent system is simple, but it isn’t simplistic. It must show clearly just how it can help the bottom line. In other words, you should be able to see how you will be making your money, how fast you will be making your money, and what you can do to make more money.
Foresight. In other words, the home business system has a long-term strategy. In any business, complacency kills. When a company is no longer willing or able to innovate, it begins to lose market share. A good home business system provides for a dedicated program of research and development. It doesn’t really matter what industry you are in. You might be in computers, or you might be in discount retailing. You still need to regularly come up with good ideas and implement them, if you are to have any long-term profitability.
There are two basic ways of acquiring a home business system. You can either create your own, or you can buy one. If you are starting your own home based business, you will most probably have to create one, and it will should cater to who you are as a person and what you want to accomplish. If you choose to franchise or act as a salesperson to someone else, you will probably use the system which they already have in place. In either case, it is important that you have a system to follow. It gives you direction and clarifies your goals. However, don’t get so caught up in playing “by the rules” that you forget to inject your own personal brand on your work.
In short, every business needs a simply, yet dynamic system to enable it to move forward. Put this in place as you set up your business and you can help to ensure your home based business gets off to a flying start.
The perfect business trilogy!
The concept of trilogy is similar to trinity, but trinity refers to divinity and it is a religious concept while trilogy refers to things and often to artistic works. Trilogy is a whole that is expressed in three parts and each part is a unit of its own and in itself. For example, it could be a movie or a novel that is produced/written in three separate parts but which plot is interconnected among those parts.
This article is titled the perfect business trilogy because it refers to the three businesses which I believe are the most effective and profitable in the world today. Furthermore, it shows how to combine these businesses in a perfect system to boost the profits and reduce the inherent risks found in any business or enterprise.
These three businesses are Internet Marketing, Real Estate and Trading. I will describe these businesses now and then I will show you the system. Let’s start with Internet Marketing.
Why I say that Internet Marketing is one of the most profitable businesses in the entire world. Simple. Just analyze the benefits . . .
1. You can start an online business virtually with no cash on hand.
2. You don’t need to purchase any equipment nor machines, except a computer with Internet connection.
3. You don’t need specialized knowledge nor previous experience.
4. You can do it from home.
5. You can be your own boss, choose your own schedule and working environment.
6. The profit potential is very high.
7. You can set these businesses on autopilot and receive passive income.
8. You can get multiple streams of residual income.
9. You can start within minutes.
10. You can reach a vast audience without ever having to deal with anybody personally.
If I would make a complete list of benefits I would need several sheets of paper. Most people have a logical reason to want to make money on the Internet. That reason is that these businesses offer big returns on time and money invested.
Think about how many hassles you would have to go through if you would want to start an offline business. In my opinion, the Internet beats 99% of other opportunities out there. The good thing about it is that anyone can do it. Anyone with enough passion and determination can turn their hobby into a profitable venture online.
Remember that there is not only one or two methods to make money on the Internet, but many. Bellow are just a few examples . . .
1. You can sell e-books and software.
2. You can be an affiliate.
3. You can sell advertising space from your websites.
4. You can sell items on online auctions.
5. You can sell web hosting and memberships.
These are just a few examples. There are many other businesses. I have just mentioned a few common and profitable Internet businesses here, but as you can see you have different options to choose from.
Now, the second business that I mention above is real estate. There are some simple and basic reasons why real estate is a very profitable business. One of the reasons is that we humans are reproducing too fast. Our specie is growing on the planet at an exaggerate rate.
Land can not be manufactured. We are running out of space which makes the price of land increase in value really fast. Also, few things can offer so much value to somebody as a house or an apartment unit. Shelter is one of the three basic needs. Everybody needs a place where they can live.
Usefulness plus scarcity equals high prices. Also supply and demand play an important role on that equation. The reason supply is scarce is exactly what I mentioned above: too many people on Earth.
Throughout history investing in real estate has being profitable because it is a useful tangible thing. Today we have the problem of over population which makes it even prettier. Investing is not the only way to make money on this business though. There are traders too.
A trader on this field basically flips properties. For example he may purchase a house with the intention of selling it back as soon as possible and realize the big profits quickly. Another thing they do is to buy in preconstruction.
With the price of houses increasing so fast, a trader/investor sometimes purchase properties with the intention of selling them quickly. Many investors sell the properties even before construction ends. They simply assign the contracts to other willing investors. Then the first investors make substantial profits without having to close on the deals themselves.
There are many different ways to make money on real estate. Here are just a few examples.
1. Buy rental properties and be a landlord.
2. Buy land that it is expected to appreciate in value. Wait a few years. Sell the land and buy more.
3. Flip properties. Buy in preconstruction and similar deals. Once the properties appreciate in value, sell them and buy more.
4. Buy discounted mortgage notes. This is part of the cash flow business. Purchase discounted mortgage notes cash. This way the investor controls the property without owning it.
5. Purchase tax certificates. Attend government auctions and buy land for pennies on the dollar.
6. Get a real estate license, become an agent and sell mansions. With prices so high today you don’t need to sell many properties to make good money this way. The draw back is that this is too competitive, but there is competition everywhere anyway.
7. Buy distressed properties, fix them and resell them.
Etc, etc, etc; you get the point. There are many things you can do. These are just ideas and comments. These are examples of what some business people do to make money in real estate. There are other possibilities, but I think these are the most common and profitable ones.
The third business is trading online. I am referring here to trading Forex (The Forex Exchange Market). Forex is very risky, hence the high claims of how profitable it can be. Maybe you have heard a lot of hype about Forex lately. This is basically the market where you can trade one currency for another. It is the world’s biggest and most liquid market today.
You can trade Forex from the comfort of your own home. In fact most online brokers allow you to open demo accounts today and try your strategies with play money before you compromise real capital. Trading is the third business that I mention on this trilogy. Bellow you can find more ideas about this concept.
It may take some time for you to learn how to be successful on these businesses, but the basic idea is to participate on all three of them. The main purpose of this article is to show you how these business can be profitable and relatively easy to implement.
If you could combine the profits from each you could further boost your income. For example, in my opinion, the safest of the businesses above is Internet Marketing. It requires relatively low investment or no investment at all. So, the idea is to start an online business that produces good profits for you. Once you are getting substantial income from your Internet Business you can proceed to learn how to trade successfully.
You can use part of the profits you get from your online business to trade online. Then part of the profits you get from trading and Internet Marketing can be used to purchase real estate.
This is a simple concept, but it can be very effective. Can you see why I think these are the most profitable businesses in the world? I give you generalized information here, but you can find more details in my other articles. I really think this is a perfect business trilogy. It is a method to combine three highly profitable businesses and increase your overall gains.
EasyWebRiches © 2006
Service Contracts: The Best Business Model For Consulting
Service contracts are key for the busy computer consultant. They will help you to manage your time when you have many clients all needing service at once. By setting up computer service contracts you will be able to maximize your utilization rate while still having enough time to deal with client emergencies when they crop up.
When you have a bunch of clients who all have an emergency of some sort you can't be everywhere at once. To deal with this you need to narrow down the list of who you are obligated to respond to emergencies for. You do this by creating computer service contracts.
A service contract business model is so important because what you are doing is forcing the people you service to make a decision. Are you in or are you out? Your service contract model weeds out those who are just testing the waters. Without a computer service contract it is you who decides if you can handle their emergency or not.
By using computer service contracts you can manage everyone's expectations effectively. Those who have a service contract know they are top priority. Those who don't, know that you have clients with service contracts and that they are the ones who are dealt with first.
The Bottom Line on Service Contracts
Service contracts keep expectations in a nice neat package. You don't have to stress about trying to be everything to everyone. You can concentrate on providing top quality service to those clients you have a service contract with. The rest will simply have to wait in line.
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Staying Focused And Avoiding Procrastination With A Home Business
Running a home business can be fantastic. You have the flexibility to set your own hours, freedom to make your own schedule and you get to be your own boss. Unfortunately, sometimes it's hard to stay focused. Your mind can wander, tasks can fall by the wayside, the kids are calling, procrastination sets in and suddenly, you're “working” 12-hour days.
Here are five great tips for staying focused while running your own home business:
1.Wake up earlier. Some of our best work is done in the morning, without the distractions of daily tasks. If you have children, getting up even just an hour before them can produce amazing results when you have a big task to tackle.
2.Turn off distractions, including email. If you like to check your email or social networking sites, set aside an hour of uninterrupted and focused work time where you will only work on the project at hand. Force yourself to not check email and concentrate on that one task for even just one hour. You'll be amazed at the results.
3.Get out of the house. Go for a walk or take your laptop down the street to a local coffee shop. Sometimes, getting out of your space is not only good for you physically and mentally, but it can also help reinvigorate your ideas. Next time you're struggling over a problem or facing a creative block, try a change of scenery.
4.Plan your day. Get an agenda and set aside blocks of time for each task or project. Not only will this help you stay focused, it will also help you track exactly how much time you really are spending on each client.
5.Set boundaries. Let your family know that the office is out-of-bounds and let yourself know that the work day is done at 6pm. By setting rules and boundaries for yourself, you're adding valuable structure into your business and preserving your separation of home and work.
Doing Business In The Future - Business Process Management
Business Process Management (BPM) is a set of activities performed by organizations to improve or streamline their business processes. Since software tools are usually used to aid these activities, these software tools are referred to as Business Process Management Systems.
- Business Process Management Systems
Business Process Management has been in place for some time now. Due to the introduction of software tools, however, there has been renewed interest in the body of knowledge pertaining to BPM. These software tools make design and implementation of Business Process Management easier, cheaper, and more efficient. There are three categories of Business Process Mmanagement activities - design, execution and monitoring.
1. Design
Designing BPM involves capturing the existing processes in a business environment. These processes must be modeled in a way that they can be simulated and tested. Modeling these processes usually involves graphical representation methods that document the processes and stores this data in repositories.
2. Execution
Traditionally, to implement automation in a business organization, developers would have to be contracted to develop applications that automate certain processes. Unfortunately, the scope of these projects was often too narrow. The result of which is that the automation is not well integrated into the business environment since the automation only deals with a particular department or function. BPMS champions a method that pushes for the development of applications that encompass the entire business process. It aims to fully automate the business environment only stopping to query the user when human intervention is absoultely necessary.
3. Process monitoring
Process monitoring involves observing and taking note of the performance of the individual processes so that evaluation and intervention become more straightforward for the business organization. From the information gleaned from here, the business organization’s leaders can make further decisions on the direction the business process takes. The data from this activity can be used to generate different kinds of statistics that are necessary when having to make critical decisions. Business Process Management is an iterative process.
4. The Future
Although BPM strives to automate the mechanical processes of a business, there has been interest in developing BPMs that move into the territory of human judgment. Some of the processes involved in a business environment are not included in the automation because some sort of human decision is needed. With the growing complexity of information systems - especially studies into decision support systems and artificial intelligence - some human decision-making processes can actually be automated. This is the future goal of BPM, to futher automate previously unautomatable processes.
- The Business Process Management Ideals
In 1920, Frederick Taylor outlined three waves of business ideals in managing processes. These waves represented the ways of thinking business process engineers had.
Wave 1. Processes Set In Stone
They are secured in business policy manuals. The manual is the basis of the process, and the organization has to abide by it.
Wave 2. Processes Changed Once In A While
Using a one-time activity, changes can be made. This means that the business would have to build their processes around a fixed system since change can only come once in a while, and at a great cost.
Wave 3. Processes On-The-Fly
The primary consideration in such systems is flexibility to change. Businesses that adhere to this goal create business environments that can adapt to its changing needs. This setup also allows the business to constantly fine tune its operations. This wave is not about business-process reengineering. It is about maintaining an environment that is constantly on its toes, ready to adapt to the circumstance, and maximize its strengths while downplaying its weaknesses.
Change is the only constant, they say. In this modern day and age, this could not be truer. The survival of a business could very well rely on its ability to constantly tweak its processes according to the whims of change. With the growing body of knowledge concerning Business Process Management, the path towards a sustainable market advantage based on a streamlined, flexible business organization can only get clearer.