Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Can you increase business without putting more time in?

As business owners or managers we often find it difficult, even in the best of situations to get out and seek new business. You've probably thought that if you could just find a way to squeeze that into your day without spending more time away from your family or working weekends, you'd be all set, right? Guess what? You can and all that it's going to take is a little preparation.

1. Keep a box of business cards in your car. That way, you can always keep a stack of cards in your wallet or business card holder.
<ul>
<li>The next time you go out to eat, leave a card on the table when you leave. </li>
<li>Drop a business card in each bill you mail out.,/li>
<li>When you're at the book store, slip your card into some of the books related to your industry. Be sure to put them near the middle of the book so they don't fall out when someone is casually flipping through.</li>
<li>Place a card rack full of your business cards on the counter of your dry cleaner. Most of them are more than happy to help out a good customer.</li>
<li>Give each friend a stack of your business cards to hand out.</li>
</ul>
2. Make a goal of meeting at least one new person each day. If you overhear someone mention your industry or a hobby of yours, make a point to introduce yourself. Start a conversation while you're waiting in line at the bank or the Office Depot. You may never see or even talk to these people again, but chances are good that you will.
3. Never eat alone. You have to eat and so does everyone else, so why not use that time to catch up with friends and associates? There are a few benefits for both of you here.
<ul>
<li>You can keep in touch with people without taking a lot of time out of your work day. </li>
<li>By interacting with people that you enjoy being in the company of, your stress levels will go down. </li>
<li>Your name stays at the front of their minds - great for referrals! </li>
</ul>
4. Network in one non-work related organization. It can be anything - a baseball team, a church or charity, a community group - pretty much anything. The idea is to have the ability to network without the usual competition that you would face in a Chamber of Commerce or other business related organization. If you don't currently participate in something that's not related to work you should seriously consider it. It will help you create a balance between your work and your personal life while opening up a channel for new business.

Monday, 25 June 2012

How to Make your Computer your Personal ATM

This article details the tools you need to begin building a website.  References to valuable resources for domain, web hosting, and auto responder services are detailed.
Internet marketing, Smart Autoresponder, Web hosting, Domain Name, Godaddy.com, Frontierpowerhosting.com, Arp3.com, Software, IP address

Do you think that ATM’s are only available at banks and credit unions?  Think again.  Your computer can become your own personal ATM machine.  How can you turn your computer into a money making machine?  Jump into the world of internet marketing.  An Internet marketing business is not only profitable, but can be started quickly and affordably. 

What should you do first to help you start an Internet marketing business?  You need to create a website that reaches millions of potential customers all over the globe.  There are hundreds of software programs, companies, and offerings out there.  If you are not familiar with Internet infrastructure then you may have a difficult time trying to find the right company to host your website.  We have taken the confusion out of this situation for you by providing references for the best software tools to help get you started.

First, you will need a domain name.  Domain names are the text that users will type into the Internet to access you website.  Think carefully about your domain name so that it is relevant to your product or service.  Once you have a domain name in mind, you need to make sure that it is not taken.  You can type it into your Internet browser and see if anything comes up.  However, it is good to check this through the domain provider we recommend which is www.godaddy.com.

When you purchase a domain name at www.godaddy.com, make sure that you only purchase the domain name and none of the extra services.  Godaddy has a tendency to jack up the prices on these services when you can find them much more affordably at www.frontierpowerhosting.com.

Frontierpowerhosting.com will be your web hosting service.  This web hosting Service Company is top notch because you receive your OWN IP address.  It is critical to have your own IP address so that your emails are never blocked due to an email spammer that has the same IP address.  Frontierpowerhosting.com also has excellent customer service phone support.  In addition, Frontierpowerhosting.com provides an “Email Tracker” feature which enables you to track your emails.  Frontierpowerhosting.com also will provide you with information regarding the deliverability rate for any emails you send.  This information will help you tailor your marketing efforts.

Next you will need to setup a “smart Autoresponder”.  A smart Autoresponder is one that automatically sends emails or forms to users in order to capture their personal information.  Make sure that your Autoresponder captures the following information:  first name, last name, email address, time and date stamp.

An effective smart Autoresponder is called “Auto Responder Plus” which you can find at www.arp3.com.  Auto Responder Plus is software that you can download on your web hosting account.

Once you have these tools in place, you are ready to create your website.  Change your personal computer into a cash cow today!