newsletter_november19

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

ALL OF US HAVE BAD LUCK AND GOOD LUCK,

THE MAN WHO PRESISTS THROUGH THE BAD LUCK -

WHO KEEPS RIGHT ON GOING- IS THE MAN

WHO IS THERE WHEN THE GOOD LUCK COMES -

AND IS READY TO RECEIVE IT.

- ROBERT COLLIER -

NEW TO HOME BUSINESS

POINTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE GOING INTO BUSINESS !

MAKE THE CRITICAL MINDSET SHIFT TO BECOME SUCCESSFULLY

SELF EMPLOYED

By Elizabeth H. Cottrell

( Staff Writer and Editor for IAHBE )

What is Mindset and why does it have to shift?

Your MINDSET is the mental disposition or attitude that predetermines your responses to—and perception of—situations that you encounter. If you are going to embark on an entrepreneurial project—especially if you are going to become totally self-employed—you need to understand and try to develop the mindset that is required for success in this environment, because it is often entirely different from the mindset that makes you a successful employee. Consider these quotes from those who have studied and analyzed the traits of successful entrepreneurs:

Becoming an entrepreneur takes more than just a set of business principles and know-how. It takes a certain mindset.

- Max Bolka

If only most business owners thought more like an entrepreneur and not an employee...

- Brad Sugars

Those who succeed approach the challenges with a different attitude and react to them in a different manner from those who don’t...Working successfully on your own requires a new mental outlook. You need to think about yourself, your work, and your life in a new way as you leave behind the traditional world of the paycheck and enter a world in which you must rely upon yourself to produce the income you need to live well.

- Sarah and Paul Edwards

Most of us are not trained by any of our life’s experiences to be self-employed. From childhood, we’re being told what to do and expected to acquiesce to authority figures in our lives. We are rewarded when we follow the rules and punished when we don’t. Those authority figures begin with parents and later are replaced by teachers and, finally, employers or supervisors. This prepares us well for what Sarah and Paul Edwards (renowned self-employment experts) call the payroll mentality, and this was fine as long as being on a payroll was a secure place to be.

Today’s workplace environment of downsizing, bankruptcy, and mergers/ acquisitions has turned things upside down and sent many employees scrambling for other alternatives. It’s no wonder that self-employment seems attractive to millions of disgruntled employees, but sometimes those who try striking out on their own find themselves jumping from the frying pan into the fire. What’s wrong?

Mindset Shift from Employee to Entrepreneur

So what happens if you fail to make this mindset shift? What’s wrong with keeping an employee or payroll mindset? Won’t the things that make you a good employee stand you in good stead as an entrepreneur with your own business?

What seems to happen to those self-employed who remain stuck in the employee or payroll mindset is that they vacillate between being their own boss and their own employee, and they’re not really happy with either. They continue to think in terms of trading time for dollars instead of pushing out the walls of their thinking to fully realize that their cumulative skills, knowledge, and expertise bring a great deal of value to the marketplace if they can identify the needs they could fill or the niches they could serve.

For even clearer answers, we again defer to Sarah and Paul Edwards, because they have studied and written about self-employment—specifically home-based self-employment—more thoroughly and thoughtfully than any other authors our research uncovered. In fact, they have actually identified 12 essential mental shifts that need to be made in how you view your life, your work, and yourself if you want to replace your missing income. “Each of these mental shifts is diametrically opposed to the way we’ve been trained to think from the time we were born. Is it any wonder we’re often uncertain how to proceed?” (Edwards). Their explanation of these mental shifts is worth the price of the book. They use clear examples to help you understand what is necessary and why.

Here are some of the mindset shifts that lead to more success in self-employment and entrepreneurial endeavors :

Remember that YOU are your most important asset, and don’t sell yourself short in terms of your skill, your knowledge, or your expertise. They are worth a fortune! As a home-based entrepreneur, your profit potential is greater because your overhead is so low.

You need to expand your concept of what’s possible. While attitudes are changing, many may still try to convince you that it’s not practical to go out on your own. More and more people are making it on their own every year, and you should catch the entrepreneurial wave and ride it all the way.

Measure your success in terms of results. As an employee, you’re paid to go through the motions. As an entrepreneur, you’re paid for results, but you have to be willing to try different combinations of approaches until you find the one that yields the best results.

Develop a marketing mindset so that you are always on the lookout for opportunities to let others know about what you do and where there might be problems you can solve. You have to learn to develop a higher profile and keep yourself visible to those who might need you.

Let go of “certainties” to reach for possibilities. If the idea of being without a paycheck is frightening, remember that the "security" of a job and a paycheck is only a matter of your own perception. People are having their jobs and pay taken away suddenly in record proportions, so that sense of security is only an illusion. You need to create your own security. Sarah and Paul Edwards maintain that “the ultimate security is the knowledge that you can and will make it on your own.” Playing it safe is not a viable success strategy for entrepreneurs.

Learn to be a good self-manager and treat yourself as well as you’d treat your best employee. That means giving yourself rewards and time off and surrounding yourself with positive, intelligent people who are seeking the same independence you are.

You have to take full responsibility for your own work and its results (good or bad)—whining, complaining, and passing the buck have no place in the successful entrepreneur’s world.
Change your mindset about money. As an employee, you earn and then spend. As an entrepreneur, you spend (invest) and then earn. Some people even have to make the mindset shift to believing that they deserve to make significant amounts of money! The Edwards book, "Secrets of Self-Employment," has an excellent chart and discussion about money myths and their consequences.

Develop a service mentality. The successful entrepreneur is not only looking for ways to help prospects and customers but is also not afraid to ask for help from qualified mentors or consultants when it will further his goals.

Make the power shift from power or authority given to you as an employee to personal power that comes from knowing who you are and what you can do. This is especially important if you have been in a job with a great deal of prestige, responsibility, and influence.

Embrace mistakes as a guidance system for getting you back on course. “Once you get out on your own, you need to develop an entirely new relationship with the idea of failure.” (Edwards)

Mindset Shift from Local to Global

If you were a business owner in the pre-Internet business world, you had certain things to be concerned about. Advertising and marketing were typically done in local or regional phonebooks, in local or regional newspapers and other media, and through local or regional organizations and outlets. You belonged to the local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau. You might have spent years building up business associations along with your business reputation. This effort was vulnerable to a shift in your neighborhood, an opening of a big competitor, or—heaven forbid—your spouse announcing that he or she was going to be transferred.

Things have changed! The world has shrunk. In a movement unprecedented in history, technology—primarily through the Internet—has empowered even home-based entrepreneurs to economically expand their market globally. When you begin to see the entire planet as your community, you can mentally embrace a much broader range of opportunities and seize change as an adventure instead of a threat. You are no longer tethered to a specific spot on the globe, but instead you can aspire to be a global leader in your chosen area. Think of the possibilities!

The Daily Mindset Shift

Now that you’ve gotten yourself primed for making the significant, one-time mindset shifts to become a successful global entrepreneur, let us remind you of a smaller, daily mindset shift that all home-based entrepreneurs must make. As you walk the few feet (even if you’re still in your pajamas) from your family’s living area to the area where you conduct your business, it is critical that you acquire a professional mindset so that you are focused on business activities instead of household tasks. Even though someone at the other end of a telephone conversation can’t see you, your attitude can be transmitted, and if you are conveying a distracted, downbeat attitude, you are much less likely to inspire confidence in that prospect or client.

Organize yourself so that it’s easier to make that mindset shift every day. Create space that is designated for your business. Use room dividers or partitions, if necessary, to separate it from the rest of the house visually and block some of the household noise. Invest in a designated telephone line and don’t allow children to answer it unless they are old enough to answer it professionally and take good messages. Use voicemail or a quality answering machine to take calls when you have to be out. Train your family and friends to let you observe regular business hours whenever possible. If drop-in neighbors are a problem, you may need to hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your outside door when you are working.

Remember that when you go out in public, you are representing your business as well as your family. Dress appropriately and professionally and project an attitude of authority and self-confidence.

“Be proud being a home-based entrepreneur! More importantly, develop a mindset for business and financial success.” (Isidro)

SOURCES

Bolka, Max. The Business Of Life: How to Make Yourself A Prophet (due out in May, 2003): www.maxbolka.com/.

Edwards, Sarah and Paul. Secrets of Self-Employment: Surviving and Thriving on the Ups and Downs of Being Your Own Boss. G. B. Putnam’s Sons. New York, 1996.

Isidro, Isabel M. “How to Get the Respect Your Business Deserves.” Power HomeBiz Guides, 2000: www.allfreelance.com/article0016.html.

Profit Clinic, The. “Beware! The Most Lethal Small Business Mindset of All…” The Profit Clinic Website: www.profitclinic.com/business/03-lethal.html.

Sugars, Brad. “Entrepreneur V’s Employee…” Action International/Australia (Australian Financial Services Directory): www.afsd.com.au/article/action/action20a.htm.

RESOURCES

Allen, Debbie. “25 Ways to Boost Your Business Image.“ Allen and Associates Website: www.debbieallen.com/international_business_image.htm. Scroll down at this Web page to find the article and other marketing resources.

Attard, Janet. “Sweet Success”, www.businessknowhow.com/Startup/sweets.htm. How do you turn a love for baking homemade cookies into a product that's a mainstay in the $4.1 billion cookie industry when you have no experience in the food industry? How do you launch a successful new food business after the walls of the first one have come tumbling down around you? And how do you manage when your new business is based in New York, and you work from a home office in Hawaii?

Business Know-How, www.businessknowhow.com/. Small business and home business ideas and advice. Business Know-How covers marketing and managing employees as well as business startup issues. Help for entrepreneurs doing business on the Internet and free agents just starting out.

Business Know-How® Free Small Business Newsletter, www.businessknowhow.com/newsletter/subscribe.htm. Get practical business ideas and workable solutions to help you start, run, market, manage, and grow your business. Don't miss out on the newsletter small businesses, self-employed free agents, and entrepreneurs read every week. Enter your complete e-mail address and subscribe today!

Canada/French Language: Les Chroniques PME, pmeenligne.ca/. Week after week, the "Chroniques de la PME" identifies francophone Internet resources for small enterprises. Find information on such topics as the internet, marketing, creativity, general information and much more.

Canada: Lessons Learned On Own-Account Self-Employment In Canada, www11.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/pls/edd/OASECTR1.html. This is a study of own-account self-employment in Canada. This study forms part of a larger exercise, the Collective Reflection, which Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) has initiated to learn about the changing nature of work. As self-employment becomes the reality for a growing number of Canadians, it is important that we extract the lessons learned from those experiences. Both government and the public can learn from the successes and failures of the self-employed. There are seven main study issues driving the research. They are as follows: overall trends, incidence and profile, job quality, reasons for growth, advantages and disadvantages, determinants of success and failure, and lessons learned.

Edwards, Sarah and Paul. “Secrets of Successful Self-Employment” (Audiobook). Simon & Schuster, 1996: www.audiobooksonline.com/shopsite/57292X.html. Written & read by the authors - Nonfiction - Adaptation - 2 cassettes - 2 hours, $10.20. If you're self-employed--or want to be--who'll cheer you on? Who helps you to stay focused? What gives you the boost that you need? Chances are, you have to do most of that for yourself. This audio adaptation of the book cited in Sources offers practical, accessible advice to anyone ready to start their own at-home business. Learn to: Run your business based on what type of entrepreneur you are, use modern technology to complete many jobs more efficiently, enhance your problem-solving and creative-thinking skills, and be a good boss to yourself.

Home Employment and Income Opportunity Resources, www.paepublications.com/. This company specializes in publishing and distributing financial, success, and other instructional publications covering a variety of subject matter. They cater to the Home-Based Business, and Mail Order Entrepreneur. Whether looking to start a home-based business, or get involved in mail order, PAE has a wide variety of publications to meet your needs. Their mission is simple: "To provide you, the customer, the tools and information necessary to achieve total success." Whether starting a mail order business from your kitchen table, establishing your own dealership, or striving to become financially independent in your own home-based business, PAE’s desire is that you succeed. PAE provides a complete library of work from home, home-based business, mail order and self-improvement resources.

Lampton, Bill, Ph.D. “Ten Survival Strategies for Entrepreneurs,” www.businessknowhow.com/startup/survivalstra.htm. Seven years ago, I left the administrative career I had built for 23 years, and started my own business. Why? For some of the same reasons that attract other pioneers. You want to be your own boss. You want to unleash your creativity, which your current job stifles. You expect to double or triple your income. You are eager to implement your lifelong fantasy. You lost a previous job, and you don’t want to face being downsized again. Yet, whether you have taken that step or merely intend to, you’re afraid. You know former business colleagues whose new businesses failed. Fear no more. I offer these guidelines for success.

National Association for the Self-Employed, The, www.nase.org/default.asp. The National Association for the Self-Employed has pioneered support for micro-businesses and the self-employed, while helping to define this important part of the American economy. The NASE understands the unique needs of micro-business owners and removes many of the hurdles to starting and growing a business by providing the most comprehensive range of benefits found anywhere. You are required to sign-up for membership. There are two levels of membership offered: the premier at $420/year and the access at $96/year.

Spiegel, Rob. “What Traits Does It Take to Start a Business?” www.businessknowhow.com/startup/traitsstart.htm. What personality traits are helpful for those starting a business? The answers to this simple question are shrouded in myth. This author explores them one by one.

U.S. Small Business Administration. “Ten Traits Shared By Winners,” www.onlinewbc.gov/docs/starting/traits.html. Are you tired of schlepping to the beat of someone else's drum? Does the idea of being your own boss appeal to you? Are you entrepreneur material? This list provides a quick overview of those essential qualities that are shared by successful entrepreneurs.

Vernon, Lillian. “Lillian Vernon's Tips For Entrepreneurial Success,” www.businessknowhow.com/homeoffice/lillian_tips.htm. Fifty-one years ago, I never dreamed my mail order business would grow into a company with sales over $287 million. I had a dream, supported by my optimistic spirit and a strong commitment. As an entrepreneur since 1951, I have gained a lot of experience. Here are my tips for building a thriving and enduring business.

Article by Elizabeth H. Cottrell, staff writer and editor for IAHBE. Elizabeth is a home-based entrepreneur, freelance technical writer, and owner of Riverwood Technologies, a desktop publishing company in Maurertown, Virginia.

BIRTH ORDER AND HOME-BASED BUSINESS

By Patricia Dinslage, IAHBE Staff Writer

Were you born to succeed, to be an entrepreneur, to be creative? Are you a "natural born" rebel, often seeking out "windmills" to challenge? Or are you a firm conservative?

A psychological—some say pseudo-philosophical—theory says that the order in which you were born in your family tends to determine how you perceive the world, how you interact with people, your sense of responsibility, your expectations, and other personality characteristics. According to the Birth Order Theory, these characteristics then determine the career you choose, the types of relationships you have, and what and how well you do in your adult life.

On the other hand...the Birth Order theory has been around for most of the 20th Century, since 1923. Much has been written on whether or not birth order has an effect on what you become and how you are as an adult. Regardless of your level of belief in Birth Order Theory, the characteristics and tendencies discussed below are general guidelines; exceptions do exist. The guidelines do not take into account cultural differences, environmental influences, and other subtleties that make each of us unique.

The oldest child

Is there an oldest child out there whose parents never said, "I don't care what your brother (or sister) did. You're the oldest. I expect more from you!"?

That sums up a lot of what oldest children are about—responsible, reliable, natural leaders and high achievers. First-borns usually are picky, precise, detail-oriented people, tending to be punctual and organized and have a desire to see things done right the first time. They don't like surprises, often make lists, and are serious, scholarly, and critical. Firstborns are used to being taken seriously—both by family and by the rest of the world. They don't take well to being discounted by anyone.

On the flip side, they also can be moody, bossy, pushy, perfectionistic, and overly responsible and critical. They may be people-pleasers and feel they always have to be right. They tend to set impossible goals for themselves and others, setting themselves up for failure. Oldest children also are not known for their sense of humor.

As far as business and career, firstborns tend to choose professions and businesses that require organization, precision, concentration, and mental discipline. Oldest children often choose science, medicine, law, engineering, accounting, bookkeeping, or jobs involving computers. As natural leaders, oldest children often rise to high positions of leadership in their careers—52% of United States Presidents have been oldest children and 21 of 23 astronauts were oldest children.

As a home-based business owner who is an oldest child, you probably work too many hours, are never satisfied with anything less than perfection, expect more from yourself and your business than anyone you know, and have multiple "irons in the fire." However, these same tendencies, as well as your sense of organization, willingness to work hard, patience, and attention to proven formulas of success, contribute strongly to the likelihood of success in your home-based business or whatever career you've chosen.

However, some suggestions to consider:

1.Take a little more time for yourself.

2.Work on saying, "No" more—cut back on "people-pleasing" and know your limits.

3.Lower your sights (and expectations) just a little. Do a little less and enjoy life more.

4. Enjoy your natural curiosity—don't apologize for wanting details or asking questions.

Try to develop a sense of humor—learn to laugh at your mistakes, as well as learn from them. Try to be accepting of the fact you're human and bound to fail once in a while.

The middle child

"I get no respect," is the often-heard lament of middle children. They learn early to negotiate and compromise, often refereeing squabbles between siblings.

Middle children are a study in contradiction. They may be the mediator of the family or the one who avoids conflict. They tend to be independent and extremely loyal to friends and supporters. They may be quiet and shy or friendly and outgoing. Middle children can be impatient or laid-back, competitive or easygoing. They can be the family "black sheep" or the peacemaker, but often feel like the family's "fifth wheels."

Middle children may have tried to compete as children with their older brother or sister and found they could not achieve on the same level. In response, many middle children will strike out in a completely different direction. This "branching off" is a powerful force in how middle children develop as adults.

On the other hand, middle children are less driven than firstborns and have more difficulty setting boundaries. Because they also tend to be people pleasers, they're not really good at making decisions that will offend others and tend to take the blame when others fail.

Starting a company or business from scratch appeals to the creativity of a middle child. They also do well in middle management, since they're used to rolling with the punches and usually are great listeners. They have excellent people and social skills that they can use and tend to be able to see both sides of a problem. Because they love radical ideas and concepts, when it comes to business, adults who were middle children should work on thinking things through.

For home-based business owners who are middle children, they may want to carefully develop and study a business plan or the ins and outs of a new product or project before committing their time, money and other resources.

Suggestions for middle children as adults:

1.Nurture your natural people skills and use them to see both sides, to deal with life as it is.

2. Express yourself - People will listen. Instead of apologizing for your opinions or not offering them, share your ideas and creativity.

3.Don't compare - you know well that there always are people who are above or below you in terms of ability, interest, appearance, etc.

Focus on meaningful relationships - don't spread yourself too thin. No one, not even you, can maintain an unlimited number of relationships and keep them meaningful. Consider taking the lead - No one says that only firstborns can be leaders. You understand the give and take needed to lead people

The youngest child

These are the charmers, the master manipulators. The youngest children tend to be affectionate, uncomplicated, carefree and, possibly, a little bit "out there." They often can be described as the outgoing risk takers and spontaneous.

Their lifelong competition for attention from their parents and fight to rise up from the "bottom" of the family, means youngest children will question authority, possess incredible ambition, and have a well-developed sense of humor. These people love to entertain and talk with other people. They make friends easily and have the knack of making people feel at home and at ease. They are often described as "the world's cheerleaders."

On the other hand, youngest children also can tend to be rebellious, critical, temperamental, spoiled, self-centered, and impatient. They tend to get quickly bored, can have a short attention span, and can have a strong fear of rejection. When the fun stops, they tend to be "outta here."

When it comes to business, youngest children are drawn to entertainment, the arts, and, of course, sales. Youngest children are born salespeople. Home-based business owners who grew up as youngest children tend to love the interaction with potential customers, making the contacts needed to promote their business, and have a knack for relating to all types of people and overcoming objections.

Some suggestions for youngest children are:

1.Accept responsibility for yourself - you're an adult now and on your own.

2.Think neat - get organized; clean up whatever messes may be lying around.

3.Don't be too independent - Ask for help, admit your faults, don't blame others.

4.Give of yourself - work on curing your tendency toward self-centeredness by offering help to others - quietly, without fanfare.

5.Remember your gifts - you're charming, funny, persuasive and you can use these to be successful at whatever your chosen business or career path.

The only child

"The little adult" describes the only child, much the same as firstborns. Only children are the complete focus of their parents' expectations and may feel that they never had a childhood. The characteristics of the firstborn also apply to only children—with "super" in front of each tendency—super-perfectionistic, super-reliable, etc.

The only child who becomes a perfectionist usually goes to one of two extremes. On one end, they can become very critical, cold-blooded, objective, and intolerant of mistakes or failure by themselves or others. On the other extreme, they may devote themselves to rescuing everyone, agonizing over others' problems, or moving in, taking over, and solving everything

To overcome becoming a "discouraged perfectionist, only children need to give themselves permission to be an imperfect human being, to accept others' imperfect behavior, and to take reality in small bites—one day, one moment, one step, one project at a time. Also, they need to quit putting down themselves and others and criticize less.

Only children do well in business as adults for the same reasons as firstborns—ambition, drive, attention to detail, organization. In addition, only children are very willing to learn new things and educate themselves, as well as being willing to grow as a person.

Some suggestions for adults who are only children—in addition to those suggested for oldest children:

1.Be careful with your time and commitments - don't make too many or expect too much.

2.Make time for yourself - it's all right to make some time just for you and recharge.

3.Choose friends wisely - you usually get along better with people who are much older or much younger. Get some time with both groups, because they're the ones with whom you click the most. Also, they'll argue with you less.

4.Do a self-inventory - As an only child, you've never had to share. Take an inventory of how self-centered you are and act like around others. Maybe come up with some ideas of what you can do to help others and criticize less.

Conclusion

Whatever your birth position in your family, realize that one position is no better than another. Each has its strengths and drawbacks. In fact, most everyone is a combination of characteristics from all the birth order positions. In addition, no one has only characteristics from one birth position or another. Being an oldest child—or a middle or youngest child—does not guarantee failure or success. The primary key to success in a home-based business is the same for everyone— hard work!

REFERENCES:

"Birth Order Helps Make Us Unique," Family Issues Facts, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Bulletin #4359, http://www.umext.maine.edu/olinepubs/htmpubs/4359.htm

"Birth order factor and your personality: 8 facts that might surprise you," by Dr. Kevin Leman, excerpt from The Birth Order Connection, http://www.ivillage.co.uk/relationships/famfri/family/articles/0,,163_559974-1,00.html

"The Business of Birth Order," by Donna Shyer, Forbes Magazine, Winter 2004, http://www.phoenix.edu/students/future/birth.htm

"Some 'born to rebel,' birth order book says," by Robin Estrin, Associated Press, Lincoln Journal Star, pg 5J, November 24, 1996

Patricia C. Dinslage is a freelance writer and staff writer for IAHBE. Her career has included work in several fields of business, education and government, including a stint as a business reporter for a daily newspaper. She has college degrees in bothjournalism and economics

MARKETING STRATEGIES

HOW TO BECOME A BETTER BUSINESS MARKETER

BY Abe Cherian

It's a fact that business these days is more competitive than it's ever been. To stay alive, you can't just offer a quality product at a fair price. You have to know how to market effectively. And as you know, marketing goes hand in hand with advertising.

Unfortunately, most business owners have no idea of how to get the most out of every marketing dollar they spend. You should demand that you get the best possible results from every dime you drop into marketing.

Does this seem too obvious? Look through your yellow pages. Pick them up right now and glance through them. Answer this question: are most of the ads telling you what benefits you get if you become a customer? Or are the ads telling you about the companies, where they are, how wonderful they are, what they do, how great their quality is, how great their service is, and all about them?

Around 95% of the ads are totally focused on the business and not on what the business can do for you, the prospect. Pay attention to advertisements in newspapers, on the television, and on the radio. You'll find the same thing happening in those places, consistently, every day. This type of selfish advertising falls into the terribly wasteful category of "institutional" advertising.

Institutional advertising produces, at best, deferred results. At worst, institutional advertising is ineffective, unproductive, and a wasteful expense that accomplishes no profitable purpose whatsoever. You know it's institutional advertising when it tells you how great the company is, or how old and stable they are, or some other frilly, fancy, cutesy and other non-compelling foolishness. Your selfishness is what kills most of your marketing. From brochures to flyers, sales letters to advertisements, your marketing message should let your prospects know that you are concerned only with what they want. Anything about you should always come last. Your customers should always come first. All marketing materials you create should focus on what the prospects want and need. Every sentence should show that you understand their wants and needs. Until your marketing efforts focus on the prospects first, your marketing is handicapped.

businesses out there never precisely determine who their market is, and what the desires, needs, wants, and passions of the prospects in that market are. This is a grave mistake.Determine who your market is. Ninety percent of the The successful marketer can tell you precisely who he's marketing to, and what they want in a product or service.
He can tell you his best prospect's approximate age, location, education level, income level and other critical information. You must know the who first, and then you can focus on the why. Why do your customers buy from you? What do your customers want or need most in the products or services you offer? Remember, you need to focus on discovering what the "why" is so that you can focus your marketing efforts on showing your prospects that you can meet the "why" in the most satisfactory fashion. Think about it. How can you expect to adequately fill someone's needs if you never take the time to understand them? It's simple, yet few companies ever bother to work at meeting their customers' needs.

Companies that is successful with their marketing understand their customers' needs and attempt to satisfy those needs better than the competition. If you want to own your market, find out what your customers really want. Discover their desires. Search out their passions and needs. Once you have this information, you will be armed to corner your market. Capture Your Customers & Prospects Names And Addresses.Of all the terrible marketing mistakes made, I feel that this one has caused companies to lose the most money. I'm talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars every month. Why a company would spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to get a customer in the door and then let them walk out without getting their name and address and other vital information from them is beyond me.

I can't understand it, but 90% of the businesses in America don't ever bother to keep track of their loyal customers, let alone any prospects. Your mailing list, or customer database, is your biggest source of lifetime profits.keep track of every customer and every prospect. According to Fortune Magazine, it costs five times as much to generate a new customer than to resell to an existing customer. Existing customers are almost as good as money in the bank.

Your existing customers already know and trust you. They bought from you and (hopefully) had a positive experience with you. They know you'll deliver on your promises, because you've done it before with energy and promptness.All you need to do is develop a systematic way of keeping track of them, and then ask them to buy from you more often. By establishing a long term relationship with your customers and prospects, you can maximize your business success. Especially if your products or services help solve your customers' problems.

About The Author

Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media, a company that helps online businesses find new prospects and clients, who are anxious to grow their business fast, and without spending a fortune in marketing and advertising. http://www.multiplestreammktg.com

SURVEY YOUR SITE VISITORS

By Brent Niland

The Internet is changing the face of marketing research. Time was when research involved among other things, printing and mailing surveys, data entry, and long distance telephone calls. Because of the time, effort, and expense involved, surveys were done infrequently or not at all. Without valuable information collected from surveys, marketing opportunities and client feedback were often missed. The Internet is changing all of that.

Online surveys provide a fast, efficient, and flexible way to learn more about your customers and prospects. The speed of response and the flexibility of online surveys can provide an organization with critical information quickly. A product concept developed in the morning can be tested and results received the next day! Strategic decisions can be made in a fraction of the time.

Online surveys can take different forms. Below are examples:

·General Website Survey - This survey is placed on a website and is open for all site visitors to take. Because the survey is open to all, the sampling cannot be controlled or considered a statistically valid poll. However, general website surveys can be significant for two reasons: oWhile not scientific, the information collected can provide an organization with valuable information. For example, a professional baseball team asked the following question on their website, "What item would you most like to see offered at the concession stands next season?" Following this question, several food items were listed. The number one response was, cheese curds(of all things!). Although this cannot be considered the definitive answer to proceed with cheese curds next year it does give the team reason to test market the product next season. Without this information, the team would have missed a potential opportunity to provide their fans with the food they desire and additional revenue from concession sales. oWebsite surveys can also increase repeat visits to the website. A well done, fun survey that changes frequently can provide the motivation for site visitors to return to the website repeatedly. It is also important to provide the respondent with the real time results of the survey once they have submitted their responses. This provides the satisfaction of seeing how their responses stack up with other respondents.

·Market Research Survey - The market research survey involves developing a survey for a targeted population. If you are a diaper manufacturer you may want to purchase a list of women between 20 and 35 with children under 3 years old in the home, for example. The difference between purchasing a list for a standard survey and a list for an online survey is that you are buying their e-mail addresses rather than their home address or phone number. A market research survey involves the following steps:

oThe development of a survey in a password-protected area of your website. oPurchase of an opt-in e-mail respondent list. (Opt-in lists are available from companies like Survey Sampling, Inc.) Make sure sample size is proportionally related to the size of the population you are targeting. oSend broadcast e-mails to members of the list. The e-mail will instruct recipients to click on the link to take them to the password-protected survey. An incentive will help boost the response rate. oUpon completion of the survey, the database of answers can be queried to pull information based on selected variables. The data can also be exported to a statistical software application for further analysis. oUpon completion of the survey, a new survey can be developed using the online administrative screens provided by high-end survey developers and the process starts over again.

The advantages of the online market research survey are numerous. From the development time to the delivery of results, these surveys present distinct advantages over traditional research methodologies.

Online surveys can also be designed to appear in a pop-up box at specified locations on a website. Such surveys will ask the visitor if they have a few seconds to take the survey and then proceed to ask them a few questions about their site experience to that point. By asking a series of questions the company can ascertain if the site is well received by the visitor. If not, the survey should provide specific clues to improve your site.

To summarize, online surveys offer the following benefits over standard surveys:

·Speed of set up - using web-based administrative screens, online surveys can be set up and delivered quickly. ·Data entry - Respondents do the data entry, so no data entry staff is required. Additionally, accuracy is greatly improved since no data is being rekeyed. ·New designs and concepts can be presented online. Respondents can view new products, packaging and other offerings online while they are responding to the survey. Standard surveys required mailing package concepts to the respondent in advance. The costs associated with printing, postage and data entry, combined with the time inefficiencies, make online surveys far superior in most instances. ·Results are tabulated quickly for fast analysis. ·Early results are showing better response rates. One company that has typically surveyed their employees in the past by traditional means has seen a response rate improvement from 25 to 50% since moving their surveys online.

The opportunities to learn from your customers using the Internet are enormous. By surveying your customers, prospects, and employees online you can uncover opportunities and address issues faster, more accurately and at greatly reduced expense.

About the Author
Brent Niland Spindustry Systems, Inc. ph. 515-225-0920 bniland@spindustry.com www.spindustrysystems.com

TECHNOLOGY

PROTEC YOUR COMPUTER AND INTERNET PRIVACY

By Alex Marias

It is a known fact that every time you open a browser to view a web page, order something online, or read your email in a web based viewer that information is stored on your computer for later use. Whether you are viewing the weather online, reading sports, catching up on the latest world news or viewing something a little more private, all that information is stored in your computer.

Windows operating systems store all this material in what are called Temporary Internet Files or cache. Web pages may store bits of information about who you are when you visit web sites in files called cookies on your computer. Your web browser will store a list of web sites you've visited and places you've gone in a history file in your computer. Even if you are not online, programs will store histories of the files you've opened, played, or viewed.

Generally there might not be any reason to worry about all these files in your computer, but what if you sell your computer and all that information is left for someone else to see. Maybe friends and relatives visit and use your computer and you don't want everyone to know what files you are running on your computer. Then you are going to want to know how to delete these files.

Even if you are not worried about privacy on your computer, you may be surprised to realize how much hard drive space all this information takes up. If you are running out of drive space, you may want to delete these files.

How can I delete these files?

For Internet Explorer 5 and above, you can follow these
directions to clear out temporary files and delete cookies.

1) Open Internet Explorer and click on Tools

2) Click on Internet Options

3) On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on Delete Files

4) You may also want to check the box "Delete all offline content"

5) Click on OK and wait for the hourglass icon to stop after it deletes the temporary internet files

6) You can now click on Delete Cookies and click OK to delete cookies that websites have placed on your hard drive.

To clear the Internet History in IE:

1) Open Internet Explorer and click on Tools

2) Click on Internet Options

3) On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on
Clear History

4) Click OK

To clean up other temporary files on your computer in Windows 98 or higher:

1) Click Start, Programs (or All Programs), Accessories,
System Tools, Disk Cleanup

2) Choose the correct drive usually C:\

3) Check the boxes in the list and delete the files

This deleting method is only good if you want to free space, because normal file deletion only removes a file's directory entry, and leaves the data contained in the file on your hard drive, which can be easily recovered by any average computer user using a undelete utility. If you
delete cookies or if you delete history using conventional methods anyone can recover them!

Even after a hard drive format, files can be recovered using expensive hardware and software which use forensic latency track analysis algorithms.

There are several good utilities such as

http://www.amicutilities.com/privacy-guard/%20that

http://www.amicutilities.com

About The Author
Alexandru Marias

Alexandru Marias is an IT student maintaining software sites
such as: http://www.downloadsplaza.com/, http://www.fungamesplaza.com/ and http://www.bluedownloads.com

FROM THE EDITOR

We say thank's for joining us, so our subscribers grow from 1750 to 2004, it's great to have you with us. In this speciall occasion, we give speciall article for new comers to Internet Home Business. Points to consider before going into business, so all of you can enhance knowledge before making decision. Points of view about Internet Home Business will be continued to our next issue.

Warm Regards

Erny Setyawati ( Editor / Publisher )

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