Blogging For Dollars

Providing Tips For A Successful Home Based Business

Affiliate Marketing: Follow Up Today

Affiliate Marketing: Follow Up On Refferals

According to the survey of more than two thousand businesspeople, follow up on referrals was ranked as the single most important trait of a master affiliate marketing networker. They believe that follow-up is the lifeblood of effective networking.

People who don’t know you will judge you harshly if you don’t deliver on what’s expected of you. They may even test you before deciding on whether they want to get to know you better. This siz­ing up starts with determining whether you can make commitments and follow through on them.

When your number-one objective is to cultivate strong relationships with other affiliate marketing professionals and build your social capital, you have to come out of the start­ing gate without a stumble—and this means demonstrating your commitment by following up on every promise, every contact, and every opportunity to help your networking partner, over and above what is expected of you. Think about your own experiences, the way you form your judg­ments of other people and their affiliate marketing businesses.

Follow up is the lifeblood of effective affiliate marketing.

What about that time your furnace broke down and you needed repairs right away? You prob­ably called three HVAC companies before one finally called you back within hours. Obviously, the oth­ers, who never returned your call, will never get your business—or that of anyone you know, for that matter. They lacked follow-up, which is extremely important in building credibility and trust.

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Achieve Freedom In Network Marketing

Network Marketing: Take Action

Network marketing is the great equalizer. People of diverse backgrounds find new opportunity in network marketing every day. It doesn’t matter what you have or haven’t accomplished in the past, how long your resume is, what education credentials you have or don’t have it is about knowledge and action.

Freedom is about choice and a decision to act. Your commitment to take action and learn from your results and consistently pursue your goals will determine your level of network marketing success. I believe everyone can commit to an action plan and achieve a new level of personal success. The freedom achieved through network marketing is unparalleled.

Suc­cess is not determined by what you think you know about network market­ing, but by learning simple, proven methods that work. So, if you are willing to work for a better life and more personal freedom, network marketing may be the perfect solution and business model to give all that you are looking for and more.

Network Marketing: Learn From Past Experiences

We often learn more from our mistakes than our triumphs. Experience usually begins with failures and disappointments, which if seen as opportunity for learning can be used to fuel new successes and develop new skills and abilities. The harder you work, the more experience you gain. The more expe­rience you gain, the smarter you work and the more successful you’ll become.

Some people start a network marketing business to develop a part-time business to earn additional income. Others want to replace their full-time income and make a career change. Yet others will embrace the upside potential of network marketing and the power of leveraged income and build true wealth. That’s your choice, and the plan of action you develop will reflect your goals.

Ways to Keep Your Home Based Business Running Smoothly: Part One

Leaving corporate America to run a home based business is the ideal situation for many people: There’s no boss breathing down your neck, no boring meetings to attend and no 45-minute drives in rush hour traffic. Working from home can be a rewarding experience, but it’s easy to forget the basic rules of running a successful business when it’s 10 hours of just you, your computer and the distractions of home.

Here are few helpful tips for keeping your home based business running smoothly.

Home Based Business: Structure Your Day

The problem a lot of home based business owners have is that they no longer have a boss standing over them making sure they get their work done, or a tangible start and end of each workday. It’s easy to let time slip by as you head to the refrigerator, catch a few minutes of TV, or dive into a project first thing in the morning, neglecting the other tasks you need to perform to keep your business running smoothly.

Create a structure that mimics what you had in the workplace. Structure your day so you have a start and finish time, with certain hours set aside for specific activities. A general rule is to spend the first hour of the day prospecting for new clients. Send your emails, write your letters and make your phone calls first thing so you don’t forget to do it later.

Use Outlook or some sort of contact management software to serve as a visual reminder of what you need to accomplish that day. Live and die by your to-do-list. Try to have everything crossed off by the end of the day. Even my own children know that if they want me to do something for them during working hours, they have to put it on my to-do-list or it will never get done.

Home Based Business: Stay Connected

Carry an organizer wherever you go. If you’re still using a day planner or similar dinosaur, consider upgrading to a smartphone, a tablet, or other high-tech gadget. You don’t need to go crazy and spend a lot of money, but invest wisely in something that will hold everything you need and allow you to instantly access it on the go.

Another good idea is to not keep all of your information in one location, such as the hard drive of your home computer. Keep your data hosted on a virtual exchange server so you can access it anywhere that has an Internet connection. A big misconception about home based business owners is that they stay at home all day, everyday. And as you know, that’s just not always true. In a home based business you do have to get out of your comfort zone and network with others.

 

Creating Success In Your Home Based Business: Part Two

I’m back with the second installment of my success challenge to help you significantly ramp up your home based business.

Own Your Destiny: What Could I Be If I Refuse To Quit In My Home Based Business

If you could wave your magic wand and make three things happen in your home based business, what would they be? Not 30 or 300 things: When you make a list that’s a mile long, you’ll never tackle it. But three is a number you can wrap your head around.

Be specific. For example, maybe you want to get out of debt. Too vague. Instead, make it clear: “Pay off the $9,000 credit card balance in four months.” One of the items on your list may be “make more money”—again, that’s obvious. Instead, be deliberate and targeted: “Generate $20,000 in sales in the next three months. Next, define yourself and declare your expertise. . You must figure out what exactly you want to be known for before you can build an effective plan to make it happen.

Know who you’re targeting—not everyone is your customer.

Targeted outreach is always better than a mass approach. Knowing your customer makes your marketing efforts so much more effective.

If you sell skin cream, you could logically assume that everyone has skin, so everyone is a potential buyer. Of course, that’s ridiculous. The ingredients, benefits, pack­aging and pricing all determine your client. Distribution matters, too: Is this a high-end skin cream sold in derma­tologists’ offices or would it be found on the shelf of a big-box retailer?

When you know who you’re targeting, you can identify where your customers hang out and how to approach them.

The easiest place to start is with your existing clients. Study them to look for common themes.

The best way to get to know your customers is to talk to them. Yup, good old conversation! If your home based business offers a face-to-face opportunity, plan to greet people for a week or two and chat them up. If that’s not possible, call to intro­duce yourself. Creating an online survey is another option.

Let everyone know that, in an effort to best serve them, you’d appre­ciate the benefit of a few minutes of their time. Ask the questions that are most relevant to getting to know your base. This isn’t a sales pitch, so keep it focused.

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Creating Success In Your Home Based Business: Part One

Home Based Business: Commit To Your WHY

Since I knew I could never control the decisions of an employer, I went the path of a home based business ownership. Giving up or giving in was—and still is—never an option because starting a new business wouldn’t be any easier. And getting a “real” job, so to speak, wouldn’t insulate my family and me from the possibility of one day visiting a layoff.

So my why remains crystal clear—and I never lose sight of it.

Ask yourself now: What’s my why? Why bother with home based business ownership? Maybe it’s because you want the financial freedom to choose medical treatments for a loved one, based on the best options, not the price tag. Maybe it’s that you want to control where and when you work to accommodate personal responsibilities. Maybe it’s because you want to generate aware­ness for a cause that’s close to you.

When you understand your why—why you’ve chosen home based business ownership over traditional employment; why you’ve chosen this business type; why you’ve chosen to go after any particular goal—you’re much less likely to throw in the towel when the going gets tough, which it most certainly will.

This isn’t a five-minute conversation you have with yourself— take some time to think it through.

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Stop Being A Cave Dweller

Networking is a Contact Sport

In the world of networking, a “cave dweller” is defined as “someone who remains in one of several confined spaces for the duration of an entire business day, day after day.” Many cave dwellers find themselves stuck in this pat­tern day after day. The problem is, networking is a contact sport. You have to get out of that cave and make contact with people!

Cave dwellers will always remain in the 71 % of the population who are unsuccessful networkers because they become prisoners of their routine. They receive very little social stimulation. Many rarely leave the confines of their offices, except for the occasional lunch out with the same group of coworkers at the same corner restaurant, seeing the same waiter, and (for some) eating the same food! As far as networking goes, they have successfully created what I call a “closed network.”

For someone who wants to grow and network a business, a closed network or being a cave dweller is a recipe for disaster. It limits your connections to a small, unchanging group of people—unlike an open network, which broadens your connections to a practically unlimited num­ber of individuals. A closed network blocks out both the risk and the potential of the unfamiliar, but an open network exposes you to opportunities that you might never have seen had you remained in your cave. Which has the greater potential for business growth? Pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Are you a cave dweller? If so, it’s way past time to change your behavior. But I’m not going to tell you it’s a snap, because break­ing out of your cave-bound routine will take commitment on your part. It’s going to require you to venture outside your comfort zone and—take a deep breath—network! Or should I say… net-WORK!

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Why Is Belief So Important In Network Marketing?

“Belief with enough of it, we can achieve just about anything; without it, we’re essentially paralyzed, blind, and disoriented, and any shot at success is pretty dim. “
Art Burleigh

Belief Is Where It Begins

This is where it all begins—for all of us.

Who talks with you the most? You do. Your own internal conversa­tions—what you think about—are what will ultimately form who you be­come, what you do, and what level of success, accomplishment, and satisfaction you’ll ultimately achieve.

If you’re trying to grow a better network marketing organization—one that’s stronger, bigger, more self-sustaining, and one that finally creates its own momentum for continued growth and renewal—then we know that a bunch of people on our team need our training and help. New distributors often need help in realizing how critical their own beliefs are to achieving success, and they need understanding in what areas to focus on for building belief along with tips on how to do that.

Let’s first look at where most people are starting from. What key things affect our internal conversations, our thinking, our beliefs?

Four Key Belief Elements:

  1. Mental nourishment, our programming (positive and negative–usually it’s a mix). This is the environment we grew up with and which we allow ourselves to be surrounded by now.
  2. Our experiences and references that form our reality—what we know to be true for us so far—the results of all our efforts to date.
  3. Our current beliefs that have helped us get to where we now are and/or have held us back in areas where we can’t seem to get ahead faster.
  4. Our vision—what we hold to be inevitable about where we’re going and what we’re destined to achieve. Too often, this is a weak area that needs serious new, sustained effort so that a bigger vision will drive our self-motivation to propel us into the actions that enable us to accomplish our big dreams and goals.

The six inches between our ears—that’s the real battleground for virtu­ally all of us. That little space is the canvas where it all plays out—what’s holding you back and what’s going to propel you to the achievements that will finally get you all the things you want. A strong belief system will get you there.

Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is a booming. There are more mobile phone users than computer users. Almost half of those mobile phones are smartphones. That works out to nearly 100 million people walking around with full-featured mobile Web and app access all die time, even without counting tablets—like the iPad—which are exploding in their own right.

So, the mobile channel certainly exists, and roughly half of it has advanced connectivity and media access. What can marketers do with that? Here are some of the top mobile marketing techniques

Mobile Marketing:Text Messaging and Short Codes

The most flexible form of mobile adver­tising is texting. Even the oldest mobile phones can send and receive simple text messages (SMS), and almost all can receive multimedia messages (MMS). Short codes are five-digit phone numbers that allow users to opt-in to your text marketing and interact by simply texting to it. Once a prospect opts-in, you have a very reliable line of communication—text message campaigns can have open rates around 95 percent, with messages opened within four minutes of receipt.

There also are reasons text and short codes have never reached the popularity of email marketing in the US. Many mobile users have limited text messaging, so they essentially pay for each message marketers send them. Phone carriers also exert far greater influence on the channel, making it more like telemarketing than email in some regards. All mobile campaigns in the U.S. must comply with the Mobile Marketing Association’s (MMA) stan­dard of double opt-in and easy removal/ complaint tools. Owning an entire short code can be very expensive, so most marketers buy into a shared short code where several companies use the same code, but each gets the traffic from a spe­cific keyword users text to that number.

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Gas Prices On the Rise

What Is Going On with Gas Prices?

Gas prices are heading for a new high. What’s behind the spike? The escalating showdown with Iran over its nuclear program. How high can prices go? $5 a gallon or higher? It is the reality that will hit all commuters across the country. Gas prices seem to have nowhere to go except up. The average price for gas has never been higher for this time of year. The national average is $3.56/gallon which is up .39/gallon from February 2011. Prices are predicted to skyrocket to $4.25/gallon by April. Cities like Los Angelos, Miami, and Philadelphia are all ready averaging over $3.60/gallon.

And its not just gas. Oil prices spiked to a 9 month high due to the rising tensions with Iran. It could have sweeping consequences on drivers budgets and the entire nation’s economy. A .25 increase in gas over a year’s time would cost the economy $35 billion. Brace for it to only get worse. Some predictions show gas reaching $5.00/gallon by Memorial Day. That would make the country’s record high of $4.11/gallon back in 2008 seem like a downright bargain.

Syntek XFT Fuel Treatment Will Save You Money At the Pump

With prices this high you may think that drivers would just go somewhere else or maybe even stay at home. That is not the case. The situation does not look good for the consumer. There is a solution. It is called Syntek XFT Fuel Treatment. I have been using this product for several months and am saving a substantial amount at the pump. This product increases my gas mileage which my wallet really likes. It is like putting $4 into your tank and getting back $10. On average it will save you 10-30% on your fuel cost alone. Not including the reduce maintenance cost for your engine.

Syntek XFT Fuel Treatment has been in the market for over 20 years. It is proven to improve fuel economy, prolong the life of the engine, increase horsepower, and reduce emissions by 1/3. This product can be used in all types of engines that run on gas or diesel fuel. It comes with a 30 day money back guarantee so there is no risk for the consumer.

I look at it this way. You can complain about the high gas prices or do something about it. Take action today and start using Syntek XFT Fuel Treatment. You will not be disappointed.

 

 

 

 

 

How Search Engines Work

The Evolution of Search Engines

In the emerging days of the Web, directories were built to help users navigate to various Web sites. Generally, these directories were created by hand—people categorized Web sites so users could browse to what they wanted. As the Web got larger, this effort became more difficult.

“Web spiders” were created that “crawled” Web sites. Web spiders, also known as robots, are computer programs that follow links from known Web sites to other Web sites. These robots access those pages, download the contents of those pages (into a storage mechanism generally referred to as an “index”), and add the links found on those pages to their list for later crawling.

While Web crawlers enabled the early search engines to have a larger list of sites than the manual method of collecting sites, they couldn’t perform the other manual tasks of figuring out what the pages were about and ranking them in order of which ones were best. These search engines started working on computer programs that would help them do these things as well. For instance, computer programs could catalog all the words on a page to help figure out what those pages were about.

Search Engines: The Introduction of PageRank

Google’s “PageRank” algorithm in 1998 was a big step forward in auto­matically cataloging and ranking Web sites.This algorithm used data from the links on the Web to determine what pages were about and which pages were more popular and useful. Links were like votes for a site and the text from those links was used for cataloging them.

While Google patented the specific PageRank algorithm, this gen­eral method of categorizing sites became the standard for search engines and the basis of how search engine technology has evolved. While people still refer to “PageRank” as a major factor in ranking well in search engines, there are now hundreds of signals that search engines use to compile a list of the most relevant results possible for a query.