Tired of Your Work? Try Putting Up a Small Business!

Are you currently one of those individuals who really feel continuously burned out with work? It’s like there isn’t any a lot more progress or fulfillment in what you’re performing. Frequently, you just appear like a robot programmed to do the function routine over and over again If this is what it’s been like for really some time, why don’t you contemplate a brand new job or an entirely unique career path? Or far better yet, put up your own business, where you will be your own boss and at the exact same time, you’ll oversee every thing that the business entails.

Putting up a business even a tiny one like a popcorn or snow cone stand might be a significant challenge. There are a lot of factors that you simply have to consider and look at. But in spite of the heavy work, you will find it to be very satisfying not only financially but also when it comes to personal fulfillment. It’s a key achievement which you would surely be proud of. So what do you will need to put up a little but profitable business? Here are a number of the first steps.

Step 1 - Make a decision on your business undertaking

This is naturally, the very first thing which you need to do. When choosing a business type, you need to consider several aspects. One is profitability. It doesn’t make sense to go for companies that won’t earn you any cash mainly because your business won’t survive if that's so. Food stands like popcorn and snow cone outlets are on the best of the list when it comes to profitability.

Subsequently, you also have to pick something that you get pleasure from performing. If you are a foodie, a food stand could be an excellent selection. If you’re a pet lover, you may wish to open a pet shop. In case you enjoy computers, try selling these gadgets. Not surprisingly, you also have to know one thing about the business that you’re putting up. If not, it is far better to brush up your understanding on it so you do not lose your way around.

Step 2 - Think of a name

Then you also will need to think of a name for your business. Think of something catchy, creative, and interesting. But in the very same time, the name ought to also be relevant the business and must be brief and basic enough to stick towards the minds of your possible buyers. Go on the net to come across numerous concepts for names that apply to your business of option.

Step 3 - Organize the requirements

Subsequently, you need to organize the requirements. Putting up a business would demand application for business permits and a lot more. It can be ideal that you consult a business professional as a way to have a thorough understanding of this procedure. Don’t be discouraged by this step. Although there are loads of paper work, every thing could be worth it in the finish.

Step 4 - Raise the capital

Then not surprisingly you also need to to raise some capital. This could be for the rental of the spot where you’ll be putting up your business at the same time as for the purchase of the factors that you’ll be working with. Obtaining a bank loan is one selection but you need to calculate your finances properly to ascertain just how much of a loan you'll be able to comfortably afford.

Step 5 - Invest on the equipment

Do not forget to invest on the proper equipment. By the word, correct it does not only mean which you ought to invest on points that are appropriate for your business but you ought to also go for high quality ones that will not endanger your business in any way. If you’re going to put up a popcorn or snow cone stand, you’ll come across plenty of commercial popcorn machine and snow cone machines on-line.

About The Author

The author invites you to visit: http://www.historicalclothingrealm.com

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8 Home Based Business Ideas For Men

It is not just Moms who are looking for ways to earn from home but many men want to work at home too. The reasons they are looking for home based business ideas for men are varied. This could be because they have either been retrenched, want to replace their jobs with a home business or would like to supplement their income.

In this article we take a look at 8 home based business ideas for men.

1. Get involved in affiliate marketing and make use of the Internet to sell other people's products.

With affiliate marketing you can get paid for getting leads as well as get paid by the click. Another way to make money is by recruiting affiliates in two-tier affiliate programs where you will get paid a commission on the products your recruits sell.

2. Have you thought of consulting? Using your expertise you can teach other people who will pay you for consulting if it helps them accomplish things they need done.

3. Start repairing cars at home. You can build a competitive business working out of your own garage and this can be personally enjoyable as well as very profitable.

4. Get involved in direct sales. It is not only women who get involved with direct sales companies. Men are also selling Amway, Tupperware, Avon, Herbalife and other direct sales products.

5. Start a day care centre for children. A day care business is not just for women. Many stay at home Dads these days are taking care of other people’s children.

6. Start an online network marketing business. There are many to choose from and the Internet makes it much easier to build a business from home. It is not uncommon for men to work with their wives and build their business as a team which is also a good way to do it.

7. Get involved in Joint Ventures. If you are working online look for other Internet marketers and do a joint venture together. You may be able to combine your particular skill or interest with that of another person to build a successful online business.

8. Make money freelance writing on the Internet. Writing ebooks and selling them on ClickBank or Amazon is very popular right now. Writing for other Internet marketers as an article writer or a blog writer can be extremely lucrative.

If you have a flair for writing the big money is in copywriting and you will find courses online to help you with this.

The above are 8 home based business ideas for men. Thanks to the Internet both men and women can now get involved in the same businesses, so some of the above will overlap.

About The Author
Cynthia Minnaar, the owner of http://www.cyns-home-biz.com runs her online home business full-time from home. She invites you to visit her site where she will share a variety of proven home business ideas. Click here: http://www.cyns-home-biz.com

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How Not to Get Sales Marketing Internships

This is an age of tough competition where every company wants to make sure they outdo the competition and rise to the top. The most important factor that decides whether a company or enterprise will rise to the top is marketing. Marketing is one of the most coveted fields to day, getting precedence even over finance. Unlike finance, marketing is such a field which requires you to use your creativity and come up with your own ideas to promote the product or service offered by the company. The promotion of a product is the main factor which ensures its success. With the right promotion, a company can beat all the competition in the market and soar to the number one position. Sales marketing is an aspect of marketing which is related to the sales promotion of a product. This involves the inception of new ideas to promote a product so that it stands out among other similar products.

Sales marketing is an emerging field which recruits youngsters readily in entry level or internship positions. If you are interested in sales marketing, then it is imperative that you get into an internship with a prominent company that will teach you all the ropes of the job. Marketing is more about aptitude that anything else. An internship lets you get the basic idea about exactly what a sales job entails. You can learn a lot in the few months that you spend as an intern and this experience will be valuable to you all your life.

When you are getting into a marketing internship, there are several things that you should not do. Avoiding a few common mistakes will ensure that you go far in this field in the future.

As a marketing intern, first things first, you need to be passionate about your work. A lack of enthusiasm and interest will create a bad impression that is virtually impossible to get rid of. The first thing that you are not to do is appear bored and interested with the work.

At first you may find the job too stressful. Even if you are having trouble do not let on that you are having difficulties coping. Chances are that with time you will get used to working around the clock and will start enjoying your work.

Being disorganized and scattered is a big no-no. When you start out as an intern you will be assigned to a project. Make your to-do list before hand and make sure that you completely all the tasks successfully. Forgetting something important or missing something obvious can be a major blunder.

When you are assigned to a project do not set yourself unachievable goals. Unrealistic goals will hold you back, stressing you out and keep you from performing your very best.

Do not miss deadlines. To be successful you need to work within your stipulated deadline. Meeting the target is one of the most vital aspects of a sales marketing job.

About The Author
To learn more about finding sales marketing jobs, please visit http://www.marketingcrossing.com/jobs/q-Sales-jobs.html and sign up for a FREE trial to gain access to ALL of the many exclusive job listings we offer in the marketing profession. Silas Reed, Writer for MarketingCrossing, writes articles that inform and teach about different marketing job profiles and tips.

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Getting Your Business To Grow - Lead Generation

When your business depends upon getting new leads regularly, there are some options that are open to you which can help you to achieve it. In today's technologically advanced climate, there are many businesses that tend to focus on electronic means of contacting potential customers, such as through social media or email marketing. Although these can be effective, you should never overlook the possibility of direct mail and using those lists in order to increase the success of your business substantially. Here are some of the benefits that will be seen when you use this type of marketing and mail your list physically instead of automatically.

Perhaps one of the most important things that need to be considered when choosing direct mail over email marketing is that the majority of people look at their mail that they get in their mailboxes every day. Of course, some people are going to toss some of the information without looking at it but a vast majority of those individuals are going to sort through it without delay. This gets your message in front of those individuals easily and, compared to email marketing, the response can be substantially higher.

Another benefit to using direct mail is that you can specifically target groups of people that have an interest in what you are offering. It is important for you to consider this, not only when using direct mail but when purchasing the list of individuals that you will be mailing. The more focused the list is, the more likely it is going to be that you are going to see results from that list.

Have you thought about the customization that is possible when mailing people instead of using electronic means of contacting them? When most people gather email lists, they are only going to gather the most basic information from the potential customer. When you have a mailing list, you not only have the physical address but you often have their name and perhaps some other information as well. You can use this information in order to customize the mailing which will, in turn, increase the response. This is also something that should be considered when you are gathering a list or purchasing it from the company that generates leads.

Finally, you can measure the results of mailing those individuals in order to see if any changes need to be made to the mailing. Of course, you would always want to consider changing the copy and testing in order to increase the response. Some of the ways that you can track the response of a direct-mail campaign include sending out coupons with specific information that either needs to be filled out on your website or to be mailed back to your company. This can assist you in doing a split test as well, allowing you to easily see which is going to be more effective so that you can make those changes and send the future mailings to a larger list to increase the response.

About The Author
Frank Ricard is the author of this article about direct mailing lists. Frank has extensive experience as a writer and entrepreneur and knows how powerful a good marketing list can be. Visit http://www.promarketingleads.net .

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How Web Video Production Can Help Your Business

Web video production has become increasingly popular as embedding technologies and broadband internet speed gets ever better. Where your business or site warrants it, using an online web presenter can help get your message across – in tutorials and product guides, for example. And where a virtual tour is required, the web video really comes into its own.

The bottom line is, the Internet is now ready and able to support genuine multimedia presences for your company and your company website. In an age of file sharing and self broadcast, your customers and site users expect to see you making the best use of the technology at your disposal. Web video production allows you to make use of video files where they are the most appropriate way to get your message across.

In line with all website optimisation protocols, you should use a web video where a video file or moving image is genuinely the optimum way to deliver your information. Ask yourself the following question, of every part of your website: could it be understood better using another method? If the answer to that question is “no”, then a web video production can simplify your site and make its user experience much better.

Video works excellently for site guides, product descriptions and demonstrations of the services you provide. In many cases it is much easier to show a potential customer or service user something you do, in action, rather than trying to explain it with words and still images. Also, your web video satisfies the strongest of all customer urges – which is to see something they are about to buy, “in the flesh”.

The web video production on your site is ideal for making your site feel more interactive and as long as you have the rest of the page properly optimised the inclusion of a video file won’t confuse search engines. Unlike Flash menus, which look funky and do all kinds of flashy things when you scroll over them, but which prevent search engines from seeing the navigational structure of your site correctly, an embedded file can be optimised properly, even to the extent of directory submission.

The ultimate strength of the web video is in its ability to demonstrate the use and enjoyment of a product. One of the major objections to web shopping has always been the lack of knowledge about what exactly you are going to get. A photograph of an item you have never seen before never does it the same justice as a video showing you what it is and how it works.

Your web video production can bring your site to life, bring your products to life, and get your information across more clearly. Used properly, it makes your site user’s experience better.

About The Author

Fortay Media is an online video production company. Customers can choose from a variety of web video services, including online presenters, training videos and corporate videos. www.fortaymedia.co.uk.

The author invites you to visit: http://www.fortaymedia.co.uk

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What Is The Big 'R' For Marketing Your Business ?

Successful businesses have many things in common, today we'll look at the big 'R'of recognition and how a digital advertising network may help.

Recognition can be illustrated by two individuals entering a crowded room at a party. Both walk to the far side of the room, one of them slips through the crowd easily and unnoticed as they reach the far side. The second person takes much longer to reach the far side because they are engaged in conversations along the way as they continue to meet acquaintances and friends during their path. Which type of person would you like to model your business after?

Your business is in a continual battle for your customers' recognition whether you know it or not. If you happen to be fortunate enough to be in a marketplace with very few competitors, that will not last for long. You need your business to be at the forefront of your client's minds so that when they require your products or services, you are the go-to people.

Marketing your business is a necessity. Putting your name and logo out there and keeping it there is a must. This lets clients know that you are "still around" and in business. Frequency is a good way to achieve the "stand out factor" in recognition. I am reminded of both television and radio ads I had heard of in the past. They run continually with a catch phrase or musical jingle over and over again on the radio or television until you are absolutely sick of hearing it. You also cannot get it out of your head. Although this type of advertising is expensive, it can be very effective, and the recognition factor is quite high. Television and radio can reach a large audience, and they are broad in their appeal. In a brief sentence, you are paying to market to both those that are your potential customers and a large segment of those who are not now and probably never will be your customers.

There are more economical ways to pursue frequency, the point is to define your target market demographic, and invest your marketing funds into the locations that will best be seen by them.

Another factor to consider is "can I market myself in a place where I will stand out from my competition, or where my competition does not have a presence?" Why would you market yourself in a flyer or newspaper right beside your competition and risk blending into a crowd, and ultimately being ignored?

Another issue to look at is diversification. As the saying goes, "don't put all your eggs in one basket". When you look at your advertising budget for the year, try to find the affordable solutions that will continue to reap during the full year of your advertising budget. An expensive radio or television promotion may give short term gains for that weekend sale, but what about the rest of the year? Your clients may end up with the impression of where did they go, I haven't seen or heard anything about them for so long.

Don't always look for the old standbys in marketing, but keep your eyes and ears open for the latest and greatest ways to market your business. With the costs of technology coming down dramatically new options such as digital advertising on LCD and Plasma screens are becoming more and more affordable, and the paper billboards and posters becoming a thing of the past. With the flexibility, and curb appeal of full color and motion video footage with computer generated graphics available to you, this is an option you don't want to pass by without a good look.

Ultimately, recognition is required if you want to get people "in the door" of your business (or on your website for the new e-businesses). This is going to cost you money, time and effort up front any way that you look at it, but if you have successfully reached your target market, the payoffs will be worth it.
Author Bio
Submitted by: Chad McDonald of ETA, a Canadian dynamic signage business with a digital signage advertising network (www.procontentsite.com/Digital_Advertising_Network.html) of LCD and Plasma screens.

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Ezine Advertising - Simple Techniques to Drive Traffic to Your Site

The beauty of ezine advertising is that it?s the most targeted form of advertising on the internet. If, for example, someone has subscribed to an ezine about fishing, then they are expressing a strong interest in fishing equipment, tips on improving their skills, travel packages, and an endless list of other possibilities.

This is why ezines are such a good choice. As long as your ad relates closely to the theme of the ezine, the person reading your ad is already halfway toward buying what you have to offer.

There are three types of ads that you can place in your chosen ezine: a classified ad, a sponsor ad, and/or a solo ad.

The classified ad is the smallest and least expensive. This three to five line ad is often run in a block with other classified ads, one on top of another, similar to a page of classified ads in your local newspaper. This contains just a brief description with an email or link to your web site. This costs a few dollars, generally about half the cost of a sponsor ad.

A sponsor ad is placed at the top of the ezine, often under a heading like: "Please support our sponsor.? This ten to fifteen line ad will draw more attention since it is the first thing the reader sees when the email is opened. This is priced around twenty dollars.

The most effective, and naturally the most expensive, is the solo ad. This is not part of the ezine, but instead goes out as an email to everyone on the mailing list. The message is all about you and your product or service. This ad can be as long as 700 words, allowing you to go into great detail, and will cost in the neighborhood of forty to fifty dollars, about twice the cost of a sponsor ad. However, some of the larger ezines may ask for hundreds or even several thousand dollars for a solo ad.

Once you?ve written your ad and chosen an ezine, the best way to proceed is to think like an educator. The most effective teaching method is repetition. Experienced teachers will cover the same information in several different ways. They might lecture one day, followed by a reading assignment and discussion, and then an essay, all on the same topic.

Very few people learn something thoroughly the first time they see it. And few people respond to an ad the first time they see it. Since you are trying to educate and motivate your target audience, you want them to see your ad more than once.

This is best done by first running a solo ad, then running a sponsor ad in the next two or three issues of the same ezine. Finally, for the next five to seven issues run a classified ad. The readers will see your ad for many weeks and begin to understand the message and warm up to your offer. They need time to mull it over, compare products and prices, and decide if they really need it. Give them time, educate them, and they will buy.
Author Bio
Dave Starner is a former teacher and coach who markets ebooks and software. Visit the Internets #1 infoproduct site at www.ebooksnet.com and instantly download great ebooks and software on Internet advertising and hundreds of other topics.

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Finding Keywords - For Adwords Publishers

If you advertise with adwords you have probably realised that with recent changes to their system, the crowd at google have made it very difficult to maintain a profitable adwords campaign. This applies to those promoting other peoples products or their own.

The way I used to create a keyword list for my campaigns was to use the adwords sandbox to enter a bunch of keywords that were relevant to my market and just add whatever words it spat out at me.

It took me a while but I realized eventually that this wasn't the best way to go about it. Many of my keywords would become inactive and the ones that remained were ranked 17.2 and not seeing a lot of action at all.

It annoyed me because as you probably know, on the adwords traffic estimate screen you always seem to get a number of clicks that excites you but when you actually put up the campaign the results you see are much different. Also I was always limited by the number of related keywords I could think up in my own head. I knew about the power of 'backdoor' keywords but couldn't think up enough of them up to create a profitable campaign!

The point it changed is when I found a piece of software that could I could use to see the bid results for large numbers of keywords at once so I could tell immediately which keywords were going to be the most profitable to use in my campaigns and which ones I shouldn't bother with.

Not only that but this same piece of software will actually find for me the backdoor keywords that are generally less competitive and super valuable for an adwords advertiser.

With this software I first find a market and a product I want to promote then find a website about this product... I then insert this URL into the software and it will scan all the words on the page and use certain technologies to tell me all other keywords related to that keyword that I would never have thought of!

The result? More keywords, more backdoor and hence more profitable keywords and a lower cost, potentially higher conversion ad campaign!

The software is called Brainstorm Generator and can be seen via the link in this biography box. I highly recommend it as it is a very powerful tool.
Author Bio
Andrew Hansen is the apprentice to an online marketing guru and has learnt in just a few months how to make a full time income from his online ventures. He endorses www.brainstormgenerator.com as the easiest way to find highly profitable niche markets and explode your online profits.

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Ezine Advertising for Home Based Business

Have you ever considered ezine advertising for your home based business? If not, you're truly missing out on some valuable exposure to your business. Ezine advertising can be a powerful tool if you follow the right guidelines and you will be successful.

Always include quantifiable benefits when writing an ezine advertisement - and actually tell the truth. For instance, if you say "lose 5 pounds in 5 days," people will actually be interested in that and believe it is possible at the same time. Distorting the benefits wont help at all; it will make the advertisement look like a scam more than anything else.

When creating a solo advertisement, alter the copy so that it specifically portrays the product as a solution to a specific problem. Purchase several solo advertisements to test how well this version converts when compared to other versions. Testing is vital if you want to continually improve the conversion rate of your advertisements.

This is very vital for ezine advertising members to realize. Always look for word of mouth referrals for ezine before you place advertisements. In many cases, no matter how good your copy is, you will find that certain ezine simply will not be responsive to your email. This might be because the ezine isn't actually as big as the owner claims it is - and it might also be because the owner hasn't promoted the list in a year.

Think on a professional level. Make sure you format your ezine advertisement correctly before you send in to a publisher. In most cases, you will have to format your advertisement to 60 - 65 words; and you may even want to perform a spam check. If the text isn't formatted properly, lines will be broken and wrapped unprofessionally; and if you don't perform a spam check, it may never even go through in the first place.

When creating a top sponsor advertisement, avoid making an attempt to sell anyone on anything. Instead, give something away completely free that will up sell the reader later, such as a subscription or a special report. Additionally, make sure you clearly communicate that nothing is for sale - and that you simply want them to take action for free.

Become a software application provider for ezine owners. Ask ezine owners what software applications they need - and then hire someone to create an application for you. Distribute this software to all of the ezine owners who have a use for it. Make sure there is some back-end component build in that will drive users to your site.

Now, moving from our last point about ezine advertising we will now discuss when outsourcing any work you are doing as part of an ezine marketing campaign, remember to carefully check for plagiarism and theft. This is definitely an unpleasant thought, but plagiarism has become quite rampant on freelancing sites. If you own several websites, you can use Copyscape to do this for you; however, each site will be limited to 20 scans.



Author Bio

Simply knowing what you read in this article isn't enough. You have to put it into action to be successful. To learn how to do exactly that - and to learn more about Willie DeJarnette business,
PIF4PS, you will want to visit Willie DeJarnette's website at the following URL : www.pif4ps.com

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Use Your Time And Dollars Wisely On Advertising!!

As a business owner, every dollar you spend is a dollar right out of your pocket. This affects your profit margin and revenues. This can be especially difficult if it comes at a time when you're trying to grow your business. If you're going to succeed, you have to pay close attention to your bottom line and look for creative, innovative ways to cut costs while still getting what you need. Almost everyone is chasing search engine to increase traffic to their website.

In order to increase your online business traffic, it requires appropriate advertising to make the business popular. As your online business is overcrowded into the world wide web along with thousands of others selling the same product or service as yourself. Search engines have the potential to deliver a deliver a steady flow of targeted traffic to your website. There are 3 basic areas to consider for efficient use of your money when it comes to getting traffic to your website.
1. Use proper keywords to target to draw traffic back to your primary website.
2. Use Google's pay-per-click program matching with targeted keywords.
3. Use proper content on your website's homepage.
Pay-per-click programs are an excellent way to advertise your business without taking a risk that you have advertised in the wrong place. With pay-per-click, you can advertise you site and only pay for those who click the link and go to your site.You must spend adequate time and effort to research and generate a list of relevant and effective keywords. If you are promoting your own product you can always reinvest your earnings to continue your campaign and grow your income.

There is another option for drawing traffic to your website is based on the use of custom written articles and other targeted content. You can use your budget to have some unique articles written on your favorite key topics, but this can be very expensive and time consuming. Articles such as these can be submitted to article directories.

Imagine hundreds of new articles each month on a topic of your choice...articles that you can use just as if you had written them yourself! And of course PL content can be added directly to your own website or used in a variety of other ways for drawing traffic like post in forum, blogs, press release, etc.

Your goal should be to find a balanced mix of online and offline advertising. This will go a long way towards getting the greatest bang for your advertising buck! Be sure to explore your options and use your time and money wisely in the process.With a little creativity you will be maximizing your profits while minimizing your expenses.
Author Bio

Paras Shah
www.pixel4less.com: Online Pixel Advertising - Web Design - Articles - Classifieds - Pixel Ads - Search Engine Optimization

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Mail forwarding solutions for home businesses

When many businesses start out they are often based at home. This is understandable for several reasons. Many business ideas stem from hobbies or interests and develop into commercial opportunities. Most new businesses start from home to keep costs down during the businesses infancy. Some businesses continue to operate from home as ecommerce, drop shipping and online shops has removed the need for an actual presence on the high street.

Most home based businesses choose to operate as a limited company or sole trader. Either way the owners of the business have to consider whether or not they want to declare their home address as their main business address. Whilst some people may not have any problems with this there are a few points that should be considered.

If you choose to use your home address for your business, this will be declared to the tax authorities, company registry, and other government organisations. All of your letter heads, adverts and other correspondence will need to show your home address. If your business is web based then most clients expect to see an address provided in the contact details. Your address is then freely available for everyone to access.

You may decide that you do not want to declare your address to the entire world. This provides you with a couple of options. Firstly you could use a post office box commonly referred to as a PO Box. These are easy to set up with a local post office or similar service provider. They are relatively inexpensive and provide a cheap alternative to using your own address. Mail can either be collected or forwarded for an additional fee. However, they are not always the right solution.

Organisations like banks, international couriers and many suppliers of goods will not accept a PO Box as a business address. It may be difficult to order supplies and deliveries if you only provide a PO Box as your contact. In addition to this, what will your clients and customers think? You may find that a PO Box deters people from using your services. Consider what a prospective customer may be thinking if your contact details online only show a PO Box and not a standard address. It may not fill them with confidence.

The second alternative is to use a mail forwarding company. Instead of using a PO Box you may prefer to use a company that specialises in forwarding mail for businesses. This removes the PO Box section from your address. Some service providers may use suite numbers instead to identify your mail. Many of the professional mail forwarding companies however, simply let you use their address. The mail is then sorted by dedicated staff and forwarded on to you the day it is received. Whilst this may not be as cheap as the first option it avoids any stigma attached to using PO Boxes and means that even international couriers will deliver to your address.

This type of mail forwarding service allows you to display your business address on your website, promotional material and business correspondence. Your customers need never know that your mail is processed through an alternative address. Your personal address is not disclosed to your clients providing you with piece of mind. Junk mail is avoided and you will never get a dissatisfied customer turn up at your family home.

A further point to consider is the urgency of your mail. If your business mail is not urgent then collecting from a PO Box can be done at your leisure. Mail forwarding service providers will delay your mail by one day. Therefore if you regularly need business correspondence the next day then neither service may be suitable to your business.

When operating your business from home consider the implications of using your own address, a post office box or a mail forwarding service provider. There are advantages and disadvantages to all solutions. It is important to remember that whatever decision you make you should minimise the impact on your customers.

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Winning Customers Over the Phone

Do you sometimes wonder where your customers have gone? In a study by the International Customer Research Institute, individuals gave the following reasons for becoming "non-repeat" customers:

• 1 percent died (makes you wonder how they responded)
• 3 percent moved
• 5 percent said friendships
• 9 percent said competition
• 14 percent were dissatisfied with the product
• 68 percent cited an attitude of indifference by employees

How many times do you think that employee attitude is communicated by phone? Very often the telephone is the first and only contact that people have with your organization. Make sure that this experience is the best you and your employees have to offer so that first-time callers become repeat customers.

Smile when you answer the phone. Even if your hair is on fire or the last caller chewed you out, pause for a moment to put a smile on your face and in your voice. Believe it or not, people can hear you smiling through the phone.

Answer the phone on the first ring, certainly no later than the third ring. If people have to wait through rings four and five, they begin to think that you have closed for the day, gone out of business or just don't care. We live in a world that expects instant gratification. Be sure you meet your customers' expectations.

Ask permission before you put someone on hold. You may have multiple lines ringing and a line of people standing at your desk, but wait to hear the caller's response. It is that person's choice to hold or not. Try not to turn this move into a power play. When you come back on the line, thank the person for holding. If you have to ask the caller to continue to hold, offer to take a number and return the call.

Transferring calls should be done with care. Before you connect the caller to someone else's extension, make sure that person is in and able to help. There is nothing more frustrating than being transferred over and over again and having to retell the same story to a multitude of different people before finding the right one.

Before you send the call to co-worker, give the caller that person's name and number in case there is a disconnect. Better yet, tell the caller who you are and how to reach you if there is a problem. You will have an extremely satisfied customer.

Always make an offer of help. It may not be your department, your issue or your job, but if it is the customer's problem, you need to show concern. Never tell the caller " 'I don't know'" or "I can't help you." The best response to a problem is a genuine "Let me see what I can do or who I can find to help you."

You will win customers and influence people every time when you use good phone skills. Author Bio
Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of MANNERS THAT SELL - ADDING THE POLISH THAT BUILDS PROFITS. She has been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Investors' Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and Woman's Day. For more information about her programs, products and services, e-mail her at lydia@mannersthatsell.com or visit her web site Manners That Sell.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

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Convert Visitors Into Repeat Buyers

I'm going to start this off with the most essential mindset; I believe this to be the number one business-saving, money-generating rule. I call this the SGT method.

SGT Method

Sgt. Common Sense wants YOU ... to Stop your Greedy Tactics! With your own personal gain in mind for business decisions you'll get nowhere but a deceiving sense of success. Here's a small example for you to consider ...

A business owner starts an online website hosting company. He spends $1000 USD/month in advertising to the general public through Google AdWords. His first month he gains 200 paid clients at $24.95 USD/month revenue. With these new clients, he's gaining $4990 a month in revenue, $3990 in pure profit! Amazing!

He continues with his business plan, but decides to upgrade a few of his services. His advisor tells him that he needs to put funding into support services for his clients; this will cost $500 a month and should support 1000 clients. Ignoring his advisor, he throws another $2000 into monthly advertising with Google.

Now here comes the part where you should pay attention ... The business owner is looking at short term when he should be looking long term.

Month Two:
Advertising Costs : $3000 USD
Tech Support Costs : $0 USD (NO SUPPORT)
Clients (end of month) : 750 (200 + 550 for new month)

Business Owner: "We're doing GREAT! LOOK at the GROWTH!"

What's he forgetting? COMMON SENSE! If you don't take care of your current clients, how could you possibly take care of future one's?


Month Three:
Advertising Costs : $6000 USD
Tech Support Costs : $0 USD (NO SUPPORT)
Clients (end of month) : 1000 (750 + 250 for new month)

Incoming clients are now down 300. Why? Because 300 of his current clients left due to lack of support. This does not account for his clients that signed up, couldn't transfer over and demanded refunds. This could also put a freeze on the business owner's merchant account, costing him even more money.

Lesson? Take care of the clients you DO have.

Here's why, and this may come as a shock to you but you may not have to pay another cent in advertising, ever again.

"Josh, what the heck are you talking about?" - Confused Reader

It's simple, word of mouth. Word of mouth is the most powerful, and most cost effective method of advertising that is on the planet Earth. What is a better way to advertise, you tell me:

1) You pay $1000 in Google AdWords and gain 200 clients.
2) You pay $0 and gain 100 clients

Good question, is it not? Hint: I would say 100 clients for $0 would take the cake out of those choices. 100 clients for free?!? Sign me up!

Now here's another question. What sounds better out of these two?

A web surfer looking for a website to visit that will assist him with home gardening goes to Google, and types in "home gardening". He looks at the links and has his attention caught by ... what ends up being hundreds of possible assisting sites. But have no fear! After all, we're sponsoring the keywords with Google AdWords, right?

Guess what ... the buyer most likely won't buy from a website that he/she has never heard of before. So he/she calls his friends asking if they have heard of your website with a do-it-yourself guide. He call's his friend John, who replies with,

"No, I haven't heard of that one ... but I know of a good guide that we used for our garden, it worked wonders. Jill said she would have bought two times over, and subscribed to their mailing list for future ideas and tips. Now they send us a new tip every week, it's great! The website address is www dot ... "

What just happened here happens daily to EDUCATED shoppers. These shoppers are the kinds of people you want to purchase from you / sign up for your information. They realize that if they get one good nugget of information from you or a great product, they can get more. This goes back to the term in the introduction, they become a repeat customer.

Here's the best part:

You don't pay more to get them back. Your advertising money went even FURTHER than one sale with this one!
Your .20 per click just generated $50, $100, $150 or even THOUSANDS in sales! This also doesn't count everyone that this one person talks to about your products.

Of course, there are a few drawbacks. You won't become an overnight millionaire with this method. It takes time for word of mouth to properly work. But when it does, boy is it a beauty!

Bottom line to create a FREE advertising empire ...

Treat your clients the best that you can. It's a NECESSITY!


Personally, I believe that two years worth of work that will create thousands a month in revenue is worth the time. Of course, if you're impatient, thousands in advertising costs work too...

The bottom line of the SGT method is that if you treat your clients well, it's the best advertising method you can get!

SGT Recap

When Used Properly, you have an advertising team that ...

+ Is Extremely Effective
+ Pays YOU to advertise YOUR products!
+ Will WANT to advertise YOUR products!
+ Spreads with VIRAL EFFECT when done right.
+ Does the work for you ... and you get paid for it.

Does that sound like something you want? A free advertising empire that wants to advertise for you, and pays you to do so. It certainly sounds like something I want for my products.


Now let's go over the methods to turn visitors into repeat clients. The first one I'm going to present to you is the ...

The Triple R Method

Ah, the Triple R Method. These can be the most effective method when utilized correctly. This helps turn your website from a information site into a money-generating machine.

Let's get to this Triple R method:

Readability
Reliability
Reusability

Common sense but most businesses do not employ this method to better their futures in the online market. If a business owner keeps these in mind when they create a business and the business's website/content, they will have a 75% better chance they're next business will be as successful or more successful at converting sales and keeping clients.

I'm going to put the Triple R method into plain English and explain each point. Hopefully you'll see the power in making you're contact points with these in mind.

Readability
Your website, cover letter, or point of contact needs to be easy to read. It needs to contain simple English as well as easy to understand sentences. In general, it needs to have a good, basic, understandable format. If a user that knows nothing about your service or product reads your advertisement (or 'pitch') page and has no clue what you're talking about, how will you get the sale?

All of the content that you present to your potential clients or subscribers needs to be put in the simplest English possible. Let me put it this way: have someone that knows NOTHING about the subject check it for readability, understandability and coherence. If someone that has no clue what you're selling can have a general understanding of the product by the time they reach the order page, you have succeeded.

Reliability
Reliability is key. Your information that you sell must be consistent. The methods you give must be logical and easy to follow over and over. If you're a service-based company, the services you offer must be able to compete with the industry standard. For example, I'll use website hosting.

If you're a website host and you offer hosting, one of the main selling points that usually seals the deal is the uptime guarantee. The industry standard is around 99.5% or 99.9% uptime guarantee. If you can offer this, you'll gain a lot more sales from mission-critical clients. Mission-critical means one main thing, more money that consistently flows from the source month after month into your pocket.

If you have the choice between starting with a reseller from your 12 year old neighbor that's in school every day (and handles support himself) and another host that does the job full time, choose the full time. Will it be more expensive? Most likely. Will it handle more of the hassle itself? Yes. Remember, if you put a little more money in return for better quality it will give you less hassle. The company could practically run itself, with the exception of support, of course.

Reliability can either make or break a company. Great reliability will put the word of mouth method into full swing, and will gain you a lot more clients than you're paying in advertising costs. You wouldn't complain about getting clients for free, would you? I didn't think so.

Reusability
Reusability is the number one key to any project that you do. Unless it's a membership site, and possibly even if it is, it needs to be able to be re-used. Think about it in the following example regarding niche markets:

You have identified a niche market you want to start a business in. You launch your eBook site and subscription service around the niche, and impact the market hard. Now it's come to keep adding content and maintain the site. But now you stumble across yet another niche, which looks even more untapped and amazingly profitable. What will you do?

a) Design another website for it, code a site, etc...
b) Jump right in, your first niche site is a template and reusable!
c) Be sorry about not templating, and spend hours doing option A, once again.

Think about it! You spend an extra hour or two on the first site making it reusable and able to be duplicated, in return for hours saved on each and every website you launch after it. Imagine that you launch hundreds or thousands of websites ... that's how many hours unless it's templated? See the point?

Reusability will not only save you time, but if you do it right from the start it will also guarantee your success. If you spend hours looking into Search Engine Optimization and making the site comply with the backbone rules of success, you only have to do it once! There's software out there right now called SEOElite.com that's helped thousands of people achieve success over the titans throughout Google. Here's an example of what SEOElite.com can do.

Think of everyone out there that searches for the term "work from home" in Google. How many sites do you believe there are containing or even focusing in on that term? According to the testimonial from a loyal customer of SEOElite.com there were 468,000,000 at the time of his using the software. He obtained the #1 spot in Google for "work from home". Think of how much Return for his Investment he got from that software. One time payment of $176 USD, to return a flood of FREE DAILY TRAFFIC to his site to earn him more money. Wouldn't you say that's worth the investment?

HVP - High Value Products

Your products MUST have a perceived value. If it doesn't FEEL like it's worth anything, it won't be purchased. Think about it. If you sell a guide to making thousands of dollars for $5, why would people buy it? "It's a quick buck Josh, come on!" NO. If it were a proven method he would want a heck of a lot more than $5 for the guide.

If I gave you the choice right now between a $5 ticket to your local high school football game and a $75 dollar sixth-row ticket to your local NFL team's game, which would you choose? The key behind this is perceived value.

Have you ever heard the classic talk between a husband and wife on TV where the wife buys something and her reasoning is "for $xxx.xx it has to be good!". It's like open source software. Most companies won't use open source software because they think it has a problem. "If they're not charging for it, there has to be a problem with it." See the reasoning behind perceived value?

Author Bio
A young entrepreneur from Maryland, Josh from HowToMakeMoneyWithA.com has been studying psychology and business since his early teens. Armed with technology and a willingness to succeed, he is willing to share his techniques with the masses.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

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Unlocking the Value of Your Customers

One of the greatest thrills in business is acquiring a new customer. Many businesses are too caught up in the excitement of acquiring new customers that they do not spend enough time or money on unlocking the value of their existing customer base. It surprises me how often business fail to regard their existing customers as one of their most valued assets.

There may not be the same excitement in getting orders from existing customers, BUT this is where the real profits are made. It is generally accepted amongst most marketing experts that it costs at least five times more to acquire a new customer than it does to get an order from an existing customer. There are many ways that you can unlock the value of your existing customer base and in this article, I will explore some of those ways with you.

The first thing a business needs to do is develop the mindset that their customer base is their most valuable asset. Customers need to be treated like gold because that is what they are to your business. Responding to the needs of your existing customers must take priority over prospecting for new customers.

To unlock the value of your customers requires that you have a range of products that will fulfil their needs. Products should be carefully chosen to ensure they are of the right quality and will meet customer needs. Your customers will often tell you what they need if you listen to them carefully and with respect. This can save you a lot of time and cost in market testing of new products.

Stay in contact with your customers. There are a variety of ways to do this and the Internet provides a cost effective means to do so. A regular newsletter for customers providing them with useful information is the most common way. However, you need to know what your customers want to make this truly effective.

Gather the preferences of your customers and monitor their buying habits. This can provide you with very valuable information. To get valuable ideas, look at some of the things Amazon does. For example, Amazon allows people to subscribe to updates on various different types of books and products. That way, they are able to provide information on a regular basis that the customer is interested in.

Amazon also had an author update service. You tell them who your favourite authors are and, whenever there is anything new by that author, you receive an email notification. They also have a facility that suggests other titles or products you may be interested in. This is based on what you are considering purchasing and what others who purchased the same item also purchased.

Do these features generate more sales from their existing customers? You bet they do! How can you use these concepts to unlock the value of your customers?

Consider ways that you can make it easy for your customers to re-order. Simple things such as not having to fill in all their details again on the order form help. That way, customers only need to advise you of changes to their details and the order process is a lot quicker.

Regularly review your customers' buying habits. This can reveal information on offers that you can make that meet their needs. Providing them with a solution to their problem will lead not only to further sales but also strong goodwill.

Customer service can be one of your strongest weapons in the battle to retain your customers. Make every effort to personalise responses to customer enquiries. Do not send standard form emails if you can avoid it. While this will take more time, the rewards will be far greater.

Be quick to honour guarantees. This will show that you mean what you say and will build strong credibility. Too often, tardiness and slow responses lead to lost credibility and lost future value of a customer. When you are treating your customers as the most important people to your business, they will find the experience rewarding and will return often.

Each business is different and has its own specific ways that can generate greater value from their existing customer base. Through this article, I hope I have helped you to start thinking more about how you can unlock the value of your customers.

Remember, the more you put into looking after your business's major asset, the more profit you will make. A side benefit is that your customers may even refer their friends and associates to your business resulting in a steady flow of new customers with a very small customer acquisition cost.
Author Bio
Article by Kevin Sinclair, CPA, of Personal & Business Success Resources. Visit his website at www.ksinclair.com.

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Couple Ways to Make Extra Money on the Weekends

Do you work at 9 to 5 job seven days a week? If so, you are probably tied up during the week. In other words, you do not have a lot of time to chase after other money making ventures. But what about on the weekends? If you are up to it there are many things that you can do on the weekend to make a bit of extra money.

If you are interested in earning a bit of extra money on the weekends there are options to consider. And if you play your cards right you may be able to make more money than you ever thought possible. Listed below are just a few of the weekend jobs that you may want to look into.

1. In today's day and age there is no better way to make some extra money than by using the internet. The internet is the world's biggest marketplace, and if you know how to use it correctly you can start to make a decent secondary income on the weekends. Research the options that are available online, and then make a decision as to which ones will work best with you and your current schedule. You may even find a weekend job on the internet that you can turn into a full-time job over time if you so desire.

2. Some people think that delivering the newspaper is for kids, but if you want to make some extra money on the weekends it is also a good option for working folks. Check with your local paper and see if they are hiring for weekend delivery people. Doing this a couple of days a week can make you a bit of extra money without having to put in too much time and effort.

3. Become a part-time landscaper. If you like working outdoors, and are good at fixing up people's lawns, you should look into a job as a weekend landscaper. This can mean everything from cutting grass to planting trees. You can do whatever you are good at.

4. Take your full-time job and extend it to seven days a week by doing contract work. For example, if you work at a web design firm you can do contract work for clients on the weekend. Being a freelancer in your field is a great way to make extra money on the weekends. Plus, you already have the knowledge that you need in order to get started. This makes the start up process much easier.

Overall, making extra money on the weekends is more than possible. Listed above are just four ideas to consider. Hundreds more are available, and you can find them in no time if you start searching today.
Author Bio
Make extra money online - Complete money making site set-up.
Go To: www.myaffiliatestarter.com/pips.html

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How To Choosing a Company Name

When forming a limited company the name of the company can be an important decision. Some people may choose the first name that they think of and others may select a ready made company for speed or because they like a particular name. However, many businesses may prefer to select a company name that either clearly distinguishes itself from its competitors or contains something unique or personal. Company names can be chosen for different reasons.

One of the most common ways of selecting a company name is to use something personal. A quick look through your local newspaper will probably introduce you to many personalised business names. Johnson Consulting Limited, T Smith & Son Limited, Stephens & Barley Limited are some fictional examples of what may be found. This may instantly make a company recognisable locally, it can be deemed as more personal by its customers, and often works well within geographical areas. However, it does little to tell new customers what your company does.

A popular choice for a small business is to choose a name that is 'descriptive'. This tells prospective clients exactly what your company does. Examples of this may be to call your business The Window Company Limited, City IT Consultants Limited or The Advertising Agency Limited. Whilst this does serve to reinforce your primary business it offers little differentiation and may easily be adapted by competitors.

A less personal option is to use a company name that is 'associative'. This type of company name helps to create an image or connection to your business activity. It is less direct than using a descriptive name but helps to position your company's name within the market through peoples understanding of what words mean. For example a flick through the Yellow Pages will offer plenty of examples of this. A hairdresser called Classic Cuts or a printer called Selectaprint Limited are examples of what may be found. These names offer some differentiation but may not ultimately set your company aside from its competitors.

An alternative is to choose a company name that is 'freestanding'. These names are completely abstract and not related to the companies business activities. A fictional example may be to call your catering company Zedoc Limited. There are many popular brand names that illustrate this point. Consider, Kodak, Gillette, or Mars, these names will probably be instantly recognisable to you and conjure up a particular product or business. This is a good way of setting your company aside from the competition but it is important to consider the market that you operate in. Will your prospective clients know what your business is offering?

Choosing a company name may be a simple process, but it is not uncommon for people to deliberate over names for quite some time. Whilst company names can, and often are, changed during the life of the company most people like to choose a name that they like from the outset. Therefore consider your market, how much you want to differentiate from your competitors and what your company name should say about your organisation. Once the decision is made focus on the important business of making your company a success.
Author Bio
Michael Harris is a university graduate who has worked within the company formation and business advice industry for many years. Simple Formations is part of the SFS Group of Companies providing Company Formation the same day with your own company name.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

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Coca-Cola: The Power of a Brand

Beginning in 1886, Coca-Cola president John Pemberton began travelling the country introducing pharmacists to the drink. At that time it was thought about a medicinal substance that could relieve headaches & other minor woes. Candler distributed clocks, calendars & other items loaded with the Coca-Cola logo as he toured the country, spreading the brand & selling his product.

There are few images as recognizable throughout the world as the Coca-Cola brand. Travel to the furthest reaches of the globe & you will probably encounter it on a clock or a sign, if not on the drink itself. Marketers today look to the Coca-Cola brand as a model of promotion power. Its picture has transcended national borders & cultural barriers to reach  everyone on earth. How did the Coca-Cola symbol become such an omnipresent picture?

Today Coke remains a powerful brand with over a century of history behind it. As a result, items featuring earlier incarnations of the Coke picture have become classic pieces of Americana. The success of the Coca-Cola brand has made it an icon not in the world of brand promotion but of American history. It symbolizes the popularity of a soft drink as well as the dominance of American entrepreneurialism in the twentieth century & beyond.

From there the brand continued to penetrate further around the globe. The bottling rights to Coca-Cola were sold in 1899 & in 1915 the Root relatives submitted a standard size bottle for distribution, but it was fat in the middle. The Coca-Cola Company liked the bottle a lot they thinned it down & has been used ever since & is called a Hobbleskirt Bottle. By 1920, with new bottlers springing up on a regular basis, the brand had expanded in to Cuba, France, Puerto Rico & other territories. Its world dominance would increase further with World War II, when Coca-Cola promised that "every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents, wherever he is, & whatever it costs the company." Suddenly Coca-Cola could be found throughout Europe as American GIs carried it with them, & by 1960 the number of countries with Coke bottling plants had doubled.

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Advergames Build A Unique Brand Experience With Consumers

A brand spanking new media vehicle for brand promotion is through the use of advergames. Advergames are custom-developed online video games created specifically for a brand, where the plot and game-play revolve around a featured product or offering. Through word of mouth, offline promotion and online gambling channels, consumers are invited to play these branded games at no cost. Advergames are usually posted to a special area of an organization's Web-site, and are distributed to consumers through e-mail or accessed from popular online gambling portals. Advergames are quickly becoming a natural catalyst for generating viral promotion opportunities.

In an age of Tivo, iPod, Podcasts, and Xboxes, today's consumers are turning from traditional media to new forms of electronic entertainment, making them increasingly more difficult to reach through traditional promotion mediums. The challenge that marketers face today is finding innovative - and entertaining -opportunities to connect their brand with their targeted audiences.

The key factor in making a successful advergame is incorporating a brand or product in to the game to generate a realistic and entertaining situation around the game play. An example of this would be if an automobile manufacturer featured the exact make and model of a SUV in an off-roading game. As players advance in the game, they could update to a higher model SUV and also select upgraded vehicle features. Likewise, a brand-name athletic shoe company could feature a sneaker in a basketball advergame. As players advanced in the game, they could select different models of shoes that would affect their performance and strength of their basketball abilities.

Studies show that consumers are willing to enjoy hours of free online gambling entertainment for the tiny cost of experiencing subtle product placement and brand messaging in the context of the game. Lots of leading brands - ranging from Axe, Coca Cola, Dodge, Ford and Nike - have created their own branded video games, which permit consumers to experience their products through branded entertainment.

The success of an advergame is basically measured. Because prospect information and contact information is gained from game registration, brands can basically track who is visiting the site, the total accumulated hours of game play, and the number of times a game was referred or e-mailed to a mate - all valuable information to marketers.

Advergames present an amazing viral branding opportunity for companies to exponentially distribute branded content across a range of audiences. With consumers increasingly turning from traditional media to new forms of electronic entertainment, it is time for brand marketers to "get their game on" in the event that they need to keep their competitive edge.

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Get Paid to Drive Your Car

What's the Deal?
It's quite simple. Big corporations are always looking for new ways to promote themselves. And the latest, most innovative way, is you. All you have to do is agree to place the logo or advertisement of a company on your car, and drive with it wherever you go. This new method of company promotion offers an immense benefit to the advertiser, and you profit from it. In some cases, the company will actually give you a new car with a logo already on it. And all you have to do is drive.

Does this actually work?
Yes. But be ready to wait a while before making any money - you will be at the mercy of your advertisers. On average, applications are accepted within 90 days of submission. But the wait might be well worth it in the end. Today there are literally millions of people who are benefiting from this new advertising strategy throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

What's the catch?
There are two things you have to realize before considering this money-making tactic. First, you must be willing to have the advertisement on your car wherever you go; you are not permitted to take it off until the advertising term ends. And secondly, you must agree to drive at least 1 000 miles per month. But most people do this anyway. It is also a plus to leave in or near a large urban center and to park in a public place as much as possible. The advertisers will collect this and other detailed information from you before working with you. Moreover, you will be responsible for insurance, maintenance, and paying for gas. You must also be at least 18 years of age, and have a good driving history.

Where do I start?
There are quite a few companies on the internet that offer this service. What they will do is take your name and submit it to a list of advertisers, or better yet, they will simply give you a list of the advertisers who are willing to offer you cash for driving. In the latter case, you can pick your favorite and contact them directly. In all it only take one sign up (usually about $30) and a few e-mails and you're done.

How much will I make?
Between $100 and $3000 every month. Of course very few people make $3000 per month. But it depends on the company, how far you drive, where you drive, and the type of ad that's placed on your car.

Where to Look: www.makemoneydriving.biz
The customer support here is excellent. And the listing offered is thorough, which ends in the highest chances of getting accepted, and being paid more. The knowledge provided on the site is lacking, but you can always ask for more details to make definite you are getting what you pay for.

Another Web-site: www.thefreecar.com
TheFreeCar.com features a device to locate programs available in your area and is of the more established "get-paid-to-drive" companies, but it is more pricey than the rest.

Author Bio
Make Money Driving Your Car
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

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