501 Business Tips

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Copyright 2009,SewingBusiness.com All Rights Reserved Page 2

501 Tips, Strategies andProfessional Secrets

For Home Business Entrepreneurs

By S. Denise Hoyle & Sarah J Doyle

Copyright 2009

No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoeverwithout written permission from the author, except in the case of brief

quotations embodied in reviews and articles.
http://sewingbusiness.com/http://sewingbusiness.com/http://sewingbusiness.com/http://sewingbusiness.com/


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Basics 5

Home Office 19

Office Equipment 26

Producing Information 31

Advertising & Marketing 41

Increase Profits/Reduce Expenses 75

Taxes 79

Goal Setting & Other Facts of Life 82

Recommended Resources 90


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T I PS , STRATEG I ES, AN D PROFESSI ON AL SECRETS

FOR TH E HOM E BUS I N ESS ENTREPRENEURis written tohelp both the beginner and the advanced home business

owner have access to the hints and tips weve accumulatedover the years to help make your business thrive! This isour own condensed version of the top 501 tidbits that wehave gleaned from our own experience and from ourpartners and authors of the many business books that wehave studied over time.

Together, the authors of this book have over 50+ yearsof experience in running a business from home. We have

written numerous books and articles over the years and wehave learned many things the hard way, through trial anderror. This book is the culmination of those efforts, andwed like to try and pass along to you many of the thingsthat we have learned through the "school of hard knocks" sothat you might be able to get your business "off the ground"with as few mistakes as possible.

So, glance through this book and read the tips. When

you begin to apply the various tips, strategies andprofessional secrets that are included in this book, ordersand inquiries for your products should start to roll in.


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THE BASICS

1. Never use a free email address (ie. Gmail, Yahoo,Hotmail, AOL) as the main email for your business. Even ifyou dont have a website yet, you can register a domain foraround $10/year and just use it for email until you do get asite setup.

2. As you're building your business, ask yourcustomers if you can add their email address to your list.You dont have to write any fancy newsletters, just makeoccasional email announcements regarding new products orspecials. Sending occasional emails will keep your businessfresh in their minds so when they DO need a service like

yours again they will remember you.

3. Let your customers know that you value theirprivacy. Tell them that you will never sell or share theiremail addresses with others, then stick by that promise.

4. Keep in mind the main reasons that buyers shoponline: convenience, privacy, specialty items not availablelocally, bargains sold only on a national basis, and for non-

crowded conditions compared to local shopping malls.

5. The fastest and easiest way to have an exclusiveproduct to sell is to create it. The easiest product to createand produce and then sell by the thousands is writteninformation.

6. Develop an overwhelming belief and confidence inyourself. Don't even consider defeat - YOU ARE A WINNER!

Remember, whatever the mind can conceive and believe, itCAN achieve!

7. If you will "re-invest" your profits back into thebusiness, your business will expand and grow faster thanyou ever thought possible. For example, if you run two ads,costing $100 each, and let's say your net profit is $50 for


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13. DON'T RUSH! Take your time to learn yourbusiness niche. Study the industry magazines anddetermine who your competitors are. Patience will rewardyou.

14. Products that are widely sold in stores are notusually suitable for online sales, unless you can offer good orbetter quality at a much lower price.

15. Don't be fooled into thinking that offering oneproduct, book or service will make you rich. It's great toSTART with one product, book or service, but you need tohave something else to sell to your customer after he/sheorders your first product.

16. When picking a company name, stay away fromadding "Enterprises" or "Associates" at the end of it. Usinggeneric terminology of this sort doesnt help you stick outfrom the crowd.

17. It costs four times as much to obtain a newcustomer as it does to sell to a repeat customer.

18. If you and your spouse plan to run a homebusiness together be sure each person knows what their rolein the business is. It is imperative that each knows exactlywhat he or she is responsible for so that there are nomisunderstandings or overlapping responsibilities that serveto waste time.

19. Avoid hiring employees, except perhaps familymembers, as it often times doesnt end well to haveemployees working out of your home.

20. Once your business grows to the point of needinghelp, consider hiring a virtual assistant. Search online fora professional organization where you can get references,then only pay for the help that you need. Your virtualassistant can help you with clerical chores, customer service


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functions and background functions of your business, freeingup your time to grow the business.

21. There is no end to the variety of ways you canmake money online. Any product, any hobby, any servicecan be sold over the Internet. The market is HUGE and isactually growing every day! If you spend just a few minutesa day "thinking" about what you know, what you can do,what your hobbies are, you will soon have several ideas ofbusiness niches that you would be interested in pursuing.

22. With job security at a low point in America rightnow, there's a great temptation among employees to simply"walk off" the job and start a business of their own. NEVER,

NEVER use your entire family savings on a risk-venture,which every new business is.

23. Keep your expenses low by starting your businesspart time, from a kitchen table or spare bedroom, until suchtime that it is making more money than your regular job.NOW you're ready to weigh the pros and cons of leavingyour job to pursue the business full-time.

24. The Small Business Administration (SBA) isdesigned to help you get your business started right. Thereare many offices throughout the United States where youmay write or visit for information, and they have a wealth ofinformational booklets, publications and online learningresources available athttp://www.sba.gov.

25. With determination and a willingness to learn,anyone can master the principles of online marketing.

26. Eighty to 90% your business will likely begenerated from only 10% to 20% of your customers.Therefore, you should make every effort to treat eachcustomer as you would a good friend and you will bereceiving many more orders from them.
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27. One key to success is to SPECIALIZE in a nichemarket. Don't spread your resources too thin trying tocover a dozen marketing ventures at the same time. Do onething until it becomes successful, and then try your hand at

other areas.

28. Do you have a great idea you'd like to pursue?Investigate it thoroughly. Great ideas can be turned intosuccessful businesses if you have the persistence,determination, proper planning and startup funding.

29. Make a list of your attributes and strong points.Write down whatever you are exceptional at - those thingsthat you can do better than most people. Choose one or

more of your strongest points that you would like to developinto a business. Work on your strong points to make themeven stronger. This approach can turn you into an expert inyour field.

30. Entrepreneurs have certain characteristics thatseparate them from people who remain 9-5 employees.Among the attributes of entrepreneurs are the willingness totake risks, ability to identify good business ideas,

determination and confidence, ability to use "blinders" whennecessary to focus on a particular goal and excludeeverything else, and a willingness to work the hours neededto succeed. Ask yourself if you have the attributes of asuccessful entrepreneur.

31. The highly successful entrepreneur spends aminimum of 10-15 minutes daily THINKING about what canbe done to improve their business, how to service their

customers better, and what short cuts can be implementedfor time and cost savings, etc.

32. Make sure you run a business with integrity.Honor agreements; refuse to take unfair advantage ofcustomers; be on time for appointments; return phone callspromptly. These attributes will help you to STAY in business.


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33. In a home business, your "salesmen" are found inyour printing, your advertising, your designs, yourletterhead, and so on. The appearance of your written salesmaterial gives the IMAGE of you and your company and ifcustomers don't have a good image of you, they won't buy.

34. It's funny that most people who "don't have thespare time" to start a part time home business, wouldn'tever miss their favorite TV program, or Monday nightfootball, or sleeping in late on Saturday. This is the "sparetime" that's needed to start ANY venture! Most of us knowthat we must make certain sacrifices in order to reach ourgoals.

35. Just because you are working at home doesn'tmean you should become a hermit! Go out to lunch once inawhile; go to the library to do some research; makeappointments with clients, etc.

36. Home based businesses create an estimated 8,219new jobs and entrepreneurial positions each day.

37. Consistency of performance and quality of serviceare mandatory for a home business. Consistency removesdoubts from customers' minds about your business. Nothingwill destroy your business more quickly than whencustomers no longer trust you.

38. When needed, furnish pertinent company historyand relevant experience in your field - just because you'rejust starting your home business doesn't take away from thefact that you've "been sewing for your family for years", or

"have been teaching computer basics to all new employeesat your previous job". You probably have several years'experience in your particular field, dont be shy about lettingyour customers know it!

39. About 70% of home-based businesses will lastover a three-year period, compared to 29% of other


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business ventures, according to the Home-Based BusinessInstitute.

40. DO NOT SELL YOUR PRODUCTS TOO CHEAPLY! Onlower priced items, such as books for $20 or less, wesuggest that you plan to make a 5 to 1 markup (forexample, if your cost is $2, you sell it for $10). Remember,however that your customer MUST FEEL he is getting aPERCEIVED VALUE. The "value" is in the mind of thecustomer. As long as the majority of your customers feelthey are getting their money's worth, your pricing is right.

41. The number one reason for business failure ismanagement - or the lack of it. The lack of knowledge,

experience, imagination, ambition, preparation,determination, unexpected competition and a waning ofmotivation. Eliminate as many entrepreneurial risks aspossible at the beginning - know what you want and bedetermined to go for it!

42. If appropriate in your niche, consider naming yourbusiness to sound like a law firm - Jones and Brown; Smith,Young and Thompson; Thomas & Thomas. Keep it simple

and easy to remember. Advantages: mail is opened first;calls are returned faster; secretaries respond quickly; andinformation is often given more freely.

43. "Proceed cautiously in any endeavor and keep inmind that few miracles occur in any business. Rule out luckand use your ability, perseverance and judgment to utilizeall attributes of a successful business person. Keep costs ata minimum, use what's available, start from home, and keep

it simple." (Quote from the U.S. Small BusinessAdministration).

44. Real profits come from steady sales....repeatsales.....not quick in-and-out deals. Be prepared to be inbusiness for the long haul.


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45. According to IDC, a top national research firm,there are between 34.3 million and 36.6 million home officehouseholds in the United States alone. Nationwide, thenumber of home-based businesses may range from 18

million to 38 million, depending on who is doing thecounting. (U.S. Census figures.)

46. A very wise person once said, "Make a living doingwhat you love to do, and you'll never have to work anotherday in your life." Excellent advice!

47. Fear of failure is one of the main things holdingmany people back from success. The only way you can beassured of not failing is to never do anything! You need to

realize that obstacles and challenges can really turn out tobe great opportunities.

48. Drop shipping is an easy way to get started in mailorder. You do not have to invent anything; there is nostorage of products; no inventory to buy; no book to write,etc. All you need is advertising money, some sales literature(which is normally provided by the company you'll bedealing with), and a bank account. Drop shipping is fairly

simple. You select what you want to advertise, then placethe online ads, classified ads or get mailing labels and sendout the sales packages or catalogs. When orders come inyou simply keep your share of the profit and forward therest to the company you're dealing with and that companyhandles the entire product fulfillment process, and pays forpostage and shipping.

49. Entrepreneur magazine has dubbed the home

business trend as "The Silent Revolution" and predicts thatsome 44 percent of all U.S. households will include someform of home-based business by the end of the decade.

50. Money magazine, in a 1996 survey, found that 20percent of home-based businesses had a yearly grossincome of $100,000 to $500,000. A recent IDC survey


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indicates that the average income for income-generatinghome office households is $63,000 a year.

51. Need forms to incorporate your business, establishyour business, make a will? Get them free from the libraryor search online for free legal forms.

52. Opportunity involves risk. Successfulentrepreneurs know you can't steal second base and keepyour foot on first!

53. One of the advantages of an online business is thatyou can operate from anywhere you are - if you move, yourbusiness goes right along with you! Simply change the

address on your literature - give the Post Office a change ofaddress so any "residue" orders will find you, and you'reready to take off to your new location.

54. A home business, like no other, gives you theopportunity start small, spare time and build it up as slow oras fast as you are able to do. You can make your ownsuccess.

55. To reap REALLY BIG PROFITS you must be aprime-source of information or products. You must havecomplete control over what you are offering. You must be ina position whereby nobody else can raise prices on you, cutoff your supplies or change the rules. YOU MUST BE THEBOSS!

56. Anything you can do in return for a paycheck, youshould be doing for yourself! Think about it! Your talentsand abilities are being used to make someone else's fortune

- why not use it for making your own fortune?

57. A good leader must retain a positive attitude, musthave high expectations of what can be accomplished, andmust get out in front, leading by example.


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58. Always be on the lookout for discovering newbusiness opportunities or improving on existing ones.

59. Management of your business combines technicaland administrative skills with vision, compassion, honestyand trust. Just because you're in charge, don't feel that youhave the right to boss people around like they are yourslaves. You're not in business for the power trip - or if youare, you won't be for long.

60. Make sure that every single day you do at leastone thing to generate new or additional business. Yourhome business can be a TREMENDOUS business, if you dothe right things persistently.

61. There is no such thing as a "miracle system" ormagic potion that will make you an instant millionaire.Providing genuine "value-for-value" is still the yardstick bywhich success in the free enterprise system is measured.

62. Most entrepreneurs like to be "the expert" in everyaspect of their business. If you don't release this attitude,you will always be small - both personally and financially.

There is always something that can be learned, if we havean open mind and a desire to learn and grow.

63. According to IDC, home-based businesses createan estimated 8,500 new jobs daily.

64. The title you give yourself in your sales materialcan greatly affect the response or lack of response to yourmailing. If you call yourself "sales manager", you have setup a negative thought process in the customers' mind -

nobody likes to be "sold" anything; they just want to buy. Ifyou simply call yourself "owner", you're making yourbusiness sound small and therefore could instill a lack ofconfidence in a small "one horse" business. We suggest thatyou put "president" after your name. This sounds good tothe customer and makes you feel good too!


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65. If you can't find something youre looking for -CREATE IT! Niches aren't found at the end of rainbows -they're created by focusing on and fine-tuning your ideas.New items are being created or improved upon every day -

and they're not done by "the other guy" who's rich andfamous or important. In every instance "the other guy" issomeone just like you and me that has focused his or herideas on "creating" or "improving". Once you start spendingsome time each day focusing on what could be created orwhat needs improving, you'll start coming up with ideas,ideas and more ideas that can be fine tuned into success.

66. Anyone with a marketable skill of any kind is in aposition to become a consultant, teaching others to do whathe or she does.

67. As an experienced home-business entrepreneur,you will find many opportunities to consult with beginners inthis field in areas of advertising, marketing, publicity,communications or sales.

68. Keep abreast of changing trends in your nichearea. Subscribe to "trade" journals in your specific field and

read them! By identifying trends you will be able to adjustyour marketing strategy and keep ahead of others that arejust advertising and not reading.

69. 74% of all American millionaires own their ownbusiness. The first day you start a home-based business youinstantly TRIPLE your chances of financial independence --and qualify for some of the most lucrative tax sheltersavailable.

70. Remember, in any business, nobody else canmotivate you until you motivate yourself.

71. To become a consultant in any field, you first musthave special knowledge about that field, and a marketwilling to pay for it.


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72. According to the Small Business Administration,today more than half (53%) of the small businesses in theU.S. are home-based. In brute numbers, thats more than24 million.

73. To be a success in a home business you must bewilling to work hard (there is no free lunch in this business);you must be willing to learn the business and then do whatis needed without complaints or regrets.

74. You must BELIEVE in the value of your product orservice. Then when a prospective customer may compareyour product to one of lesser quality, your sales material,which is loaded with BENEFITS, can assure them that your

product is superior and worth the price.

75. If your business doesn't seem to be making moneyimmediately, it's because the business is growing, whichtakes time. If you consistently put your earnings back intothe business, it will grow at a much faster rate than if you"spend" most of the earnings and put only small amountsback into it. Your business growth is directly related to howdiligent you are in "re-investing" your profits.

76. Every person has certain times of the day whenthey are most productive (Sarahs is from 3:30 a.m. until7a.m. and mine is from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.). Plan to do themost important or more difficult tasks at this time. Aparticularly unpleasant task should be done during thisperiod of time - you'll feel good about the accomplishmentand can look forward to doing more pleasant things the restof the day.

77. A product, service or book will succeed if it isunique or exclusive or appealing and can satisfy or create adesire upon the part of the purchaser.

78. If you are into crafts, don't limit your income justto the sale of your handmade products. There are other


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ways that you can supplement your income - make "kits" tosell that include your own patterns, teach a class at a localshop or as an adult education class, sell your originaldesigns to magazines, write and publish your own "craft"

newsletter, report or book.

79. Business got you stressed out? Get out of thehouse, away from everything that reminds you of business.Go visit somebody for an hour or so; go for a walk; go out tolunch; think good thoughts about yourself; listen to amotivational tape; read an inspirational book.

80. If you're an entrepreneur who ONLY promoteswhat you do by the dollars you can make, you are setting

yourself up for a guaranteed failure. What can you do forothers? How can your product or written information helpsomeone else? The more you can help others, the biggeryour business will become. Your customers must see howyour product benefits them.

81. During hard economic times when money isscarce, people will still buy information - especially "How To"and "Opportunity" information that could help the reader

earn badly needed extra income or be able to start a parttime sideline job.

82. Selling "information" by mail is making fortunes formany people. For the best results, be sure the "information"is something that cannot be found easily in stores; appealsto a large segment of the population; and can be sold forless than $50.

83. Nothing stays the same. Remain flexible in yourbusiness to adapt to changing trends, changing marketingmethods, changing technology, etc., so that your businesswill always be "in the know" and poised for whateverchanges may come your way.


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84. Within each of us there is the power for everyoneto accomplish MORE in life. Prosperity will only becomereality when individuals have the fortitude to putCHARACTER into their lives. Remember one thing: when all

is said and done in this life, what will be remembered is thelife that we lived and the character we possessed!


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HOME OFFICE

85. When selecting space in your house for an officekeep in mind that the location can have a direct impact onhow well you run your business. If you don't like your officeyou probably will spend as little time as possible there andyou certainly won't get much done!

86. Is the heating and cooling system adequate inyour office? If you've chosen to put the office in the garage,spring and fall weather might make working conditions okay,but summer heat and winter cold will prevent you fromworking in your "office" unless you make some changes.

87. By hanging your office phone on the wall you'llsave valuable work space for other items that require tableor desk space.

88. Extend the life of all your electrical officeequipment (printers, computers, copiers, fax, etc.) byalways using surge protectors.

89. Be sure the office space you select has adequatelighting. The more detailed your work is the more light youwill need.

90. When working at home in a limited space itbecomes easy to make a "pile" of papers here, a "stack" ofletters over there, a separate "pile" of letters to answerlater, etc. Eliminate the clutter and take care of work as itcomes in - answer the letters immediately, file the papersNOW, open and go through the "stack" of letters you'dsaved for "later" - get the table cleaned off! Set a time

EACH DAY to take care of the "will get to it later" items -and don't wait until "later"!

91. Always make a list of "things to do" each day.Begin with the high priority items down to the leastimportant. Mark off items as you complete the task. This


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will let you know that you are accomplishing something eachday.

92. Open a separate checking account for yourbusiness. Use this account only for business. This will makeyour end of year accounting much easier, in addition toknowing immediately what money is coming in and what youhave available to spend on your business.

93. Place greater emphasis on work that producesresults.

94. Make a poster to hang on your wall that saysWinners develop the habit of doing things that losers don't

like to do.

95. Stay organized by taking control of your time. Getin the habit of doing up-front planning. Stop rushing aroundwithout direction. Make written lists, review them, assignpriorities and take a fresh look occasionally at routine work.Rushers are reactors....planners are profit makers. Whichdo you want to be? The choice is yours.

96. Develop a standard step-by-step process forroutine jobs. If you do certain things in a particular ordereach day, you get a "rhythm" built up which actually cutsthe time for doing that particular job.

97. Keep your office organized. Know whereeverything is. Much time can be wasted looking for an itemthat could be spent in productive work.

98. Items that are accessed frequently, such as

printers, fax machines and telephones, should be withineasy reach from where you are sitting. Placing these itemsstrategically saves you time, since you won't have to leaveyour chair to access them.

99. A comfortable, supportive chair is just asimportant as a well-organized desk. A chair that offers good


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support helps prevent fatigue and increases productivity. Achair with wheels allows you mobility to other areas in theoffice, which actually can save time.

100. Working at home can be quite lonely, particularlyif you don't deal with people directly and you've been usedto seeing and meeting people daily in your previous job.This is easily changed by setting aside time to socialize,perhaps by joining a club or group.

101. Zoning laws are what keep the residential areasseparate from the commercial or business areas. Theselaws may limit the type of business you can run out of yourhome. For example, you couldn't open up a store in your

house because that would require people to come in andout, which would theoretically disturb your neighbors. It isalways best to see what zone you are in and learn whatrestrictions may apply to your area.

102. A "customer" list is much more valuable than an"inquiry" list. As "inquirers" purchase from you, move thatname to your "customer" list. It is the "customer" list thatyou want to send extra mailings to as well as extra

"specials" and promotions to keep them buying.

103. NEVER write telephone messages or notes onslips of paper or post-it notes - there's too big a chance ofmisplacing the notes or telephone numbers, and then there'sthe wasted time looking for misplaced items. Always keep atelephone message pad beside the phone for the telephonenumbers you need to keep, and use a to-do list for thingsyou want to accomplish. Stay focused on the most

important items on the to-do list and you will double yourproductivity and effectiveness.

104. The top of your computer monitor should beslightly below eye-level to reduce strain on your eyes, neckand back. Your keyboard is best kept at elbow height andangled as flat as possible or slightly downhill. Keep your


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monitor and keyboard square, or parallel to each other toavoid awkward and uncomfortable body positions.

105. Desktop document storage for papers thatrequire immediate attention or that you access regularly iscrucial to staying organized. Use colorful file folders toorganize by project and keep them in a hanging organizer ortiered organizer on your desktop.

106. If you'd like to build a mailing list of prospects foryour business, the fastest way is to offer something for free.Make it an inexpensive report that could tie in and promoteother products or books you have available. Make sure yourFREE report is useful information your customer can use.

Not only can you build a list fast this way, but youll alsoacquire some paying customers in the process.

107. NEVER put "Enclosed is the information yourequested" on the outside of an envelope if it was notrequested. People do not like to be fooled. This tactic willhurt your sales rather than increase them.

108. When you exercise "time management" wisely

and do the right things at the right time, you are working"Smart". The less wasted time you have means more timefor fun and leisure activities. Productive people worksmart, not hard.

109. If you are mailing to business firms, it'll pay youto take the trouble to get the names of the individuals ineach firm. One direct mail firm found that letters addressedto an individual within the business pulled four times asmany orders as letters addressed just to the firm.

110. Many times a customer will call with an order andwant to chat about the weather and a dozen other things.This is great if you have plenty of time for chit-chat;however, we hope your business is so busy you don't havetime for all the general conversations. Be courteous, but


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don't extend the conversation beyond "Yes, it's cold heretoday too" then take control of the conversation and get itback to business.

111. Make sure you have a professional lookingletterhead and sales materials. Copies of copies of copiesthat are faded and end up crooked on the page will all endup in the trash without being read.

112. Industry experts claim that taking charge or creditcards can increase a company's business from 10 to 50percent, depending on the type of business and its clientele.If you dont have or dont want to get your own merchantaccount so you can run credit cards, look into inexpensive

online alternatives such as PayPal, ProPay, 2Checkout andGoogle Shopping Cart.

113. By being a credit card merchant (being able totake charge orders from your customers) your businessappears more established and has more credibility with thepublic because the customer feels like the bank hasreviewed your business practices and is satisfied that youare an honest business citizen.

114. Make a poster to hang in your office that says "Ifit's to Be...it's up to ME". Don't rely on somebody else tobring you business, do your work or work your plan -- this isYOUR responsibility. After all, whose business is this???

115. Many stores will rent you computer time, but whypay when you can reserve free computer time at mostlibraries? Our public library has a number of softwareprograms including games, educational software and wordprocessing software. You can spend some time working onflyers, brochures, and other types of mailers without havingto own a computer.

116. Keeping your customers' names and addresses ina list on the computer will make it very easy to print out


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labels for additional mailings. Also you can have a "field"on each customer record to keep track of dates of orders,amounts of orders, etc.

117. Answer all leads promptly! If you delay, you givethe edge to your competitors.

118. If you're going to use "supplier prepared"catalogs (such as SMC or Mail Order Associates, Inc.), it isbest to insert them in outgoing packages that you'remailing. To mail them randomly to a mailing list will not beprofitable.

119. Utilize shelves or wall space to the fullest to

provide more space and limit distractions on the desktop.Items that you don't need to access as frequently can bekept further away. Choose a shelving system that maximizesvertical space so you have ample storage for current andpast projects.

120. Every office should include a trash can and areceptacle for holding paper to be recycled. Magazine andnewspaper bins are also helpful. Purchase a shredder to

destroy paperwork or bills that include personal information.

121. The more related items you have available to sell,the better your profits will be. You must continually look forand add new items to what you currently offer.

122. Don't be too dependent on any one source foryour products and supplies. It is best to do business withseveral suppliers in the event that one may not be able todeliver the goods in a timely fashion.

123. Most cities or counties require a business licenseto open a regular business (beauty shop, dress shop, autorepair shop, etc.). Check to see how this applies to homebusinesses in your area, or if a business license is necessaryat all.


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124. You can substantially increase your sales volumeif you install an 800 number. An 800 number can beobtained through your local provider on even online at noextra expense or for a minimal monthly fee and you only

pay for the calls that you receive.

125. Set up and maintain rigid discipline for your officeat home -- reasonable hours of work, good records, aworkable filing system, telephone message book forreturning calls, keep correspondence current.

126. A major drawback to "working at home" is thefact that friends and family consider you to be "notworking", therefore they feel free to drop by or waste your

time "visiting" on the phone during your WORK HOURS. Bekind but firm when telling them that you're "working" at thistime and you'll talk to them later.

127. Install a separate telephone line into your officeand have your own answering machine to take calls whileyou're "out of the office".

128. In setting up your home office get good tools -

computer, fax, and printer - that will enable you to operate aprofessional business. Good lighting, adequate work spaceand comfortable chairs are necessary.

129. Use your money wisely when starting a homebusiness. Keep expenses to a minimum and invest only inwhat you will need. Determine where the dollars you spendwill yield the most profit. For example, purchasingadvertising will yield much more profit than buying a newfiling cabinet, when a used one will work just as well andwould be much cheaper.

130. Make sure your "home office" work space isprivate and functional. Don't let home activities interferewith your business or vice versa.


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OFFICE EQUIPMENT

131. Computers are a NECESSITY for the serious homebusiness entrepreneur. It will be the most efficient way totrack your customers names and addresses as well as theirprevious order information. At the very least you shouldhave a word processor and some type of program that willallow you to keep track of names and addresses so you'll beable to print out labels.

132. Did you know that many public libraries havecomputers available for customer use? These computersusually have many programs on them, so if you're wantingto do a flyer - check out what's available at the library. If

you want to record names and addresses, take your disk tothe library and do your work. The software is there, you willjust "save" the information you've typed onto YOUR disk.

133. If you're just looking into getting a computer foryour business, be sure to get "desktop publishing"applications. With desktop publishing software you caneasily create your own newsletters, advertisements,catalogs, brochures, flyers - everything a professional

printer would have to be paid to do.

134. If you don't have a fax machine yet, obtain a faxnumber from a "mail box service" franchise (Mail Boxes,Etc.) or from an online service, and use that number on allof your printed documents.

135. If your laptop computer has been exposed toextreme temperatures, allow it to reach room temperaturebefore attempting to operate it to prevent thermal shock.

136. The worst enemies of a computer include smoke,heat, dust and static electricity charges, and most of all --FOOD or LIQUID! DO NOT EAT around the computer - bitsand crumbs of food that fall between the keys of thekeyboard will eventually cause it to quit working. If you


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spill a drink on your keyboard, immediatelyturn thecomputer off. Then, turn the keyboard upside down over afew paper towels. Let it drain for a few minutes. Then, withthe keyboard still upside down, wipe it thoroughly with a dry

paper towel. If it was a water spill, you should be able to letthe keyboard air-dry for several hours and it should workfine. If it was a soda or juice that dries "sticky" you have a50% chance of the keyboard working after it dries. If it willnot work after drying, your next option is to go get a newkeyboard.

137. The "preventive maintenance" you perform onyour computer will affect the operation of the computer.

One simple suggestion is not to stack papers or other itemsclose to the computer. It needs plenty of ventilation toavoid heat buildup.

138. Computer monitors, like TV screens, generatestatic electricity. Static in the air can become a problem foryour computer, especially in the winter (remember how justwalking across a carpet can create enough static to "zap"someone, or zap yourself when you touch a door handle?)Recommended solutions are to spray diluted fabric softeneron any nearby carpeting, or to place a fabric softener sheetunder the keyboard.

139. Monitor screens are dust magnets. If screens arenot cleaned regularly the dust will filter down into thekeyboard and disc drive doors and cause a dust build-upinside the computer. Clean the monitor regularly with a lintfree cloth.

140. There are two kinds of leases: FINANCE LEASESwhich require you to purchase the equipment at the end ofthe lease period for a percentage of the original purchaseprice or for a nominal amount, and an OPERATING LEASE, inwhich the ownership of the equipment usually reverts to theleasing company at the term of the lease. Most leases for


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office equipment are "Operating" leases and payments onthis type of lease are treated as an operating expense andare deducted directly from operating revenues.

141. Leases are usually very technical in nature andshould be reviewed by either your accountant or attorneybefore you sign them.

142. One advantage of leasing equipment is that youwill get 100% financing - perhaps paying only the first andlast payment up front and the remainder is financed.

143. An Internet connection is a basic necessity forany home business, however you could start out by getting

online at the library for free if absolutely necessary.

144. When looking for a printer for your computer,consider purchasing an all-in-one solution that functions as aprinter, scanner and fax machine.

145. Be sure to check with your accountant before youmake any major equipment purchases. For example, if youpurchase equipment for cash, you may not get to deduct theentire cost of the equipment as a business expense thatyear. You should perhaps choose to "lease" the equipment(and have all lease payments be deducted as a businessexpense) and use the CASH for additional advertising.

146. When you get to the point of needing to purchaselarge pieces of equipment (larger computer system,photocopier, etc.), it will probably be easier to obtain a loanfrom a COMMERCIAL FINANCE FIRM instead of aCOMMERCIAL BANK. Reasons: A) Commercial finance

firms will lend money on riskier projects than commercialbanks will; B) You'll have less paperwork and red tapewhen dealing with a commercial finance firm; C)Commercial finance firms will require less control of yourbusiness than a commercial bank would. Disadvantage of


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commercial finance firms - you will be paying a higher rateof interest (perhaps 2% to 5% more).

147. Make a habit of regularly backing up yourcomputer. If it "crashes" you may lose your most valuableasset - your information. Back up your hard drive regularlyand keep the backup in a fire proof safe. In the event of acomputer crash or fire, which we all hope never happens,you will still have your information, customer names, etc. ina safe place.

148. To lower the cost of printing, consider havingyour printer cartridges "recharged". Check the type youhave and call several computer/printer maintenance

companies for prices of "new" compared to "recharged"cartridges.

149. If your business relies heavily on a computer, youshouldn't be operating without an uninterruptible powersupply (UPS). A UPS is a sophisticated battery/transformerthat runs your computer for a short time should the powerfail. It keeps your system alive long enough to save openedfiles and shut the computer down. This can save you hours

of time trying to "redo" what you already spent hours doing,and keeps vital data from being damaged during a powersurge or outage.

150. As a protection to your computer, install a copyof Norton Utilities or a similar system utility/anti-virussoftware product. This program is valuable for recoveringdamaged systems in DOS and Windows, for restoring filesand disks that were erased or reformatted by accident,

fixing corrupted files, warding off worms and viruses andimproving the performance of your computer. The cost isusually around $100 and could very well be the "cheapest"program you can buy for the benefit it gives!

151. We recommend that every home based businessget a fax machine as soon as possible. A fax can cut


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postage bills tremendously. Fax those press releases toassorted publications (saves time, envelopes AND the stampfor each one!), and if done during the "off peak" times, yourlong distance rates are the cheapest. Try faxing messages

to long distance contacts so you can get the message outwithout the expensive (and time consuming) chitchat thatnormally accompanies a phone call.

152. As you go about setting up your home office witha new computer, printer, fax machine, and maybe even acopy machine, consider that this equipment is going to addto your electricity bills. A computer alone may not use moreenergy than your television, but once you've put it alltogether, an office full of equipment can definitely make itsmark on your energy use. Many electronic devices continueto use electricity even when switched off. Most draw only afew watts, but with several pieces of office equipment, thepower drain can add up. The only solutions are to physicallyunplug these appliances, or to turn off their power strips.This is easy, and it protects your equipment against voltagesurges such as lightning strikes.


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WRITING YOUR INFORMATION

153. To be successful in selling information/booksonline or by mail you should never get involved with fiction,poetry, autobiographies, etc. Good "how to" and"opportunity" type books and reports are always greatsellers.

154. If you are considering putting together a"catalog" of books or products that you have available, youshould send for and analyze as many catalogs as you can.Even if it means sending a dollar or two for a catalog, it willbe to your benefit to get it.

155. Your first "catalog" may not be more than a fewpages printed on white paper. You can then "graduate" onto newsprint catalogs. Before going the news print route,you MUST be sure that your catalog is set up the way youwant it, and to include everything you want to include.Reason: In order to get a low rate for printing of the newsprint catalogs, you must order 5,000 - 10,000 copies. Afterthe catalogs are delivered to you would be a TERRIBLE timeto notice obvious errors that should have been caught

earlier.

156. If youre planning a website to sell yourinformational products, check out the sites of yourcompetitors and think about ways that you could improve onwhat theyre doing.

157. Be sure to copyright your book if you are writingone. To obtain registration forms, write to the Register ofCopyrights, U.S. Copyright Office, Washington, D.C.20559.You will receive some forms and easy-to-follow instructions.You could also visit Copyright.gov to obtain a copyrightonline.

158. Every person knows a little about a lot of thingsand a lot about a few things. It is your in depth knowledge


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of the "few things" that can be written into a book or reportand sold. There are people everywhere who would gladlypay you for the knowledge you have on a certain subject.Think about it - what do you know that could be expanded

on and written into a pamphlet or book and sold?

159. Regardless of what book or item you arepromoting you must FIRST Identify Your Market! Whatcustomers will you target? What magazines do these peopleread? What websites do they visit? (You certainly wouldn'tbe sending information about boats to an email list of"sewers and crafters")

160. Saleable information doesn't have to be a "book"

or "manual" - it can just be one or two pages of specificinformation. If you have come up with a pattern for aunique bird house, you can draw up the design and write theinstructions on a one or two page information sheet andadvertise it online or in appropriate magazines and beprepared for an avalanche of orders!

161. You do not have to have a printer print yourbook! You can simply have your pages printed and collated

at a copy shop and then do the remainder of the bookbinding at home.

162. If selling your information online as adownloadable product, youll need to use a service such asPayLoadz or E-Junkie to protect your ebook or other infoproduct from being stolen or downloaded by others whohavent paid for it.

163. If you have a catalog (catalog of products orcatalog of books), should you charge for it? There is magicin the word FREE. You will get probably 50% more requestsfor a catalog if it is free. The purpose of the catalog is togenerate business, and we suggest in the case of catalogs"the more you tell, the more you sell!" Some catalogcompanies will remove the names of "inquirers" if they don't


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UNIQUENESS of your book. A "copy cat" won't stand outand be noticed.

170. In this day of "recycle", if you have a method ofrecycling or reclaiming or reusing items, you may have hit a"hot" button for many people.

171. Consider writing a regular newsletter to send toyour customers. Newsletters achieve a higher rate ofreadership than sales letters or emails. Part of thenewsletter can be new information, tips, hints, and the otherpart a sales pitch for books that you have available, or otheritems that you offer.

172. By putting your telephone number on all salespackages, newsletters and follow-up information to yourcustomers, you are instilling a feeling of trust in thatcustomer. The customer doesn't know you are running yourbusiness out of a spare bedroom. The telephone numberindicates a real business and real people.

173. A photo of you at work personalizes youradvertising material. However you should keep artwork to a

minimum and use it only to show benefits. NEVER useartwork in a sales letter.

174. Offer a money-back guarantee for yourinformational products. The money back guarantee shouldbe at least 30 to 60 days. The guarantee builds buyerconfidence.

175. Consider making a "catalog" of books that wouldcontain small pictures of each book as well as a paragraph

highlighting the benefits of each book. Be sure to have anorder form included on a page in the "catalog" or as a looseorder form for the prospect.

176. Don't skip "study" time and "research" time. Themore you know about book writing and marketing, thebetter your business will be. It is advisable to buy several


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books dealing with the subject of "writing" or "marketing" or"advertising". Each book will contain various ideas andopinions that you can incorporate into your own business.

177. Stay "excited" about your book or product! Themore excitement you can convey in your sales material, thebetter your chances are of creating a red-hot, money-producing website, advertisement or direct mail package.

178. If your website or sales package isn't getting thereturn orders that it should, you need to take a hard look atthe sales material. Maybe the product or book needs to bepresented differently. Present your product in a way that isadvantageous to the customer. The sales package needs to

be loaded with benefits, benefits, benefits.

179. Make a statement at the beginning of your homepage or sales letter letting the prospect know there aretidbits of help included in the site or letter. Make astatement like "see FREE insider tips below".

180. To get ideas of products and information that arecurrently being offered look through the advertising sections

of craft magazines, farm magazines, trade journals, andcommunity weeklies. Many times just seeing what's outthere can bring to your mind a product you can make orinformation you can put together in the form of a book orreport and offer for sale to the public.

181. Make sure your website and sales letterscommunicate to the prospect - not confuse him or her.Keep sentences and paragraphs short. Don't ramble on andon with "and's". Write in the same manner that you would ifhaving a conversation with a friend.

182. Ecommerce website and direct mail writing isactually "selling". You cannot sell anything if the salesmessage is hard to follow and hard to understand.


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183. When looking through competing websites andclassified ads in various magazines, you'll want to requestreports, "additional details" and other materials to get ideasof how others do their writing, promoting and advertising.

184. The title you choose for your book or report iscrucial to its success. If you have had very little success inadvertising a book, try changing its title - many times a titlechange will kick start sales.

185. Read everything you can about how others aremaking profits with in your niche. You dont need to copyother peoples style, just look for ideas that will helpimprove your own business.

186. Learn to listen. Let someone read your writtenmaterial for a second opinion (a college student majoring inadvertising/marketing or someone who does a lot of writingas part of his job). You don't always have to DO what theperson suggests, but sometimes it can make your salesletter or book/report better.

187. Insert tidbits of valuable information in your

website and sales letters and watch how fast people startgetting interested in whatever you sell.

188. Don't lump tidbits of information all in one placein your website or sales letter - scatter them throughout.Prospects will continue reading to see what otherinformation you have for them.

189. If you are writing a book, the title should tell theprospective reader what the book is all about. If it doesn't

clearly do this, you can be missing a lot of sales.

190. Use commas only for clarity. Every comma willslow the reader down for the pause, and if there are toomany pauses the reader will stop reading altogether.


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191. Use as many "sub-heads" as you can in yourwebsite and sales letters. Place the subheads either flushleft or centered, and either make them all caps orunderlined. People will read the subheads if they don't read

anything else. If the subheads are interesting to the readerthey will go back and read the paragraphs under thesubheads.

192. Any lay person is free to write, lecture andotherwise render advice in general for fees as long as theadvice or information is general and not offered to anindividual. For example, you may write or lecture aboutlegal matters in the abstract, but unless you are a licensedattorney, you may not counsel a person in legal matters fora fee.

193. Write your website copy and sales material to"express" not to "impress". Who are you trying to impress?An English teacher? No! You're trying to make a sale andyou can do that best if you keep a few basics in mind. A)Use short, everyday words; B) Keep sentences short - about15-20 words; C) Keep paragraphs down to about 3-4 lines(not 3-4 sentences, but LINES). The easier your material is

to read and understand, the bigger the possibility for a sale.

194. Use plenty of subheads. As a general rule,people tend to glance at the bold statements rather than"read" the entire sales letter. If your heading and subheads"jump" out at them and catch their interest, your materialwill be read.

195. Use quotations and testimonials frequently in

your sales material. People love to see what others have tosay about your product or service. They can relate to othercustomers easier than believing your sales statements.

196. A lot of entrepreneurs assume that putting awebsite online means youre in business. And while theymay know how to provide products or services, they don't


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understand how to generate leads, and market theirbusiness effectively. Actively seek out this knowledge tostay ahead of your competition.

197. Never send out a naked order, always include aflyer, brochure or some sort of sales materials on additionalproducts or services that may be of interest to yourcustomers.

198. Consider printing business card size ads for yourbusiness or website (I print ten to a page on regular paperthen use a cutter to divide them), then insert one into eachbill you mail out. Youre already paying for the stamp andyoull have a captive audience on the other end who may

just happen to be interested in your product so youve reallygot nothing to lose.

199. Many people turn to the internet for information.They want to know something, so they turn on the computerand do a search on the subject. They scroll through thesearch results, looking for websites that can give them theinformation they need. By creating information products tosell on your website, you can create a very nice income from

home. An information product can be anything from an e-book to a special report, or even an MP3 recording orinstructional video.

200. After writing your book or report ask two or threepeople to proof-read your manuscript for consistency,spelling, word usage and punctuation. Don't rely on yourcomputer "spell check" to detect all errors - you could havetyped in "work" instead of "word" and it would be spelled

right and be totally WRONG! Also, re-read your ownmanuscript to see if it actually says what you want it to say.

201. One of the best things you can do as a freelanceWeb writer is diversify your income streams by creating, andselling a number of related informational products.


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202. Libraries devote considerable funds and staff totheir reference functions. The reference staff knows whereto go to get information you want and can direct you tovarious resource books that you'll need. Don't overlook this

most important place of information!

203. The SBA (Small Business Administration)produces and maintains a library of management assistancepublications, videos and more. A complete listing of theseproducts is available in The Small Business Directory. Call1-800-8-ASK-SBA and ask for a copy or visit sba.gov online.

204. Additional information on assorted topics for bookwriting can be ordered through the Government Printing

Office. Write to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

205. Use contractions to make your letters "personal".After all, you wouldn't say "you will" in a generalconversation - you'd say "you'll". Also you wouldn't say "Iwould" - you'd say "I'd". Write like youre speaking to theindividual and you'll get better results.

206. Your own website or catalog is the BEST way tosell more and more products! For approximately $10 a yearyou can register a domain name and you can even get freehosting at places like DotEasy or Mister.net. These serviceswill suffice until your website traffic demands a paid service,however by that point you will be able to afford to pay forhosting. Avoid hosted services that do not allow you to useyour own domain name!

207. Don't get carried away with choosing a fancyparchment type paper for your letterhead or sales letters.In general, customers are not going to evaluate the papertype - they will be evaluating the CONTENT instead.

208. Gather testimonials from satisfied customers touse throughout your website and other sales materials.


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209. Always put your best sellers on your home pageand/or in the front of your catalog.

210. If you're sending out a catalog, it would be wiseto add a few lines at the bottom of the order form askingyour customers to recommend friends who would like toreceive one of your catalogs. Make room for your customerto write out the name and address of two or three friends.Add this capability to your website as well.

211. If ever you doubt that your "how to" informationwould be of value to someone else, just spend a few minutesat your local magazine stand. Look at the covers of themagazines and observe how many feature article titles

include the words "How To.......". The how to's are endless.They repeat month after month, year after year and those"how to" titles SELL magazines. They'll also sell yourinformation whether in book or report form!


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ADVERTISING

212. Use "mini-flyers" as an inexpensive method ofadvertising. Mini-flyers can be made 10 to a page andprinted on bright colored paper. Cut them apart and put onin every bill that you pay (gas bill, telephone bill, Sears,etc.). Somebody at each office has the boring job ofopening those letters all day long, and your mini-flyer willprobably be read then passed around the office. Remember,most bills come to you with offers printed on the envelopesand additional offers inside with the bill.

213. Check out Etsy.com as a low cost alternative toeBay and other major online marketplaces, if youre

marketing handmade or custom goods. Etsy has 6 millionregistered users, a small percentage of eBays 25 millionusers, but they are all interested in handcrafted goods andsupplies.

214. If mailing out information or including it withorders, ALWAYS fold each information piece separately, sothe prospect must pick them up one at a time to read them.Never fold everything together.

215. Every advertisement must have a "key" code inorder to track the number of responses from a particularadvertisement. A "key" code could be an added letter toyour street address (124APine St.); a "department" number(Dept. E); a variation in the spelling of your name (Denise,Danece, Deniece, Dennis, etc.) so that you can tell whereyour orders originate from.

216. Use the free service at Compete.com todetermine who your competitors are, and find out what theirtop performing keywords are. Implement any pertinentkeywords on your own site so that you can increase yoursites search engine standing.


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217. Setup a free Google account and utilize theirexcellent webmaster tools. You can upload a Sitemap to getyour site spidered more quickly and checked for anypotential issues. Use Google Analytics to track the traffic to

your site.

218. Engage in an ongoing link building campaign.Identify authoritative blogs, web sites and hubs foroutbound resource links and request links back to yourwebsite.

219. Distribute a press release announcing yourwebsite through local newspapers and low-cost or freeservices like PR.com, MarketWire.com and SBWire.com.

220. Research and comment on relevant industryrelated blogs and blogs with significant centers of influence.Be sure to put a link to your website in the signature portionof your post.

221. Print your web address everywhere you put yourphone number. Make some labels with your web address onthem and stick them to the outside of packages as you send

them out.

222. When using pay per click, try to find niches andkeyword markets to target that are not as heavilycompetitive but are highly trafficked so your cost per clickwill be way down.

223. Surveying customers is critical for improving theoverall customer experience, optimizing website usability,understanding the role of the online channel in the buying

process, and understanding the reasons why people aren'tcompleting their online orders.

224. Advertising is a game of trial and error. Someadvertising vehicles may work for you, and some may not.Be sure that you know where your results are coming from,and be ready to react on them immediately. You can choose


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to increase your spending in the medium that works anddecrease your ad dollars in venues that bring disappointingresults.

225. Be specific in your marketing copy - avoidgeneralities. Get to the point. Be as brief as possible,making your ads clear and easy to understand.

226. Incorporate the reader's NEEDS and WANTS intoyour ad. Spell out how your product or service will satisfythose needs and wants.

227. Always write ads in an enthusiastic personalstyle. Enthusiasm brings orders!

228. Make your ads "personal". Use "I" and "YOU" -but fill your ad copy with more "You" than "I". If your addoesn't have at least twice as many you's as I's, you'redescribing too few benefits to your reader.

229. Good advertising copy is SIMPLE advertising! Itmust be easy to read and easy to understand.

230. What others say about your book or product is

more convincing than what you say. Use as manytestimonials as you can obtain, and if the customer permits,use their whole name.

231. Knowing WHAT you're really selling, WHO reallywants it, WHY they want it, and HOW to get to them, is thesecret to marketing success.

232. Pretend your prospect is sitting across from you

and write down a real description. Even if the range is wide,try to nail down your average customer age, sex, income,likes, dislikes, etc.

233. Think about your prospects top wants and desiresand then write down the hidden benefits of your productthat your prospect doesnt know about.


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234. People procrastinate. If at all possible, put a timelimit on your offer -- nothing longer than a 10-day limit.

235. Try to keep up with the competition. If you know

what they're doing - do yours DIFFERENT! Copycatadvertisements seldom work. Be creative.

236. If your product or book is not selling, considerwhether or not your ad is appealing. Also check to see thatyour ad is BELIEVABLE! Does it sound like a "too good to betrue" offer that readers will shy away from?

237. If your budget doesnt include the top keywords

at Google AdWords, look for smaller (and usually MUCHcheaper) 2ndand 3rdtier pay per click search engines suchas Miva and SearchFeed. Look for any that may specialize inyour niche, like SewVillage.com.

238. Don't use misleading words or terms in your ads!If your potential customer does not clearly understand whatyou are offering, you may get a lot of inquiries, but very feworders.

239. THE FIRST THREE WORDS of your ad shouldattract the person who might be most interested in youroffer.

240. It is important to keep track of the return oninvestment (ROI) of every advertising purchase made. Ifyour goal in advertising your web site is to increase sales,which advertising vehicle is giving you the best conversionfor every buck spent?

241. Continuously experiment on what copy or bannercreatives and formats work well for your purposes. Do notbe afraid to change your advertising materials when youthink that you are not getting the results that you expected.


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242. Perseverance is a major key to success. Youshould be prepared to stay in business for at least a FULLYEAR in order to get things running smoothly and profitably.Keep your pay per click and other ads running regularly, just

running them for a couple months will not be an indication ofwhether or not you have a profitable business. STICK WITHIT!

243. When a potential customer clicks on your ad orbanner, you can increase your revenues if you can maximizeyour sales from the customer. The customer should have anopportunity to check out (and hopefully) purchase yourother products and services. Dont underestimate the powerof by the way sales: while the customer is browsing orshopping in your site, your system should be capable ofshowing other recommended and similar products.

244. When writing your ads don't worry about buildingyour vocabulary - concentrate on putting "everyday"conversation in your writing.

245. Dont focus solely on one approach; rememberthat there are various ways to market your business. And

you may find that some of them are cheaper or moreeffective compared to the others. Depending on yourbudget, you can diversify your advertising by employingother marketing techniques, such as publicity and publicrelations, and offline advertising. Online advertising workswell if you complement it with other techniques, such asaggressive link swapping and search engine optimization.

246. Sponsoring events can turn your products into

public spectacles and, as a result, transform your marketinginto news events. Events help launch products, gain widerdistribution, build awareness, and just plain sell. BettyCrocker sponsored bake-offs; perhaps your business cansponsor a trade fair in your locality. Others start their owncontests, and send out press releases to announce the


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contest. The interest generated by your contest may attractthe media and give you the free publicity that you need!

247. Experts predict interactive online advertisingrevenues will increase by more than 225 percent between2007 and 2012, reaching $147 billion globally.

248. One of the best online advertising methodscontinues to be article writing. Through article writing youcan use keyword optimization within the article and title ofthe article, inform people of products dealing with yourwebsite in the article, and include a short description of yourwebsite and a link to it in the resource box. Once you havewritten an article it counts as new fresh content on your

website, and then you can submit it to article directories orpost it on your blog to help attract visitors.

249. Another great online advertising method isposting in forums. With this strategy you can get your pointacross and be done in a couple minutes. Try and find severalforums to post in, some related to your website and somethat are not.

250. Use "down to earth" wording in your ads,including a little slang where appropriate - this makes peoplewarm up to you. And warm people BUY!

251. People LOVE to get things for free and you canuse free things to your advantage to help your advertisingand draw in more customers. By posting on your blog, inforums, or sending out a vast amount of emails to peoplewith free promotions such as a free e-book, newsletter, or apart of a 6 article series you will get people interested.

252. Currently, many popular ads have moved fromthe extensive-copy-and-image format to heavy usage ofstock photography that shows their "customers." An ad mayshow happy children playing, a satisfied mother, or aproductive looking office -- any combination of upbeat


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images that showcases the intended customer reaction totheir product.

253. Two of the most popular royalty free stockphotography sites are Corbis.com and GettyImages.com.

254. Your advertising material must clearly andconspicuously show your guarantee. The guarantee shouldindicate all of the details, including whether the guaranteeprovides for replacement, repair or refund, and WHO ismaking the guarantee.

255. Remember if you are using mailing lists for adirect mail or email campaign, the results will depend on

three things: the quality of your mailing list names, thequality and usefulness of what you are trying to sell and thequality of the sales literature that you're sending out.

256. Direct mail advertising is by far the mostexpensive way to reach quantities of people. Magazineclassified ads range from $2 to $7 per word and a classifiedad with a total cost of $150 - $200 could very well reach350,000 or more households.

257. When writing powerful ads make sure the word"you" shows up more often than your product name.

258. Write ads whose subject is the reader and thehero is your product or service. Make the ad about yourcustomers and their needs, then explain how your productor service is unique among all others. By stressing thebenefits rather than features, your product or service will"save the day" for the customer and indeed be the "hero"!

259. In addition to classified and display advertisingand direct mail, there are other ways you can sell yourproducts. For example, you can set up a display of yourbooks in a mall near you around Christmas time and watchyour sales boom! In addition, if your book is one that canbe sold to special groups, like business students at a college,


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church groups, etc., you'll be able to make extra sales bycontacting each group. Check the Standard Rate & Databook at the library to get a list of book reviewers frompublications in your market and send them a letter and copy

of your book to review.

260. Online ad copy is currently focused on a traditionthat marketers have followed for years. The copy in mostads focuses on these "Big Three" principals: 1) Getsomething for free, 2) Save money, and 3) Make life easier

261. Ever since animated GIFs gained support inmainstream browsers, people have made "interactive"banner ads. These range from the Punch-the-Monkey ads to

more complex formats that feature simulated form fields.The main drive of animated ads is to gain clickthroughs.

262. Still the most common and most-used ad size,the banner ad is measured at 468x60 pixels. This ad sizehas become so popular that it's a preset in recent versionsof Adobe Photoshop. Also popular are "skyscraper" banners,which weigh in at 120x600 pixels. Lots of ads don't fit a pre-defined size, such as all the Flash pop-over ads which have

become more popular in recent months.

263. Many banner and skyscrapers ads follow a"thirds" formula. Two-thirds of the ad contains a picture andthe main advertising points; the remaining third is devotedto minimal copy and clickable buttons.

264. NEVER make references to your enclosures(brochure, catalog, flyer) in the middle of your letter. If you

side track the reader in the middle of the letter to lookelsewhere for information, they may never pick the letterback up again. The last paragraph of your letter is the bestlocation for references to enclosures (example: "take a looknow at the green flyer for all the latest information....")


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web address. Make as many copies of this flyer asnecessary, printing it on brightly colored paper. Beforehanging, clip between each of the telephone numbers so itwill be easy for the reader to tear off the number in order to

call you, or check out your website, when they get home.

271. Advertising flyers should always be printed onbright paper - fluorescent paper is the best.

272. While most offline advertising is being used as ameans to drive customers to websites, some firms are tryingonline ads like banners, pay-per-click ads and pop-ups.There are e-newsletters, websites, search engines andonline versions of newspapers and magazines, which are all

good ways of reaching people who shop or gatherinformation online.

273. On the whole, the same design and contentrequirements apply to online ads as to more traditionalforms of advertising. So much so, that an existing print adcan actually be duplicated as is, in an online version - aslong as a link to the website is included. Elements like color,artistic fonts, ad size and ad message play the same

elemental role in enhancing the visibility of the ad and theresponse to it.

274. Don't waste a single word in your ad. Each admust produce results and do it with a minimal number ofwords. Read and re-read your ads several times and a fewdays later read it again. Don't be afraid to cut the ad topieces and start again if it isn't clear and concise.

275. Keep your ad content concise and clear and try torelate it to an elemental, basic emotion or situation likely tobe shared by the consumers that you are trying to reach.Just a company logo on a banner is not enough to getpeople to click and buy. Enhance your ad with a messagethat will register with your target market.


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magazines. This approach works best for businesses with alocal market.

282. A simple sign on the back of a van or on a roadside sign can get your message out to hundreds of peopledaily. Try putting your web address along the top frontwindow of your car.

283. When one of your press releases gets printed in amagazine or newspaper, it would be to your advantage towrite or call the editor to thank him for including yourproduct in their publication. It would also be good to let theeditor know about the good results you've had from the"free publicity". One of our press releases that had resulted

in a two page story in a newspaper brought in hundreds ofresponses for our book. We immediately called the editor toinform him of the tremendous number of responses we'dhad, and this call resulted in another paragraph in a latereditorial section of that same newspaper, which brought ineven more responses.

284. It generally takes at least 6-12 months for yourbusiness to get rolling. Be prepared to spend the time and

money necessary to get your business "off the ground".Consistent advertising of your books, reports and otherprojects will begin to pay off if you stick with it. If, after twoor three months you decide that you're not showing a profitand quit - you will indeed be the loser! You will probably bequitting just before the business starts to snowball and ifyou had "stuck it out" you would begin to reap huge profitsfrom the word you'd been doing.

285. Avoid email marketing during the holidays.Holidays are often holidays from email, too. That's whyemail marketing during the holidays is often not veryeffective.

286. When using a subscriber box to capture emails,avoid mistyped addresses by requiring retyping. This will


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help people to catch issues like accidentally [email protected] and @yhoo.com in the signup form for yournewsletter.

287. A wise man once said that it would be impossibleto live with a person who had never failed or been defeatedin any of his endeavors. This same man also discoveredthat people achieve successes in almost exact proportion tothe extent to which they meet and master adversity anddefeat.

288. Be happy that there are competitors out there!They are spending money on advertising to stimulate sales.If your emails, flyers, direct mail pieces or classified

advertising hits the customer's eyes just as all the previousadvertising has convinced him/her to buy, YOU will bepositioned to get the sale. If you are persistent andconsistent in your advertising, you'll get your share of thebusiness.

289. A motto or slogan that uses a play on words toexpress a goal or make a point about your company is anexcellent way for people to remember you. For example,

the Center For Sights motto is Your Vision is Our Mission.

290. A story written within a sales letter can have adramatic effect on your orders, especially if the "story"comes from a satisfied customer. Your prospects can relateto this type of testimonial. Another method of"personalizing" your sales letter is to put YOUR picture on it.Let the prospects see you in "action", putting orderstogether, working on your computer, getting mail out of the

mailbox, etc.

291. Orders to be shipped should include anadvertising flyer, a sales letter about additional products (ifappropriate), an order form and a return envelope, or otherinstructions to make re-orders easy.


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292. Create a clear call to action in email marketingcampaigns. Make sure recipients of your email marketingmessage know exactly what you expect them to do (clickhere, buy now, try our free) and what they can expect in

return (bonus for signup, free trial offer, 10% off, etc).

293. FREE is and always will be the most attention-grabbing word in the advertiser's dictionary. Do you knowwhat word comes in second? "It's NEW!" Customers love tobe the first to have something new. In every mailing try toannounce something that customers will perceive as new. Anew report, a new book, a new thing-a-ma-jig. "New" willalways get the customers thinking about placing an order!

294. A good, effective act will always produce a goodeffect; but the effective acts must be maintained in a daily,habitual way, if we are to enjoy continual success. In otherwords, if one email campaign really brings in the orders,don't assume that those orders will last forever from thatone email - you must keep up the contact for continuousorders.

295. When writing an email sales letter, write all the

BENEFITS of your book or product, then proceed to writesentences about the benefits to your potential customers.Lay the letter aside for a day or so then come back and re-do it. Begin taking out all non-essential words, leaving theMAIN benefits. Make short sentences. Lay the letter asidefor another day then come back to re-read and maybe re-vamp it. It should be short and to the point, while using asmany persuasive words as you can and still let the readerknow precisely what you are offering.

296. Don't "fix" mistyped email addresses that peopleuse to subscribe. You should never fiddle with yoursubscribers' email addresses, not even if they obviouslycan't type, because a list must be opt-in, meaning thesubscriber opts in by providing his or her own information.Making any changes at all subverts the opt-in process.