October 26, 2009

Now Is the Time to Run a Small Business... Unload the
Baggage Keeping You from Business Success... Get the Best in
the World... How to Protect the Info Marketer's Most
Vulnerable Tool... and More.

Let's just forget about Wall Street for a second. Turn off your TV, ignore the radio and skip over the headlines on the front page of every newspaper.

All this talk about banks and bailouts is simply getting in your way. It's causing unnecessary distractions, and taking you away from focusing on your actual goals. In fact, these events may even have been scaring you away from jumping right in and starting your own small business.

That's because all of the dire headlines and stories aren't helping you see the actual opportunities still available to you now.

You see, changes are taking place all across the country and around the world. This is just a fact of life. If you were searching for the perfect time to start your own business, well, I hate to break it to you, but that time will never come. Some terrifying obstacle will always rear its ugly head. The trick is to look beyond what stands in your way. You don't have to predict the future, but you can plan the direction you want your life to take.

But what opportunities are out there? Well, a huge opportunity is staring you in the face today. That opportunity is on the Internet, right now.

With the rising cost of gas and, in turn, the rising cost of everything else, establishing an online business is one way to get around these headaches. You don't have to heat the Internet in the winter and you don't have to drive anywhere to get to it.

Companies have been preparing for the growing rise in Internet use and, as a result, there are more resources for you online. You can own your own domain name for under $100 and you can even host a web site for free. Sure, it takes some time to learn how to upload content, but this can all be learned at home and online.

Your next step is to decide what type of business you want to run. For weeks now, I've been telling you about the information marketing business. And I can't even dream of another business that could be a better fit for this economy.

Today, take some time and explore the online business world. Figure out how the sites you visit daily make money, and then see if you can't make this into your own business model.

I'm not sure exactly why it happened, but one morning I woke up, took a look around my home and decided that I had too much stuff.

I had boxes of magazines I hadn't unpacked a year after moving. I had clothing hanging in my closet that I hadn't worn in years. I had stacks of files hanging around for no real reason other than I felt I just shouldn't throw them away.

There must have been a time when having a lot of stuff may have meant something to me. These items, packed away in boxes and tucked into corners, all held some sort of sentimental value. However, as I was soon to discover, you don't need stuff to have memories.

Pretty soon my mission became clear. I needed to de-clutter my home. Little did I know when I started this project that an overhaul of the stuff I carried with me would also help me in my professional life.

My first step was to determine what I really needed. What clothing should I keep, what files do I actually need and what other items I could not do without.

This step was pretty difficult at first. I'd always come up with an excuse about why I'd need that ill-fitting and stretched shirt again. However, I found that, once I started filling up bags with items to donate to charity (or headed straight to the landfill for the absolute junk), it became easier to see things go.

I was able to sell a few items in the process. Listing them online at Craigslist was free and fast. Not only was I lightening the load that this stuff was in my life, but I was also pocketing some cash in the process. Now my de-cluttering task became more than just a clean-up -- it became fun.

What happened next was quite unexpected. By eliminating the junk from my home, I also began doing the same in my professional life. I found myself able to get rid of doubts and approach situations with a "bare bones" attitude. This meant I'd focus on the task at hand and how to get exactly what was needed done with no extra baggage following me around.

While it may have taken a dozen garbage bags and a few hours of effort, cleaning out my home also helped me discover that the secrets to better business practices can be found anywhere.

You can have the best product in the world, but if you don't know how to sell it, then all you've got is an idea. Products don't sell themselves; they need your help. In order to make sure you maximize sales, you need the right mentality. You need to know that what you're selling is more than a name.

People don't buy things because they exist, but rather because they will fulfill a specific task for them. Therefore, people don't go to the Home Depot because they want screws or a drill. They go there because they need to build something. In actuality, they are buying a tree fort for their children, a new bathroom, or a new deck in the backyard. Basically, every material object or service people purchase is merely a means to an end. Knowing this, it becomes your job to sell them on that end, not necessarily the item you are selling.

This means that you're not selling an accounting service; you're selling a worry-free period during tax-time when most people are running around like crazy trying to fill out their tax return.

Don't focus on all the small details of how what you're offering works; show your customers what it will do for them, how it will make their lives better and why you are the best option to deliver it.

A common mistake many so-called salespeople make is that they are not focused as much on their customers' needs as they are on closing the deal. Herein lies the problem: if you aren't clear on what the customer is looking for, how can you effectively satisfy their needs?

The key is to personalize each item you sell so that it can directly solve said customers specific needs. The only way to do this is by listening closely to what they have to say. In order to do this effectively, you may want to schedule some extra time when you're meeting with clients in order to allow them to ask you all the questions they need, while allowing you the opportunity to ask a number of questions that can better prepare you to make the sale. Some of the issues you can addresss are what the customer is looking for, what they generally think of this type of product, what they are looking to spend, how they feel about the competition, and when you can expect to hear from them.

In addition to broadening your knowledge of the customer, this tactic also makes you look concerned and compassionate; things that go a long way in building trust.

By adopting a new philosophy on sales, you can take your business to a new level. Give these ideas a try and see what happens!

** How to Protect the Info Marketer's Most Vulnerable Tool
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert

As an info marketer, you are going to see the highest of professional highs and will encounter some of the best working days that will make your friends jealous.

Making a living writing about what you love, learning new things, meeting new people, hopefully getting some free swag along the way...it's pretty great all around.

But obviously you are going to run into problems along the way. It's just part of life and you will incur -- hopefully irregularly -- some hassles that will drive you a bit crazy. No doubt you have already experienced a few of these so far.

I have seen a few to be sure. A contact didn't deliver some info on time. A few deals have fallen through. Occasionally, I have had to travel a long way just to meet someone or get something
trivial.

But nothing compares to the anger I felt whenever I was working on an old computer of mine. I'd be typing up newsletters, articles, or other written material and, out of nowhere, the computer would decide at some surprise moment to freeze. Frustration wasn't the word for what I felt, but it was probably the nicest way I can express my anger here and now. As it turned out, I had a bad computer virus and was lucky to have a computer tech friend from the neighborhood come over and get my virus system upgraded.

He mentioned that, because of the extensive use of computers these days and all the files floating around in cyberspace that everyone has access to, it's easy for someone to get a virus. You have to be ready BEFORE they come.

Some info marketers aren't so lucky. Computer viruses can wreak absolute havoc on whatever material you have stored in your hard drive. Not only can it destroy your computer, but also all of your visual, written, and/or video material cannot be recovered. Once this happens, you can't get your material to your clients on schedule and lose a lot of revenue in the process.

You might be lucky or more computer savvy than most and have a great computer system that can block viruses and other nasty digital things right from your network hub. But if you are just like the rest of us, the only answer is to get a good virus program for your computer or laptop. It's that simple.

A good computer virus program can be easy to get these days. Find a good computer sales firm who is up to speed on the new software and what is available for domestic professionals like you. Explain that you do a lot of work online and that you need a software package that can readily combat any sort of virus that comes online or through exchanged files.

Please note: Since you are on the Internet a lot because of your business, also ask your specialist if the virus software can upgrade itself regularly. Many virus software companies require you to register online once you install the program on your computer. This is good, as you can get regular updates from the company. These types of programs change regularly, so it's good to be ready to receive updates for your machine.

The threat of computer viruses is often what keeps a lot of people from using digital media to the fullest. These instances are fairly infrequent as it is. But, as an info marketer, you can get your hard drive upgraded with a solid anti-virus program that should prevent any potential problems from occurring. Remember: your material is worth a lot, so it's best to protect it.