Network Marketing - Understanding the Source of Attraction

Attraction marketing is a method that has been in the business world for decades and it has never been publicized in network marketing. The reasons being that you are not able to duplicate according to many old school network marketers.

No wonder 99% of the people in this industry ever achieve a full time income. If you continue to ignore this method and really on making cold calling and emailing garbage lead you will be part of the 99% I just mentioned. I had a lot of experience with the old school way of network marketing and I knew right away that it wasn't for me.

I was very fortunate to learn and develop the method of attraction marketing. I began to focus on getting people to come to me instead of me trying to chase them around. You can definitely utilize this concept to become a better network marketer and start having people ask about your business. The problem that many newbies encounter is very simple. They are lead to believe that making the most calls to people they don't know is the best way to explode their business. They are told that putting the business first and hidden your face can duplicate. Well the truth is this is all wrong!

The key to making your business explode is to implement attraction marketing by branding yourself as a leader and building relationships with different people you encounter. Just like these people can learn from you there is a chance that you can learn something from them.

For more information feel free to click on link located in my resources box. Thank you.

The Differences Between Direct Sales and MLM Companies

For those who want to work from home or run their own business, two common ways to do so is through a direct sales business or a multi-level marketing company. Many people use the terms interchangeably, and although they can be similar, they aren't exactly the same thing. So, what is the difference between direct sales and MLM companies? Let's take a closer look to help you understand.

Direct Sales Business

A direct sales business is one in which you can work for an already established company. The company normally sells products or services and they look for representatives to help them do so. This allows an individual to become a representative via their own business and sell the company's products.

This makes it easier for someone to work for themselves without the overhead costs associated with starting a business from scratch. Many times the individual will also be able to sell the products without maintaining an inventory. This saves the rep money as well because there is no need to house the products yourself or pay for storage.

The company will already have packages set up that include product samples, promotional material and more for the representative to use. A good direct sales company will also provide training and other resources to help the business owner grow their business. These packages do cost money to purchase but many times it's a one-time fee and the individual will be able to use these items as long as they are working with the company.

You then use the material provided and sell the products of the company. In turn, the company pays you a percentage of all the sales you make. Depending on the company you are working with you might be able to set your own sales price and keep any money left over after you've paid for the items from the company.

For instance, let's say the cost for you to purchase an item is $1. According to the company's policy you are allowed to mark up the sales price to whatever you choose so you sell the item for $2. Once you receive the money from your customer, you pay the direct sales company their dollar and you keep the remaining dollar for yourself.

There are tons of direct sales companies out there that allow someone to start their own business by selling for them. A few common examples, that you may have heard of include, Avon, Tupperware, Home Interiors and Mary Kay.

These companies sell kitchenware, make up and other products but look to expand their company's profits by working with business owners around the world who like the idea of running their own business, but want the security of something already well established.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) Companies

With multi-level marketing companies, it's common to see the same names as you do with direct sales companies. As a matter of fact, most direct sales companies have some form of MLM in their business structure for those interested.

Multi-level marketing is just what its name implies - multi-levels of income potential. Let's use an example to help you understand how it works. You've just signed up with Company X to be a representative and sell their products to others. You've also been offered the opportunity to recruit others to also sell the products.

You book a party and the hostess (we'll call her Susan) decides she would like to sell Company X products as well. You sign Susan up and she becomes a member of your "down line." You will now make money from the sales received from your customers and you'll also make money when Susan sells products as well. Susan can do the same and depending on the company policy, you might be able to make money on sales that Susan's down line creates as well.

Although the terms direct sales and MLM are used interchangeably, they aren't the same thing. The reason is because most direct sales companies do not require their reps to participate in the multi-level aspect of the business. There is more money to be made when an individual chooses to recruit others, but for some that just isn't their cup of tea. Companies realize this and many are just as happy to offer both options to their potential representatives.

Is Network Marketing a Scam? What You Need to Know Before You Join MLM

After being in the home business industry for some time now, I always get the question is network marketing a scam. It's true that there is a huge failure rate in the business, but does that necessarily mean it's a fraud business? Well let's look a little further into the whole situation.

Most people quit, plain and simple. Either because they can't get enough leads or run out of money to support their business. So who's fault is it? The company or the person themselves. In our society today it is easy to point the finger and not take the blame for themselves. That doesn't mean that network marketing is a scam, it just means that they went into something not truly understand what it was.

Also, people come into it as a get rich quick. If you fell for this assumption, please back away now. A lot of people don't get rich quick, even though no other industry in the world has helped create more millionaires than MLM. The point is, you should always expect trial and error. If you continue to persist, there is no way you can fail.

Finally, you have to get proper training on how to run your business. Remember, the words network marketing, which the marketing aspect is rarely touched upon. Calling family and friends is what most people hate to do. Instead, you can acquire the proper training to attract interested prospects to you instead of the other way around.

The marketing aspect is a huge part of the business and unfortunately, is one of the main reason people tend to call network marketing a scam.

No matter what you do in network marketing, always expect a challenge, don't think your going to get rich fast, and get the proper training on marketing.

Of course there is much more to touch on but this should get you going on the right track.

Is There a Global Resorts Scandal Brewing?

If you are looking for an online business, there is no doubt you have stumbled onto Global Resorts Network. There have been many rumors about GRN. It's amazing how many half truths are being told about the company. Considering that Global has been in the travel business for over two decades should give you an indication that the company is not scandalous.

The company specializes in luxury resort vacations around the world. It has two different types of memberships - a three year "gold" membership and a lifetime "platinum" membership. The company touts over 5000 locations in 70 plus countries with members staying in 3-5 star resort accommodations.

Some insinuate that the vacations are bogus. Well, make an online reservation or by telephone to find out how easy it is to make a reservation, whether it be a spur of the moment booking or for a vacation with Global Resorts six months from now, this makes time shares obsolete.

The platinum package is a lifetime membership to a luxury resort vacation club. This membership provides you the opportunity to travel to over 5000 locations in over 70 countries staying in 3 - 5 star resorts.

You'll spend 8 days and 7 nights in a luxury resort for as little as $298.00, and that could be for as many as 6 adults if you book a 2 bedroom. In a 5 star resort, those kinds of prices are unheard of. So if someone asks you about the Global Resorts Network Scam, you can tell them what you know.

What about the business aspect of Global Resorts Network. Again, rumors fly. The compensation plan, perpetual leverage, is the main reason why there is absolutely no scandal here. This is one of the best home based business opportunities available right now.

Network Marketing - Only For the Serious Entrepreneur!

One of the things that intrigue me most about Network Marketing is that there are people who love it to the extreme, and there are people who are frozen with fear at the mere mention of the word.

Those who love it have all the reasons to. It has completely changed their lives, and in most case, these are ordinary people who were behind on their Mortgages or Credit Card payments and were just looking for an extra income, or maybe they had two jobs working 60 - 80 hours per week and was just looking for more time freedom or whatever the case may be, bottom line is that now they have more time and money to spend on themselves and their families.

The Fear Of Network Marketing!

Even with Endorsements by celebrity authors like Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump, there are many people who shudder at the thought of this business. This could be from a number of reasons.

From my experience, the main reason is the idea that it might be a pyramid scheme. We all have been duped before or we know of someone who has been. I personally lost over $23k before I became a successful network marketer, so because of this they become skeptical and totally closed minded to the endless possibilities with Network Marketing. Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being skeptical, in fact I think that a little skepticism is healthy, that way you will do your due diligence, but to be completely closed minded is another thing.

Do's and Don'ts

The other huge reason why I think people are nervous about starting in this business is caused by a few bad apples with some bad practices that are giving the industry a bad name. There are some things you just don't do:

• Never tell a prospect that it's easy, because its not. It may be simple but if it was easy everyone would be successful, so people come here with the wrong expectation thinking that they are going to make $30k per month next month. So they join up having no idea of the level of commitment that is necessary to be successful here.
• Never pester or force someone to join your opportunity. If it is a friend they wont be your friend for long besides, this makes you sound desperate and people don't join desperate, they join leaders.
• Always communicate and follow up with someone who has just joined your team, they are your responsibility. Make sure you provide leadership and proper training for them even if you have to pass them to your upline, but don't abandon them after you have collected their money.

So the bottom line is if you are serious entrepreneur, then Network Marketing is a great opportunity than can take you places you could never have imagined.

Work From Home Message Boards - What Are They?

During surfing on internet, you can find the up to dated subjects, which their protectors are trying to demonstrate. Those protectors access all web sites, forums, and even emails to promote their topic, or say their services. Message boards are among this type as well. You may receive endless work from home message boards.

Of course, you can find different sentences and styles, but all are directed to promote the same content along with the targeted plot, how to work from home message boards! Working from home, in fact becomes a newest idea that attracts the globalization nowadays. The idea of leaving the routine work of the monthly salary and stay at home, trying to work through it and at it may be great.

Working from home will save you the expenses of transport to and from the work place. It may save your crucial time as well. Yet, you have to put into your consideration not to commit any mistakes relating with selecting the suitable work for you, while trying to get the utmost benefits from working at Home Message Boards.

You have to realize that most of people have tended to use working of home message boards. They can find there some information of a category of business chance. If you try this method, you can find your targeted people and your opportunity to get a great business to do it from your home comfortably.

Well, since our aim is to understand well the secrets of Working from Home Message Boards, I would like to inform you that most persons who are hanging out at these works from home message boards are tire kickers. The reason is their trial of some type of service or product for one week only. As long as this does not work, they may go directly to another one. Thus, put into your consideration that giving a certain product bad feedback will not mean that this product is bad actually.

Therefore, if you wish to be successful in internet, you have to be dedicated and a hard-worker as well. Remember, the sky will not send your wealth as rain suddenly. Via work from home message boards, you can gain your wealth fast, as soon as you get involved with knowledge and skills standard. You have to keep into mind if your trial does not, you must continue your multi-trials regularly. At any given point, you will realize your target.

Despite some urge that there are many negative issues related with work from home message boards, you can try this method and wait until you catch your fish. Working from home message boards may be successful, especially if you trace the people who tried it before and use them as your model.

Discover the Top 5 Secrets to a Great Work at Home Business Opportunity!

How many times have you seen a great work at home business opportunity and thought it was too good to be true? Unfortunately, many of them are. Sometimes it seems as if the scams outnumber the legitimate business opportunities! You can avoid the scams and create your own at-home business by following these simple steps:

Do what you love. Working at home won't feel like a good deal if you are doing something you hate. Since you're working for yourself, make it something you love doing! Perhaps you have a favorite hobby that is begging to be made into a business. Maybe you enjoy helping people, and you have an idea for a home business that would allow you to do that all the time. Whatever it is that you do, make sure it is something you adore. If you love what you do, you will be willing to go the extra mile, and sometimes that's the defining ingredient between success and failure.

Find your niche. If you're serious about running your own business, you need to consider what the market needs from you. Do you provide a service that no one else can offer? Do you have skills that are in high demand? Are you in a position to offer those services to someone else? For instance, a good tailor is hard to find - if you know your way around a sewing machine, then you're in luck, and so are all those people who will seek you out to make those custom clothes they want so badly!

Promote yourself! When you run your own business from home, you are your own advertising. You serve as your own manager, publicist, receptionist, and advertiser. With your work at home business opportunity, you will have to be willing to toot your own horn! Getting creative with your advertising will get your name out there, and that name-recognition will bring in more business. Promoting yourself may sometimes seem difficult because so often we equate self-promotion with arrogance or conceit.

Recognize that you are running a business, and if you don't tell everyone about how great it is, you won't have any customers...that's not conceit. That's smart business!

Be patient. Have a backup plan if the business doesn't get off the ground immediately. The reality almost always never meets our expectations, so give yourself some breathing room. Plan your finances carefully, so if you don't have a profit coming in by the time you thought you would, you won't be in serious financial trouble. That is the kind of stress you really don't need, especially when you are changing your career course.

Finally, recruit support. If you have a good support system behind your work from home business, the setbacks will seem like simple bumps in the road. Without encouragement from those around you, one simple setback might make you feel as though you have failed. A great deal of your success lies in your attitude, and if you have a good support system behind you, you will make the most out of your work at home business opportunity.

Want to Make Extra Money? Try Online Work at Home!

Online work at home is becoming more and more popular. Why? In the current economy, workers are being laid off from large companies by the hundreds. The cost of daycare has gone up, and that means many families are feeling the pinch of letting someone else take care of their children while they go to work. The hike in gas prices has made those long commutes more expensive than ever, and the cost of living is going up even as salaries may be going down.

There has never been a more practical time to look into online work at home.

When you work online, you're saving a ton of money. Your workplace is simple - you need a computer and a desk where you can organize all your paperwork. You don't need a specialized wardrobe, and your commute takes only seconds. For those with children, working online at home takes away the burden of daycare, and juggling schedules to deal with a sick child becomes a thing of the past.

When you start your search for online work at home, go into it with the mind of a researcher. You're not looking for the job offers that promise a lifetime of riches! You're looking for good, steady work that provides a solid income. Write down the sites you are interested in, and when you have a long list, go back through and shorten it. You can eliminate those that require you to invest money in order to get hired. Avoid those that have excessive typos and grammar mistakes - it smacks of an unprofessional site, probably one that has been thrown together quickly. This signals a business you are probably better off not dealing with.

Do pay attention to the sites that ask for a resume and information about your current and past jobs. Have a resume ready to go, along with a polished and interesting cover letter. You are applying for a job, just as you would if you walked into the office building downtown and spoke with someone who was interested in hiring you - just because a business hires through the internet does not mean you should slack off in your efforts to present yourself in the very best light!

Once you begin looking for online work at home, you will come across businesses that are little more than scams. Protect yourself against them by doing proper research! Check out the company by doing an internet search on them. Get a contact email and phone number for someone who can answer your questions. A reputable business will be more than ready to address all of your concerns, and they will probably have a legitimate address for a home office. Always check them out!

Online work at home is a great way to supplement your income, and it might turn into a full-time job that provides you with an excellent income. Go into the search with your research cap on, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the great opportunities that come your way!

Work at Home Moms Know the Secret! Do You?

Do you want to be one of those lucky work at home moms who gets to spend great, quality time with her children? I know many work at home moms who believe that leaving the world of big business and forming their own niche was the best thing they could have done for themselves and their families. It wasn't easy, though - it took time, patience, and more than a few missteps before they figured out the secret to being a work at home mom.

Have you ever wondered how you would cope with a full-time job as well as having kids underfoot all day long? That's the dilemma faced by work at home moms. They have the full responsibilities of being a mother, while juggling the workload of having their own business. Being a work at home mom takes focus! You have to be able to multi-task and juggle a multitude of things, much more so than you would if you went to an office everyday. In an office setting, the workload is shared among employees. That's an advantage the work at home mom doesn't have.

So what's the secret to being a work at home mom? How do you handle everything and pull it off with style and aplomb?

The secret lies in careful planning. A big calendar, with huge blocks to hold all the obligations that might come up, is a necessity for work at home moms! That big calendar will help you stay disciplined as well. If you have a dozen things that need to be done by the end of the next day, seeing them lined up in order on your calendar will be incentive to set your alarm an hour earlier, or to budget your time more wisely.

The work at home mom often winds up working hard during the times the kids are lying down for their nap. When the kids are older and start school, that "free" time during the day is a goldmine, and most of the work winds up being budgeted during those quiet hours. If it's difficult to get some quiet time, eventually a work at home mom might wind up hiring someone to help out for a few hours a week. After all, it's hard to make business calls when the children are running in and out of the room!

Work at home moms know it's also important to get out once in a while. When you work at home, it's easy to get stuck in a rut and hardly ever leave the house. If the only time you're going out on the town is to take the kids to the doctor or go to the grocery store, you can begin to lose your sense of identity and individuality rather quickly. Work at home moms have learned that the key to staying happy in your job is having an outlet to get you away from it every now and then.

Typing Jobs From Home

Are you interested in typing jobs from home? The ability to work in your own time and from the comfort of your own home is very appealing, and in the current economic climate, you may find you need some extra money just to pay the mounting bills.

Type at home is a very popular way to make money online: it's easy to do, you don't require any special experience, and all you really need to get started is your computer and an Internet connection.

But first, let's dispel one of the myths about typing jobs from home (also know as online data entry). Online jobs are not the same as offline, in that you are not working for an employer - you are working for yourself. So basically you are creating a home business, rather than working for someone.

In turn, that also means you are not earning a weekly wage. Instead, your earnings are dictated by the amount of work you put in. The more work you do, the more you get paid. And the more work you do in the beginning, the better it will be for you financially, later on.

So how do we get started with typing jobs from home? The best way is to join a typing program that will teach you what to do - yes, there is usually a small one time fee involved, but if you really are new to making money online, it's almost a necessity. Sure, there's plenty of information available for free online, however if you were to spend time sifting through it all and looking for a legitimate typing opportunity then you'll probably waste a lot of time and energy.

With a program you can just get started straight away - on joining you get access to a members area with step by step instructions and a database of companies that you can work with. Typing jobs from home will generally involve typing advertisements for companies and submitting them online. When a sale is made through the ad you typed, you earn a commission.

In my signature you'll find a review of a great data entry program that I have used. Please check it out, it's a must read if you want to start making money online typing.

Small Home Office Decorating Ideas! Your Guide to Creating the Home Office of Your Dreams

Having only a small space to work with has its disadvantages. However, with a bit of focus and forethought, you can design a home office that is not only practical and functional, but is also conducive to your style and personality. This holds true when accessorizing any room in your home. The only difference being that when you design a small home office you would want to choose space conservative options as it pertains to a work station, shelving, storage and lighting.

It obviously would not be practical to purchase large bulky pieces of furniture when creating your perfect small home office. The workstation/desk is the centerpiece, focal point, and most used piece of furniture in any home office.

There are various options to choose from when selecting this important feature. Two of these options include compact and wall-mounted desks. They are both practical for a small home office and each has its pros and cons, which are largely dependent on your unique style and needs.

Compact Desks are wonderfully suited for your small home office if you have ample space for storage furniture such as a file cabinet, bookcase, or an optional room divider.

Wall Desks are ideal if you desire an all-in-one solution that includes space for both your computer system and office supplies.

Designing a Functional Small Home Office

When designing a functional small home office, you would need to consider four essential elements. These include the wall color, lighting, storage and organizational needs of your small home office.

All these factors are important in creating an ideal workflow that would, in turn, increase productivity.

Setting the Mood of Your Small Home Office with Use of Color

The use of color is essential in the functionality of your home office, as it will help to create a particular "mood" as you enter the space. Will you be seeing clients in your home office? Do you want your home office to be warm and inviting? Do you want your home office to blend in with the rest of your home's décor? Do you want your office to be stimulating and conducive to creativity or calm and relaxing?

These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before choosing a wall color for your small home office. It is also important to remember that some colors can make the small space appear even more cramped and may not lend to a spacious feel.

According to behr.com, wall color can lighten the mood and improve productivity in your home office. Here is a run down of colors on the color wheel and what "mood" you can achieve with their use.

* Cool Colors - greens, blues and purples are shown to have a calming affect. If you are easily stimulated, it may be helpful to choose a cool wall color to help you relax and "get down to business".

* Warm Colors - reds, yellows and oranges give any space a warm, inviting feel. These colors are also invigorating and can help to awaken your creativity. As a word of caution, warm, muted tones should be chosen over bright, bold colors as they tend to be distracting and may not be conducive to productivity.

* Whites - perfect to give your small home office an open spacious feel. However, too much white can be straining on the eyes. A wonderful alternative is to use another wall color, but have white as an accent color or for trim and moldings. This would give your small home office a crisp, clean look.

* Neutrals - earth tones such as charcoal, umber, ochre and sienna would be ideal if your small home office is open to other rooms within your home. A neutral wall color would blend perfectly with other surrounding color choices. Neutrals are also not considered distracting and would aid in keeping your mind centered on the "business at hand".

Meeting the Lighting Needs of Your Small Home Office

There are three ways to light your home office. These include:

* Ambient Lighting
* Task Lights
* Accent Lights

All these play a part in striking the right balance between business and pleasure in your small home office.

Ambient Lighting

Basically, ambient lights provide lighting for the whole room. This can be accomplished through the use of ceiling light fixtures, torchieres and table lamps. Ambient light fixtures are a necessity in any small home office as they account for the majority of illumination in the space.

Those on a budget can afford stylish ambient lighting for their small home office by purchasing torchieres or floor lamps. There are a plethora of lighting accessories to choose from in either a local furniture store or on-line. One such on-line store that provides a wide selection of torchieres, ceiling light fixtures and table lamps is LampsPlus.com.

Task Lights

Task lights are another home office necessity and provide directional or focused lighting for reading, filling out paper work, working on the computer, etc. Many task lights come with the added feature of an adjustable base that allows you to direct the light where you need it most. These light fixtures help to avoid eyestrain and headaches, thereby, boosting productivity.

Accent Lights

Unlike ambient and task lights, accent lights are viewed as optional. However, they are useful in adding a decorative element to any space. If you want to showcase a particular object or wall hanging, then accent lights are ideal. The use of accent lights in your small home office may be just what is needed to add a personal touch to your office's décor.

Storage Furniture in Your Small Home Office

As mentioned previously, if you choose a wall desk, it includes space not only for your computer, but additional storage for office supplies. This may alleviate the need for some office furniture. However, you may find that you still need a bookshelf and file cabinet. If your office space doubles as a bedroom or other living area, you may desire to purchase a room divider as well.

Before purchasing additional office furniture, it is important to measure the area to ensure that you buy pieces that accommodate the space in your small home office. This will help to alleviate the hassle of having to return merchandise when you discover that the piece is too large for the space.

You would also want to consider the arrangement of your furniture pieces in your small home office. By placing the pieces in an "L" or "U" shape, all supplies would be in easy reach. Some experts purport that arranging your furniture pieces in this fashion would boost your productivity.

Two options that would provide needed storage are modular bookcases and room dividers that have bookcases built right in. The second option serves two purposes in that it lends both privacy and shelving for office supplies, books, etc.

Bookcases are also designed with adjustable shelves, which accommodate oversized books and supplies and those with doors. Those with doors would add a stylish and personalized touch to your home office's décor.

When deciding on a file cabinet, there are several things you should ask yourself before making a purchase. Some of these include:

* Do you work primarily with legal or letter size paper? Some file cabinets only accommodate for one or the other. However, some are available that would provide storage for both.

* Is your storage needs more conducive to a vertical or lateral file cabinet?

* Will you be filing important documents? If you are, make sure that you inquire specifically if a particular file cabinet of interest is fire resistant.

* Do you want to ensure that the file cabinet will not tip over (who doesn't right)? There are file cabinets available with an internal locking system that will only allow you to open one drawer at a time and those equipped with a safety device that would guard against the file cabinet from tipping if several drawers were opened at once.

This may appear to be a lot to consider, but it is best to answer these questions beforehand as it will save you from having to return or exchange items that are not conducive to your small home office needs.

Staying Organized: Essential in Any Small Home Office

One important factor that affects productivity is organization. By storing items you use frequently in an area that is easily assessable would increase what is accomplished each day by decreasing the amount of time it takes to retrieve essentials.

Experts at OnlineOrganizing.com state to have "a world of organizing solutions" and have suggestions on how to organize your home office to promote efficiency. They recommend that the least needed storage files should be furthest away from your workstation in an inactive "work zone" and those items used frequently need to be close at hand.

A simple solution would be to have three different storage zones that include items used frequently, occasionally and rarely.

Storage Zone One - Frequently Used Items

These items need to be easily accessible. One idea would be to place papers you need on a daily basis in a bin on your desk. If you have books that you use each day, consider locating them on a wall-mounted shelf above or near your desk. Another solution would be to designate the shelf in your bookcase that is most easily accessible as the area to place books you use frequently.

Storage Zone Two -- Occasionally Used Items

These are items used from time to time but not on a daily basis. You would want to keep these items in your "work zone", but their accessibility does not need to be at "arms length" as is preferable with items used frequently.

For example, you could store these essentials in a file cabinet under your desk. If you had books you use occasionally, you could store them in the highest shelf, or the one directly above the one that is most easily accessible.

Storage Zone Three - Rarely Used Items These are basically archived files. You could purchase a different cabinet for these files and they would not necessarily need to be in your "work zone".

For books you rarely use, you could designate the lowest shelf in your bookcase for their storage. This would eliminate the need to bend down often, as you would only need to retrieve these books or rare occasions.

Although it only takes seconds to bend or stoop, over a day's time, these seconds add up, therefore, decreasing your overall productivity.

Designing a Personal Home Office

This is where you can add a few personal touches to your small home office. A few ideas would be:

* Include a few family photos or pictures that are relaxing or lift your spirits. If you want to bring a little of the outdoors in, you could incorporate a vase of flowers or a few potted plants for greenery.

* Include items in your small home office that reduce stress. This would not only add a personal touch - as these items would be unique to you - but may also boost productivity. Two such items could include a stress ball to squeeze or a small basketball hoop placed along the wall to shoot baskets when things get a little tense.

* Include a water element, such as a small water fountain or fish aquarium. This would not only aid in relaxation, but would add a decorative touch to your small home office.

Summary: Creating the Perfect Balance in Your Small Home Office It may not be effortless, but you can create a small home office that is not only professional but also includes elements that are unique to your personality and style in home furnishings.

To sum up, Practicality + Functionality + Personality = a small home office that is both personal and professional.

You also want to ensure that your small home office is conducive to productivity and exudes professionalism. This is especially important if you "entertain" clients and business associates in the space.

However, you don't want to exclude personal touches altogether as this is one of the many advantages to working from home. You are basically your own boss and call the shots per se. Isn't that the allure of working from home in the first place?

It is important to find the perfect balance of business and pleasure without one interfering with the other. If you frequently have clients in your small home office, it may be essential that it retains a professional look and feel and may not allow for too many personal touches. You also wouldn't want your "personal" items to interfere with your workflow and productivity. However, you can still express your style in the furnishings you choose for the space.

These are all points you should consider when creating your small home office. With forethought, you can design a working environment that is not only conducive to productivity, but also expresses your unique style and personality.

Tameka Norris has been living in small spaces since she was 10 years old. She now runs a website titled Furniture for Small Spaces to help people who go through the same frustrating circumstance of trying to make big bulky furniture fit in places that barely offer enough room. She offers nifty tips and tactics, a Q & A section for people in need of answers, photos of her own small space trials, projects for the DIYer and recommendations on furniture choices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tameka_Norris

Internet Home Based Business - How to Make it Really Pay Big Money

You can make your internet home based business pay big money by considering the following factors regarding the jobs available. Whichever job you choose, you can make it pay off handsomely by concentrating on doing the job and getting it right. Part of getting the job right is to do what you enjoy doing. You will be much more comfortable with the work and it will lead to a higher level of job satisfaction. Of course, you will want to choose the work that will pay the best for the type of work you enjoy. In addition to the active work that you accomplish, consider looking at the passive job opportunities available with passive income.

Stay Focused

An important aspect of an internet home based business that pays money well is the ability to concentrate fully on the work that you are doing. This includes working during the time that you have set aside as work time and not doing procrastination type activities that will waste your time so that you are not being as efficient in your efforts as you should be to make the business pay. You will find that by staying focused, you may not need to work as long in order to accomplish the same amount of work.

Do What You Like

When you have an internet home based business that reflects your favorite activities and abilities, you are certain to be doing things you like to do and you are more likely to make the job pay. A person who is in love with the work they do will be paid not only financially, but in terms of job satisfaction as well. It's important to love what you do in order to make it pay. Choose only the job that is your passion and the financial benefits will soon follow.

Passive Income

Increase the income from your internet home based business by including passive income along with the regular income opportunities. This is particularly applicable if you have created a web page or blog to showcase your home business. You simply add pay-per-click ads like those in Google AdSense program to your existing web site and gain the benefit of passive income from the proceeds of those ads. The more traffic that comes to your web site, the more likelihood that your passive income will increase. All this is without any extra effort on your part.

Look for the best opportunities

Another factor that you must consider when you are deciding on the best internet home based business for you is that of income. Yet, even though a higher income may make a specific job more appealing to you, it should not be the only factor that affects your choice. You must consider all the opportunities that will come with a specific job in order to make the choice work for you. In other words, the highest paying per unit tasks may require much longer to complete each task, so it may not be the best opportunity for income.

The Absolute Truth About Home Based Business Magazine

One way to learn more about online business is by reading it through home based business magazine. There are lots of good information inside a home based business magazine and the information probably are better than online. The reason is because a publisher of magazine needs to provide a better quality information, otherwise people will not purchase the magazine itself.

You might want to try out Internet business as your part time income to support your family or pay your bills. Some information provided on the Internet might be a little bit costly for you. So, if you have a tight budget, you don't have to worry because you can still buy a home based business magazine at local bookstores. You can check your local library as well to borrow any books or magazines related to online business. This can save you a lot of your money because the membership fee to become a library member is quite cheap.

Home based business magazine can teach you how to setup a website, where to get a cheap domain name and hosting company. It contains several tips and tricks on how to make your website more user friendly so that whoever reach your website will stay longer and digest whatever information you provided there. You can also learn how to write a good sales copy even though you have not write any before.

Your website will not make any money if you don't have enough visitors to your website. You need to learn how to get traffic for free by learning through home based business magazine. Of course, there are paid traffic as well but if you are new to this online business, you need to stay away from paid traffic and use only free traffic. Free traffic includes blog, social networking and bookmarking, article writing, press release and so many more. Once you have used all the free traffic method, then only you can try to learn more about paid traffic to improve your sales.

In fact, if you can do some heavy search engine optimization and conquer the first two pages of any major search engines, you can rest assure your income will increase dramatically. You can get more strategies on how to do this by reading home based business magazine. You need to be careful though, if your website is rank number one today, it does not mean it will stay that rank forever because your competitors will do their very best to get on top as well. That is why learning and using lots of free traffic method is always the best.

Now get out there and start looking for the best home based business magazine for yourself. If you are serious in making money online, you can always achieve the dream of having a six figure income per year.

10 Smoking Resources to Boost Your Data Entry Work at Home Jobs

Besides having the necessary skills a data entry work at home agent can greatly increase their job prospects and ultimately their income by having the right equipment.

Letting companies know that you are already set up with the right equipment is a surefire way to say hire me. It lets them know that you are not just another data entry work at home searcher, who wants to sit at home and earn a substantial income. But instead, you are a professional, reliable, candidate that should be taken seriously.

Online, the more serious a client feels about you the better your prospects for continuous jobs, a raise and, in some cases, a few benefits. Heres a way to see how attractive you are as a candidate, take a look at the list below and see how many of the following you have.

1. A computer with high speed internet connection:
Don't walk, run to your nearest office supply location if you don't have your own computer. It will be difficult to land a good pay data entry work at home job without it.

2. A business line:
Having your own toll free number is a major plus. Having a business line, separate from your home or cell phone number, will make you seem more professional.

3. All-in-one:
Sure you can opt for a separate, copier, printer, scanner and fax machine but I dont know too many home offices that can afford that much space. An all-in-one is a good way to get the job done and increase the space in your home office. The fax machine for instance, is heavily relied upon among data entry work at home agents.

4. Optical Character Recognition (OCR):
The faster you can get work done, the better. An OCR is a great time saver. It is a scanner that allows you take a handwritten, type written or printed text and translate it into machine-editable text. If you wrote an article or letter by hand for a client, you could save time by feeding it into an OCR and then editing the file using a word processor.

5. A project manager/calendar system:
Organization is crucial when you are a work at home data entry clerk. An electronic calendar program lets you edit entries, track time, interchange dates, and print hard copies for your records. You can find free versions of these programs from some online search engines.

6. Business cards:
Soliciting your own work is vital to your data entry success. Besides looking online, attending chamber of commerce meetings with business cards ready can introduce you to more people and more clients.

7. A website:
While many data entry work at home agents manage with just an email address, having your own website is an additional benefit. You can send prospective clients there to view past work, your skills, ect. Its like a 24 hour bragging system.

8. Transcribing Machine:
Having a transcribing machine can increase your data entry work at home job prospects. You can transcribe for law firms, religious sermons, focus groups, medical offices, and educational seminars to list a few.

9. Form processing software:
If you are a freelance data entry work at home agent then having form processing software will also widen your job avenue. Most data entry companies provide you with this tool. However, many of them overcharge and of course you need to be wary of scams. Having your own will save you some headache.

10. Book keeping software:
Now that you work from home you are responsible for your own earnings, expenses and taxes. Book keeping software is essential.

The more tools and resources you have to help you do the job, the more data entry work at home jobs you can apply for. Legitimate companies want to work with someone who already has and is proficient with the equipment needed.

Stay at Home Mom Internet Opportunities

Working moms and stay at home moms everywhere are looking for creative way to earn extra income so they can spend more time doing the things they enjoy most. Spending time with their children is the highest priority and they are willing to do whatever they can, within reason, to ensure they have the valuable family time needed now days.

With the dynamic schedule that is required for moms in general the Internet is a perfect fit, because in most cases you can work whenever you choose. You can work from the comfort of your home or from anywhere you have a computer and access to the Internet. In many cases stay at home moms have blocks of time more so than a predetermined large block of time. The Internet job opportunities allow these small blocks of time to work well.

What types of choices to work at home moms have with the Internet? If you do some research and I suggest that you do you will find opportunities such as:

1. Rebate Processing

2. Coupon Processing

3. E-mail Processing

4. Data Entry

5. Type At Home

6. Paid Surveys

7. Medical Transcriptions

8. Chat Room Operators

9. Online Retail Store

10. Online Dollar Store

I have mentioned only a few of the choices you have, but you can see there are plenty of work at home and home based businesses to choose from. You need to identify you current skill sets, time available on a weekly basis, comfort zone and income objectives. It's best to match any program along these lines to give yourself the best chance for success.

Don't do like many people do and simply join the first program you see promising you the moon for doing nothing. If it seems to good to be true it more than likely is. All you will do is lose your time and waste your money.

Take your time. You might want to use a website like mine, but not necessarily mine that has done some level of research for you or do the research yourself. It is important that you do one or the other. Perhaps even both.

Work at home programs require patience and a little time to get up and running but in the end I have found that the time required decreases as your income increases. This will vary depending on what type of business or work at home opportunity you choose. Each person's results are different depending on the program and effort applied.

The Freedom of Free Work From Home Jobs

There is one industry that has continued to grow year on year and that is the work at home self employed market. More and more people are choosing to stay at home and work rather than commute.

Every one has different reasons for choosing to do this. Necessity is a popular reason you may have opted to work at home. If you have children the cost of childcare plus commuting costs are making it too expensive to work the traditional 9 to 5 job. You work all day and miss the kids growing up and you are no better of financially at the end of the month.

Another popular reason for you to want to work for yourself at home is dissatisfaction with your employer or boss. This isn't just that you want a change of job, you are fed up with the way employers treat you. There is not the job satisfaction, the conditions of work are getting no better, work demands are always increasing but not your wage and the threat of redundancy is always round the corner.

It's no wonder more people choose to work from home each year and benefit from not having to fight their way through traffic jams every morning and again in the evening. You can work the hours you want to work to fit in with your lifestyle and your family commitments. You can take time out whenever you want without having to get special permission and enjoy greater flexibility with your time.

Alternatively you may just be looking to supplement your income or you may be a mum who can spare a few hours a day but can't get out of the house. Either way working from home allows you to work the number of hours you want when you want. If you wanted you could do your work when the kids have gone to bed or you may want to work a few hours in the morning or at lunch time.

So what are the types of job that are available on the internet that you can do from home. Surprisingly there are lots of different types of jobs so depending on your level of skill and experience and the number of hours you want to work. You could do data processing, completing surveys and polls, or be a mystery shopper although this job does require you to visit shops for part of the work.

2 Keys to Online Home Business Success

An online home business is a dream that many people have. More time with loved ones, financial security, and a life of ease and freedom is something that everyone would love to have. If everyone would love to have this type of lifestyle, then why are there not more people working from home?

I have never been one to beat around the bush or sugar coat anything, I am a "no fluff, no bull" kind of person and I will tell you why most people do not succeed in an online home business.

The first and foremost reason that people do not succeed is the time factor involved. Most people who want to start an online home business are working shift jobs for someone else and barely making ends meet. When they jump into the online home business arena they are under the misconception that all they have to do is put in a few hours work per week and they will succeed.

While this "can" work it will be slow and you should not quit your day job. To truly succeed you need to understand the time commitment involved in any online home business and be prepared. If you thought your 8 hour work day and 40 hour work week was grueling you have not seen anything yet.

To succeed with an online home business you must be prepared to spend as many hours as it takes to get you day's work done. I have owned an online home business for more than 10 years now and I still work 4 to 6 hours per day. In the beginning there were a great many 12 to 14 hour days as well.

The second reason that many people fail with an online home business is failure to research the opportunity. Too many people simply grab the first opportunity that they are presented with and try to run with it. They never explore other opportunities. One of the keys to online home business success is to be happy with the business that you are trying to develop. Do not settle for the first opportunity that falls in your lap.

Starting and running a successful online home business requires a major commitment of time. To succeed you should learn everything that you can before deciding on what your niche will be in the online home business world. Read what others write about their business, they have in many cases been in business for years. Learn from them before you dive in.

Is Working at Home Right For You

Working from home means you are either selling a product or service or you've found an employer who is happy to have you complete your work at home rather than in office.

One of the first questions to ponder is whether you are self disciplined. While not having a boss is very appealing, it also means you are completely on your own to complete your work and you have no one to go to if you're uncertain on how to complete something.

I know some people who are in their offices working by 5 a.m. and I know some people who are still up and working at 1 a.m. If you have a job to do, whether it's for an employer or a client, the person expecting the completed job does not want to hear you were not able to complete it.

Along with self discipline comes time management. Are you able to adequately manage your time, creating a balance between work, wife and mother? Not everyone finds it easy to tell a customer "I'm sorry today is a family day" and not every customer is ok with you saying "I'm off for the day." Working at home requires balance.

Speaking of "management" how are your money management skills? Working at home will require you to create a budget, if you are running a business or to put money away if you are being paid on a 1099 form. You are liable for taxes unless a company is withholding those taxes, so money management is very important. You have to be able to put the money away and not touch it until such time that you figure out your taxes for the year.

Another question to consider is will you be ok in isolation? When you work at home, while you'll communicate with others, you are still very much alone. I've gone hours at a time with no one to talk to and no social interaction. In an office you almost always have someone to say hello to, someone to share stories with and someone to just hang out with. At home, you have none of this. In order to have any social interaction, you'll have to preplan it and work to make it happen. When my kids were young, I took mommy and me classes, I met friends for lunch and I joined a few groups. Especially for women, we thrive on social interaction. Working at home provides none.

The Best Things in a Home Business Are Free

One of the biggest advantages for doing business on the internet is the low or no cost that is involved in starting and managing the business. Take the place where you do business which is the site, your online store. Most sites can be setup for free by a hosting company. You can either design it yourself or have someone design it for you, again for free.

Products for your business can be obtained for free from various affiliate programs. You do not have to pay for storage of the product because this is done for you by the affiliate. Once the prospect lands on the affiliate's page they will sell, pack, and ship the merchandise for you. Again, for free. And you are paid a commission on the sale just for leading the prospect to the affiliate's landing page through your promotions.

Now some promotions can also be free. For instance, you can write articles with links to your site, about the products, and have them published on hundreds of directories on the internet for free. The articles act as advertisement and through the links take the prospect to your site where you, in turn, through links or banners direct the prospect to the affiliate's landing page where the sale is made. You can also get the prospect to your page through links with other web pages or through your position in search engines. All again for free!

Another way that you can get free advertisement is by belonging to a forum where you can participate in discussions and develop relationships. Your name and site will be listed each time you make a contribution and if enough interest is developed in what you offered; bingo, you have another person following the link to your site.

You can also develop and place a free press release on the internet every time you add a new product or launch a new site. Blogs, Newsletters, and eBooks can also act as free advertisements. And because the internet is free, their distribution is free.

Let us not overlook the fact that in order to profit from all of the free stuff that is offered you need to do your homework. You will need to examine which hosting company offers the site designs that fit your style. Study which products you are going to be comfortable with representing and promoting. Determine how much knowledge and skills you will need to possess about the products so that you can develop interesting content to draw interest and develop a desire for the product.

You will need to develop a reputation for yourself as being an expert in the field before you will gain a following. This will take some time to establish. You need to be patient, persistent, and committed. Remember, "Rome was not built in a day" but it has lasted many a lifetime. And so can your home business. It is a great opportunity when you consider all of what can be done for free.

What Are the Best Affiliate Programs?

I have some good news, and some bad news. The good news is that there are many good affiliate programs out there. The bad news is that you will have a hard time identifying which are the best. Everyone has to decide for themselves which program they know and like enough to promote on a continuous basis.

When it comes to the best affiliate programs for me, I have considered a couple of things. First, who is my target audience? (And I had to make sure it was not me, a trap that most people fall into). Since most people using the internet are females between 20 and 50 (I read this some place not too long ago). I decided to pick them as my target market and design my site around them.

My second consideration was what this group is buying on the internet. What I discovered was that they were shopping for all kinds of things on eBay, Amazon, and Overstock.com Upon further research I noticed that this group had a lot of stay at home moms who were interested in earning extra money for various reasons and were heavy into surveys, data entry, and typing jobs. I spread my research further using information that I gathered from search engines and other websites concentrating in this arena. Here I saw a lot of duplication and not necessary things that I would be comfortable with associating myself.

I started to do some thinking on my own and reasoned that if most people use the internet for information, then maybe I should provide some information. So, I have an eBook on how to make money on the internet as a free offer on my website. I also set up a FREE Newsletter where I offer marketing tips on a continuous basis so that I can stay in touch with my customers.

Looking at the web site with what I had up to this point, left some room for creative thinking. My thought was that if these ladies were going to work and shop on my site I should give them some things to shop that are not readily available in every neighborhood shopping strip or mall. So I picked the Playboy store and Fredericks of Hollywood as a special attraction. The Dollar store, Golfsmith, and Entrepreneur Magazine were thrown in because of their brand value. And that is it.

Top 3 Worst Networking Questions

Professionals, entrepreneurs and students alike can benefit greatly from networking as an avenue for business and social success. Learning to network with confidence and purpose are keys to succeeding in all aspects of networking. Individuals should be focused on making great first impressions, being professional, communicating well with others and developing their skills and talents. Although, these are ideal for any networker, individual must guard themselves on how they conduct their conversations and build relationships with their counterparts. Asking the wrong question, can give off the wrong impression which can lead to a terrible domino effect.

Listed below are questions that professionals, students, and entrepreneurs should avoid asking at networking events.

#1 How much money do you make?

Unless you work for the IRS or handle some type of census, avoid this question at all costs. Networking events are designed to encourage professionals to connect through business and social matters. Asking too many personal questions can create tension and bad feelings. While networking professionals should try and respect the privacy and personal lives of their counterparts. If the discussion leads to personal finances and people are willing to share information, then that is ok. Otherwise, find other topics to discuss and engage in meaningful conversations.

#2 How do you get paid?

This question is very similar to the above question but also can create a negative impact or vibe to the conversation or networking environment. The question is too direct and harsh, especially if you are meeting someone for the first time. Once again, it is proper etiquette to respect the other person's privacy and do not appear to be overbearing or unreasonably nosey. If you are interested in asking this type of question, there are ways to format it in a more professional and tasteful manner. For example, you can ask similar but not so offensive questions such as, "Where do you work?", "Who is your employer?", "How long have you been in your profession?", "What is your educational background?", "Do you do work outside of your full time or present job?". These type of questions can allude to how your counterpart makes their income.

#3 What do you do?

This might surprise many readers, but the actual question is not bad or offensive it is just the tone or manner in which it is asked. If you ask the question as though you are un-interested or just trying to push time, then it can really change the mood of the conversation. Some people ask the question as a challenge to compare skills, abilities, backgrounds or status. So it is important to state the question properly and show a genuine interest in your counterpart. Similar and less offensive questions can include, "What is your profession?", "Who is your employer?", "What do you like about your job or career?", "What is your formal training and how does it relate to your work?"

Are Networking Events Worth It?

There are 2 kinds of people in the world: Those who like Sunrise and those who’ve never seen a Sunrise.

Group one thrives on networking events–the earlier the better. Why? I’ve been to lots of networking events, and they’re all the same: meet, greet, elevator pitch, business card exchange. He who leaves with the biggest card deck wins. So what’s so special about socializing at daybreak?

Better question: Are networking events worth it? Have introductions you’ve leveraged or sales you’ve made from networking (assuming you’ve made any) worth the gasoline and time drain–regardless of time of day? And if everyone shows up looking for the best watering hole, are there any fish in the pond?

Here’s the interesting thing. After 20+ years of giving networking a chance, I still don’t know that answer.

But here’s what I do know:

a. True networkers (the ones you see at every venue) are the most plugged-in, fun people I know. They know E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G and everybody.

b. They believe in “woo-woo” principles like “pay it forward” and “give to get.” They’re always first to introduce you to someone they know that you don’t. (Face it; if you met a big bore who tried to hard sell you, you’d dodge him like instant coffee, am I right? And wadyaknow, they’re ones who never show up again…sort of the networking equivalent of the Darwin Awards.)

c. True networkers are curious. They want to know all about you, what you do, who you know (and not just where you went to high school). I once had an HR consultant advise me that I should only hire people who are curious because they make better, more invested employees. They see things that others don’t because they’re paying attention…they’re listening!

Are networking events worth it?

In my opinion, they have a place in the business promotion mix. We still live in a social society and eyeball-to-eyeball meetings still build relationships better than impersonal emails. Networking alone won’t pay the bills. But absence sends a loud and clear message: You’re not part of the inner circle.

I set high standards for my company’s networking activities. Here are a few:

1. It’s in my Marketing Manager Golda Cohen’s job description to go to one networking event each week. Fortunately, Golda loves to schmooze.

2. We focus on events that are attended by business owners with employees and “road warrior” sales reps, rather than multi-level marketers. Nothing against MLMs, but they’re not our customers.

3. Events must take 2 hours or less, including drive time.

4. You must meet and collect cards from at least 10-20 people that you don’t already know. (I’m not sure I could do this, but Golda manages it…ask her if you want to know how.) There is, of course, a follow-up database component to this rule. It’s the answer to, “What do I do with all these business cards I’m collecting?” I’ll cover that answer in my next newsletter.

5. Only attend events with or sponsored by Big Mouths (refer to a-c above). My 3 favorite big mouths in St. Louis are: Karen Hoffman, Darlene Willman and Joe High. You’d kill for a peek into one of their databases. Each of these curious, generous big mouths (I say that with admiration) has a big networking event coming up. You should go. You must see professional networking in action. It’s inspiring.

Networking - It's Not What You Know, It's Who!

Networking is hugely important in the development of a new career, it's not what you know - its who! Networking entails creating and maintaining a network of contacts, friends and acquaintances with who you can exchange both information and resources. Building these relationships with other people could get your next career break!

Looking at it from a employers perspective, employing someone who comes recommended is a lot less risk than someone who turns up in response to an advert. This is part of the reason many companies give bonuses for staff introducing someone to the company. That person is also more likely to have experience and skills in all the right areas!

Networking will also help you in the actual job you are doing as well as finding a new one. Networking is now an asked for skill from major employers.

So how do you go about expanding this network?

Most important is to talk to everyone you can about any possible career move you want to make, it'll not only give you great advice on where to head and what to do, but will also put you at the front of your contacts mind when they see an opportunity.

Attend every function and networking opportunity that you can, many companies and professional organisations organise events for this very purpose. The more people you speak to the better.

Don't expect instant pay-offs from this approach, leads may be few and far between - but they are much more likely to be suited to you when they arrive!

Networking Blues - You Are Arriving to Events Late

One of the keys to having a successful networking experience at events and meetings is to arrive on time. Although, it would be ideal to arrive early, arriving on time gives networkers a chance to take advantage of unique networking opportunities and meet people before the big crowd rush. But as a business professional, do you find yourself always running late to networking events and meetings? Do you always enter the room after the speaker or presentation is done? Do you find yourself standing up at the back of the room and never meeting the right people? Do you feel like events are not as beneficial as they could be?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, then time is a factor and critical issue that is affecting your networking endeavors. Learning to have better time management skills and being properly organized for networking events can improve your networking results greatly. Listed below are helpful tips that professionals, entrepreneurs and students can use to get the most of their networking experiences.

State of Mind

Before you attend another networking event, take some time to develop your ideas and mental capacity for the future event. Whether it is meditating, brainstorming or visualizing a successful event, take some quality to focus on the event. Decide what you want to accomplish from attending the event. Focus on the type of people you would like to meet and how that will impact your business, business relations or social status. Develop positive thoughts towards networking and achievable goals in your networking pursuits.

Networking Buddy

It could be possible that you may need some accountability or extra help in your networking endeavors. Professionals that battle with networking obstacles should consider a having a networking buddy or networking mentor. This is someone whom they can attend events with who are associated with their company, industry, profession or social sphere of influence. It is a motivating piece that can get you on track and improve your networking progress. Keeping connected with a networking buddy can also improve your networking outcomes and allow you to set higher goals and objectives for your networking endeavors.

Proper Preparation

In order to stay focused and prepared for networking events, this may involve professionals taking time to properly prepare. We encourage individuals to be conscious of the time, location and date of their networking events. Call or email ahead of time to confirm practical and useful information about networking events and ask to be updated on last minute changes. Also be aware of construction, traffic delays, increment weather and other issues that may cause you to be late for events and meetings.

Networking Tips - The Proper Handshake

Business professionals, students, entrepreneurs and savvy networkers know the importance of making a good first impression. Whether you are interviewing for a job position, meeting the top directors of your company, making a formal presentation for clients or doing business with colleagues, your professional approach is key. Individuals and companies invest a lot of time and money developing and perfecting their skills for business and social etiquette.

Although there are several ways to make a great first impression, the handshake is the strongest and most viable element. It is the greeting call and the platform for a great conversation which leads to a great relationship.

Listed below are helpful tips that individuals can use to improve their first impression with others, gain the right attention and develop excellent social and business relationships.

First Come, First Serve

At networking events, meetings, conferences and interviews, individuals should not wait to be introduced. We encourage you to take initiative, step up to the plate and introduce yourself first. Being proactive is a great way to show that you are eager to meet the other person, passionate about building a great relationship and are not shy or intimidated. There may be situations where you are being accompanied by someone, and must wait for a formal introduction. But in most cases, it is socially and professionally acceptable to introduce yourself first and get the ball rolling.

The Right Hand

The right hand is key to making the best handshake ever. The right hand is the symbol of power, authority and order. Business professionals, students and entrepreneurs should not use their left hand to make handshakes. It is considered a faux-pas and very offensive in various foreign cultures. Also, when you are expending a handshake, always make sure that you are standing up and making direct eye contact with your business counterpart. This is a clear sign of respect and shows that you have manners and understanding.

Firm and Confident

The proper protocol for a handshake goes as follows:

1. A firm grip that is not too tight. Women should also have a firm hand grip which conveys confidence and respect to their business counterparts. Having a limp or weak handshake is offensive and not very inviting.

2. The handshake motion should be up and down and not back and forth. The grip should be two short but firm pumps. Both individuals should make sure that they are doing the motions at the same time. So it is courteous to wait for your counterpart, in order to make the right handshake motions.

3. The initial handshake is just as important as the release. After shaking your other person's hand, make sure to do a proper hand release. A proper hand release is a gently release of the other person's hand without dropping their hand or quickly letting go of their hand.

Have You Made Your First Dollar Online Yet?

The process of creating a website is quite simple and can be reduced to only a few basic steps.

Get a domain name, get hosting, create the site, put relevant content on it and you are finished.

You just have contributed to the world another website that you can be proud of and so should be the rest of the internet.

Fine, time to sit back and see the visitors come in - but nobody seems to take notice of your incredible site that contains your best thoughts, developed to inform people, help them to find answers to their questions and give them solutions to their problems. How comes?

Now you realize you don't have visitors. Besides some accidental traffic no one is coming to your site. Maybe it's not even in the Google Index.

You better face the truth: a website, even the best information site ever, is useless if nobody knows about it.

No big deal if you just want to put out your personal view of the world or write about your hobbies.

But what if you want to make money with your website?

You may own or promote the best product in the world that would sell like crazy if only people would know about it.

So you are facing a new major dilemma: either you work on developing your site and don't have the time to build traffic or vice versa.

You realize that you need to have a well developed site with both information and products that people want so you can turn the visitors into buyers.

If you have the skills and the time to build such sites, create all the content, find the products to sell and do the promotion of the site - perfect.

But if you're new to internet marketing or only have limited time and/or programming skills you soon may find out that you can't accomplish your goals because of these limitations.

If only you had somebody in the know who would give you a ready developed and optimized website - you could put all your time, energy and efforts into the promotion of this money making site.

By now you have got it absolutely clear: traffic equals money and more traffic equals more money.

For the internet is a numbers game you are do drive as much targeted traffic to your site as possible.

If you had your site today you could start to make money.

You could concentrate on driving traffic to your site. Even if you only work one hour each day on site promotion using only some of the various traffic generation methods you can succeed and see results in you bank account very fast.

So start immediately. Build a site - of course do proper market and keyword research first. Make sure you apply at least the basic SEO principles so that our website will be loved by the search engines. Put enough unique content and articles that Google, Yahoo, MSN AND your readers love - and off you go.

Does that sound like heaps of work and time before you can think about making the first sale? You bet!

The other route you can take is to get a ready made and well optimized website, packed with tons of articles and relevant content, put in online and all you have to do is to promote it as much as you like.

So if you want the shortcut to online success you now know that you have to focus on marketing and you don't want to loose precious time with website building.

Did you know that you can get a perfect optimized Website with tons of content and fully integrated products in no time?

If you want to start your success and without loosing time click the link below:

http://www.ebookmonitor.com/recommends/niab

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harris_Weldson

How to Deliver Your Worst Elevator Pitch

Have you ever been to a networking event and asked someone, much to your regret what they do, and half an hour later you are still standing there nodding your head feigning interest and wondering why you even bothered getting out of bed?

It has happened to us all...but the trick is not to be one of those offenders ourselves. Not only will you switch off those people you talk to but you will get zero chance of business as a result.

So what is an elevator pitch and what are the biggest pitfalls you can fall into?

Firstly an elevator pitch refers to those first few words you speak when someone asks you 'So, what do you do?'

You therefore have to do 3 things:

• Engage your listener(s) so they do actually listen to what you have to say
• Ensure that you convey the message you want so the listener understands you
• Ensure that what you say is remembered

Remember you only get one opportunity to make a first impression so your elevator pitch is something you should spend time planning, practising and testing.

So what are the biggest pitfalls you can fall into when delivering your elevator pitch?

Talking too long

This is probably the most common mistake. When someone first asks you what you do you don't need to go into the minutia of who you are, what you do, where and when you do it, and how you do it...reserve that for the follow on questions if the person is interested.

Instead be short and concise (generally 10 seconds is about right) giving a very brief overview of what you do.

Focusing on what you are rather than what you actually do

Tell someone you are an accountant, at best they will politely say 'oh right' at worst will yawn and think 'not another!' Focus instead on what you do in other words how you help to save people money on their tax bill, help grow their business and you may have a willing ear wanting to find out more.

Telling them everything

You might have several businesses or be involved in different types of work but trying to explain all at once is confusing and gives mixed messages.

Instead focus on one area that you think is of most relevance to the person you are talking too, so they are left with no doubt in their mind as to what you do.

Being a bore

People's time is precious so being boring isn't going to endear you to those you meet especially when they have a choice perhaps of 100 others to speak with. A bore may earn that title if they are repetitious, talk too long, focus on themselves as a person or show little regard to needs of the person they are talking to.

So think what you have to say that will be of genuine interest to the other person so they value the time spent talking with you, and again, keep it concise. Even consider using props to help you stand out from the crowd or an interesting business card which will help you be remembered.

Using jargon

Have you had those conversations with people who know exactly what they are talking about but clearly haven't registered that you don't? Many people get carried away with their own technical terms or abbreviations that only those in the profession have heard of.

Consider who you are talking to, establish their own experience in your field and tailor your language accordingly.

The Most Effective Marketing Secret You'll Ever Hear

Women love to talk and are naturally supportive in almost every environment, especially in their business. How many times have you talked with a woman and gave her a recommendation on where she can get her hair done, offered her a time-saver or told her where she can buy what she needs, ON SALE of course! By offering just a few referrals, you have just made her beautiful, gave her more precious time and saved her money. By now, you have just become her new best friend. She feels that if she needs support, she can contact you for advice or possibly offer her help by putting her in touch with someone else. This referral system is also known as a "Network". Most women are born with this technique and some have become "Networking-A-holics!" They love to connect others and find a way to help one another.

Here are a few secrets to help you become a powerful networker:

• Always have your business cards on you, with a back-up stash in your car!
• Wear a nametag everywhere you go, it identifies who you are and provides the other person something to talk to you about
• Ask how you can personally help them
• Listen to her and be fully engaged in the conversation
• Follow up by phone, email or another in-person meeting. Join her for a cup of coffee somewhere.
• Be on the look out for what she needs
• Keep a contact management system like ACT! so you can easily retrieve information for your referral
• Hand write a note on the back of your card with a lead, a contact or other valuable information
• Be a giver of referrals without any strings attached, remember the old saying, "Give and ye shall receive".
• Attend networking events whenever possible
• Make it your goal to meet 3 new people each week and learn as much as you can about them
• Find a way you can promote them and get them more business
• Be prepared to introduce yourself (in 60 seconds or less).

Networking is one of the most valuable skills you can develop for the success of your business. There are plenty of organizations that can provide you access to people locally or nationwide. You should visit a few and determine if they offer a full assortment of ways to help you market and promote your company specifically to your target market. Remember, networking is about building relationships so don't assume everyone will do business with you immediately. It's a process and takes time to cultivate and grow. Make a commitment to be involved and attend regularly otherwise you might just miss shaking hands with your next customer!

Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce, Palm Desert CA - a Case Study

All businesses should join their local chambers of commerce and like anything you only get out what you put in. Simply joining a chamber of commerce is not enough, you should attend meetings, join committees if time permits and show up at evening mixers to mix and mingle. Finding camaraderie amongst fellow business owners makes sense and during tough business cycles, it might be just what your business or non-profit needs.

Not too long ago our not for profit Think Tank went to a number of networking mixers of many of the local chambers of commerce to see, which ones were the best suited. In the Valley each city has it is own chamber of commerce and each one competes with all the others. There are 9 or Ten here. After attending several functions we decided to join 4 of them.

Being a not-for-profit Think Tank, yet looking for business type people to be involved with our think tank, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the chambers we did join had discounts for non-business organizations. Thus we signed up to a couple of them without yet attending a mixer meeting, because the price was nominal and the chambers were rather large. But, do not let a large chamber fool you, the size does not make the chamber, the people and staff do.

In hindsight, although the Palm Desert Chamber claimed to be the largest and most active, it is probably not the best investment, considering the other chambers in the valley. There are two other chambers that rival their size and seem to be run extremely efficiently. Many of the business people we talked to before we joined warned us that the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce was too snooty, and against those warnings we laughed and decided to join anyway.

Perhaps, we should have listened to such warnings better, although what do they say "hindsight is 20/20." Of course, that does not mean the investment in such a chamber of commerce is necessarily so awful, after all, the Presidents of such organizations do change and that usually ushers in a completely new and refreshing attitude. So, in this case study it appears that more due diligence is needed before choosing which chambers of commerce to join and the perseverance to look long-term and beyond any pettiness that is later discovered.

How to Choose a Chamber of Commerce to Join - Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce Case Study

It makes sense to join your local chamber of commerce and it makes sense to do due diligence. What happens if you do not do your research prior to joining? Well, you end up wasting your money basically, and wishing you had never gotten involved in the first place. Let's discuss a recent case study and consider the ramifications of getting involved in a chamber of commerce in your local area.

Not long ago, our not for profit Think Tank joined several chambers of commerce in the local area. Although, we do most of our work online, it still made sense to tap into the expertise of the local business community. Business people know how to get things done and therefore they make great team members. Unfortunately, contrary to our own best advice, we did not do enough preliminary investigation on the chambers we joined.

We joined four local chambers of commerce, 3 were great and one, we can safely say was a huge mistake. You should never join a chamber of commerce until you attend a few functions and check it out first, talk to members, and if possible talk to all the many members who did not renew their chamber of commerce membership from prior years.

In considering all this and after joining the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce, we have only ourselves to blame. It is for this reason that I can make a strong recommendation for you to go and meet the President of the Chamber of Commerce prior to joining, make sure they are not running a mini-fiefdom or micro-managing in a Machiavellian Way. You need to join a chamber of commerce that understands your needs and can assist you in growing your organization in the community.

Business Greeting Cards Are Social Networking Opportunities

In a competitive business environment, it is important to build existing customer loyalty as well as grow your client list. Christmas cards or seasonal greeting cards are great, but don't miss out on opportunities to stay connected during other times of the year as well. Here are 5 business greeting cards that are sure to drive your sales up and provide social networking opportunities too.

When your customers are treated like family members, they are certain to continue to send business your way and to refer you to others so that your sales dollars will grow. Remember them as you would a family member by sending greeting cards when recognition or a thoughtful gesture is needed.

Business Appreciation Cards are specifically printed and designed to say just that.. .we appreciate you as a customer and welcome your business. By sending a customer this form of business greeting, they feel special and will remember you the next time they have needs your business can provide.

Congratulations Cards are great for boosting self esteem and fostering a team approach in a business/customer relationship. Send greetings of congratulations for a job well done or a big sale you and a customer worked together in securing. And, if you know of a personal achievement for a customer or one of their family members, remember to send congratulations for that as well. The same applies for your own internal employees. A note of congratulations will certainly please and inspire continued loyalty.

Get Well Cards are always appreciated when someone is ill and in need of a kind word. Wish clients, business associates and employees well and offer concerns with this thoughtful gesture. Your genuine concern for their well being will be appreciated and rewarded in kind.

Sympathy Cards are thoughtful expressions that are certain to be warmly received and appreciated in difficult times of sorrow. Remember all those you work with and for when they or their family members have experienced a loss. A simple offering of sympathy will be a pleasant exchange when someone needs a gentle gesture of thoughtfulness most.

Thinking of You Cards can be sent anytime and for no particular occasion. A great social networking tool, these greeting cards can be sent whenever you just want to reconnect or stay in touch. This card will keep your name before a client and generate good will. Don't wait for something bad to prompt you to acknowledge someone, send a card that says they are in your thoughts just to brighten their day. This unexpected gesture is sure to please and enforce your business or personal relationship.

Keep a supply of each of these type business greeting cards on hand for use at a moments notice. Add a short note and your thoughtfulness is certain to be returned many times over, growing and strengthening your business partnerships and corporate prosperity.

Here's The Safe Way To Use A Wireless Laptop to Reach The Internet

If you're reading this article, then you probably just got a new laptop with wireless capabilities. Or perhaps you just set up a wireless network in your home or office and want to know how your laptop can connect to it easily.

Here's what you need to know:

For the purposes of this article, I'm going to assume some basic things about your equipment and layout. If your home network looks a bit different, you'll still be able to make things work, but it may not be quite as simple and straightforward.

Hardware

Most home and small office systems will have a cable/DSL modem. Plugged into that will be your wireless access point or router. Your model may have a few wired network ports as well as the wireless antenna. In addition all this, you have all your computers -- some of which may be connected by wires and some of which are wireless.

Network Security

One of the first things you'll want to do is increase the security of your network. There are a number of things you can, and should, do to accomplish this goal.

1. Make Your Wireless Network "Invisible"

   As a convenience, wireless access points "announce" their presence to nearby wireless-enabled computers. This is called "identifier broadcasting." It is turned on by default, purely as a convenience. For example, it is nice if you are in a hotel or coffee shop -- it makes it easy for your laptop to find their network and use it quickly.

   However, when the network is in your home or office, you don't want everyone nearby (e.g., outside or next door) to know you're there. So consult your access point’s user manual for instructions on how to disable identifier broadcasting.

2. Rename Your Wireless Network.

   The wireless network access point/router will be configured with a name, or "service set identifier" (SSID). The wireless manufacturer sets this up at the factory; it is a case-sensitive name that uniquely identifies the network. You'll want to change that name because intruders can scan a neighborhood using the default name to find your network. In other words, until you change your SSID, you might be giving an intruder a head-start on hacking into your network from out on the street somewhere. Consult your manual and change that name. Choose a name that won’t be easily guessed by others.

3. Encrypt Your Network Traffic.

   Your wireless access point/router should allow you to scramble, or encrypt, data moving between the device and your computers. By encrypting your wireless traffic, you are changing it to a format that can only be read by computers with the correct conversion-key for that format.

4. Change Your Administrator Password.

   In order to do the things I mentioned above, you need to log on to your wireless access point/router. At the factory, it was given a default password. These passwords are widely known and can be used to gain unauthorized access to your network. Be sure to change your administrator password.

5. Use File Sharing with Caution.

   Sometimes all you want to do with your wireless network is share an internet connection with others. If that is the case, you may not have file sharing turned on.

   But if your network is set up to help you access files and folders on other computers, you'll need to have "file sharing" turned on. The downside to this is that it makes it easier for outsiders to steal information from you.

   To stop them, you may want to consider creating a dedicated directory for file sharing, and move or copy files to that directory for sharing. Then you should password-protect that directory and the files in it. Note: Never open an entire hard drive for file sharing!

6. Keep Your Access Point Software Up to Date.

   From time to time, the manufacturer of your wireless access point/router will release updates to the software (or patches to repair bugs). Be sure to check the manufacturer’s web site regularly for any updates or patches for your device’s software.

Convenience

Once you've taken care of the security issues, the rest is relatively easy.

After you set the SSID on your access point/router, you may want to add it (and any other wireless networks you use) to your preferred network list if Windows XP Wireless Auto Configuration is enabled. Follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.
2. Right-click the Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties.
3. On the Wireless Networks tab, click Add.
4. In the Wireless network properties dialog box, enter the SSID you configured for your wireless access point/router.
5. Fill in the rest of the fields, including the necessary authentication and encryption information based on the configuration of your wireless access point/router.
6. Click OK and your home network will be added to the list of preferred networks.

Now, your laptop should automatically see the desired wireless network and connect to it.

Enjoy!

Small Office Success Building Tactics - Don't Work Too Hard At MLM

The following set of tactics and rules are designed to be instrumental in establishing the right frame of mind in the market place. They are a guide to running your business from home while continuing your 9 to 5, just over broke work situation. The time requirements in starting and running a business are demanding and you will not make a "real" living by putting in 2 to 3 hours a month marketing an affiliate based program unless you have a "real" amount of money to put into play.

The true home office person works a normal job; she has responsibilities and very little free time to commit to a business that isn't making any income. This is the hook that thousands of on-line lead marketing companies use to get us to chase after the bait of money for doing nothing. A small fee is paid and tons of leads are dropped into our personal funnel system and out comes a flood of money.

You will not get rich quick.

Although it does happen. Getting rich over night is like getting hit by lightning. It happens but is very unlikely. If you want to get rich quick. Buy lottery tickets. You can purchase them on line from your official state website or visit a local grocery store and purchase them off line. I am serious. Anyone that is reading this and wants to get rich quick will have a better chance at winning the lottery. This rule is very important. Don't expect to get rich quick using any of my tactics or suggestions.

Work Hard At Something.

This is too easy. You already work too hard at MLM. You already work to hard to please your family. You already work too hard for your boss. This rule is exciting to me. Work hard at something you like.

Find your passion and work hard to communicate that passion to others. People surf the net looking for information about topics that are of interest to them. They will read your content if you target it to them.

Know your prospect.

At this point, you know you will not get rich quick and will be working hard at something that excites you. Your passion for the subject matter is unquestionable. But, who will be interested in reading your website message?

Get to know your prospect. Determine their gender, age, occupation, hobbies, all or anything about the prospective visitor that would be interested in your message.

This is where many of us fail to plan. It seems too large of a task. It is not. Start with what you know and add or subtract as you market to your prospect profile. The profile is important and this is why. Marketing to a person or profile gives you the abilities to avoid getting your message in front of people that do not have an interest in it. As you look for places to market, you can avoid wasting money and time and target your efforts to your profile. You can change your profile based on your responses and get better at hitting the mark.

K-Mart and Sears are copyright trade marks. These companies use surveys to adjust their prospect profiles. They want to know who are their customers, where they live, their occupation, number of kids, what car they drive, what level of education and a host of other factors.

You have your passion for the subject matter. What is your age, gender, and hobbies? Start with what you know and add or subtract as you move forward. This rule will help you save time and money, build a prospect profile and market to that specific profile.

Your most wanted response.

You want to establish what you want from your prospects. Keep in mind you don't want to sell them anything. Some of us do have our own products to sell on line. If you do, keep an open mind while reading the next few paragraphs.

The job of the MLM affiliate is to bring prospects to your affiliate website with an open mind toward the product that is being offered. Most of us shoppers, do not see the immediate benefits of the product. We need to be educated. We surf for information so we can be an educated consumer. I don't want to be sold the product or service by you. I want you to influence me by providing the information I am seeking. If your information is good and your passion for the topic is true, I may be inclined to check out your recommendations.

You business partner is a genius at selling. His site has all the details and is ready to close the sale. You don't have to rewrite copy or try to convince your prospects of the value of the product. They are, like you, already interested in the topic. They have been educated and are in a ready state of mind. Let the affiliate site sell them the product.

You most wanted response is going to be a simple click to your affiliate website. Send them there from your website. This rule is going to sound old, you must have your own website to establish yourself. Even if your website just redirects your prospects to your affiliate site.