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How To Create A Successful Virtual Business
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Michael S. DeVries
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Jul 30, 2006 09:08 PDT
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The Virtual Consulting Discussion List [VCDL]
http://www.TheVCF.com/vcdl.phtml
Monday, July 31, 2006 Digest #30
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ...
---> [NEW] <---
#1 How To Create A Successful Home Business
- David Hudson
#2 10 Ways To Increase Your Blog’s Pageviews
- Chris McElroy AKA NameCritic
#3 Working From Home - Plan Ahead For When Disaster Or Tragedy Occurs
- Jill Hart
#4 What Is Buzzworthiness? How Do We Create A Marketing Buzz?
- Jambhala Rinpo
#5 Hate To Sell? Design Your Business So You Don't Have To
-Terry Telford
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#1 How To Create A Successful Home Business
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Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 01:45:02 +0800
From: "David Hudson" <submis-@isnare.net>
Reply To: Virtual-C-@topica.com
The Internet is full of ways to create a foolproof home
business that makes you rich quickly and easily. I’m here to
tell you that these offers are mere fallacies. There is no home
business that is quick and easy and will instantly triple your
income. Home businesses are hard work and require time,
dedication and perseverance. But they are possible, and have
the potential of making you a lot of money and keeping you at
home where you belong.
While I can’t and won’t tell you which home business will work
for you, I can give you suggestions for how to make your home
business work.
DEDICATE YOURSELF TO YOUR HOME BUSINESS
Your devotion to your home business venture can never waver. It
must come before all other financial opportunities. This is not
to say that you have to quit your job in order to launch a home
business. That would be a bad idea, at least until your home
business is providing a steady stream of income. However, leave
your job at work. Your home is the place for your home business,
and you should try to keep your home free of other financial
distractions.
Work on your home business whenever you possibly can. Dedicate
every free moment you have to advancing your business. Spend
time each and every day, including holidays, to furthering your
home business, even if you just write down an idea or make a
single contact. If you can meet one contact every day, then by
the end of your first year, you’ll have 365. Dedicate yourself
to your home business and your chances of success will improve
drastically.
ESTABLISH GOALS AND A PLAN BEFORE YOU START A HOME BUSINESS
Starting a home business without a plan is like trying to sail
from New York to India without a compass, map, or the stars.
You might get there, but it would only be a matter of dumb
luck. Never be content to rely on Luck. Think about your home
business, what you want to achieve with it, and where you want
it to be 5, 10, 15 years down the road. Establish goals,
timelines, and marketing plans before you begin anything. These
will be the blueprints that you use to build your home business.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY
While you need to have a well-thought out plan before you begin
a home business, do not be afraid to deviate from it if an
unforeseen opportunity pops up. You should never rely on Luck,
bet never ignore Luck when she is offering you her hand.
Businesses are built on taking advantage of opportunities.
Don’t be afraid to throw those blueprints that you made to the
wind if something better should come along. Home businesses
have to be flexible, because we live in an ever-changing world.
REMEMBER YOUR FAMILY
If you don’t have a family, don’t neglect your friends. You
can’t be successful without support from other people. If you
husband or wife is not behind you and your home business, then
your chances of success plummet. You will be distracted by
their anger and hurt feelings, and will not be able to dedicate
your free time to your home business, because you will be
thinking about your family. You have to come out of the working
world eventually, and when you do, you need to have someone
there to be your companion. Not only that, but your friends and
family can be useful allies in the creation of a home business.
No one can do everything alone, and the people around you are
natural, and usually willing, resources. Never forget about the
ones that you love.
About The Author: David Hudson can help YOU start your own
profitable business on the Internet within the next 24
hours...To learn more, visit: http://www.dreamsr.us/pips.html
or http://www.googlebaycash.com
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#2 10 Ways To Increase Your Blog’s Pageviews
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Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 05:45:01 +0800
From: "Chris McElroy AKA NameCritic" <submis-@isnare.net>
Reply To: Virtual-C-@topica.com
With Google Adsense or Yahoo Publisher, having people click
onto more pages helps your revenue immensely, but how do you
get them to read more than one page when they visit your
website? Here are a few tips.
1. Create pages within the blog that contain reference material
you refer to often in your posts. These static pages will also
get crawled and indexed by the search engines and as you write
posts about your topics you can refer people to these static
pages as references to what you are posting about.
2. Use articles as static pages. You can reprint articles on
any topic for free by visiting one of the many article
directories like
http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/articlesubmit/ Then refer
people to read the articles that relate to the post you are
making. You could even add one article as a new page every time
you make a post.
3. Refer to other posts you have made on your blog or on
another one of your blogs while posting. This gets the reader
to click over to previous posts. You can even decide your posts
by browsing previous posts and deciding which one to follow up
on. Those archives are not to be lost and forgotten. Its great
material, (you wrote it right?), so use it.
4. Create a page that links to your favorite posts that are
timeless. You browse your old posts, find posts that you want
readers to find easily, then build a links page with those
posts directly linked. Then add a link to that page from your
front page. Call it favorite posts or whatever and you will
benefit by those that click through and follow those links.
5. I've posted here before about the "more" tag. You write your
post as normal, then decide where you want to break the post up
onto a new page. You put the more tag in and readers have to
click to a new page to read the rest of the story.
6. Write once per week special projects. These are a series of
articles on a particular topic. You will be offering it once
per week giving readers a week to comment on it, then have them
hanging on for next weeks special post in the series. Each time
add links to previous posts in that series.
7. Using your content from your other websites or blogs is also
a great way to get more pageviews for all of them. Use the
target new tag and refer to material on your other blogs and
websites. It will open a new window leaving the current blog
open while they visit your other website or blog. You can
quickly double up your pageviews while also introducing your
readers to your other websites and blogs.
8. Make a list of 10 previous posts and the links to those
posts. Make a post in your blog about 10 things you want your
readers to know and read in case they have not done so before.
At your suggestion they will at least go see if they have read
those posts before, increasing your pageviews once again plus
bringing old material to new readers. That also lets them know
they should browse the archives for things they have missed.
9. Using that same list of 10 posts or a new one, visit other
blogs on your topic. Find posts that talk about something
similar to one of those 10 posts, then instead of adding a link
in your signature to the home page, make a comment there and
refer to the post that is similar and that contains helpful
information to that blogger and their readers. You will also be
increasing your link popularity while doing this. Do not spam
the link. Make sure it actually contains useful information.
Don’t be trolls or spammers and you will end up with new
readers and more page views for your blog.
10. Do not stop being creative. Use the tips in this article,
plus invent some of your own ways to interlink your blogposts
together. Create pages. Don't just post and forget. That
content is valuable, use it. Do not make people search your
blog. They are lazy and busy. Bring it to them. That is just
good customer service.
I hope this article helps you learn there is more to blogging
than just writing a post once in awhile or even daily. If you
employ the tips I just gave you into your blog I guarantee you
will increase your pageviews which in turn will increase your
revenue if using an ad program in your blog.
About The Author: Chris McElroy aka NameCritic owns several
blogs he posts to daily including http://www.Blogs.pn
http://www.wholettheblogout.com http://namecritic.wordpress.com
http://www.icann.thingsthatjustpissmeoff.com and
http://thingsthatjustpissmeoff.blogspot.com and manages several
blogs for clients. You can email namec-@blogs.pn for more
info.
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#3 Working From Home - Plan Ahead For When Disaster Or Tragedy Occurs
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Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 01:45:05 +0800
From: "Jill Hart" <submis-@isnare.net>
Reply To: Virtual-C-@topica.com
Disasters or family tragedies can strike families in many forms
– Mother Nature, sickness and even computer problems can cause
major difficulties for your business. Do you have a plan of
action on how you will handle your home-based business if
disaster were to strike? If not, you absolutely need to. Having
a plan ensures that you can not only keep your business running,
but decrease stress because you have already prepared for the
unexpected.
Below are four tips to help you handle the unexpected.
1. Work around the events –Your customers will understand as
long as you communicate with them. Be honest that things may
take a little longer than usual, but keep your customers
updated as often as possible. Communication is the key. Most
people will understand the delay as long as they are aware of
it. If you get to the point where you cannot work or cannot
finish a project, but sure to be clear and honest about the
situation and try to make an arrangement that will be
acceptable. Also, let them know as soon as possible so they can
prepare. Don’t wait until the last minute to advise them of a
potential problem.
If you’re struggling because of a child being sick, try to work
when the child is sleeping and don’t stress yourself out to work
at other times. Make a schedule of what needs to be done, so
that you can accomplish as much as possible during these times.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – As moms, we tend to feel
that we should be able to handle everything that is thrown at
us. Unfortunately, this just isn’t always the case. There are
times when we need to allow ourselves to ask for help. When a
tragedy occurs and you are simply overwhelmed, find someone who
you trust and ask them for help. Many times, just having someone
reply to customers on your behalf can take the pressure off your
shoulders.
Allowing someone to help you when necessary can also be
uplifting to them as they feel they can be a part of helping in
a difficult situation. So don’t’ shy away from letting others
know. We all benefit when we work together and help one
another.
When our one-year old had surgery he didn’t handle the pain
medication well. He was wide awake for the better part of two
days. In this case, I knew ahead of time when the surgery would
occur, but I had no idea what his recovery would entail. It was
impossible to work while he slept, because he wasn’t sleeping.
I realized that I not only needed help business-wise, but I
needed help with him as well so that I could get some rest.
While it was humbling to admit that I needed help, that I
couldn’t do it all, it turned out as a great time spent with
family that we would not have had if I hadn’t asked for help.
3. Prepare for the worst – Because we never know what the
future holds, it is always better to be prepared. As the old
saying goes, “Better safe than sorry.”
One of the best resources to help you prepare is the Home
Office Recovery Plan: Disaster Preparedness for Your Home
Office by authors Diana Ennen and Patty Gale. This e-book
covers all the bases of getting a Disaster Recovery Plan in
place now so that if disaster strikes your home business or an
emergency arises, you are able to get your business back up and
running quickly and smoothly.
Ennen states, “In my case, this guide has been a lifesaver as a
resident of South Florida. I have prepared for eight major
hurricanes in the past two years with Hurricane Katrina and
Hurricane Wilma taking a direct hit on Broward County where I
live. I was without power for two weeks with Hurricane Wilma.
Had I not prepared, my clients would have suffered as would my
business.”
Gale also knows the importance of this book having lived in New
York after 9/11 and had the task of preparing a similar
guideline for a company she was working with at the time. Both
know the importance in ensuring your business will withstand
whatever this hurricane or any disaster (including a theft in
the office or fire) has to offer.
4. Get a Plan - There are times when life becomes overwhelming
and you simply aren’t able to accomplish everything on your
own. It’s for these times that you need to have some type of
log of what you do and what needs to be done. Keep a
spreadsheet of tasks that you do, how often they are done and
mark them completed as you are able. Keep a list of passwords
in a safe, secure place. Make sure that your family (or whoever
may be helping you during this time) is able to carry on even in
the event that you are away from home.
If possible, train someone that you trust to do the things that
you do each day (at least the key things), so that when the
unexpected arises you won’t be caught off-guard.
Tragedy comes in many shapes and forms, but if you are prepared
much of the unnecessary stress can be avoided. When tragedy
strikes, you want to be focused on the important things in
life, your family and you. By advance planning you are able to
do so.
About The Author: Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at
Home Moms, http://CWAHM.com. This site is dedicated to providing
work at home moms with opportunities to promote their businesses
while at the same time providing them spiritual encouragement
and articles. Jill and her husband, Allen of http://CWAHD.com
(for Dads) reside in Nebraska with their two children.
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#4 What Is Buzzworthiness? How Do We Create A Marketing Buzz?
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Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2006 20:45:06 +0800
From: "Jambhala Rinpo" <submis-@isnare.net>
Reply To: Virtual-C-@topica.com
What pops into your mind when you hear the word buzzworthy or
even just buzz?
Well for starters, when I hear the word buzz on its own, I
think of bees swarming around a hive full of honey. If I think
a little further I get an image of a busy New York street, a
mall full of people, or even a festival/parade. These things
also bring me back to the image of the bees buzzing around a
hive of honey, the only difference is that they're people, and
the honey is something that attracts them there.
The honey in New York would be business opportunities, social
opportunities, and entertainment. In a busy mall, it's the
stores with the products and services they offer. A festival or
parade has festivities, extravagant performances, or
entertainment value. All these things are what we could call
buzzworthy, because they attract a crowd of buzzing bustling
people excited and active.
So now let's put these images in the frame of business and word
of mouth/buzz marketing. When we're trying to develop a viral
marketing campaign, we need something buzzworthy. So let's look
for some honey that'll get the bees swarming. Since we're
probably not selling honey to bees, we'll need to find
something that is sweet enough that will attract a swarm of
buzzing excited customers for a feeding frenzy.
This is where things could get challenging though. It would
seem that there are so many products and services out there,
with so many marketing campaigns, that the swarms have
scattered and become uninterested. They've headed for the honey
one too many times with the thought of how sweet it will be,
only to discover a bitter muck or molasses at best. This causes
them to become discouraged, untrusting, and wary of the next guy
who advertises honey.
Don't let this get you down, or stop you from releasing a
product. The fact that there are so many dud products out there
can be your opportunity to release a good one. According to the
contrast principle, those dud products can actually boost your
recognition just by your ability to be so much better than the
competition.
Now I can sense that some of you are probably thinking "How can
I be sure my product is better than the competition?" It's
simple; just make a product that is buzzworthy, which means
making your product sweet enough to attract a swarm of buzzing
customers. How? Through excellence! People talk and get excited
about excellence, and that is buzzworthiness. Here's a breakdown
of how to be sure your product is excellent.
- Don't overhype your product and then underdeliver. You may
get a swarm on the initial product launch, but when those
buzzing bees find out that your honey is really molasses, the
buzz will be silenced, and you can say goodbye to your
customers, because they won't be coming back for more. Only
amateurs focus on the first sale.
- Give your customers a high return on their investment. This
means deliver what you promised, at a fair price, and then
overdeliver. Give them more than what they asked for. Add value
to your product where-ever value can be added. Stick behind your
product, give support for your product, guarantee your product
or their money back, and tack on some bonuses for buying your
product.
- Create a good Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Your USP is
an attention grabbing phrase that addresses a few of the
following: What you're selling, how much, key benefits, &/or
why buy from you. This is an important part of your product
creation process and is best if it's short, sweet, catchy, and
enticing. Pay attention to the word "unique" in there, because
you need to have a unique quality that makes you stand out from
the rest of the crowd. You also want to make sure that your USP
is believable. Most people know the old saying "If it sounds
too good to be true, it probably is", and if that pops into
their mind when they read your USP, then you're sunk.
Hype your product, and then overdeliver! Excellence is
buzzworthy, and if you go that extra mile for your customer,
and if you exceed their expectations, then they will be excited
about you and your product, and they will tell others about it.
Q) What is buzzworthiness?
A) Buzzworthiness is something that is buzzworthy.
Q) How do we judge what's buzzworthy?
A) If it's buzzworthy, then it will create a buzz.
Q) What defines a marketing buzz?
A) If customers are excited about a product, telling others
about it, and coming back for more with a swarm behind them in
a feeding frenzy.
So there you have it folks. I hope this gives you a better idea
of how viral/word of mouth/buzz marketing works, and how you can
create a buzz with your product/service. Just one more key to
note is that you should study the concept here, then innovate,
and improve upon it. Some of the biggest buzzes I'm sure are
still to come, and you might just be the one to start them
buzzing.
About The Author: Jambhala Rinpo Internet entrepreneur
focussing on Viral Marketing, Affiliate Management, and Joint
Venture Brokering. http://www.ViralMarketingBuzz.com
http://www.AffiliateSuperNetwork.com
http://www.JointVentureNetwork.net
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#5 Hate To Sell? Design Your Business So You Don't Have To
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Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 18:45:03 +0800
From: "Terry Telford" <submis-@isnare.net>
Reply To: Virtual-C-@topica.com
Owning your own business can have tremendous benefits. You can
experience the joy of being your own boss, setting your own
hours, working from home, and earning just as much as you want.
But with all that freedom comes a few challenges. If you've
already worked a home-based business, you know what they are. A
dislike for selling tops the list for millions who start their
own business.
"I really believe in my product," Maria says. "But I hate
trying to sell it to complete strangers. Often they aren't
interested and the rejection makes me want to give up on the
business."
These days it isn't necessary to like to sell or even know how
to sell. Automated systems are taking over all the selling and
prospecting duties.
Here's how this highly automated system works. Advanced search
engine marketing automatically pulls thousands of prospects to
state of the art web sites. Keep in mind, these are TARGETED
prospects. They aren't just anybody, but are mostly those who
are actively interested in your product or service.
Then a pro sales team talks with each prospect. This keeps YOU
from having to talk on the phone with customers. The sales team
answers all the prospect's questions and quickly finds out if
the prospect is qualified to buy your product or service.
Then the prospect, already sold and ready to buy, is delivered
to you. You simply get up in the morning and check to see how
much you've sold -- that's it!
But what if you don't already have a product or service? That's
no problem. This automated system is so hot that you can simply
sell the system to others and earn thousands per week. That's
right -- THOUSANDS per week.
With that kind of big money, you may be looking at home-based
business in a new light. Use your automated home business to
augment your income, pay off bills, expand your budget to
afford nice cars or a better place to live, even retire early.
Or make your home business your full-time career. Think of all
the options you'll have in life when you only work a few hours
to a few minutes per day. You can get up when you like, get
dressed when you like, never have to commute, and spend just as
much time as you want with those you love.
Clearly, automation and out-sourced selling is turning
home-based business into the new "dream job." Get on board
while this exciting trend is hot.
About The Author: Terry Telford is president of Bridgeport
Communications. See his completely automated home business
system at http://www.easypassive.com Work just a few minutes
per week to earn THOUSANDS..all without selling! Reach Terry at
http://www.thebusinessprofessional.com/contactform.htm
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