Celebrate the Year of the Dog with Chinese-American Flair -
Easy Tips for Hosting A Fire Cracking Chinese New Year Party
As if you needed another excuse to party, January 29, 2006 marks the beginning of the lunar year 4074, better known as the Chinese New Year. Much like its Western counterpart, this holiday is traditionally seen as a time to gather friends and family together to celebrate new beginnings.
Throwing your own Chinese-American themed party is a wonderful way to bring your loved ones together, warm up from the frigid winter, and renew those barely remembered resolutions. Below are some easy tips courtesy of Vroom Media, consultant for leading Asian brands, for throwing your own Chinese-American party for the Year of the Dog.
Invitations: Head down to Chinatown to pick up some pretty party invites. If you have no time to make it, order some online or send an e-greeting. Plenty of internet companies now offer cards specific to Chinese New Year. Not only will you save yourself a trip, but also the cost of postage.
Entree: There is always the option of ordering from your preferred take-out place, but there are plenty of simple dishes if you would like to cook your own. Noodles, a staple favorite, should be left uncut to represent a long life. Several brands found at your local grocer offer oven-ready egg rolls, spring rolls, and won-tons. Of course, you can never go wrong with chicken and soy sauce. Food can be placed in take-out boxes, available on-line and at local restaurants. Be sure to get lots of chopsticks.
Desert: A traditional Chinese "Tray of Togetherness," makes a wonderful desert. The tray is comprised of eight different dried fruit candies. Have fun and make your own combination using American favorites like jelly beans and M & M's. Fortune Cookies are always a hit. Make your own fortune and wrap it around the cookie.
Drinks: What is an Asian party without an authentic Asian beer? TIGER BEER, a premium import from Singapore and brand synonymous with Chinese New Year celebrations in Southeast Asia, enhances the flavor of the food and is available at www.freshdirect.com in New York and at grocers and supermarkets in major cities. Log on to www.TIGERBEER.us for specific vendors. Always have soda on hand for those who do not drink alcohol. Tea is another nonalcoholic beverage that suits the mood.
Decorations: Red, a color believed to scare away evil spirits, should dominate the palette of your decor and be complimented with accents of gold, a lucky color. Paper lanterns should be hung and candles spread around to create atmosphere. Plenty of stores offer these goods and they can also be found online. Google "party decorations" for an abundance of options. "Foo," the character for fortune and luck, highly displayed in China during the New Year, should be visible and can be placed on various surfaces, like napkins and door hangers, with magic marker. Oranges and tangerines, symbolic of luck and wealth, can be placed in bowels to make a beautiful and interesting conversation piece.
Dress code: Have everyone arrive in red, the color traditionally worn on this holiday. For a more unconventional scene have everyone come costumed as one of the twelve animals of the zodiac.
Gifts: Lai-See Envelopes filled with money are given to children, young adults, and newlyweds during this time of year. Find them at the above listed stores and fill them with fake bills or coupons for small prizes. Another idea is to go down to Chinatown and have an artist illustrate the names of those on your guest list. These can be used as seating place cards and taken home at the end of the night.
Entertainment: For some authentic fun set out mahjong tiles for guests to play. Scatter sheets of origami paper along with instructions for a fun, artsy activity. Rent a bunch of Kung Fu movies to play softly in the background and if things get rowdy have your own Jackie-Chan style competition. Download some current Chinese music from http://www.ibiblio.org/chinese-music/ and intersperse it with some Chinese-American influences like Yo Yo Ma, Wu-Tang Clan, and Michelle Branch. Dance the night away and give each other fake tattoos with Chinese characters.
The best part: Chinese Lunar New year lasts 15 days, giving you plenty of time to prepare. Remember to have fun and keep a smile on your face. Gung Hay Fat Choy!
When Your Home is Your Workplace
Certainly organizing any household can be difficult, but when your home is also your office, the challenge can be overwhelming. Statistics show there are more than 25 million income-generating home offices in the U.S., and the number is growing.
As someone who has worked from a home office for over 20 years and a mother with five grown children, I've undoubtedly made every mistake possible. The joy and flexibility of working at home can quickly turn your house into a prison unless you take some preventive measures. Consider these tips to make living and working at home less stressful and more productive:
1. Position your office location carefully. If at all possible, separate your workplace from your living space, so you can physically leave your work. If you're working at home in order to take care of children, consider hiring childcare while you work - studies show your work productivity (and potential for profit) will increase, and so will the quality of life for your children.
2. Continually eliminate clutter. For years I have fought the myth that being organized means being a neatnik. When you remove the old batteries, loose change, dried-up pens, keys to unknown places, expired coupons, and postage stamps of strange denominations from the kitchen junk drawer, what you have left is useful. If there's a paperclip mixed in with the keys, it doesn't really matter. You can organize it more - and it will be easier to keep organized if you do, but it isn't a necessity. Clutter is frequently excess, and excess cannot be organized!
3. Choose a calendar system that works for you. If you're working at home, chances are it's difficult to tell when business ends and home begins - so you'll probably want a calendar or planner system that encompasses both your personal and professional life. In addition, create a method for sharing information that all the family needs to know. It may be something as simple as a calendar on the refrigerator with a different color pen for each member of the family.
4. Develop a system for meals to suit your style. The need to eat can create chaos or increase quality of life, depending upon how you approach it. I used to think that because I was a professional organizing consultant, I should have all my meals for the week planned by Sunday night. I soon discovered that even though my meal plan said it was spaghetti night, I wasn't in the mood. Now, I keep lots of staples on hand so I can create something delightful with the perishables I bought over the weekend.
5. Create separate filing systems for your personal life and professional life. Research shows that the average person spends 150 hours per year looking for misplaced information. And, certainly nothing creates a family crisis faster than a 15-year- old who needs a copy of his birth certificate to get into driver's Ed training, and you can't find it! If it fits in a file, put it there - and keep a list of your files, called a File Index - so you, or someone else, can find it when needed. (Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger software creates the index automatically, and allows you to find anything you file or store in five seconds or less.
6. Get enough sleep. According to sleep experts, in order to be fully productive, you need to spend one-third of your life in bed. Many of us say, "I don't have time to sleep" - but research shows we can't afford to continually deprive ourselves and others who suffer because of our sleep deprivation. Sleep provides power to energize the body and the mind. Dr. James B. Maas, author of Power Sleep says that if you fall asleep immediately when your head hits the pillow or need an alarm clock to wake up, you need more sleep! (And you may solve a problem while you're doing it!)
7. Eliminate perfectionism. Someone once told me "A perfectionist is someone who takes great pains and gives them to everyone else." If you want to make yourself and the others around you miserable, insist on perfectionism. I have always found it fascinating that the most disorganized people in the world frequently have pockets of perfectionism - spices in alphabetical order in a cupboard over a counter where there's no room to cook. Productivity is about progress, not perfectionism!
If you're working at home, or thinking about it, remember that "home is where the heart is" - and it can be a great place to make a living too!
ฉ Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
As someone who has worked from a home office for over 20 years and a mother with five grown children, I've undoubtedly made every mistake possible. The joy and flexibility of working at home can quickly turn your house into a prison unless you take some preventive measures. Consider these tips to make living and working at home less stressful and more productive:
1. Position your office location carefully. If at all possible, separate your workplace from your living space, so you can physically leave your work. If you're working at home in order to take care of children, consider hiring childcare while you work - studies show your work productivity (and potential for profit) will increase, and so will the quality of life for your children.
2. Continually eliminate clutter. For years I have fought the myth that being organized means being a neatnik. When you remove the old batteries, loose change, dried-up pens, keys to unknown places, expired coupons, and postage stamps of strange denominations from the kitchen junk drawer, what you have left is useful. If there's a paperclip mixed in with the keys, it doesn't really matter. You can organize it more - and it will be easier to keep organized if you do, but it isn't a necessity. Clutter is frequently excess, and excess cannot be organized!
3. Choose a calendar system that works for you. If you're working at home, chances are it's difficult to tell when business ends and home begins - so you'll probably want a calendar or planner system that encompasses both your personal and professional life. In addition, create a method for sharing information that all the family needs to know. It may be something as simple as a calendar on the refrigerator with a different color pen for each member of the family.
4. Develop a system for meals to suit your style. The need to eat can create chaos or increase quality of life, depending upon how you approach it. I used to think that because I was a professional organizing consultant, I should have all my meals for the week planned by Sunday night. I soon discovered that even though my meal plan said it was spaghetti night, I wasn't in the mood. Now, I keep lots of staples on hand so I can create something delightful with the perishables I bought over the weekend.
5. Create separate filing systems for your personal life and professional life. Research shows that the average person spends 150 hours per year looking for misplaced information. And, certainly nothing creates a family crisis faster than a 15-year- old who needs a copy of his birth certificate to get into driver's Ed training, and you can't find it! If it fits in a file, put it there - and keep a list of your files, called a File Index - so you, or someone else, can find it when needed. (Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger software creates the index automatically, and allows you to find anything you file or store in five seconds or less.
6. Get enough sleep. According to sleep experts, in order to be fully productive, you need to spend one-third of your life in bed. Many of us say, "I don't have time to sleep" - but research shows we can't afford to continually deprive ourselves and others who suffer because of our sleep deprivation. Sleep provides power to energize the body and the mind. Dr. James B. Maas, author of Power Sleep says that if you fall asleep immediately when your head hits the pillow or need an alarm clock to wake up, you need more sleep! (And you may solve a problem while you're doing it!)
7. Eliminate perfectionism. Someone once told me "A perfectionist is someone who takes great pains and gives them to everyone else." If you want to make yourself and the others around you miserable, insist on perfectionism. I have always found it fascinating that the most disorganized people in the world frequently have pockets of perfectionism - spices in alphabetical order in a cupboard over a counter where there's no room to cook. Productivity is about progress, not perfectionism!
If you're working at home, or thinking about it, remember that "home is where the heart is" - and it can be a great place to make a living too!
ฉ Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
21 Items You Can Easily Sell by Mail
This is intended for information and shouldn't be construed as legal advice.
In order to make money by mail, you need to have something to sell which others will want to buy. Everyone makes money by selling something of value to someone else. Some folks are content to sell "a little of themselves" one hour at a time. Others want to work for themselves and sell their own products or services to others.
Those individuals who desire to make more than just a few bucks per hour need to have their own product or service to offer to the rest of the world. This presentation was prepared for those individuals.
With the information, suggestions, and information listed in this report, you could Price It, Advertise It and Sell It!
Most of the guesswork, trial and error has been removed. This report has 21
plans and suggestions. It is NOT meant to be the "last and final authority". It is more than enough to give you a good idea, to encourage you to get started and to begin receiving money in your mail box often. You'll learn more as you go along. You'll run across other offers and maybe some better deals. The best advice is: go slow, test and try every offer that appeals to you! See what works and what doesn't. Stay with the things that produce results.
So, What can you sell to others by mail?
If you have nothing, besides yourself and your time, it is quite simple to create something to sell to others or to offer to do something for someone else that they can't or won't do for themselves.
What follows are IDEAS and TESTED PLANS (by others) which you can begin to advertise and sell to others by MAIL ORDER!
1. A Circular Mailing Business.
Sample Ad:
FAST CIRCULAR MAILING 3x6 and 5x8............... 1 cent each 8-1/2x11.................. 2 cents each 1000 8-1/2x 11............ $15.00 Minimum (200 of each kind)
This is an inexpensive and easy way to begin. Offer to mail circulars (distribute them by mail) to prospective buyers. You charge a fee for this service, by asking for a set rate per week or per month or per sheet charge. (Write and request information from other advertised offers. Ask questions that you would like answers to on starting and operating this type of business. Know what is involved and know what you are doing before you begin.) If you advertise, let other companies know how much you charge to distribute their circulars.
2. Sell Packages of Mail Order Offers.
Sample ad:
QUALITY BIG MAIL! Packed with top mail order publications, discount ad rates, money making opportunities, dealership offers. FREE mailing list, FREE Big Mail Listing and much more. Everything rushed to you first-class mail for only $2.00! Order Today!
This ad shows that one company usually charges $2.00 for their Big Mail. You can offer a "BIG MAIL" for $1.00 or $2.00... Keep all the money and have this company fill your orders for free. Write the ones you like for details. Buy other "Big Mails". Offer your own for $1.00. You make money both ways. Companies pay you to distribute their circulars... AND your customers pay you to be sent one.
Note: It is very strongly recommended that you first contact each company you are interested in doing business with prior to your placing any ads and offering any companies products to others by mail!
3. Operate a Commission Mailing Business
This is different from item 1 above, in that you are not paid a fee or collect any monies up front, to mail each circular. If you mail "Commission Circulars" for other companies, you agree to "take your cut" or commission from the orders received. This can be MUCH MORE profitable! A lot of Mail Order companies are willing to allow YOU to keep HALF the money from each order as your commission for getting the order. Usually each circular has a space for YOU to put your name on each one before you mail them out. Your name will be the only one on each. All orders will come to you. You keep your share of each order, forward the remainder onto the company that supplied that circular and they will (usually) forward the item direct to your customer for you, under your name. (This is called "dropshipping". For Mail Order sources, you place ads which ask for "Dealerships" from such companies or look for ads which ask for "Dealers Wanted".
4. Contact Sources to Sell Their Products
Sample ad:
Dealers Wanted. Moneymaking Plans & Ideas! Ideal home mailorder business. Up to 1300% profit. No inventory. We dropship. Send $2.00 for 64-page catalog. Dealer details and wholesale prices. Satisfaction guaranteed. ACT TODAY!
An ad like this one, is placed by a Mail Order company who are seeking dealers to sell their products. Write them and ask for all necessary details.
5. Sell Money-Making, Mail Order Plans
Sample Ad:
$10 Orders Filled Free! Easiest, most profitable mail order program yet. Get easy $10 cash sales and keep all the money yourself. Don't wait - send now for free details now!! Rush SASE to:
Write and ask for Dealer details, or their sales aids for Commission Mailers. You may have to buy their book (or whatever they are selling) before you can offer it to others.
6. Purchase or Type Up Your Own and Sell
Short Informative Reports.
Sample Ad:
FREE REPORT$. 38 $MONEY MAKER$. Fill YOUR pockets with $CASH$, plus FREE reprint rights. Just a LSASE.
Besides selling a various list of suppliers, you can type up short, one to four page, reports on a multitude of subjects, like "Where to Get Free Advertising", "Big Profits - Selling Information", "How to Write Profit Pulling Sales Letters and Circulars". You can type up other reports that you create for greater profits. Get reports Printed; Advertise; Sell It!
7. Type Up, Print and Sell Your Own Booklet or Directory.
A booklet of several pages in length is no more difficult than typing up a few reports and stapling them together. Look at this short booklet: It is a model for how to do it. Have this "camera ready" booklet printed, (minimum 50 each) and sell it to others. (You can give copies away, hoping for sales later on, from your ads that appear in this booklet.) You can even sell copies to other dealers and let them sell it as their own. You can advertise and sell quantities direct.
8. Offer a Name Listing Service.
Advertise that you will send your customer's name to hundreds of other Mail Order companies. Charge a small fee for this service. Once you have a few hundred names of interested, paying customers, type up their names on sheets and have copies made. Advertise these as "Names of Prospective Customers". Mail Order Dealers and other companies will pay you 3 cents, current price or MORE for each name. Sell the same names to ALL who are willing to buy them. You get PAID to accumulate names and you get PAID when you sell the names. You make money from both ends. No way you can lose on this deal! Keep advertising your listing service (charge $1 to $3 to each person to list their name). This can be a "Money Maker"!!
9. Sell Names of Mail Order Buyers by Mail.
Sample Ad:
Mailing Lists. Opportunity Seekers. Fresh Daily. On Peel & Stick Labels. These "Hot Lists" really pull. Buy direct from the source.
If you have your own names of past customers, type their names and addresses on sheets of paper or on labels. Sell them for 3 cents to 6 cents each or current prices. Or buy names from others and sell their lists to your customers. It can make money for you.
10. Start a Club and Sell Memberships To It.
What kind of club? You can start any kind of club you want. A stamp club, cooking club, pen-pal club, a writers or readers club, coupon or discount club, you name it. Each new member joining pays a fee. List all members on a roster.
11. Issue a Monthly Bulletin or Club "Newsletter"
Once you have your club going, ask for contributions of notes and news from members, including you own. Put it in a Newsletter, sell subscriptions to it. Sell it to members, for a fair monthly or yearly fee, but realize a small profit from it. Sell ad space . Members can list their wants and needs in it and it will be read by all members.
12. Offer a Typing Service.
Many people don't know how to type or even have a typewriter. Charge so much per page... $4 to $6 or more for difficult copy. Type resumes, salesletters, college papers, reports, bulletins, circulars, instructions, copywriting, newsletters, etc. It must be sharp, clean and error free. Advertise your services in local papers and/or yellow pages.
13. Offer a Card Mailing Service.
Others may be too busy or too forgetful so you do their card mailing for them... For a Fee! Arrange in writing all details to mail their birthday, anniversary, Christmas cards, etc. for them each year. They supply the names and addresses, etc. Advertise it and let others know.
14. A Mail Forwarding Service.
Forward mail for other people. This is great if you live near some well known site. Others send you their cards and letters, you then remail them from your location, but charge them up front by the letter or a straight fee.
15. An Advice/Consultation Service.
People will be happy to pay some expert for their advice. Why give away your knowledge or wisdom? Charge people to hear your advice. This is accomplished in person, fact sheet, statistical sheet or by newsletter. Financial advice, investment advice, marriage help, crafts, building, planting and so many, many other topics. Everyone of us knows something that few others know. Charge people to learn it from you.
16. Re-writing or Ads and Sales-Circulars, etc.
A great many people don't know how to put their thoughts and ideas into simple, every day sentences. If you know how to string words together, sell that ability to others. Re-write their ads and circulars, letters or reports or whatever. Advertise it. Charge by the hour, per item or by the inch.
Note: Send LSASE means that the advertiser needs your help to get more details to you quicker. He wants you to send a long self-addressed stamped envelope along with your letter.
17. Make Money With Your Computer
Sample Ad:
HOW TO GET RICH with your Microcomputer. SECRETS REVEALED. No experience necessary. Potential tax break! Invest in YOUR future. CASH IN ON THE $100 BILLION COMPUTER INDUSTRY. Order Book #XXXX.
Lots of people have their own computer and lots of people wish they could afford one. If you have one, rent it out, sell its abilities and make yours pay for itself. With local advertising and word of mouth you may find more work than you can handle. PLUS... receive a nice income doing something you enjoy. Visit your library or local book store for books or manuals regarding how to start up this type of business. Individuals, business persons, etc, need and will find your services very necessary.
18. Sell "Made to Order" Stamps by Mail.
Sample Ad:
RUBBER STAMPS. Made to order and stock rubber stamps. 3 lines $2.25 ppd. Additional lines 50 cents each. Signature stamps $7.00 ppd. 25 unmounted 1 line stamps $5.50 ppd. Catalog 50 cents.
This is a VERY needed and popular item to sell by mail. The cost is low and you make a nice profit per sale. Read and study ads you'll always find in Mail Order publications. Send for their rates along with a letter asking for ways on how to get started in this type of business.
"PPd." means the advertiser will pay all additional postage or shipping costs... And that you need not send along any extra to pay postage.
19. Sell Labels and Stickers by Mail
Sample Ad:
DESIGN LABELS. Designs created for product labels, stickers. Free details.
Again, your need to contact sources and ask for dealer details or sales aids for commission agents. Some may not want or need dealers. Some who advertise may not be the source. They may be another dealer of the source. Write and ask.
20. Start/Operate a Profitable Newsletter Home Business.
Join the smart ones who presently write simple or sophisticated styled NEWSLETTERS. If you do possess GOOD IDEAS, VALUABLE ADVICE, OPTIONS OR INFORMATION or have access to any one of these, you will find that this is all that is really needed to get you started in selling valuable information that thousands of people are looking for, and profit handsomely while doing so. Thousands of newsletters are being published covering almost any subject you can imagine. EVEN YOURS.
21. Selling Recipes.
Pick out one or several of your very best recipes. Ask Grandma or Mom to write down their very own original delicious creations. Whether from city, farm or the "old country" these unique recipes can be sold through classified ads. Rainy day money or survival money, it's there waiting for you.
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer This article may be distributed freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.
Are you content with your advertising budget?
Schedule a coaching session with Frugal Solutions Expert, DeAnna Spencer.
She will design an affordable online advertising plan for you.
Contact her by sending an email to deanna.spencer(at)gmail.com
Visit this small business resource for more information.
In order to make money by mail, you need to have something to sell which others will want to buy. Everyone makes money by selling something of value to someone else. Some folks are content to sell "a little of themselves" one hour at a time. Others want to work for themselves and sell their own products or services to others.
Those individuals who desire to make more than just a few bucks per hour need to have their own product or service to offer to the rest of the world. This presentation was prepared for those individuals.
With the information, suggestions, and information listed in this report, you could Price It, Advertise It and Sell It!
Most of the guesswork, trial and error has been removed. This report has 21
plans and suggestions. It is NOT meant to be the "last and final authority". It is more than enough to give you a good idea, to encourage you to get started and to begin receiving money in your mail box often. You'll learn more as you go along. You'll run across other offers and maybe some better deals. The best advice is: go slow, test and try every offer that appeals to you! See what works and what doesn't. Stay with the things that produce results.
So, What can you sell to others by mail?
If you have nothing, besides yourself and your time, it is quite simple to create something to sell to others or to offer to do something for someone else that they can't or won't do for themselves.
What follows are IDEAS and TESTED PLANS (by others) which you can begin to advertise and sell to others by MAIL ORDER!
1. A Circular Mailing Business.
Sample Ad:
FAST CIRCULAR MAILING 3x6 and 5x8............... 1 cent each 8-1/2x11.................. 2 cents each 1000 8-1/2x 11............ $15.00 Minimum (200 of each kind)
This is an inexpensive and easy way to begin. Offer to mail circulars (distribute them by mail) to prospective buyers. You charge a fee for this service, by asking for a set rate per week or per month or per sheet charge. (Write and request information from other advertised offers. Ask questions that you would like answers to on starting and operating this type of business. Know what is involved and know what you are doing before you begin.) If you advertise, let other companies know how much you charge to distribute their circulars.
2. Sell Packages of Mail Order Offers.
Sample ad:
QUALITY BIG MAIL! Packed with top mail order publications, discount ad rates, money making opportunities, dealership offers. FREE mailing list, FREE Big Mail Listing and much more. Everything rushed to you first-class mail for only $2.00! Order Today!
This ad shows that one company usually charges $2.00 for their Big Mail. You can offer a "BIG MAIL" for $1.00 or $2.00... Keep all the money and have this company fill your orders for free. Write the ones you like for details. Buy other "Big Mails". Offer your own for $1.00. You make money both ways. Companies pay you to distribute their circulars... AND your customers pay you to be sent one.
Note: It is very strongly recommended that you first contact each company you are interested in doing business with prior to your placing any ads and offering any companies products to others by mail!
3. Operate a Commission Mailing Business
This is different from item 1 above, in that you are not paid a fee or collect any monies up front, to mail each circular. If you mail "Commission Circulars" for other companies, you agree to "take your cut" or commission from the orders received. This can be MUCH MORE profitable! A lot of Mail Order companies are willing to allow YOU to keep HALF the money from each order as your commission for getting the order. Usually each circular has a space for YOU to put your name on each one before you mail them out. Your name will be the only one on each. All orders will come to you. You keep your share of each order, forward the remainder onto the company that supplied that circular and they will (usually) forward the item direct to your customer for you, under your name. (This is called "dropshipping". For Mail Order sources, you place ads which ask for "Dealerships" from such companies or look for ads which ask for "Dealers Wanted".
4. Contact Sources to Sell Their Products
Sample ad:
Dealers Wanted. Moneymaking Plans & Ideas! Ideal home mailorder business. Up to 1300% profit. No inventory. We dropship. Send $2.00 for 64-page catalog. Dealer details and wholesale prices. Satisfaction guaranteed. ACT TODAY!
An ad like this one, is placed by a Mail Order company who are seeking dealers to sell their products. Write them and ask for all necessary details.
5. Sell Money-Making, Mail Order Plans
Sample Ad:
$10 Orders Filled Free! Easiest, most profitable mail order program yet. Get easy $10 cash sales and keep all the money yourself. Don't wait - send now for free details now!! Rush SASE to:
Write and ask for Dealer details, or their sales aids for Commission Mailers. You may have to buy their book (or whatever they are selling) before you can offer it to others.
6. Purchase or Type Up Your Own and Sell
Short Informative Reports.
Sample Ad:
FREE REPORT$. 38 $MONEY MAKER$. Fill YOUR pockets with $CASH$, plus FREE reprint rights. Just a LSASE.
Besides selling a various list of suppliers, you can type up short, one to four page, reports on a multitude of subjects, like "Where to Get Free Advertising", "Big Profits - Selling Information", "How to Write Profit Pulling Sales Letters and Circulars". You can type up other reports that you create for greater profits. Get reports Printed; Advertise; Sell It!
7. Type Up, Print and Sell Your Own Booklet or Directory.
A booklet of several pages in length is no more difficult than typing up a few reports and stapling them together. Look at this short booklet: It is a model for how to do it. Have this "camera ready" booklet printed, (minimum 50 each) and sell it to others. (You can give copies away, hoping for sales later on, from your ads that appear in this booklet.) You can even sell copies to other dealers and let them sell it as their own. You can advertise and sell quantities direct.
8. Offer a Name Listing Service.
Advertise that you will send your customer's name to hundreds of other Mail Order companies. Charge a small fee for this service. Once you have a few hundred names of interested, paying customers, type up their names on sheets and have copies made. Advertise these as "Names of Prospective Customers". Mail Order Dealers and other companies will pay you 3 cents, current price or MORE for each name. Sell the same names to ALL who are willing to buy them. You get PAID to accumulate names and you get PAID when you sell the names. You make money from both ends. No way you can lose on this deal! Keep advertising your listing service (charge $1 to $3 to each person to list their name). This can be a "Money Maker"!!
9. Sell Names of Mail Order Buyers by Mail.
Sample Ad:
Mailing Lists. Opportunity Seekers. Fresh Daily. On Peel & Stick Labels. These "Hot Lists" really pull. Buy direct from the source.
If you have your own names of past customers, type their names and addresses on sheets of paper or on labels. Sell them for 3 cents to 6 cents each or current prices. Or buy names from others and sell their lists to your customers. It can make money for you.
10. Start a Club and Sell Memberships To It.
What kind of club? You can start any kind of club you want. A stamp club, cooking club, pen-pal club, a writers or readers club, coupon or discount club, you name it. Each new member joining pays a fee. List all members on a roster.
11. Issue a Monthly Bulletin or Club "Newsletter"
Once you have your club going, ask for contributions of notes and news from members, including you own. Put it in a Newsletter, sell subscriptions to it. Sell it to members, for a fair monthly or yearly fee, but realize a small profit from it. Sell ad space . Members can list their wants and needs in it and it will be read by all members.
12. Offer a Typing Service.
Many people don't know how to type or even have a typewriter. Charge so much per page... $4 to $6 or more for difficult copy. Type resumes, salesletters, college papers, reports, bulletins, circulars, instructions, copywriting, newsletters, etc. It must be sharp, clean and error free. Advertise your services in local papers and/or yellow pages.
13. Offer a Card Mailing Service.
Others may be too busy or too forgetful so you do their card mailing for them... For a Fee! Arrange in writing all details to mail their birthday, anniversary, Christmas cards, etc. for them each year. They supply the names and addresses, etc. Advertise it and let others know.
14. A Mail Forwarding Service.
Forward mail for other people. This is great if you live near some well known site. Others send you their cards and letters, you then remail them from your location, but charge them up front by the letter or a straight fee.
15. An Advice/Consultation Service.
People will be happy to pay some expert for their advice. Why give away your knowledge or wisdom? Charge people to hear your advice. This is accomplished in person, fact sheet, statistical sheet or by newsletter. Financial advice, investment advice, marriage help, crafts, building, planting and so many, many other topics. Everyone of us knows something that few others know. Charge people to learn it from you.
16. Re-writing or Ads and Sales-Circulars, etc.
A great many people don't know how to put their thoughts and ideas into simple, every day sentences. If you know how to string words together, sell that ability to others. Re-write their ads and circulars, letters or reports or whatever. Advertise it. Charge by the hour, per item or by the inch.
Note: Send LSASE means that the advertiser needs your help to get more details to you quicker. He wants you to send a long self-addressed stamped envelope along with your letter.
17. Make Money With Your Computer
Sample Ad:
HOW TO GET RICH with your Microcomputer. SECRETS REVEALED. No experience necessary. Potential tax break! Invest in YOUR future. CASH IN ON THE $100 BILLION COMPUTER INDUSTRY. Order Book #XXXX.
Lots of people have their own computer and lots of people wish they could afford one. If you have one, rent it out, sell its abilities and make yours pay for itself. With local advertising and word of mouth you may find more work than you can handle. PLUS... receive a nice income doing something you enjoy. Visit your library or local book store for books or manuals regarding how to start up this type of business. Individuals, business persons, etc, need and will find your services very necessary.
18. Sell "Made to Order" Stamps by Mail.
Sample Ad:
RUBBER STAMPS. Made to order and stock rubber stamps. 3 lines $2.25 ppd. Additional lines 50 cents each. Signature stamps $7.00 ppd. 25 unmounted 1 line stamps $5.50 ppd. Catalog 50 cents.
This is a VERY needed and popular item to sell by mail. The cost is low and you make a nice profit per sale. Read and study ads you'll always find in Mail Order publications. Send for their rates along with a letter asking for ways on how to get started in this type of business.
"PPd." means the advertiser will pay all additional postage or shipping costs... And that you need not send along any extra to pay postage.
19. Sell Labels and Stickers by Mail
Sample Ad:
DESIGN LABELS. Designs created for product labels, stickers. Free details.
Again, your need to contact sources and ask for dealer details or sales aids for commission agents. Some may not want or need dealers. Some who advertise may not be the source. They may be another dealer of the source. Write and ask.
20. Start/Operate a Profitable Newsletter Home Business.
Join the smart ones who presently write simple or sophisticated styled NEWSLETTERS. If you do possess GOOD IDEAS, VALUABLE ADVICE, OPTIONS OR INFORMATION or have access to any one of these, you will find that this is all that is really needed to get you started in selling valuable information that thousands of people are looking for, and profit handsomely while doing so. Thousands of newsletters are being published covering almost any subject you can imagine. EVEN YOURS.
21. Selling Recipes.
Pick out one or several of your very best recipes. Ask Grandma or Mom to write down their very own original delicious creations. Whether from city, farm or the "old country" these unique recipes can be sold through classified ads. Rainy day money or survival money, it's there waiting for you.
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer This article may be distributed freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.
Are you content with your advertising budget?
Schedule a coaching session with Frugal Solutions Expert, DeAnna Spencer.
She will design an affordable online advertising plan for you.
Contact her by sending an email to deanna.spencer(at)gmail.com
Visit this small business resource for more information.
Distribute Your Self-Published Book (Part 1)
Distribute Your Self-Published Book (Part 1) Judy Cullins c 2003
All Rights Reserved
Where is your book now? With a distributor? In a book store? Or,
did it already die an early death after a few months?
New self-published authors often believe they need a distributor
to sell a lot of books. They want to use Ingram or Baker &
Taylor because they think they need to get their book into the
"brick and mortar" bookstores like Barnes and Noble.
Authors go through many hoops and snags to accomplish this--
what I call the "traditional publishing nightmare" of
inefficiency and lack of support for authors. Usually the author
only gets around 10% royalties and has to pay back all promotion
expenses such as book signings. So many hoops, some give up. So
many authors I speak with who have gone this route still have
hundreds, even thousands of unsold copies littering up storage
space. Talk about discouragement.
Distributors Can be Dangerous to Your Book's Health and Your
Wallet
One author wrote, illustrated, and marketed six beautiful
children's books. Her books were well reviewed and received. For
some time, the profits rolled in until her distributor went
bankrupt, owing her $160,000. After she stopped crying, she
decided to take her books on the road—to local fairs and talks
where she could KEEP all the profits.
Distributors take quite a chunk of money from the author's
profits too. They charge the author for storage, and when books
are returned, the author loses those sales, and has to pay the
distributor too. Authors lose from the bookstores because their
payment is late or unreliable. Some authors wait way beyond 90
days. In fact, many just don't get paid. Writers are not always
good at collections either. These middlemen not only take most
of the author's profits, they cause much stress too.
How Can Self-Published Authors Distribute?
Self-published books include: print books (perfect bound, comb
bound, print on demand or print quantity needed, or stapled) or
eBooks (sent over Email through Word or Portable Document Files)
Local Distribution.
For each venue, make sure to include ordering information such
as your Web site URL, your company address, your toll-free 800
number, your local phone number, and an order page to fill out
for fax or phone orders..
1.Distribute through the Press.
-Create a "Power Press Release" (include tips and how-to's) -Get
a Feature Story from the Media -Write a how-to article and submit
2. Distribute through a local Talk Show-Radio and TV or guest
speak for another person's teleclasses.
Just a phone call away you can reach 100's of people interested
in your book's topic. Do some research on www.teleclass.com.
>From my guesting with other experts every 2 months, new clients
come, new book and teleclass sales increase to make up half my
income.
On the talk shows or the teleclasses, offer the audience a free
report to capture their email addresses. You can also send it
through your host and she will distribute that information to
her large email list. Of course you include your sales-pulling
signature file at the end.
3. Distribute at local talks to groups. Sell your print books at
the back of the room. Take a clip board and capture everyone's
email at the talk. These people become your dedicated sales
force and tell others. Word of mouth takes up to one or two
years, so be patient for results. Check your library for Clubs
who need free speakers.
Develop a selling two-sided flyer with testimonials, your book
cover, excerpts, and an ordering coupon. Take books and flyers
with you everywhere. Offer to all you meet, even your dentist!
Authors need to be proactive in book promotion because
publishers won't do it for them. (Part 2 of this article is
available)
All Rights Reserved
Where is your book now? With a distributor? In a book store? Or,
did it already die an early death after a few months?
New self-published authors often believe they need a distributor
to sell a lot of books. They want to use Ingram or Baker &
Taylor because they think they need to get their book into the
"brick and mortar" bookstores like Barnes and Noble.
Authors go through many hoops and snags to accomplish this--
what I call the "traditional publishing nightmare" of
inefficiency and lack of support for authors. Usually the author
only gets around 10% royalties and has to pay back all promotion
expenses such as book signings. So many hoops, some give up. So
many authors I speak with who have gone this route still have
hundreds, even thousands of unsold copies littering up storage
space. Talk about discouragement.
Distributors Can be Dangerous to Your Book's Health and Your
Wallet
One author wrote, illustrated, and marketed six beautiful
children's books. Her books were well reviewed and received. For
some time, the profits rolled in until her distributor went
bankrupt, owing her $160,000. After she stopped crying, she
decided to take her books on the road—to local fairs and talks
where she could KEEP all the profits.
Distributors take quite a chunk of money from the author's
profits too. They charge the author for storage, and when books
are returned, the author loses those sales, and has to pay the
distributor too. Authors lose from the bookstores because their
payment is late or unreliable. Some authors wait way beyond 90
days. In fact, many just don't get paid. Writers are not always
good at collections either. These middlemen not only take most
of the author's profits, they cause much stress too.
How Can Self-Published Authors Distribute?
Self-published books include: print books (perfect bound, comb
bound, print on demand or print quantity needed, or stapled) or
eBooks (sent over Email through Word or Portable Document Files)
Local Distribution.
For each venue, make sure to include ordering information such
as your Web site URL, your company address, your toll-free 800
number, your local phone number, and an order page to fill out
for fax or phone orders..
1.Distribute through the Press.
-Create a "Power Press Release" (include tips and how-to's) -Get
a Feature Story from the Media -Write a how-to article and submit
2. Distribute through a local Talk Show-Radio and TV or guest
speak for another person's teleclasses.
Just a phone call away you can reach 100's of people interested
in your book's topic. Do some research on www.teleclass.com.
>From my guesting with other experts every 2 months, new clients
come, new book and teleclass sales increase to make up half my
income.
On the talk shows or the teleclasses, offer the audience a free
report to capture their email addresses. You can also send it
through your host and she will distribute that information to
her large email list. Of course you include your sales-pulling
signature file at the end.
3. Distribute at local talks to groups. Sell your print books at
the back of the room. Take a clip board and capture everyone's
email at the talk. These people become your dedicated sales
force and tell others. Word of mouth takes up to one or two
years, so be patient for results. Check your library for Clubs
who need free speakers.
Develop a selling two-sided flyer with testimonials, your book
cover, excerpts, and an ordering coupon. Take books and flyers
with you everywhere. Offer to all you meet, even your dentist!
Authors need to be proactive in book promotion because
publishers won't do it for them. (Part 2 of this article is
available)
Sell Your Freelance Web Services to Businesses That Don't Have a Web Site
As you are probably already aware - there are many more freelancers out on the net than there are employers. Consequently, freelancers often find that they are bidding for a job along with hundreds of other web professionals. For this reason alone, some freelancers are finding that they have to bid so low that they cannot make a reasonable living. Why not take your business into your own hands? After reading this article you will have a sure fire way of attracting clients to you, so read on.
How many small businesses are in your area? The average county has thousands of small business. However, only a third of all small businesses have a web site, and only a third of these sites can carry out a sales transaction. What these businesses don't realize is that they can probably profit from a web site. They are in great need of a talented web professional such as yourself to not only bring them to the water but also to show them how good it tastes to drink. In other words, let these entrepreneurs see that there are more profits to be made.
First you need to prospect local businesses to find out which ones are potential customers. What kinds of businesses are most likely to need a web site? Selecting the best freelance opportunities is a matter of intuition, but I have found from previous experience that the following types of businesses are excellent prospective clients:
Restaurants
Theaters
Night Clubs
Grocery Stores
Travel Agencies
Law Firms
Religious Organizations
Real Estate Agencies
Insurance / Loan Officers
Universities and Educational Facilities
Local governments / County web sites
Customized Item Stores
Many others
It is important to focus your energy on where there is likely to be a need for your services. Uncovering a business opportunity often times requires broadening the range of your skills and services. Since you are targeting all sorts of different businesses you will often need to learn about different industries in order to be useful. You might find that you want to focus on one industry, for example, only targeting restaurants. You could create online menus, downloadable coupons, reservations, take out orders, and any other innovative ideas to draw in the prospect's interest. In fact, imagination and creativity are your keys to success. The number one focus of a successful entrepreneur is PROFIT. Your goal is to find out how you can raise the prospective client's profit line ... this takes creativity.
Excellent tools for researching local businesses are :
1. Yellow Pages
2. Chamber of Commerce
3. Better Business Bureau
4. Department of Small Business Development
5. Trade Associations
6. Search Engines
7. Purchased Lists
What information do I need to find out about each prospective client before contacting them? Slow down, you have some work to do first. At the minimum, you will need to get the phone number, company's name, and address. From this information, you can hopefully gain access to verifiable details about this business. From this information, you should do research on the Internet. You will need to find out if the business in question has a web site. Use every resource available to access this information. If you can't find a web site then you found yourself a lead.
What happens if the company does have a web site? Well, if the business in question does have a web site then you have two choices ... either move on or further evaluate the site. If you choose the latter, this is what you should look for:
1. Is the web site visually appealing?
2. Are the site's resources being used effectively?
3. Are there means for a sales transaction?
4. Does the site have a domain name?
5. Is site listed in search engines?
6. Were meta tags used effectively?
7. Does the site load quickly?
8. Is there essential contact information available?
9. Are there broken links or missing images?
10. Do you see a sales strategy that they are missing?
If any of the above situations occur, you should consider contacting the company to setup a consultation. Remember to always use tact. Never come right out and criticize anyone's site, in most cases if the site is awful, the owner himself tried to build it. All you need to do is show the business owner that he is losing out on extra earnings. There are nice words that you can find to express this instead of derogatory statements.
You should keep all of this gathered information in a database, Rolodex, or on index cards. (I recommend writing down the information on large index cards. When you find a prospective client, take their card with you and write down personal information on the back of this card. This way, the next time you visit the client, you can ask him how his sick aunt is feeling.)
Before contacting your newly found lead, you will need to get your thoughts together. Answer the following questions of yourself:
1. How can a new or redesigned site increase the owner's profits?
2. How much money would I need to charge?
3. Are there similar sites on the net that you could show an example of. You should show the owner how company XYZ profited from similar steps. 4. What design and graphic choices would you choose?
5. Are there add-ons that aren't necessary, but effective?
6. (If redesign) What changes would need to be made to better the site?
There are not many people that enjoy cold calling, so I assume that you might be a little worried about this. Believe me, I hate cold calling as much as you. With the use of a script, and a lot of practice, cold calling will seem much less intimidating.
Now you should have all the information that you need about the client laid out in front of you. Take a look at all of this information and make sure that you can remember it clearly. From this information you should be able to create a script to use when you call the business owner. I will outline a sample script that you can in turn use to your advantage. Take a look at the following example:
A: Hello, Can I please speak with owner's name?
B: This is he. How can I help you?
A: Is this an okay time for you to speak?
B: Sure, I have nothing going on right now. Who is this? (If he says that he is too busy to talk right now then you should ask what time is an okay time to talk with him).
A: Hello, My name is your name from your company's name.
B: How can I help you today?
A: Well first of all thank you for being so kind to speak with me. I am familiar with your company and I have heard many good things about it, for instance share an example. Well, anyway, I was interested so I looked to see if you had a web site and I couldn't find one. Do you have a web site running?
B: No, we don't need one. I can't really see how it would do us any good since we are a local company. If someone wants something from us they just walk on over.
A: Well, Mr. or Mrs. owner's name, I spent some time thinking about your business before I called and I came up with a few ideas that would raise your profit line. For example, a similar site to yours, name a domain, started a web site how long ago and developed your idea into their site. Within how much time, they increased their profits by this much.
B: I don't know, it sounds expensive to me.
A: I am the most reasonably priced web designer around, I could design the entire site for only dollar amount. And if you still aren't sure that you just want to jump in, I will give you two free hours of consultation in which I will bring you a mockup design of what I visualize for your site. We can then talk it over. You won't have any commitment to continue, I just want to show you that you can have a profitable online presence. Is 10 o'clock Monday morning a good time to meet ... I want to share with you all of the ideas for your site that I have typed out for you?
B: 11 o'clock is better.
A: Great, I am excited to meet you.
B: I am looking forward to hearing your ideas.
A: Thanks. I will see you Monday at 11:00.
You should always create a positive, but assertive, tone and try not to sound like a telemarketer. The difference between you and a telemarketer is that you have educated yourself about the prospective client. You are way above this level so try to make a good impression. You will need to be ready for a negative response and rude replies. Not every call goes this well. Try to figure out ahead of time what kind of objections you might receive. Always respond with a polite business response. Never curse or say rude things back. Negative responses aren't always a bad sign. If the potential client says " I don't need a web designer now, I need brochures not banners." Maybe your expertise includes print design too, go in for the kill and get the gig. Maybe you want to educate the potential client on the need of a web site to promote his or her business. If you think ahead and know your responses beforehand, you will do great.
Good Job! You have just landed your first consultation. Now you will need to prepare yourself for this important meeting. You will need to take on the role of an expert in your field. You need to make sure that you understand that you ARE an expert. Otherwise, if you don't have self confidence, the prospective client won't trust you either. Look and feel confident because you can and you WILL build a great web site for this client ... you WILL knock his socks off.
Use all of the ideas that you had mapped out earlier and create a mockup a sample web site in Photoshop. This is how you should create a professional mockup:
1. Take a screen shot of your browser.
2. Bring this image into Photoshop and save file.
3. Layout all design elements into layers for home page of site first.
4. Go to your local service bureau to print out 2 copies of each design, one for you and one for the prospective client. 5. Go to a business supply store, like Staples, and buy black board, a portfolio case big enough to hold several black boards, Utility knife, Exacto knife, spray adhesive, labels, and a straight ruler. 5. Use an Exacto knife and straight ruler to cut off excess paper.
6. Measure width and length of the printout.
7. Cut black board to be about 4 inches taller and wider than the printout is. 6. Spray the back of the printout lightly with spray adhesive. After spraying the back of the printout, put one corner down about 2 inches from the top and 2 inches from the left of the black board. Then pull printout taut from the bottom right as you slowly press down the paper from the upper left. This will keep bubbling from happening. There should now be 2 inches of blackboard framing each side of the printout.
7. Place a label on the back of black board with copyright information, your logo, and a place for client to sign off.
You should also organize your thoughts by creating an organizational chart. This way you can show the client what rough ideas you have for their business web site. Take a blank piece of paper and place your pen in the center of the page. Write down a word or two that matches the subject of your previous notes. Branch out with lines to related topics. Make sure that all navigational routes have been mapped out. After you have completed this process, I suggest taking it into Freehand or Illustrator and clean up the organizational chart. You should also place this on blackboard the way you did above. Once you have completed this step and typed out any further notes, you are ready for your presentation.
Being a good sales person doesn't depend on talent, although this obviously helps. What you need most is confidence, and portraying that confidence will rub off on the potential client. Follow these important points and you will most likely generate your first order:
1. Never stop selling. Get used to rejection and understand that you will eventually make a sale. You should try to find an average that you can attain. One out of five people that you talk to will order.
2. Don't lie about your skills or abilities if you want repeat business. If you are good, other local businesses will be knocking down your door in no time.
3. Open up with an attention-getting statement. Try to walk in the business owner's shoes, what would be important to him. Find this answer and start off by bringing this to his attention.
4. Portray benefits of building a web site with complete confidence and excitement. Try to be overwhelmed with excitement.
5. Be ready for objections. Think of any objection that the business owner could possibly come up with and brainstorm for answers before they are asked. This should be done in practice.
6. Close the deal by asking when you should get started working on the web site, this week or next? In other words, don't give the business owner a yes or no question, give the customer a choice between two positive alternatives.
Now that you know how to attract local clients, you should have no problems creating a successful freelance business. When working within your community, word spreads like fire. In fact, once you have a few dependable clients, you should have no problem finding new clients. Good luck.
Article submitted by http://www.Allfreelancework.com
Article submitted by http://www.Allfreelancework.com - 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources. Allfreelance is also host of creative portfolios. You have permission to copy this article ONLY if you include the following blurb:
http://www.Allfreelancework.com - 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources.
How many small businesses are in your area? The average county has thousands of small business. However, only a third of all small businesses have a web site, and only a third of these sites can carry out a sales transaction. What these businesses don't realize is that they can probably profit from a web site. They are in great need of a talented web professional such as yourself to not only bring them to the water but also to show them how good it tastes to drink. In other words, let these entrepreneurs see that there are more profits to be made.
First you need to prospect local businesses to find out which ones are potential customers. What kinds of businesses are most likely to need a web site? Selecting the best freelance opportunities is a matter of intuition, but I have found from previous experience that the following types of businesses are excellent prospective clients:
Restaurants
Theaters
Night Clubs
Grocery Stores
Travel Agencies
Law Firms
Religious Organizations
Real Estate Agencies
Insurance / Loan Officers
Universities and Educational Facilities
Local governments / County web sites
Customized Item Stores
Many others
It is important to focus your energy on where there is likely to be a need for your services. Uncovering a business opportunity often times requires broadening the range of your skills and services. Since you are targeting all sorts of different businesses you will often need to learn about different industries in order to be useful. You might find that you want to focus on one industry, for example, only targeting restaurants. You could create online menus, downloadable coupons, reservations, take out orders, and any other innovative ideas to draw in the prospect's interest. In fact, imagination and creativity are your keys to success. The number one focus of a successful entrepreneur is PROFIT. Your goal is to find out how you can raise the prospective client's profit line ... this takes creativity.
Excellent tools for researching local businesses are :
1. Yellow Pages
2. Chamber of Commerce
3. Better Business Bureau
4. Department of Small Business Development
5. Trade Associations
6. Search Engines
7. Purchased Lists
What information do I need to find out about each prospective client before contacting them? Slow down, you have some work to do first. At the minimum, you will need to get the phone number, company's name, and address. From this information, you can hopefully gain access to verifiable details about this business. From this information, you should do research on the Internet. You will need to find out if the business in question has a web site. Use every resource available to access this information. If you can't find a web site then you found yourself a lead.
What happens if the company does have a web site? Well, if the business in question does have a web site then you have two choices ... either move on or further evaluate the site. If you choose the latter, this is what you should look for:
1. Is the web site visually appealing?
2. Are the site's resources being used effectively?
3. Are there means for a sales transaction?
4. Does the site have a domain name?
5. Is site listed in search engines?
6. Were meta tags used effectively?
7. Does the site load quickly?
8. Is there essential contact information available?
9. Are there broken links or missing images?
10. Do you see a sales strategy that they are missing?
If any of the above situations occur, you should consider contacting the company to setup a consultation. Remember to always use tact. Never come right out and criticize anyone's site, in most cases if the site is awful, the owner himself tried to build it. All you need to do is show the business owner that he is losing out on extra earnings. There are nice words that you can find to express this instead of derogatory statements.
You should keep all of this gathered information in a database, Rolodex, or on index cards. (I recommend writing down the information on large index cards. When you find a prospective client, take their card with you and write down personal information on the back of this card. This way, the next time you visit the client, you can ask him how his sick aunt is feeling.)
Before contacting your newly found lead, you will need to get your thoughts together. Answer the following questions of yourself:
1. How can a new or redesigned site increase the owner's profits?
2. How much money would I need to charge?
3. Are there similar sites on the net that you could show an example of. You should show the owner how company XYZ profited from similar steps. 4. What design and graphic choices would you choose?
5. Are there add-ons that aren't necessary, but effective?
6. (If redesign) What changes would need to be made to better the site?
There are not many people that enjoy cold calling, so I assume that you might be a little worried about this. Believe me, I hate cold calling as much as you. With the use of a script, and a lot of practice, cold calling will seem much less intimidating.
Now you should have all the information that you need about the client laid out in front of you. Take a look at all of this information and make sure that you can remember it clearly. From this information you should be able to create a script to use when you call the business owner. I will outline a sample script that you can in turn use to your advantage. Take a look at the following example:
A: Hello, Can I please speak with owner's name?
B: This is he. How can I help you?
A: Is this an okay time for you to speak?
B: Sure, I have nothing going on right now. Who is this? (If he says that he is too busy to talk right now then you should ask what time is an okay time to talk with him).
A: Hello, My name is your name from your company's name.
B: How can I help you today?
A: Well first of all thank you for being so kind to speak with me. I am familiar with your company and I have heard many good things about it, for instance share an example. Well, anyway, I was interested so I looked to see if you had a web site and I couldn't find one. Do you have a web site running?
B: No, we don't need one. I can't really see how it would do us any good since we are a local company. If someone wants something from us they just walk on over.
A: Well, Mr. or Mrs. owner's name, I spent some time thinking about your business before I called and I came up with a few ideas that would raise your profit line. For example, a similar site to yours, name a domain, started a web site how long ago and developed your idea into their site. Within how much time, they increased their profits by this much.
B: I don't know, it sounds expensive to me.
A: I am the most reasonably priced web designer around, I could design the entire site for only dollar amount. And if you still aren't sure that you just want to jump in, I will give you two free hours of consultation in which I will bring you a mockup design of what I visualize for your site. We can then talk it over. You won't have any commitment to continue, I just want to show you that you can have a profitable online presence. Is 10 o'clock Monday morning a good time to meet ... I want to share with you all of the ideas for your site that I have typed out for you?
B: 11 o'clock is better.
A: Great, I am excited to meet you.
B: I am looking forward to hearing your ideas.
A: Thanks. I will see you Monday at 11:00.
You should always create a positive, but assertive, tone and try not to sound like a telemarketer. The difference between you and a telemarketer is that you have educated yourself about the prospective client. You are way above this level so try to make a good impression. You will need to be ready for a negative response and rude replies. Not every call goes this well. Try to figure out ahead of time what kind of objections you might receive. Always respond with a polite business response. Never curse or say rude things back. Negative responses aren't always a bad sign. If the potential client says " I don't need a web designer now, I need brochures not banners." Maybe your expertise includes print design too, go in for the kill and get the gig. Maybe you want to educate the potential client on the need of a web site to promote his or her business. If you think ahead and know your responses beforehand, you will do great.
Good Job! You have just landed your first consultation. Now you will need to prepare yourself for this important meeting. You will need to take on the role of an expert in your field. You need to make sure that you understand that you ARE an expert. Otherwise, if you don't have self confidence, the prospective client won't trust you either. Look and feel confident because you can and you WILL build a great web site for this client ... you WILL knock his socks off.
Use all of the ideas that you had mapped out earlier and create a mockup a sample web site in Photoshop. This is how you should create a professional mockup:
1. Take a screen shot of your browser.
2. Bring this image into Photoshop and save file.
3. Layout all design elements into layers for home page of site first.
4. Go to your local service bureau to print out 2 copies of each design, one for you and one for the prospective client. 5. Go to a business supply store, like Staples, and buy black board, a portfolio case big enough to hold several black boards, Utility knife, Exacto knife, spray adhesive, labels, and a straight ruler. 5. Use an Exacto knife and straight ruler to cut off excess paper.
6. Measure width and length of the printout.
7. Cut black board to be about 4 inches taller and wider than the printout is. 6. Spray the back of the printout lightly with spray adhesive. After spraying the back of the printout, put one corner down about 2 inches from the top and 2 inches from the left of the black board. Then pull printout taut from the bottom right as you slowly press down the paper from the upper left. This will keep bubbling from happening. There should now be 2 inches of blackboard framing each side of the printout.
7. Place a label on the back of black board with copyright information, your logo, and a place for client to sign off.
You should also organize your thoughts by creating an organizational chart. This way you can show the client what rough ideas you have for their business web site. Take a blank piece of paper and place your pen in the center of the page. Write down a word or two that matches the subject of your previous notes. Branch out with lines to related topics. Make sure that all navigational routes have been mapped out. After you have completed this process, I suggest taking it into Freehand or Illustrator and clean up the organizational chart. You should also place this on blackboard the way you did above. Once you have completed this step and typed out any further notes, you are ready for your presentation.
Being a good sales person doesn't depend on talent, although this obviously helps. What you need most is confidence, and portraying that confidence will rub off on the potential client. Follow these important points and you will most likely generate your first order:
1. Never stop selling. Get used to rejection and understand that you will eventually make a sale. You should try to find an average that you can attain. One out of five people that you talk to will order.
2. Don't lie about your skills or abilities if you want repeat business. If you are good, other local businesses will be knocking down your door in no time.
3. Open up with an attention-getting statement. Try to walk in the business owner's shoes, what would be important to him. Find this answer and start off by bringing this to his attention.
4. Portray benefits of building a web site with complete confidence and excitement. Try to be overwhelmed with excitement.
5. Be ready for objections. Think of any objection that the business owner could possibly come up with and brainstorm for answers before they are asked. This should be done in practice.
6. Close the deal by asking when you should get started working on the web site, this week or next? In other words, don't give the business owner a yes or no question, give the customer a choice between two positive alternatives.
Now that you know how to attract local clients, you should have no problems creating a successful freelance business. When working within your community, word spreads like fire. In fact, once you have a few dependable clients, you should have no problem finding new clients. Good luck.
Article submitted by http://www.Allfreelancework.com
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River Valley Bank Purchases MICRPro(r) Automated Check Production Solution
ROTHSCHILD, WI April 1, 2004 -โ€" River Valley State Bank, a $350 million-asset community bank with headquarters in this Wausau suburb and nine locations in central and northern Wisconsin, has replaced a competitor's manual check production system that had been in use for three years with a MICRPro 800 automated in-house check production solution from the Financial Documents Division of ACOM Solutions, Inc., it was announced today by River Valley State Bank Executive Vice President Jay Wittman and Mark Firmin, vice president and general manager of the ACOM division.
Installed in early February, the ACOM solution was selected for its ability to fulfill as many as 50 check orders per hour. According to Teller Supervisor Cindi Jaeger, who is in charge of the system, River Valley State Bank selected the new system because of the advantages a automated system can provide over the manual one. The new system currently is producing between 660 and 700 new orders and reorders per month. Jaeger expects this number to grow.
The MICRPro automated solution is a fully integrated hardware-software system comprised of a powerful personal computer with a 17-inch monitor, interactive check design and printing software, MICR-enhanced laser printer, and an automated finishing system for trimming, stapling and taping the printed checks. ACOM also provides check printing supplies such as blank security check stock in various styles and MICR toner. The company also sells lower cost in-house check production solutions with semi-automated and manual finishing processes.
The automated system allows River Valley State Bank to charge customers significantly less for check orders than outsource check printers charge. Currently, the bank produces both single and duplicate checks for personal and business accounts, with delivery in one or two days versus a week or more from third party check vendors. It can even produce an order on-the-spot in case of a customer emergency. The bank also began printing its own loan coupons using the system in March.
โ€œBesides providing checks at an extremely favorable price, the service also represents an additional source of non-interest revenue, although that is a secondary consideration,โ€ Jaeger said. โ€œWe are a family-owned community bank committed to providing the best in customer service. That is our primary objective in offering in-house checks. The low cost, quality, convenient reordering, and fast turnaround have proven to be very popular and most of our customers opt for our in-house checks.โ€
The MICRPro system will enable the bank to keep pace with continuing growth in its customer base and the corresponding checkbook requirements, Jaeger added. With the manual system, checks were typically generated in batches, with one person printing the check books and another performing the cutting and binding operation. Now, she pointed out, once the checks are printed and placed on the input tray of the automated finishing device, the rest of the operation is fully automatic.
About ACOM Solutions
ACOM Solutions Financial Documents Division is the premier developer and marketer of check and financial document production solutions that enable financial institutions to streamline their front office and back office check and financial document production activities, and to create and fulfill customer check orders and reorders in-house, versus outsourcing to commercial check vendors. ACOM Solutions, Inc. is a multidivisional, international developer and marketer of conventional and e-business solutions that integrate with enterprise applications to enhance back office and B2B processes for electronic, Internet and paper-based commerce. For more information, contact ACOM Solutions Financial Documents Division at 3305 Breckinridge Blvd, Suite 130, Duluth, GA 30096; telephone 770-279-8955; email micrproinfo@acom.com; web: www.inhousechecks.com.
CONTACT:
Victor Wortman
310 393 6281
vwortman@earthlink.net
Maribell Buchanan
770 279 8955
mbuchanan@acom.com
Gregory Church
562 424 7899
gchurch@acom.com
Installed in early February, the ACOM solution was selected for its ability to fulfill as many as 50 check orders per hour. According to Teller Supervisor Cindi Jaeger, who is in charge of the system, River Valley State Bank selected the new system because of the advantages a automated system can provide over the manual one. The new system currently is producing between 660 and 700 new orders and reorders per month. Jaeger expects this number to grow.
The MICRPro automated solution is a fully integrated hardware-software system comprised of a powerful personal computer with a 17-inch monitor, interactive check design and printing software, MICR-enhanced laser printer, and an automated finishing system for trimming, stapling and taping the printed checks. ACOM also provides check printing supplies such as blank security check stock in various styles and MICR toner. The company also sells lower cost in-house check production solutions with semi-automated and manual finishing processes.
The automated system allows River Valley State Bank to charge customers significantly less for check orders than outsource check printers charge. Currently, the bank produces both single and duplicate checks for personal and business accounts, with delivery in one or two days versus a week or more from third party check vendors. It can even produce an order on-the-spot in case of a customer emergency. The bank also began printing its own loan coupons using the system in March.
โ€œBesides providing checks at an extremely favorable price, the service also represents an additional source of non-interest revenue, although that is a secondary consideration,โ€ Jaeger said. โ€œWe are a family-owned community bank committed to providing the best in customer service. That is our primary objective in offering in-house checks. The low cost, quality, convenient reordering, and fast turnaround have proven to be very popular and most of our customers opt for our in-house checks.โ€
The MICRPro system will enable the bank to keep pace with continuing growth in its customer base and the corresponding checkbook requirements, Jaeger added. With the manual system, checks were typically generated in batches, with one person printing the check books and another performing the cutting and binding operation. Now, she pointed out, once the checks are printed and placed on the input tray of the automated finishing device, the rest of the operation is fully automatic.
About ACOM Solutions
ACOM Solutions Financial Documents Division is the premier developer and marketer of check and financial document production solutions that enable financial institutions to streamline their front office and back office check and financial document production activities, and to create and fulfill customer check orders and reorders in-house, versus outsourcing to commercial check vendors. ACOM Solutions, Inc. is a multidivisional, international developer and marketer of conventional and e-business solutions that integrate with enterprise applications to enhance back office and B2B processes for electronic, Internet and paper-based commerce. For more information, contact ACOM Solutions Financial Documents Division at 3305 Breckinridge Blvd, Suite 130, Duluth, GA 30096; telephone 770-279-8955; email micrproinfo@acom.com; web: www.inhousechecks.com.
CONTACT:
Victor Wortman
310 393 6281
vwortman@earthlink.net
Maribell Buchanan
770 279 8955
mbuchanan@acom.com
Gregory Church
562 424 7899
gchurch@acom.com
When It's DUH? Time at Trade Show - 3 Little Words Save the Day
TIME, MONEY, HASSLE - You can make a sale on one of
the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three,
you'll have a very loyal client.
You've have product training and sales training, you reviewed your company's web site and literature, you understand the demonstrations, and the marketing ideas behind the exhibit design. You're ready for the show.
But now you're standing in the booth and it's Duh? time. You can rattle off the features and benefits, but what does the person standing in front of you want to know?
It can be boiled down to three little words - Time, Money, Hassle.
They want you to save them time, charge less money and cut the hassle. Actually, it's what we all want when we shop ourselves, whether for banking or broccoli, wine or widgets. For example - We pay for chopped but bagged lettuce at the grocery store. Saves us money? No, costs a lot more than a head of lettuce, but it saves time and hassle because we don't have to chop it. Go through everything you buy and you'll find an example.
You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you'll have a very loyal client.
Frame your opening comments around these three words and you'll get people's attention. Don't make them ask the questions - be ready to find which of these words is most important to them and match your presentation to their concerns.
TIME - We all want time, more time, and trade shows are a time problem. It is compressed - there are only so many hours the show is open, so few hours to walk the aisles and minutes to stop at a booth. Conversations are brief, listening skills are strained and you'll never have enough time to go through the leisurely sales call process.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Time:
1. What's your order-to-shipment time?
2. How long for custom orders and modifications?
3. How long is design time?
4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?
5. When will a salesman call on me?
6. How long does it take to learn?
7. How long does it take to teach someone?
8. What training materials and people are provided?
9. How long does it take to put together?
10. How long will it last?
MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:
1. How much is it?
2. What's my discount?
3. Do you take credit cards?
4. Will you finance this?
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What's your guarantee?
7. What's my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What's the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can't find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What's the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and finally my item was found! It could not be sent to the store so I could use the coupon and save the freight, but had to be sent to me directly. Now I'm on their mailing list and receive a catalogue every week. What a waste, but I've been told it's too difficult to take me off the mailing list. Is this my favorite store? Used to be. Not any more.
2. There are lots of ISP tales. Two years ago when the big one bought my little one, I had 13 days of intermittent service while they merged. This year, they changed "something" (their term) and I could receive mail but not send it. I spoke with 11 people over the course of a week, a total of 14 hours. I heard lots of music, lots of "what have you done?" and "let's just start all over". I spoke with supervisors, tech support and marketing. Finally, I found a new kid, who said, "Oh, yeah, we changed something. There, it's all fixed." Without billing them for my time, I figure this one experience cost the ISP five times what I pay in yearly service fees. Will I stay with them. Yes, because I'm afraid the next service will be worse.
3. Since I refuse to do business with people who know less about their company than I do, I often ask to speak to a supervisor. Now, I keep pad and paper whenever I make a call, and ask for name and extension. Recent responses - all true!
* There is no supervisor.
* They can't take incoming calls. Leave a name and number and they'll get back to you in 3 days.
* 20 minutes of music, then disconnect.
* Just disconnect.
* Call customer service. One hour of argument and being passed along via long holding patterns. We can't, never have and/or refuse to solve your problem. Hang up, call same number. Problem solved in two minutes.
* Voice mail hell with no option to speak to a real person.
* Web sites without real addresses or phone numbers. Contact us is an e-mail address which never responds.
Be Brief. Start your conversation with "(My Company) can save your company (time, money, hassle) and we support our customers."
Do customer service problems appear at trade shows? Occasionally. Do they happen after shows? All the time. The more you can define Time, Money and Hassle for your clients and prospects, the more profitable everyone will be.
Julia O'Connor
Speaker, Author, Consultant
Expert in the Psychology of the Trade Show Environment
Trade Show Training, Inc.
PO Box 17155, Richmond VA 23226
804-355-7800
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com
You've have product training and sales training, you reviewed your company's web site and literature, you understand the demonstrations, and the marketing ideas behind the exhibit design. You're ready for the show.
But now you're standing in the booth and it's Duh? time. You can rattle off the features and benefits, but what does the person standing in front of you want to know?
It can be boiled down to three little words - Time, Money, Hassle.
They want you to save them time, charge less money and cut the hassle. Actually, it's what we all want when we shop ourselves, whether for banking or broccoli, wine or widgets. For example - We pay for chopped but bagged lettuce at the grocery store. Saves us money? No, costs a lot more than a head of lettuce, but it saves time and hassle because we don't have to chop it. Go through everything you buy and you'll find an example.
You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you'll have a very loyal client.
Frame your opening comments around these three words and you'll get people's attention. Don't make them ask the questions - be ready to find which of these words is most important to them and match your presentation to their concerns.
TIME - We all want time, more time, and trade shows are a time problem. It is compressed - there are only so many hours the show is open, so few hours to walk the aisles and minutes to stop at a booth. Conversations are brief, listening skills are strained and you'll never have enough time to go through the leisurely sales call process.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Time:
1. What's your order-to-shipment time?
2. How long for custom orders and modifications?
3. How long is design time?
4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?
5. When will a salesman call on me?
6. How long does it take to learn?
7. How long does it take to teach someone?
8. What training materials and people are provided?
9. How long does it take to put together?
10. How long will it last?
MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:
1. How much is it?
2. What's my discount?
3. Do you take credit cards?
4. Will you finance this?
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What's your guarantee?
7. What's my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What's the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can't find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What's the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and finally my item was found! It could not be sent to the store so I could use the coupon and save the freight, but had to be sent to me directly. Now I'm on their mailing list and receive a catalogue every week. What a waste, but I've been told it's too difficult to take me off the mailing list. Is this my favorite store? Used to be. Not any more.
2. There are lots of ISP tales. Two years ago when the big one bought my little one, I had 13 days of intermittent service while they merged. This year, they changed "something" (their term) and I could receive mail but not send it. I spoke with 11 people over the course of a week, a total of 14 hours. I heard lots of music, lots of "what have you done?" and "let's just start all over". I spoke with supervisors, tech support and marketing. Finally, I found a new kid, who said, "Oh, yeah, we changed something. There, it's all fixed." Without billing them for my time, I figure this one experience cost the ISP five times what I pay in yearly service fees. Will I stay with them. Yes, because I'm afraid the next service will be worse.
3. Since I refuse to do business with people who know less about their company than I do, I often ask to speak to a supervisor. Now, I keep pad and paper whenever I make a call, and ask for name and extension. Recent responses - all true!
* There is no supervisor.
* They can't take incoming calls. Leave a name and number and they'll get back to you in 3 days.
* 20 minutes of music, then disconnect.
* Just disconnect.
* Call customer service. One hour of argument and being passed along via long holding patterns. We can't, never have and/or refuse to solve your problem. Hang up, call same number. Problem solved in two minutes.
* Voice mail hell with no option to speak to a real person.
* Web sites without real addresses or phone numbers. Contact us is an e-mail address which never responds.
Be Brief. Start your conversation with "(My Company) can save your company (time, money, hassle) and we support our customers."
Do customer service problems appear at trade shows? Occasionally. Do they happen after shows? All the time. The more you can define Time, Money and Hassle for your clients and prospects, the more profitable everyone will be.
Julia O'Connor
Speaker, Author, Consultant
Expert in the Psychology of the Trade Show Environment
Trade Show Training, Inc.
PO Box 17155, Richmond VA 23226
804-355-7800
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com
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