Review: Directory Maximizer

I ran across this service and it sounded intriguing so I did the obligatory research and found most people very happy with their service. I delved deeper. The service seemed very reasonable (actually downright cheap at .14 per directory submission) and they seemed fairly organized (this was before their new site came out).
Read more on my blog post...

Dream a Little Dream for BIG Results!

Starting a business? You need a business plan. WAIT! We're not talking about some boring, formalized plan written on reams of paper for finacial types. Besides, you probably wouldn't do this anyway. You likely would dismiss its importance and pass it over for something easier, faster; something you can do right now.

Maybe there is a simple and quick task that is just as important, doesn't take much effort and is more fun than writing a business plan. Remembering that nothing will really take the place of a well-thought out and formal business plan, this is much more fun, and very effective! It's called Day Dreaming for Success (or Dream Day) and it's a super powerful process.

Get some YOU time to start this task. The goal of it is to decide what it is that you really and truly want, clarify it in your brain and cement for all eternity (or at least the next several years). Be in a quiet, rested mode. Be free from distractions. Be able to think clearly and peacefully about what it is that you truly want. The main reason you would do this task is to get a finely detailed mental image for yourself; something you will be able to "pull up" in your mind time and again in the future.

The vision you have should entail your "dream life" and be your life exactly as you would like to live it (business, personal, family, everything!) It's not the same thing as a standard business plan, but it will be a powerful force to use to keep you motivated.

Make it like a snapshot in time. Envision your life at a particular time in your life when everything is "clicking." You'll understand after you complete this task that it will be a moment when you feel your life how you would like it to be. It should be you, family, friends, your business, material items, just about everything. Be very clear and very honest with yourself. Take notes and describe this moment as best you can. It's a simple task and you should do it thoroughly.

To start, be alone without any other distractions. be unstressed and clear-minded. Now, conjure up a picture a day in your perfect life. How do you look? Be very descriptive: What are you wearing? What is your hair, body, clothing like, etc.? Where are you? What are you doing? Who is with you? How are you feeling? How are your friends and family feeling? Are you active or relaxing? What are you doing? Descibe your house? How about your car? Travel? Are you very social with many friends? Are material items important? What type of weather is it? Are you inside or outside? What's going on at the moment? Where do you live? Tell yourself what your dream life looks like.

--Get the feeling of success in that moment and write it down. Feel the accomplishment of success. Write it down. It could be just a brief moment with your family near a swimming pool or maybe with friends while skiing in a beautiful location. See what it is and feel everything else in your life as you want it to be.

It is a day in your dream life. Be logical or think go a little nuts! Picture yourself caught in a momentary "photograph" that you will be able to look upon and feel achivement. You still have dreams after the photo was taken, of course. But that at that second the picture was snapped, your dreams had been largely achieved. Make it a second of happiness and peace for yourself.

Be descriptive and clear. Get familiar with the photo you create in your head. It will be a great asset to you as you can pull it up over and over again to remind you of what you really want in life.

When you're feeling stressed and disappointed, you can recall this snapshot and remind yourself the rewards that await your for your hard work and sacrifices now. You can use it to make you life exactly what you want.

Build Your List HUGE with this simple technique!

Doing business online? If you’re savvy at online commerce you know by now that you need to build a list. It’s a crucial component in marketing yourself. If people have found you and signed up for your free newsletter you know they are at least minimally interested in what you have to offer. These are the prospects you need to keep yourself in front of to sell your products. If you don't know that, let me remind you that the MONEY is in your LIST that's why your credibility and relationship with your subscribers is vital.

There is a simple way to help you triple or quadruple your list subscribers quickly. It’s vaguely know as “co-registration.” That’s a pretty boring name for something that can be quite exciting once you start to harness its power!

Simply put, it is a method that requires you contact a few other complementary vendors. For instance, if you sell women-oriented health products, you might contact supplement, beauty and work-out fashion vendors.

Each of you would participate in an ezine or site where you would each do free offers, etc. Hint: Be sure to only work with very targeted similar-type products to keep your list streamlined and very focused. You could branch out and start working with 10 or 20 partners, but your list could get diluted.

When you contact these co-partners, you need to spell out what’s in it for them. Let them know the opportunities this ideas presents.

Be clear about what they are expected to do to participate. If you’re collecting lists to put together a mass mailing for the entire project, let them know upfront. Some people may not be interested in turning over their list.

They need to make a special offer to the subscribers or visitors of the site. This is the only way they will be able to collect leads (by having visitors subscribe or sign up for their particular freebie offer).

Materials you may need include:

Create the webpage where the offers will be made. One person should be in charge of this. Whomever does this task should get the paramount space (perhaps a pop-up or pop-under) for their offer.

The script must be set up on the site for each offer to go to the participating/corresponding co-partner. Each co-partner would email you their script to be included on the site. This script will direct subscribers to their particular thank you page, etc.

Each participating member is responsible for their own products and subscriptions.

Each week (or whatever agreed upon timeframe), each member would email their list of new leads that came in that week. The master list would be compiled and sent to each member. In other words, if each member received 25 new prospects that week and you had 5 participating members, your list would have a total of 250 new prospects.

In addition to each member getting targeted leads and prospects for their particular offers, you should send a co-participant email to the entire list monthly. Each prospect on the list would receive emails from the particular members whose offers they signed up for, and also one co-partner mass email that would include offers from all members, each member’s website, may an article from one or two members (take turns writing them, etc.)

If you work with dedicated and professional members who contribute on schedule (essentially hold up their end of the workload), you should each be able to build a large, targeted list fairly quickly!
 

Ready to Be Your Own Boss? 

Still clinging to that day job for security while dreaming of starting your own company? Now is the time! While few of us can afford the luxury of throwing caution to the wind to start a small business, now is the perfect time.

Some of us have the strong desire to become an entrepreneur but have to keep the day job while we give this starting a idea the go-ahead. That’s fine! You’ll be in good company as most small business entrepreneurs start part-time.

Number one (and opt quoted by the mega billionaire Donald Trump) is to do something you have the passion for. Now whatever your particular feelings are for him, he has a point. You must, must, must LOVE what you do. As a matter of fact, I’ve heard it said that passion exceeds skill.

Starting a small business takes effort, focus and lots of time. So maybe your day job is all consuming? You’ll have to carve out a specific schedule (and stick to it!) to make this business work. Don’t just try to “fit it in” when you have time. It won’t work. Trust us on that. You must commit and be very proactive about it.

The most important quality successful entrepreneurs have isn’t skill or the right connections. While those certainly help, the most important thing you can have is passion for your endeavor. Whether it’s baking artisan bread or designing new buildings, you must have a passion for it.

It won’t take a ton of time to start, so start small. Even if your job is all consuming, you can probably still find a few hours in your week just for your business. Write this time on your calendar and stick to it. The easiest way to fail is to do nothing or just give up. Commit to your goals and be active about doing what they require to become a reality.

For instance, if you’re baker working in a restaurant and you dream of starting your own artisan bakery, be patient. Build slowly—especially if you’re career keeps you working crazy hours. You can start by renting a kitchen and making bread to sell to local cafes. You don’t need to jump in with both feel and buy a restaurant. Stay focused and start within your means.  

Keep at it and stay motivated. Listen to motivating tapes, read books, do online research. Work at it and don’t give up. It’s easy to get frustrated if things don’t take off as quickly as you’d planned. If you really want it badly, you’ll find a way to make it work. You may need to take classes or even get a different day job if yours requires so much of you that you’re always too exhausted to work on your business. If you’re serious about it, you’ll make the sacrifices. And there are plenty to be made when running your own business.

You also need to start putting some of that 8^th grade math to work. You’ll need to be your own chief financial officer, so get comfortable with your budget and what you’ll need to succeed. Track what gets you results, and dump what doesn’t. Operate on a shoestring if you must, but stay within your budget. So many new business owners get excited and overspend and literally get themselves in the hole before they begin!

Set yourself up for success from the start. You’ll start holding your head higher and feeling more accomplished. Being your own boss is a tremendous feeling. Good luck!
 

8 Ideas Boost Your Biz!

1. Internet: If you're not already on it, get on the internet. If you are, you know how great it can be. Even the smallest businesses can get to a major market and do business 'round the clock. It allows you to market and sell worldwide and it's cheap! Also, it can give you the image of being a huge corporation--even if you're running it from a spare bedroom! A good web site can put you on the map.

2. Design high -end looking collateral. Don't cheap out with low-end business cards and stationery! Make the investment in good design and good printing. You don't have to spend tons; just make them the best you can afford. You don't even need four-color (read: expensive) printing: Use one color as an accent color and have it used in different levels (dark to light) to create a unique look.

3. Like to talk? Get out into the local business world and join groups. These groups can be little goldmines of leads, support and mentors. Working from home you may find yourself alone for days (or weeks). These groups can be a terrific excuse to get out and mingle!

4. Promote and sell! Motivated and informed sellers know this technique. Use your forces to infiltrate your products and services into others' offerings to multiply your audience. 

5. Trade and barter. Selling your products is only part of your job; getting wonderful prospects and resources by trading and bartering can help. Provide great service and see the referrals pour in! 

6. Advertise on the cheap by getting some local press. Your local media can get you some of the best FREE "advertising" around!  

7. Be a do-gooder...and tell everyone about it. Give to a worthy cause (time, money or products). Always include your card in your donations. Be sure to promote the fact that you support charities.  

8. What's your special talent? You can speak locally on whatever topic jazzes you. (Don't be scared!) Even just a short talk can give you some great face time in front of valued prospects. It's worth the butterflies in your stomach.

Doing a little branding of yourself?
Make it stick with these 5 simple tips...

Thanks to the uber-easy self promotion tools available, communicating with thousands (millions, even) is so easy. The internet will give you more personal branding opportunities than you could possibly use. Stick to these simple tips:

1). Give to Get Marketing

Give away useful content; get a devoted reader. Be a real person and provide a little insight to you and your business to make people feel comfortable. The days of hiding behind your computer to pretend you're a big conglomerate are over. Don't try to be overly formal or jet out useless emails full of hype and fluff. Read more...
 

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