1. BIZOP LEADS: When To Buy Them, How To work Them

By Harry Fassett Question: When is the best time to purchase *BizOp* Leads from a vendor? Answer: As soon as your provider gets them in. WHY??? Because as soon as your source gets them in, and ships them over to you, they are extremely fresh (assuming you have a reliable broker, and trust what they are sending to you are fresh), and most of the leads (minus the junk some YAHOOS put in the "OPT-IN... read more

2. The Sixty-four Ninety-five dollar Question: How Much Do I Charge?

By Evy McNeilly Online it's more complicated than "What the traffic will bear" but pricing follows the same arbitrary rules of offline business. For example, the owner of a curio shop near Hearst Castle in California bought some Japanese lead glass ashtrays and put out a dozen at $10.95. All sold in one day. The next dozen were priced at $21.95. and also sold in one day. Then he hiked the price to $45 a... read more

3. “Seven Questions For Your Publishing Success”—Part III: What Are YOUR Guiding Principles?

By Rev. Richard Boeck “Seven Questions For Your Publishing Success”—Part III: What Are YOUR Guiding Principles? By Rev. Richard Boeck If you’re still with me at this juncture, reading Part III of this series, I’m going to assume that you’ve pretty well answered the question, “Who Are YOU?” You’ve reached a conclusion about what makes you tick and what values and principles you believe in and will uphold in your b... read more

4. “Seven Questions For Your Publishing Success”—Part V: What Kind of Content Are YOU Willing To Have?

By Rev. Richard Boeck “Seven Questions For Your Publishing Success”—Part V: What Kind of Content Are YOU Willing To Have? by Rev. Richard Boeck When we last visited, the discussion concerning YOUR publishing success centered upon the purpose for YOUR ezine. That ezine or other publication must have content. And it’s that content that’s going to define YOUR ezine. So the fifth question we ask pertaining to YOUR... read more

5. SEO Copywriting Makeover: Good Rankings but No Sales Part 2 of 2

By Karon Thackston by Karon Thackston © 2004-2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com In Part 1 of this article series, we looked at a local home security site that had fairly good rankings but whose conversion rate was lacking. (You can see the original copy here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/topsecurity-original.pdf.) Here in the conclusion, you'll see how several changes helped maintain this company's goo... read more

6. Web Marketing: Design Mistakes That Drive Customers Away In Droves

By Lisa Packer They may look cutting edge, but if you want a web site that contributes to your bottom line here are some design ideas you will want to avoid: · Opening with Flash. If your site opens with a movie that your prospect is forced to sit through, no matter how short, before they can get to your “welcome” or “home” page, you are losing customers. She wants information, and that movie is standing in h... read more

7. Branding And The Internet: In The Keyword Buying Craze, Marketers Often Skip Basic Consumer Res

By Angelique van Engelen Online marketers, ourselves included, supposedly are hardly doing anything else than capitalising on keywords in their marketing strategies. Those who come out on top have one thing in common: they are experts at mapping precisely that magical, ever evolving space where the overlap between real life and the internet is at its most poignant. They're looking where real people are actually s p e l ... read more

8. The Lead: Sinking The Hook Into Your Prospect

By Lisa Packer You only have an instant to capture your prospect’s attention. No matter the medium – a sales letter, print ad, or commercial – she’s going to make an almost instantaneous decision about whether you are worth her time or not. So you’d better start off with a bang. Hopefully, you already have a good headline. The words that come after it are your lead, and it’s their job to sink the hook into yo... read more

9. Travel Germany: Oktoberfest

By Jean Sutherland Travel Germany: Oktoberfest Travelers to Germany during late September and early October are in for an Oktoberfest treat: two solid weeks of beer drinking, revelry and entertainment. For a glimpse into the festivities, as well as some of the history surrounding the event, read on. Travel Germany: History of Oktoberfest Even though the event is named for the month afterwards, travelers to... read more

10. Writing Newsletters – Tricks of the Trade

By Glenn Murray Writing Newsletters – Tricks of the Trade Follow 10 simple rules of thumb, and you’ll soon be writing great newsletters and reaping the rewards. By Glenn Murray * Company newsletters can be an amazingly successful marketing technique. Whether you want to up-sell or cross-sell, establish your brand or establish your authority, or simply reach a wider market, a newsletter can do the job for ... read more

11. Writing Benefit-Driven Web Copy – 4 Steps to More Sales

By Glenn Murray By Glenn Murray * You've identified the benefits you offer your customers, but how do you turn a list of benefits into engaging web copy which converts visitors into customers? Recently I wrote an article explaining how to read more

12. Web Copy – How Much is Enough?

By Glenn Murray Web Copy – How Much is Enough? By Glenn Murray * These days, there’s widespread acceptance that a website is an integral part of the marketing plan of any business. Likewise, it’s commonly accepted that web cop... read more

13. Race and Racism – Some Concepts Defined

By Glenn Murray Race and Racism – Some Concepts Defined By Glenn Murray * Despite adamant claims to the contrary, racism continues to plague many peoples around the world. The first step toward resolving issues of racial intolerance and prejudice is to develop an understanding of the underlying concepts and their labels. This (rather long) article touches on the following topics: - Stereotypes, Race... read more

14. Engage Your Customer – Write About Benefits

By Glenn Murray Engage Your Customer – Write About Benefits By Glenn Murray * Think quick. In 10 seconds, can you list the 5 key benefits you offer your customers? I bet you said “Yes”. But are you sure you listed benefits? If you’ll bear with me for another 10 seconds, I’d like to test out a theory on you. Recap your answers – maybe even write them down. Now list the 5 main things your business does. ... read more

15. Successful websites don’t set out to sell

By Glenn Murray Successful websites don’t set out to sell By Glenn Murray | Advertising & Website Copywriter * What are websites? Are they sales tools for vendors and service providers, or are they electronic guidance for potential ... read more

16. Architect or Building Designer – Who Do You Choose?

By Glenn Murray Architect or Building Designer – Who Do You Choose? Thinking of building a new home or complex? Will you use an architect or a building designer? By Glenn Murray * Both are involved in the design of buildings – their appearance, layout, structure, and so on. But what’s the difference? The simplest difference is a legal one. To be called an “architect” in NSW, you have to be registered ... read more

17. CPT Codes; What are you Getting Billed for?

By Mike Nielsen All of us visit some sort of medical office from time to time and some of us make the visit a routine. No matter how many times we go in for a checkup or treatment we usually end up paying a relatively inexpensive co-pay for the services rendered to us. So who makes up the difference and how do they pay it? Obviously, the doctors and nurses that we visit are not making a living off of our co-pay; ... read more

18. Print ads: Relics or Revenue Generators?

By Gary Watson Remember print ads? Those dusty, musty, fusty old relics of the century past? Well, they’re still with us, and if your company isn’t running them in newspapers and magazines, they probably should. Despite the ubiquity of commercials on radio and TV; despite the onslaught of banners, pop-ups and all manner of intrusive online ads; newspapers and magazines are, and always will be, a mainstay forum f... read more

19. Marketing: Can I Trust You?

By Lisa Packer We live in an unprecedented era of communication. Because of this, your prospects are literally bombarded from all directions with marketing messages. They’ve heard so many hyped claims, that they automatically distrust them all. How can you avoid this in your marketing messages? How can you convince them that what you promise is what you will actually deliver? First of all, tell the truth.... read more

20. 3 Reasons Why You Better Know Your Customers…Or Else

By Michele Pariza Wacek Which statement sums up how you define your customers? 1) I have a very specific customer in mind -- very specific and very narrow. I only want to sell to this specific customer, I'm not interested in attracting anyone else. Or 2) If they have a pulse, they're a potential customer. Okay, in care you were wondering, number 1 is good and number 2 isn't. Yet I can't tell you how many b... read more

21. Online Interactive Learning: Is It Right for You?

By Matt Norman You've heard so much about online interactive learning. It's affordable, convenient and fun, but is it right for you? Here are five questions that you should ask yourself to find out if online interactive learning is the way to go. Are you a self-starter? Online interactive learning is a great way to get your degree, but it requires a certain amount of motivation. As the courses are pretty ... read more

22. Travel Canada: The Calgary Stampede

By Jean Sutherland Welcome travelers to Cowtown, Canada! This two-week long festival starting the first Friday after June 2nd can showcases everything under the sun to do with ranching. Here is a short description of the attractions, events and festivities this world-renowned event has to offer. Travel Canada: Stampede Parade Those traveling from outside of Canada have most likely already seen a Stampede Para... read more

23. Get Personal: Letters vs. Direct Mail

By Lisa Packer One of the reasons direct mail works is the personal aspect. It’s ostensibly a letter from you to your prospect. Because of this, the more personal you make it, the better your response will be. If you’re mailing to 100,000 people, putting your prospect’s name on your letter is about as personal you can get. But there are times when you can – and should – send out highly personal letters to in... read more

24. Getting the best Auto Loan Rates

By Jay Moncliff Getting a good auto loan rate is not luck, but rather a skill that you must learn. There are good auto loan rates available if you know the tricks of the trade and how to negotiate to get the best deal for you. Remember, you should not be afraid or nervous when trying to negotiate your auto loan because you will be saving yourself money. That should give you the courage to try and get the best aut... read more