Unique Niche Markets

--> Unique Niche Markets A niche is something that sets your business apart
from your competitors. To compete with other
businesses nowadays, especially online, you need
a unique niche. Just make sure your competitors are
not using the same niche. Below are twelve ideas
you could use to create an order pulling niche.

1. Your niche could be that you offer free delivery.
This may cost a little money, but, you will gain the
extra customers to make up for it.

2. Your niche could be that you offer a lower price.
If you can't afford to offer a lower price you could
always hold the occasional discount sale.

3. Your niche could be that your product achieves
results faster. This niche is very effective because
people are becoming more and more impatient and
want results fast.

4. Your niche could be you've been in business for
a longer period of time. People think if you've been
in business longer you have more credibility.

5. Your niche could be that your product tastes,
smells sounds, looks, or feels better. When you
target the the senses you're triggering basic human
attractions.

6. Your niche could be your product is light or
compact. People may want to take the product
on a trip or don't have much room where they live.

7. Your niche could be that you've won a business
reward. When you win a reward tell your customers
or visitors about it. This increases their trust in your
business.

8. Your niche could be that your product lasts
longer. People don't like taking the time and spending
more money buying replacement products all the
time.

9. Your niche could be that your product is easy to
use. People don't want to buy a product that they
have to read a 200 page hard-to-understand
instruction manual.

10. You niche could be that your product has better
safety features. People want to feel safe when they
use your products.

11. Your niche could be that your product was made
by hand. Most people believe that products made
by hand have better quality.

12. Your niche could be that you stand behind all
your products. People want to know that you back-
up any claims you make about your product with
either guarantees, warrantees and free replacements.

Author Dan Brown has been active in internet marketing for the past 4 years. Dan currently is working with the Zabang search engine introducing their new affiliate program, which is due out July, 2005. Zabang

You May Be Marketing Your Company Right Out of Business!

--> You May Be Marketing Your Company Right Out of Business! How many times have you thought "We need more customers!"

If you find that you often feel that your company needs more customers, then consider this...

There is a common belief held by most business owners, managers, and sales teams that all of their business problems would be solved if they could just figure out the secret to "finding and getting more customers."

And, that is their biggest mistake!

The never-ending search for more customers requires an abundance of people, time, and money... resources which are usually in short supply in most companies. In such an environment, the effort put forth to "find" customers is actually depleting the business of its energy, creativity, and enthusiasm...commodities required to serve these customers in a satisfying way. And, since dissatisfied customers do not return, the business must keep finding more customers to replace those they have lost.

So, with each repetition of the cycle, the company has less and less ability to provide the level of service that would satisfy the types of customers it originally intended to serve. So, the number of complaints the business receives continues to increase...and eventually, the complaints outweigh the compliments. The word spreads throughout the community. It becomes harder to find customers to serve. Debts then exceed profits. The business fails.

Conversely, those 15% that succeed have structured their company in a way that "attracts" only perfect customers and clients.

Companies must replace the thought "We need more customers" with the conviction that "We now attract only perfect customers."

What's the difference?

It's the difference between a successful business and one that struggles to survive. It's the difference between a profitable business and one that pinches pennies. It's the difference between a thriving business and one that is hanging on by a thread.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR CUSTOMERS TO SERVE, YOU'LL FIND "CUSTOMERS FROM HELL"

Most people agree that looking for customers to serve requires a lot of energy. First, you must figure out where you are most likely to find the greatest number of customers. And, then you must spend more time and money experimenting with the right way to catch their attention. By the time you have actually found someone who is willing to try what you have to give them, your company has exhausted its energy!

So, when this customer tells you that they are not completely satisfied with your products, your policies, or your pricing, you are more than willing to make compromises to satisfy them ... truth be known, you are simply too tired to put up a fight. Perhaps, thinking that you have won the war, you feel you can afford to let them win these smaller conflicts...especially in light of what it would cost to go out and hunt down another customer to replace this one.

Yet, if your company had more strength and solvency, you might be more willing to listen to the tiny inner voice that says, "Be careful...this one could be more trouble than their worth. This is a customer from hell."

You ignore the voice because of the need to make back the money spent on marketing and sales programs. Or, you convince yourself that these customers must be perfect for your company or you are afraid that you will lose this customer to the competition.

Inevitably, though, the voice turns out to be right. By the time you end your tortured relationship with this customer, you feel that no amount of money in the world would have been enough to compensate us for the cost of the experience.

This is the result when you create marketing campaigns or promotional strategies that fail to clearly convey the bright light of your unique business distinctions; you find customers that other businesses should be serving.

THE LIGHTHOUSE TEST

So, how can you tell if your company is structured to "attract" perfect customers to serve?

Here is the "Lighthouse Test."

Imagine a lighthouse standing strong and erect on the rocky shores of a beautiful ocean. On this particular day, the water is calm, the sky is blue, and there are many boats out to sea. Yet, out in the distance, there is a storm cloud forming on the horizon. It is coming closer to shore very quickly. The sky is getting darker, the waves are getting rougher, and many of the boats are being tossed about on the water. As the rains and the winds pick up strength, so does the power of the beam of light emanating from the lighthouse. Some of the boats, anxious to move quickly to a quiet and protective harbor, are relying on this beam of light to guide them safely to the spot. The darker the skies become, the brighter the light shines.
Notice that not all of the boats are in need of this beam of light to guide them to safety. Some have more confident captains and crew, while other boats have equipment that can handle the storm effectively.
Now, imagine that the lighthouse gets upset because some of the boats are choosing not to come to its harbor. Because it wants to protect and serve all of the boats in the sea, it sprouts arms and legs and begins running up and down the beach, waving its arms, doing its best to catch the attention of all the boats. What would be the result?
Most likely, the boats that were depending on the light to guide them would by now have been destroyed in the chaos and confusion caused by the light moving up and down the beach Other boats, led by their curiosity, may come closer to shore to get a better look at the spectacle of a lighthouse running up and down the shore, and then head back out to deeper waters. While others would be perfectly content to stay where they are...out at sea. The end result, very few boats are served safely and securely.

The test lies in asking yourself what percentage of time is your company the lighthouse standing securely on the shore attracting the boats (customers) with the power of its light and how often is it running up and down the beach looking for boats (customers) to serve?

PERFECT CUSTOMERS COME RIGHT TO YOUR SHORE

Take a moment to recall one of your most perfect customers -- someone with whom you most enjoy working. The customer you describe as perfect is most likely the one who respects and values your time, trusts your company to have his or her best interests at heart, comes to your site with realistic expectations, happily pays what your product or service is worth, and refers your business to their friends and family. Perfect customers make you feel needed, appreciated, respected, and understood. Even more, they reconnect you with the passion and purpose that puts joy in your work. And, when you think about it, these perfect customers often find your site easily; there was an immediate spark of attraction and connection with this client as if synchronicity brought you together at the perfect time and place.

The key to ensuring that your company is only attracting the most perfect customers lies in the asking of four simple questions which comprise a Strategic Attraction Plan:

1. What Are the Qualities of My Most Perfect Customers?

2. What Makes My Perfect Customers Tick?

3. What Do I Want My Perfect Customers To Expect Of My Web site?

4. What Do I Have To Improve?

The daily review for just five minutes of these four questions is what will keep you connected to your company's mission and purpose. It's this connection which powers the light of your message and draws customers who are a perfect fit for that message right to your shore.

Proponents of the Strategic Attraction Planning Process are growing in numbers quickly. As Robert Allen, author of Multiple Streams of Income, www.multiplestreamsofincome.com, reports "this is a simple and effective method for bringing perfect customers right to your doors and web sites."

Copyright 2001, PerfectCustomers Unlimited.

You CAN Improve Your Relationship

--> You CAN Improve Your Relationship

It seems as if creating successful relationships with our significant others and parenting children are two of the most difficult jobs we face and yet we get no formal training in either. It's as if people believe that we are born with an inherent ability to do these two things. Yet, look around us. In the US, the divorce rate is slightly over 50%! I don't know anywhere but baseball where a 50% average is a good thing.

Couples go through life getting along when times are good; and fighting with, ignoring, or leaving each other when things get tough. Most people believe that to seek help with their relationships means to admit a certain kind of defeat that says something about who they are as a person. Or possibly, they believe that relationships are something we are just supposed to be able to manage on our own. Or, finally, some people believe that those out there helping couples can't know any more than they do. After all, what's to know about keeping relationships together?

Well, the truth is that there is a whole lot to learn when it comes to relationships. Unfortunately, the only training most of us ever receive is the passive learning we get through the modeling of the adults who live in our house with us and the media. Now, I don't know about you, but my parents had only received the informal training they got from their parents, and they from my great grandparents and so on back through the generations. There is so much more to know about relationships than that!

Also, my parents have helped support that 50% statistic cited earlier in that they divorced sometime around their 25th wedding anniversary. What I learned about relationships from watching them is that couples never argue, especially in front of the children. On the surface, my parents had a very happy marriage but my father experienced a stereotypical mid-life crisis and suddenly questioned the meaning of "life" and decided marriage was holding him back somehow.

In some ways, this type of training may have been as bad as those who have parents who argue all the time. Disagreements are a natural by-product of relationships. It is virtually impossible for two people to come together and create a life without some of their ideals, values, opinions or day-to-day activities coming into conflict with each other. The question becomes how the couple manages this conflict.

There are many things to consider when speaking about couples and their challenges and areas for growth and development. The first is compatibility. I know there is an expression that says opposites attract and I believe there is some accuracy in that statement when you think of attraction as that chemical interaction that occurs when two people meet and are attracted. This chemical attraction doesn't care what the other person's values are, what is important to him or her, the personality characteristics involved, or what either of you likes to do in your spare time. Compatibility is a key for a successful, healthy relationship. Go to www.therelationshipcenter.biz and take the free Assessment to determine your compatibility with your partner.

A second consideration is simply that there are major differences in how men are in relationships compared to how women are. Women generally don't understand men because the men don't act like women and similarly, men don't understand women because they don't act like men. And since a woman has never been a man and a man has never been a woman, how does each learn about these important differences? John Gray researched and wrote about these issues in his book, Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus. But I would say that the majority of people in relationships don't take the time to learn about these gender differences. It is easier to point a finger and blame the other person for his or her "irrational" behavior.

As mentioned earlier, a third area of growth is learning how to manage conflict. There are time proven methods for resolving conflict that we don't learn in school or from a book. There are ways to actually hear each other in relationships. By placing the relationship FIRST in importance, these methods can be implemented by couples to greatly improve their satisfaction.

There is so much to learn about satisfying relationships that your parents never showed you. Please don't become one of the statistics of divorce or perhaps worse, stay in a miserable relationship to honor your marriage vows while having so many regrets about your life as the time ticks away.

Take charge and take control of your life. Learn some new ways to improve the relationship you are already in or to prepare yourself for being a better, improved partner for the next person in your life. Contact Kim at 708-957-6047 or email at Kim@TheRelationshipCenter.biz about relationship coaching or take one the many Teleclasses scheduled on the Events Calendar at www.TheRelationshipCenter.biz. Don't wait until it is too late.

Why it is important to find an online business that gives yo

--> Why it is important to find an online business that gives yo What is life-long income? This is income you continue to receive indefinitely after making a single deal. The advantage of such an income is obvious. To start with, many people who really make lots of money online usually insist on selecting businesses with this lifelong-income feature. The advantage is that a single effort or transaction today will continue to bring them income for many years to come.

There are a number of online enterprises that provide for lifelong income. Any business where clients have to pay a monthly or annual subscription and where affiliates are paid a commission on that, will provide for this sort of income. Although MLM is a dirty word in the books of many people, these programs are a very good example of lifelong income earning opportunities that really work. It is important to remember that not all MLM companies are bad.

But probably the most popular and viable type of business for lifelong income that is widely acceptable to most is web hosting. There are various attractions and advantages that hosting businesses clearly have when it comes to finding a reliable source of lifelong income.

One of them is the fact that hosting is a necessity or a necessary service that folks cannot do without. It is almost like food and water. As long as you have an online presence, you will require a host. This beats other types of businesses where a client can choose not to order in future. The only thing that can happen is that a web hosting client can choose to take their business elsewhere and get another hosting service.

Making money online is hard work and promoting an online business or affiliate program is no easy task. But when you look for lifelong income features, you maximize on whatever promotion efforts you make.

Why Join 2 Tier Affiliate Programs?

--> Why Join 2 Tier Affiliate Programs? Like the more common single tier affiliate programs, 2 tier affiliate programs are a great basis for web-based partnerships between merchants and affiliates. Merchants can focus their efforts on what they should do best-creating high quality products and getting them to customers. Meanwhile, affiliates concentrate on producing interesting content to attract web traffic. And when they successfully refer visitors to buy affiliate products, an affiliate commission is earned.

However, 2 tier affiliate programs have an additional attraction for affiliates. When they sign up sub-affiliates under them, and these sub-affiliates successfully make affiliate sales, the original affiliate also earns a referral commission. The result is that affiliates not only make a profit from their direct sales efforts, but also benefit from the leveraged effects of sub-affiliates under them.

While 2 tier affiliate programs are definitely a new and rapidly growing trend in affiliate marketing, the traditional rules still apply. Choose only good products, with high sales conversions (check out the persuasiveness of the merchants website), and only work with merchants who pay regularly! After all, there's no reason to waste precious traffic on affiliate products are hard to sell, or on merchants who don't make it a point to send those commissions on time.

All else being equal, 2 Tier Affiliate Programs are a good alternative for webmasters hoping to add an additional stream of revenue to their sites.

(Please feel free to to freely reproduce and distribute this article, so long as it is reproduced in full, including the hyperlinks, and no modification is made)

Why Branding Is Vital For Your Home Business Success

--> Why Branding Is Vital For Your Home Business Success On a hot Sunday afternoon when your body fluids have been drained dry by the scorching sun, which would you rather order? Coca Cola, or Jeebejus Sweet Soda? The answer is as clear as it is universal. The more established brand would be chosen almost every time.

This is why branding is very important in building a home business. Cyberspace is fueled by information, and information travels fast. Everything on the Internet is delivered with digital speed. Competitions would sprout from out of nowhere on a daily basis. The only way to contend is by beating them to the punch when it comes to consumer recall, and this can be done through effective branding.

In building a home Internet business, much care and attention must be given to your enterprise's name. It is the means by which people would refer to it, after all. Once a name has been decided on, the next logical step would be to build on that brand and expose it to as many people as possible.

Building a brand, and consequently, building an online presence, can be as fast or as meticulously slow as you want it to be. As we've mentioned earlier, everything on cyberspace is faster, and this includes branding your home business. But you also proceed at your own pace, and in the process, giving your market the impression that you're emphasizing quality over popularity.

Here are some branding techniques you could use to help you in building a home Internet business:

* Always use your name. A lot of people are hesitant about online transactions. Giving them your real name would be taken as an invitation for their trust. Additionally, your name would give them something to remember you by.

* Article marketing can help in branding you as an expert on the subject you wrote about. And you being a representation of your enterprise, will in turn help in branding and building a home Internet business.

* Consider crafting a logo during the planning stages in building your business. Visual representations are sometimes easier to remember than written words.

* Build relationships. Relationships would help you achieve a level of credibility and reliability. Additionally, those whom you have befriended would be more than willing to give a good word about you, either in private correspondences with their own network, or publicly by giving you a testimonial for your products or services.

* Provide bonuses and excellent after-sales services. These value added attractions would make your clients feel special, and they would remember you well because of it. Consider this detail in building an online business.

* Publish your own eZine. Having a constant medium through which your thought and your business messages can be conveyed would be a fantastic vehicle in building your brand.

These are but some of the more popular ways of branding, as utilized by veteran Internet marketers. It would serve you well if you'd follow their footsteps and give a good start in building an Internet business that would be remembered for a long, long time.

: Mal Keenan can show you step-by step how to set up and run a successful online home business. Learn the 7 essential strategies to internet marketing success. To receive your free 7 day mini-course visit: http://www.malkeenan.com For a home business you can believe in, check out: http://www.malkeenan.com/pips.html

Source: www.isnare.com

When Bad Debt Happens to Good People

--> When Bad Debt Happens to Good People

An overview of ways to stop the cycle of credit card debt and cultivate a healthy, healing attitude.
Now that the holiday shopping frenzy is upon us, I thought it would be a good time to bring up the issue of "bad" debt. You know what kid of debt I am talking about - credit card debt. These little plastic gems can take you down faster than you can say "Charge It!!" Judging by the growing number of consumer credit counseling agencies cropping up all over the country I'd say we've got ourselves a problem.

It all starts out innocently enough. You are young and you get your first job. You get one credit card and decide to buy yourself (or someone else) a bunch of stuff you've always wanted to buy but did not have funds for. You don't keep track of what you are spending and lo and behold the bill comes!! You cannot pay it off, but you figure that's okay, you'll just pay the minimum.

Then the miraculous happens! You are out shopping again, and the salesperson tells you how, if you apply for the store credit card, you can get 15% off your first purchase!! This is great!! A discount and all you need to do is apply for the card. So you buy more than you came for because, after all, it's 15% off. Then that bill comes, and you cannot pay that one off either. The pattern is now established. The credit card offers keep coming and you keep biting. Two years later you're over $10,000 in debt and you feel horrible.

I know all of us have heard this story before but I say before you begin holiday shopping, this story bears repeating. Having a huge mountain of credit card debt is an awful feeling; take it from someone who knows. It robs you of precious energy and puts you in a spiral of having no cash to purchase anything, thus forcing you to use the credit. The bills just keep coming and you are working just to pay the minimums.

People go into debt for many reasons. In some cases it is that they shop to fill a void that is in their lives. In my case it was because of a depression over my mother dying of cancer. In other cases it is because they trying to buy the affection of the people in their lives. Whatever the reason, if you are in credit card debt, you can start a plan to free yourself NOW. Do this for yourself. Don't hide behind excuses and justifications. Just accept the situation as it is and begin to move toward the solution. Stay solution-oriented; being problem-oriented only yields more problems. It is crucial to be gentle with yourself during this process. Beating yourself up about it and engaging in negative self talk will only serve to draw more negative experiences to you, thanks to Law of Attraction.

If you are having problems making the payments and your credit rating is suffering, call a consumer credit agency such as Ameridebt (http://www.ameridebt.org) or Debticated (http://www.debticated.com). I do not believe in filing bankruptcy for this type of debt - if you've gotten yourself into this, you can get yourself out of it and if you see the time and work it takes, hopefully you will think twice about doing it again. If you don't need to work with an agency, sit down formulate a plan and stick to it. Cancel all of them and keep only one major credit card for emergencies.

The next thing you need to do is find out the cause of the issue and work on that. Consult a therapist, a coach, read books, do whatever you need to do to find out what the real issue is. I doubt it is that you were in dire need of $10,00 worth of stuff that you cannot even account for anymore.

Believe me, once you get through to the other side, there is nothing more exhilarating than knowing you have no consumer debt. When we refinanced our home last summer and when the loan officer was taking our application, he of course asked me about credit card debt. I told him it was $0 - we pay it off each month. He was shocked at this; he told me most of the people he deals with are in $15,000-17,000 of credit card debt at the minimum! I was the one who was shocked!

Now to my main reason for writing this article. Whether or not the rest of the article pertains to you, DO NOT go into credit card debt over holiday presents. This serves absolutely no purpose and is not the meaning of the season. Here are some suggestions to avoid this type of stress this season:

- If your family exchanges, suggest a pollyanna to cut back on the number of gifts purchased. If this is not acceptable you can either set a very small limit or suggest an alternative way of celebrating the holiday, such as spending more time together. This spirit of the holiday is supposed to be about people, not gifts. Do not be embarrassed to stand in your truth and say you are making budget adjustments. If you are judged by the presents you give, you need to rethink some bigger issues around your family.

- If you exchange with friends, suggest a potluck supper or other actiivty, as in #1. Again, if you are judged by the presents you give, you need to rethink your friends.

- If you have children, be honest with them about the situation. Explain that there will be less under the tree this year. Hopefully you've been teaching them about the spiritual gifts of service and giving, and not materialism. They'll survive, and in the long run you will be much more present for them because you will no longer have this albatross around your neck.

- Give some money away to charity. I can hear you now - "Is this woman kidding?" No I am not kidding. I am basing this statement on the Law of Attraction. Scarcity consciousness will get you more scarcity in your life. Even if it's $10 - give it away!! It will raise your vibration and make you feel more abundant. Abundance attracts abundance.

- Lastly, try to avoid such vocabulary as "I can't afford it," "I don't have any money," etc. Again, Law of Attraction at work here. When you consistently offer these vibrations, you will attract exactly that into your experience - not having any money. You really are at choice here; you can buy that $350 dress, it is just that you'd rather not pay for it long after the event you bought it for is over. Instead, praise yourself for your commitment to getting out of debt and keep on your path. It will be well worth it, I promise.

Mary Jo is a spiritually-based career and personal coach whose specialties include career redesign, creativity, practical spirituality and life balance. She received certification as a Comprehensive Career Coach from Comprehensive Coaching U. She is passionate about assisting people in uncovering their true passion and helping them to achieve their dreams! Contact her for a 30-minute complimentary coaching session at 610.446.3704 or maryjo@coachmaryjo.com to see if the coaching relationship is a fit for you. Visit her website at http://www.coachmaryjo.com and subscribe to her FREE monthly ezine, Extraordinary Living. Get on the path to true joy today!