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Affiliate Program Pitfalls Part 2
In my last article, I started to discuss some the things to watch out for when you are looking for a good affiliate program. The Internet is a very vast land. There are billions of pages out there. Millions and millions of them are on the topic of making money. You need to be very careful out there. I know many people, myself included that have fallen for one scam or another. Here are some more things that I, after years of marketing, look out for.The program should have a good reputation. You don't want to start off every sales pitch by defending the opportunity. You want to start off on a high note. I understand that it may be hard to find out the reputation of a very new program. When you are first starting out, go with an established program. Learn the ropes. Then you will be able to pick out a good "ground floor" opportunity when one comes along.They should provide free training and promotional materials. A good program will want to remain a good program. There are in it for the long haul. They want you to be in it long term too. It just makes them look better. They should give you basic training on how to market their product or opportunity. They should have someone you can contact for guidance. They should make promotional materials such as, banners, sample advertising, and links to advertising sites, etc.Peer support is always a sign o

ll process your credit card transactions using their account for a nominal fee of 2.9% + $.30 per transaction. One of the advantages to PayPal is that there are no signup fees, no setup fees, no credit checks, no monthly minimums, no monthly service fees, no contract, no gateway fees, no statement fees and their shopping cart is free. For a small business venture who is just staring out, this is an attractive cost-effective method of conducting online business. Currently there are other processors such as ProPay and 2checkout.com which are based along this same concept; however some competitors charge setup or monthly fees in addition to per transaction fees that can run as much as 5%.

There are some things to be aware of if you are going to use PayPal. In exchange for the freedoms from contract periods and monthly fees, you are consenting to process

Light Bulk Wholesalers
Recently, a new concept called ‘Light Bulk Wholesale’ has emerged with the increasing popularity of online retail stores. This concept was formed by WorldWideBrands, Inc, and refers to working with ‘real wholesalers who agree to sell small bulk quantities of products to home-based internet business owners.’Before exploring the concept of ‘Light Bulk Wholesale’, it’s better if you have an understanding of the ecommerce industry and how this concept of ‘Light Bulk Wholesale’ came about.Several years back, it is the goal of many people to start online retail stores, since the entire process is automatic and ‘hands-free.’ The startup costs are also much lower than a real ‘brick-and-mortar’ store, thus online stores are very economical alternatives for the small business owner.With such a huge number of entrepreneurs aspiring to start online stores, the demand for wholesalers of all products has increased as well. The recent and emergent concept of ‘drop shipping’ removes the need for home-based internet business owners to ship products to customers on their own, satisfying the needs of many online business owners.However, even though drop shippers offer competitive wholesale prices, the prices that drop shippers offer are still slightly higher than that of other wholesalers or manufacturers. This is due to the fact that drop shippers have to charge an additio

Introduction

Why should you implement E-Commerce into your website? Simply put, because the ability to market goods and services and accept online payments is a great example of a passive income model. Your online store is running, customers have found their way to your site and their purchase is completely automated – from payment processing and approval to product delivery. With prior and proper preparation, your involvement in the transaction process is limited, leaving you more time to focus on other areas of your business.

1. Accepting Credit Cards Boosts Profits

As an online merchant you should already have a good understanding of the importance of making your product easily accessible to potential customers. With so much competition on the Internet, a frustrated potential customer can exit your site without looking back if you do not offer a clear and easy method to order and deliver your products and services.

Let’s look at an example:

Assume two competitive merchants, A and B, both have websites which are geared to marketing jar candles. Merchant A offers detailed product information, appropriate product photos, great customer service and the ability to quickly and easily order his product through an online shopping cart and payment processing system with a price slightly higher than that of Merchant B.

Merchant B also offers detailed product information, appropriate product photos and excellent customer service but a lower price. You’ve decided to order from Merchant B because his price is lower. Upon trying to checkout, you then discover that Merchant B does not have a shopping cart, cannot process credit cards from his website and requires you to either email or call to place your order.

Which merchant do you believe would earn the final sale in this example?

If you said Merchant A, 99.9% of the time you’d be correct. Accepting credit cards can boost your profits immensely because it adds value and convenience to your customer’s online shopping experience. The merchant benefits because he is not consumed with taking orders via phone or email; he is diversifying his income streams by delivering goods and services online thereby freeing up time to focus on other aspects of his business. Processing payments online also reduces the total transaction time since the traditional method of waiting for checks to clear prior to shipping/delivering products and services is eliminated.

2. Online Payment Systems

Now that you’ve decided to accept credit cards ? you’ll need to select a merchant processor to handle the transactions and to deliver your money to you. Names in the processing arena come to mind such as: PayPal, 2checkout.com, ProPay, or various other Merchant processors such as Wells Fargo or Verisign who can provide you with an Internet Merchant Account.

What is the difference between PayPal and an Internet Merchant Account?

PayPal

PayPal is referred to as a 3rd party payment processor. Simply, this means that PayPal holds the Internet Merchant Account, and will process your credit card transactions using their account for a nominal fee of 2.9% + $.30 per transaction. One of the advantages to PayPal is that there are no signup fees, no setup fees, no credit checks, no monthly minimums, no monthly service fees, no contract, no gateway fees, no statement fees and their shopping cart is free. For a small business venture who is just staring out, this is an attractive cost-effective method of conducting online business. Currently there are other processors such as ProPay and 2checkout.com which are based along this same concept; however some competitors charge setup or monthly fees in addition to per transaction fees that can run as much as 5%.

There are some things to be aware of if you are going to use PayPal. In exchange for the freedoms from contract periods and monthly fees, you are consenting to process y

Writing Sales Letters That Sell
The most important part of any marketing you do is direct marketing. This includes letters, postcards, brochures, newspaper or magazine coupons, telemarketing, TV or radio direct response commercials, e-mails, and the copy on your web site.For any direct marketing campaign to be successful, you need to have a combination of marketing tools in order to make your offer repeatedly. One of the most potent tools you can use in your direct makreting is the direct mail letter. The letter, whether you're using it through the mail or the internet, is the actual sales pitch. It relays what your product or service is, and how much it can benefit the prospect. In short, the letter should do everything that a traditional person-to-person sales pitch does.Here are ten things that will make your letters more effective:1. It must have a headline. The headline is the ad for the letter. It flags down the reader to read more.2. Present the facts. Begin with a statement of basic truth, known and accepted by the reader. By introducing known facts, your create believability for later statements in the letter.3. Do as much personalizing as possible. Personalize name, address, special interests, and anything else you can.4. State your offer in the beginning, again in the middle, and again at the end.5. Create a sense of urgency by giving prospects a cut-off

k if you do not offer a clear and easy method to order and deliver your products and services.

Let’s look at an example:

Which merchant do you believe would earn the final sale in this example?

2. Online Payment Systems

What is the difference between PayPal and an Internet Merchant Account?

PayPal

There are some things to be aware of if you are going to use PayPal. In exchange for the freedoms from contract periods and monthly fees, you are consenting to process

When is Wholesale Really Wholesale
You’ve finally found the wholesale source for the high demand widget that is selling like hotcakes on the Internet. Thoughts of watching the money pouring in and celebrating the new found success selling widgets has you so excited that you can’t wait to buy 5 widgets at wholesale and double the investment.After a lot of effort to market your widgets, you haven’t sold any. Then, much to your surprise, you find others selling the same widget at a much lower price and doing a great business. You can blame the wholesaler for your lack of success or you can face the truth about wholesaling and volume purchasing.So, after an unsuccessful attempt to sell widgets, you decide to do the research to find out why you couldn’t compete. The first eye opener is that you can find the widget at a number of places selling for less then your wholesale cost.Lets look at the reasons for this.The retailer can buy in bulk and receive quantity pricingIn many cases this also qualifies the retailer for manufacturers wholesale rebatesSo it now seems that the word wholesale is a relative term. Small businesses get first level wholesale pricing. Large businesses (with great buying power) get 2nd and 3rd level wholesale pricing plus incentives. As an example, the small business may pay a price of $10 each buying wholesale widgets in q

her email or call to place your order.

Which merchant do you believe would earn the final sale in this example?

2. Online Payment Systems

What is the difference between PayPal and an Internet Merchant Account?

PayPal

There are some things to be aware of if you are going to use PayPal. In exchange for the freedoms from contract periods and monthly fees, you are consenting to process

A Magazine - How Do I Get It Established?
You have decided to start up a magazine, but how do you get started, find subscribers and more importantly obtain paying advertisers so that you stay profitable?Getting started1. Decide what the subject of your magazine will be – make it as popular as possible, but also choose a niche. This way you pique interest and combat competition.2. Find out where your target market is going to be. For example if you want a community magazine – try and tailor it to a market such as parents of school children etc.3. Make sure you have enough information for several editions.4. Set up your printing and delivery activities.Getting subscribers and generating leads for your magazine1. Use your web site to obtain sign ups, preferably using a sign-up box. Offer an incentive to sign up and assurance of use of their email address for legitimate reasons.2. If you want to concentrate on off line customers, then send out a sample magazine to all of your target area, use a coupon with an incentive to sign on to receive your magazine.3. Submit details of your newsletter to all on line directories you can find.4. Include details of your magazine on all of your correspondence. Place an advert on your car, on tee shirts – anything you can think of.5. Make good use of community areas to advertise your magazi

rchant processor to handle the transactions and to deliver your money to you. Names in the processing arena come to mind such as: PayPal, 2checkout.com, ProPay, or various other Merchant processors such as Wells Fargo or Verisign who can provide you with an Internet Merchant Account.

What is the difference between PayPal and an Internet Merchant Account?

PayPal

There are some things to be aware of if you are going to use PayPal. In exchange for the freedoms from contract periods and monthly fees, you are consenting to process

Up Your Income Next Week: 13 Ways to Have a Sale
Nothing gets people buying products or programs like a special promotion in your e-zine. Now, I know right now you're thinking, "I can't have a sale on my products or services. That's sooo cheesy!"Au contraire, mon frere. It's all how you position it. Here are 13 ideas to consider. Choose one that would work for your business and give it a try.IMPORTANT: You'll need to put some type of time limit on the offer to encourage folks to buy now and not later. It's also better if you explain to your readers WHY you're having the sale. You're not Wal-Mart and you can't just drop prices whenever you feel like it. Instead, give your prospects a reason. (Even a funny one -- see tip 13!)1. Close-out sale. Have inventory you want to get rid of? Making room for other products or new versions of products? Then offer the current version at a significant discount.2. "Scratch and dent" sale. Have any books, tapes, or CDs that were returned to you by customers? Offer them at a hearty discount for people who don't mind if they're a bit worn.3. Half price sale. Lop 50 percent off all your goods, or select just one.4. Coupon sale. Allow customers to enter a coupon or promo code to get a discount. (If you have a decent shopping cart program you should be able to set this up in seconds.)5. Free shipping sale. Offer free shipping for a limited time. Or, upgra

There are some things to be aware of if you are going to use PayPal. In exchange for the freedoms from contract periods and monthly fees, you are consenting to process your business’ transactions through a Merchant Account that does not belong to you. Why is this important to me you ask? This becomes important when you are dealing with issues of charge backs or fraudulent transactions. Despite our best intentions as merchants to conduct business fairly and securely, at some point a fraudulent purchase may be made from your website. PayPal’s Terms of Service agreement gives them unrestricted rights to freeze and remove all funds from your PayPal and checking accounts in the event of a dispute or fraudulent transaction. Your best bet is to read the entire agreement cover to cover and be prepared to ask questions if you are uncomfortable with anything listed.

Internet Merchant Account

An Internet Merchant Account is a relationship between a retailing company and a Merchant Bank, which allows the retailer to accept credit card payments from customers via the Internet.

As a merchant, you have a direct relationship with the processing bank, the account is in your name (belongs to you), you have control over how transactions are conducted, and what steps you can take to reduce risk to your cardholders and to your business. Most processors offer fraud detection suites and companies like PreCharge can screen and identify online credit card-based transactions for your business in an effort to prevent charge backs and fraud. PreCharge will also reimburse you 100% of your charge back fees should a transaction later turn out to be fraudulent. This reduces risk for the merchant processor and gives peace of mind to you in your business dealings.

The obvious downside to an Internet Merchant Account can be the initial start-up costs and increased monthly costs as compared to 3rd party processors such as PayPal. This is in addition to a credit check and the wait for the account to be setup. That being said, more and more merchant processors are offering specials which include no setup fees, no application fees, reduced monthly fees and per transaction processing rates which are lower than PayPal, making them easier to obtain and an attractive alternate.

3. Merchant Account Reviews

An excellent source of information on merchant processors is available online at the Merchant Account Forum Here you can access information and feedback on some of the most well known merchant processors.

4. Do’s and Don’ts of accepting Payments Online

A quick list to keep in mind…

DO:

1. Assess your processing needs first:

a. Do you want to accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express or perhaps just Visa and Mastercard?

b. What is your monthly budget for card processing fees?

c. Are you comfortable paying signup or annual fees?

d. Would you prefer to apply online, via mail or fax?

2. Consider a handful of merchants who meet your initial criteria:

Create an excel file to track merchant fees and assess your overall costs at zero transactions and 100 transactions.

3. Assess the merchant:

a. Are they available to answer your questions promptly?

b. What is their track record?

c. What do customers say about their service and support?

d. Are there any “hidden” fees? These may be listed in the merchant contract but not provided up-front and online for your consideration.

e. Do they require a contracted commitment…1, 2, or 3 years?

f. How do they handle cha

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Contrary to popular perception, private investigators are not only hired when someone gets murdered or a crime is committed. There are actually a lot of things that a private investigator can do for a client. Some hire them to look for lost relatives, even blood parents. Others are commissioned to investigate foul play in companies especially those that deal with corporate espionage and business security.

We often hear about how expensive it is to support customers and other close relationships that exist in day-to-day business operations, but what are some of the specific reasons?

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