Beware of These 3 Pervasive Business Lies?

Nowadays, the online business method are becoming great and numerous. Thanks to technology. But this system has been misused by many gurus. Remember I published a post on How To Stop Spams.

Here I saw this article by MaryEllen Tribby and found it useful.  I therefore decided to share it.

My presentation was called "Perception vs. Reality: Year One in Business." My goal was to share with the audience the reality of starting (and running) your own information publishing business while eliminating the pervasive business lies that set fledgling entrepreneurs off on the wrong track… and even put their success in jeopardy.

Let's start with the biggest falsehood of all.

Critical Business Lie #1: You can make millions instantly.
Have you ever heard the following?
"I just made $5 million this week on my killer launch. So now I am going to hop in my Lamborghini, drive down to the pier, board my yacht, cruise down to the Island, and bury my money."
~ Infamous Internet Marketer
This is not real life or real business. This example, unfortunately, is from one Internet Marketer who took his results from the first 10 minutes of a launch and extrapolated them over 12 months. Most of these numbers are exaggerated in order to get inexperienced entrepreneurs excited… and ready to spend money.
In fact, most of these numbers are distorted… or they're straight-out untruths. This is simply irresponsible behavior.
I call this IMM or Internet Marketer Math.
Reality #1: You can NOT run your business with IMM. You must run your business with real math. Real dollars in the door minus expenses/items like:

• Refunds
• Affiliate payouts
• Copywriting advances and royalties
• Product hard costs
• Content development
• Employees' salaries
• Heath benefits
• Travel expenses
• Consulting fees
• Office rent and utilities
• Etc.

Bottom line: You do not put IMM in the bank. You do not even put gross revenue in the bank. You put profits in the bank and invest them back into your business. And when planning and launching your business, this is more important than ever.
The Planning Stage of Business
 
Critical Business Lie #2: Planning a business begins the second you decide to start a business.
Most of the entrepreneurs I know didn't get their start in Internet marketing. I sure didn't! But if you think that the planning stage begins with simply waking up one day and saying, "Well, I guess I'll start a business today!"… you're dead wrong.
Reality #2: The planning stage of business begins long before you ever dream of starting your own business. Years before "entrepreneurship" is even a part of your vocabulary. And this stage lasts every single day of your professional career.
Because the planning stage of business is also known as the…
"Relationship and reputation building, competitive intelligence gathering, industry knowledge gaining, technology learning, and humble-lization phase."
Every relationship you make… Every client you meet… Every project you undertake… All of it affects your business even before your business exists.
This means that everything you do counts. And I mean everything!

• Every email
• Every phone conversation
• Every missed deadline
• Every deadline made
• Every rude remark
• Every insightful comment
• Every time you dismiss someone as not as important as you
• Every act of respect
• Everything you do!

I have written about how relationships are your most important asset in business and how relationship building is the most important skill you can master in business (and in every other area of your life).
Yet many people fail to see how a small action now can affect a partnership or investment in the future. It repeatedly surprises me that so many entrepreneurs are so unconcerned about burning bridges. This is particularly upsetting because not only is relationship building the foundation of your business, it really is one of the easiest (not to mention most fun) parts of your business.
At the end of the day, business is so much easier when you have people who want to help you - people who have excellent contacts and dependable resources. And you want these people to be glad to offer to help.
This was a tremendous asset to me when starting Working Moms Only. I had built my Braggable Network long before I ever dreamed of starting Working Moms Only. And I built it by becoming a braggable asset to my network.

What Is a Braggable Network?
Critical Business Lie #3: All it takes to have a Braggable Network is meeting or speaking with the industry Big Guns. Period.
Reality #3: A Braggable Network does not develop because you meet someone at a conference, take a photo with that person, and post that photo on Facebook. It does not develop because you attend a teleseminar and ask an expert a question on the phone. Nor does it develop when you send an expert an email praising her work.

When people claim that an expert they met once or spoke to in passing is part of their network… it drives me crazy! This practice is no different than name-dropping: Using someone's accomplishments for your own gain without EVER delivering value to that person. Because at that point all you have done is gained an introduction to that person. You have not delivered value at any level.

A Braggable Network is a group of people for whom you have CONSISTENTLY supplied extraordinary results. These are the people who talk about you when they talk about greatness. The people you'd gladly speak to anytime, night or day.

Your goal every single day is to add to your Braggable Network. The easiest place to start is simply by operating from a place of respect. Then strive to deliver extraordinary results.
Sometimes people are scared off when I speak of extraordinary results. But here's the deal…

Ninety-five percent of people are ordinary. If you're trying to be ordinary, you've got a lot of competition. But when you strive for extraordinary, you actually have less competition. This gives you the opportunity to not only achieve better results, but to stand out and become recognized for your contribution.

You should take action immediately to form a Braggable Network. Keep a journal of who you have/would like to have in your Braggable Network and what you did/can do to gain that person's trust and admiration. You will find over time that your actions will bring you extraordinary results.

Take a look at the Critical Business Lies we've uncovered today. You'll notice that all of them have something in common: The lies make success as an Internet entrepreneur seem effortless.
The reality is that you must expend effort to succeed.

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Do You Want To Become Rich Or Wealthy?

Ask anybody if they would like to be wealthy and the answer is most probably yes. Who wouldn't want to make large sums of money and have time to enjoy life? Yet what most people won't be aware of is that there is a big difference between being rich and being wealthy. Though the definitions of a rich person and a wealthy person certainly can overlap, this small difference can (and does) cause many people to aim for one (usually rich) whilst having the security and freedom of the other (wealthy).

The basic difference between the two is that 'how rich' you are is defined as how much money you have access to. This includes money you have in Banks, in your wallet, stuffed under your mattress, etc. Wealth on the other hand is defined by time - how long can you go for (expenses) without having to work for money. So if you unfortunately lost your job today, how long can you survive for before you run out of money!

Taking this to extremes, imagine two neighbours, Mr Rich and Mr Wealthy. Mr Rich only became known as Mr Rich since he won a large sum on the Lottery plus got a very large payout from his last job. Flash with his money, Mr Rich on moving to the neighbourhood instantly upgrades his entire house to almost twice the size, drives around in a Rolls Royce during the week (weekends he brings his Ferrari out) and every night out at some expensive restaurant. He also takes the family on holiday to locations like Corfu and Australia twice a year.

His neighbour Mr Wealthy is a more conservative man. Having moved to the street 10 years ago, like Mr Rich he doesn't work either. Yet over the years his amount of money has slowly grown. Since moving in, he has added a conservatory to his house and a large garden shed. Initially driving a Ford Focus, a few years back he decided to upgrade his car to a 3 year old Mercedes. Every year he takes the wife and kids on an annual holiday to the coast or perhaps over to France for the week.

So far I wouldn't be surprised if you preferred to have the life of Mr Rich compared to his well to do neighbour. Yet the tale does not end here as we see from the course of events.

Both Mr Rich and Mr Wealthy bank at the same bank, the 'We Want Your Money' Bank and as such, both get a monthly bank statement posted through their door on the 7th of each month. If you were to stand outside both houses, you'd probably hear a quiet sigh of despair coming from one house and it isn't Mr Wealthy's house either. For when Mr Rich opens his account, he sees the amount spent over the last month on expenses and the thought that if he carries on the way he is, he may soon have to start seriously cutting back and/or look for a job. Yet on advice of his well-meaning wife, he decides to cheer himself up by going out to a fancy restaurant and perhaps catch a play afterwards, followed of course by a bit of retail therapy.

Mr Wealthy however on opening his bank statement has a small chuckle. All his investments have paid out their monthly dividends/royalties/commissions, etc. In fact his earnings have increased slightly again for the 36th month in a row. This frees him up to spend the rest of the month (and subsequent months) relaxing, spending time with friends and family and not having to worry about finances for the foreseeable future!

Now tell me who'd you rather be, Mr Rich or Mr Wealthy? Obviously having a combination of both lives would be ideal but if it were up to me, I would rather be Mr Wealthy for whilst he might not have the same amount of spending cash as Mr Rich, ultimately has more security than his flashy neighbor!

By Alex J Gadd

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5 Steps To Make Your Dreams Come True

We all have a dream, an ambition in life. You may be fortunate and known from when you were young what you wanted from life and still want to pursue that dream today.We may have known for a long time what we would want to do but end up in a different direction away from your dreams. We may have attempted at our dreams, but it didn't work out for some reason. No matter where you are if you have a dream or you need to go back to think what you truly want from life you can make it happen. To make these dreams come true we have to make steps forward.

1) Dream board. Start with a dream board and write or do a collage of what you want to do. Great way to put your dreams in colour and on paper to put your ideas into reality. Look at your dream board daily. Put it where you would regularly see it. Maybe on your laptop/computer. It could be a slideshow you put up and watch before you start your work, a collage for your bedroom, wherever is best for you.

2) Imagine yourself being where you want to be. Beware of your body and how it feels, you may feel excited, energetic, feel unstoppable and want to go towards your dreams. Use that energy of excitement to push you to where you want to go. If you have a moment of doubt remember that feeling and where you want to be and you are getting closer to your goal.

3) Read up about what you want. Gain knowledge and apply where possible to move forward to where you want to go. It's good to see what people have made a success to fulfill their dreams in similar fields to what you want to do. It's encouraging to know that it is possible if you make steps towards your goal. Anything is possible, it's only yourself that will step in the way to not make your dreams come true. What do you have to lose? Go for it!

4) Don't let anyone tell you, you can't do it. It's your life and dream and if you truly want it you will get where you want by believing in yourself and working towards your goal. Sometimes people can be jealous as you have the courage to follow your heart and not follow what is expected of you. We are very lucky to have choices and do what we want and why not start today by getting closer to your dream. Make a step forward now.

5) Stay focused. It can be difficult sometimes to keep going but it will be well worth it when you get where you want to go. We do live in a society where we can get things quickly. We wonder why it takes some time to do something as a lot of things come in an instant. That doesn't mean it won't happen. You could win the lottery tomorrow and get everything you dream or desire but how satisfying is it that you fulfilled your dream because you made it happen.

By Alix Greer

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How To Use Scientific Methods in Marketing.

Marketing is now a science. There is no question that cannot be answered within marketing. Any rejection can now be turned into a method. When a person can make a person get emotional about a product or service it is like making a new lifelong friend. People are now following one another more and more based on their personal experiences.

Keep on reading to find the proof that I have found through in-depth research. I have been dabbling in the online marketing, affiliate marketing and network marketing fields to see exactly what makes a successful person tick. There are many clues that point to why these people succeed in a particular order.

A lot of times there tends to be struggle on the front end. I have gone through this myself and any person I have ever talked to that has been ultra successful in their perspective niche have a struggle that happens. Some people were homeless and then something bit them allowing the new successful them to form. It becomes a necessity.

By making successes work one after another causes others to follow suit. The approach from here is digging your claws in the dirt. Find out exactly what you want to do in life. Find that one thing that drives you. For me it is writing. I love writing about the everyday because it can tell me and in turn I can tell others how to continue their story.

My message is clear in my writing. I enjoy the moment. I love my family most of all. They always come first. Because I want to enjoy every moment I have determined the best approach to freedom is online. The time freedom to allow you to have the life that you never have to worry about the small insignificant thing most people call bills.

Now is not the time to allow emotions to take over when things get hard. You make it through that challenge in your life and you will succeed. Do not ever leave a choice. Approach this by thinking about breathing. You have to want to submit a willingness in everything you do. Approach life with intention. Intend on what you want to do next.

If you look at any successful people you will see a pattern, Each step they take they discuss with the public. It is actually a great marketing technique. Let people know about your struggles, failures and mis-steps. This allows people to know that you grow. By showing people growth you gather the equivalent of age and wisdom. The next thought that enters your mind is, "Wow, why are all these people following me?"

Confidence in that you are doing the right thing is one of the next most important steps for you to gather.

Confidence is gathered by continuing to generate success in any field that you may be in.

By Matt Collinson

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Importance of E-mail Marketing To Business.

 

 

 

 

 

E-mail marketing is a form of direct marketing, which is used to communicate for commercial or fund-raising messages to an audience. Email marketing concept has dynamically changed the companies' style of marketing of their businesses. Email helps companies speak or express any fresh idea or info more quickly and happily than ever in the past. Similarly, it helps companies by decreasing their burden in form of thrift and keeping record of every communication. Following are some benefits of email marketing when it is done in a proper way;

1. Target big Audiences
Using the help of email marketing, companies can now send them to a bigger group with just a single mouse click. This service is of more advantage for conveying any breaking news to a bigger number of persons quickly. It gives you the chance to work with your potential customers, getting their attention and cheering them to do more for your email updates.

2. Follow Up Sales
If someone buys a product from you and you have other related products - such as sports goods, you can take help of emails to send them info about relevant products to those they have previously purchased. Similarly, it can be used for services. This type of promotion is known as 'Up-Sell' and is very useful.

3. Eliminates Distance Barriers
Through email, businesses who are working from diverse nations can also exchange their words with much more ease. These days, the moment you clicked on the sent button, your message is delivered instantly to the inbox of the receiver. In the past, the process of sending or receiving letters takes days or even weeks. This results in pointless delay in decision-making procedure. Instead, emails immediately communicates the essential information to any member irrespective of any barrier.

4. Get Feedback
Emails can also be used to get feedback from customers, from prospective customers and from common users of your website. This feedback is then used to determine various factors like what the choices of people are, and what changes they would like done. Many big companies uses this method.
5. Helps in Increasing Revenue (Profit)

Emails can also be used as an effective marketing campaign. If you have acquired email addresses of your potential customers through different means such as surveys, you can use these email addresses. This is because, sometimes people are diverted while going through a website and forget to visit the website another time - however, with an email, you can reach the customer directly. People give more attention to email rather than other marketing methods.

6. Track Conversations
Emails facilitate organizations by maintaining track of conversations between two parties. The "Reply" button facility available in this communications keeps a record of previous emails. This is a sort of proof, in case of any dispute on what is communicated once and by whom. For instance, employers can use them as proof of any misconduct or wrongful acts performed by staff. Hence, one must take care once communication via email, as every single one of them are recorded.

Email marketing is something that has gain impressive popularity in the recent past especially among business circles. An email campaign is among the most powerful weapons in online campaign strategy.

Do not waste the chance and try to make the most of every message.

By Tahir Akbar

 

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