Market Your Business On A ShoeString

Everyone in the world of business understands the important role marketing plays in growing a business. It is the strategy that you use to get your particular product and/or service known to your target market. It is done in an effort to increase sales and generate revenue.
Unfortunately, many small businesses find themselves in a vicious cycle of no money to advertise = no sales and no sales = no money to advertise . They struggle with not having money to advertise and market their business which results in not being able to generate more sales and revenue. Since they are not able to increase their revenue they continue to not have the money available to invest back into marketing strategies. We all know that consumers are not able to purchase products/services that they do not know exist.
Many small businesses buy into the myth that it takes a big budget marketing strategy to generate more business. This is simply not true. The focus needs to be on the quality of the advertising instead of the cost of it. If you have a limited marketing budget you can still form a marketing plan that will work for your company.
Be Creative Your initial step to cheap marketing tactics is to create a website for your business. This is a cheap and relatively easy task to accomplish. There are many different hosting companies that also have website packages included. Sign up for hosting with a company and many will have templates you can use to build your initial site. This is a great way to advertise your business with little investment.
Your next step will be to create an electronic newsletter. This will be used to share information with not only your former customers but potential customers as well.
While you are in the writing mode, you will want to create a blog and write in it daily. You can create a blog for free and you will initially submit postings daily. Once your business is growing and you are getting more traffic, you can slow down your posting to every few days. You do not want to ignore your blog completely, however, as this is a great way to drive traffic to your site and develop a relationship with potential customers.
Write articles about your business and post them in online article directories. Make sure you are including links back to your own website. This is usually done in the About The Author section of the articles.
Use the Power of Email Marketing Along with your website hosting package, you will receive an email account. If you do not already have a dedicated business email account, you will want to utilize the email account that comes with your hosting package. This will be beneficial as those who may want additional information on your products and/or services will be able to contact you with their questions. It is important, however, to check your email daily. You would not want potential customers to lose interest in your products because they did not get a prompt reply.
Additionally, whenever you send out an email, use a signature that promotes your business. Every email you send out will have a reminder at the bottom of your business and what you offer.
Word of Mouth Has Power Although word of mouth advertising is a slower process than other marketing avenues, it is a great method. Word of mouth is absolutely free. You can also consider trading products/services for marketing. Depending on the services you offer, you may be able to locate a reputable marketing company who will represent your business in exchange for products/services from your business.
One other idea is to turn your car into an advertising platform. Getting a magnetic banner ad made for your car can be relatively inexpensive. Put the magnetic banner on your car door and everywhere you go you will be advertising your business.
Network Network Network Business cards are a very inexpensive way of promoting your business. Handing out business cards is like handing out mini commercials. Check for trade shows and conferences in your area where attendees may be interested in your product and/or service. You can also look into setting up a booth at these trade shows in order to promote your business.
Once you start generating sales, use whatever funding you can allocate for fast marketing prospects that will generate customers for your business. Fast Marketing strategies include radio and television ads, professional brochures, etc.
The average consumer needs to hear and/or see an ad up to seven times before they make a decision to purchase. Using multiple marketing techniques not only allows you to reach more people, it can help you turn those fence-sitters into cash-in-hand customers.
About The Author: Jessica VanderHaar is an Internet Marketer who also enjoys helping others develop their own Internet Home Based Businesses.
Get more information on home businesses you can start by visiting Easy Work From Home Ideas
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What Happens When 3 Extraordinary Teachers from The Secret Come Together to Teach the Science of Getting Rich?

The Science of Getting Rich is a timeless classic written in 1910 by Wallace D. Wattles. It is a bold title for a book and suggests that getting rich is a predictable outcome if one can master the principles outlined in the book. Here is how Wallace D. Wattles puts it in his own words, "The ownership of money and property comes as a result of doing things in a certain way. Those who do things in this certain way, whether on purpose or accidentally, get rich. Those who do not do things in this certain way, no matter how hard they work or how able they are, remain poor. It is a natural law that like causes always produce like effects. Therefore, any man or woman who learns to do things in this certain way will infallibly get rich."
Certainly, this book is well referenced by many of the great teachers today and it is the same book that inspired Rhonda Byrne to produce that runaway success "the Secret". Here is what Rhonda Byrne said on her introductory note to the book, "I can honestly say that, since that first night when a tattered printed manuscript found its way to me (thanks to one of my daughters), my life has never been the same. Once you read it for yourself, you will understand why". Rhonda went on to produce the movie "the Secret" and the best-selling book of the same title which has sold millions of copies worldwide.
However, learning how to do things in that "certain way" as described by Wallace D. Wattles may be more challenging for some as the book was written nearly 100 years ago. Some of the language is a little dated and much of its wisdom lost from a modern day perspective.
Fortunately, a new training seminar for the Science of Getting Rich has brought the wisdom of this timeless classic back to life for modern readers. Called "the Science of Getting Rich", this program is the most comprehensive training system for mastering Wallace D. Wattles wealth creation philosophies and principles since its creation. It comprises written, audio and live seminar formats for learning, applying and mastering the Science of Getting Rich.
A unique "twist" to the program is the fact that it has an in-built vehicle for creating substantial financial wealth through its affiliate program. This is truly a unique wealth eduction and wealth building program designed to empower any individual with the resources to get rich. It is a program whose time has come. The program would not be possible without the original text from Wallace D. Wattles, the skills of leading teachers of our time, the phenomenal success of "the Secret" and the Internet as a learning and distribution tool.
The Science of Getting Rich Teachers:
Bob Proctor
Bob Proctor is an author, lecturer, counselor, business consultant, entrepreneur, and teacher preaching the gospel of positive thinking, self-motivation and maximizing human potential. In that endeavor, he follows in the footsteps of such motivational giants as Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale and Wallace D. Wattles.
His extraordinary teaching ability has won Proctor acclaim around the globe and has carried the Canadian-born motivator to the far reaches of the earth. He is as well known in Australia and Malaysia as he is in Alberta and Mississippi.
Born in a little town in northern Ontario, Canada with the low self-esteem that often befalls a family s middle child, he performed poorly in school, dropped out and did a hitch in the navy. Afterward he drifted from one dead-end job to another until a friend introduced Bob to the concept of self-development through Napoleon Hill s classic Think and Grow Rich.
With the spark generated by Hill s words, Proctor found the initiative to start an office cleaning business which he grew to international scope in his first year of operation. From that experience - after seeing what he had been able to accomplish with just a rudimentary knowledge of personal motivation and goal-setting - he hungered for more information.
His quest took him to the Nightingale-Conant organization to study under his mentor, Earl Nightingale. Once on board, he rose swiftly through the ranks. Eventually, while the Nightingale-Conant organization assumed the forefront in wide-scale distribution of personal development programs, Bob felt the need to take his ideas and methods directly to the individual, to the one-on-one level which had proved so successful for himself.
In the mid 1970 s, Proctor established his own seminar company and secured a contract to work with a few hundred agents of Prudential Life Insurance Co. of America in Chicago. During his first seminar Bob made the suggestion that any agent present could write $5 million in business that year if the agent made a decision to do so.
The fact that the seminar took place in July with the year half over and that no agent in that region had ever written so much business in the 100-year history of the company made Bob s suggestion appear to be outrageous. However, when the performance level of the entire division increased substantially with more than one agent actually accomplishing the deed, Bob s reputation as a motivator was established.
Over the ensuing years, Proctor has shared his special message and expertise with hundreds of business entities worldwide and, through a program of live seminars, with thousands of people of all ages in all walks of life.
Meanwhile, in addition to his international best-seller You Were Born Rich, he found time to author other works as well, including Mission in Commission, The Winner s Image, The Goal Achiever, The Success Series, The Success Puzzle, The Recruiting Puzzle, and Being Your Very Best.
Jack Canfield
Jack Canfield is an American motivational speaker, trainer and author. He is best known as the founder and co-creator of The New York Times No. 1 best-selling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series, which currently has over 65 titles and 80 million copies in print in over 37 languages. According to USA Today, Canfield and his writing partner, Mark Victor Hansen, were the top-selling authors in the United States in 1997.
With a BA from Harvard University, a Masters from University of Massachusetts, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Santa Monica, Canfield has been a high school and university teacher, a workshop facilitator, a psychotherapist, and for the past 30 years, a leading authority in the area of self-esteem and personal development.
Canfield is the founder of "Self Esteem Seminars" in Santa Barbara, and "The Foundation for Self Esteem" in Culver City, California. Self Esteem Seminars trains entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders and employees on how to accelerate the achievement of their personal and professional goals, while The Foundation for Self Esteem provides self-esteem resources and trainings to social workers, welfare recipients and human resource professionals. Canfield is also the President of Souperspeakers.com, a speaking resource service that provides inspirational speakers for event planners worldwide.
Canfield has traveled to over 21 countries, delivering hundreds of keynote speeches, workshops and trainings each year. As part of his presentation style, he always uses inspirational, motivational and uplifting stories to help his audiences discover, experience and retain key concepts and approaches. After each session, audiences everywhere had encouraged him to put his stories into a single book.
In 1990, while on an airplane home, he felt that it was time. He shared his idea with author Mark Victor Hansen during breakfast one day. Hansen liked the idea, and so began the Chicken Soup for the Soul phenomenon. But with their busy schedules, translating what worked on the podium onto the written page proved more challenging than either of them had anticipated. After three long years, the two had compiled just sixty-eight stories a far cry from the 101 they believed was the magic number for a successful book. Nonetheless, their successful partnership has spawned many other titles that have made them enormously famous.
Canfield has appeared on numerous television shows, including Good Morning America, 20/20, Eye to Eye, CNN s Talk Back Live, PBS and the BBC. Today, he speaks shares his success strategies with companies and associations worldwide.
The most recent book Canfield has written was the 2005 publication of The Success Principles. In it Canfield shares 64 principles that he and other people have utilized to achieve great levels of success.



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To 5.75% And Beyond: Managing A Year Of Interest-Rate Uncertainty

The Bank of England has already made four quarter-point interest-rate rises since August 2006, leaving many homeowners hoping that fears of further rises this year would prove unfounded. After all, last month the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a small majority to freeze interest rates at 5.5%. This week, however, the more monetarily aggressive members of the Committee pushed the vote the other way, with interest rates now rising to an eye-watering 5.75%. Even worse, many business analysts are predicting a further rise to 6% before the end of 2007.For the average homeowner with, say, a 100,000 mortgage, each quarter-point rise in interest rates equates to an additional 16 a month, on average. That means that, over the past year, borrowers had already seen mortgage payments rise by around 64; with this latest rise, total payment increases will be nearing the 100 mark. And for those with larger mortgages, the financial impact may be far worse.The last time we faced such interest rates was in 2001, but the difference today is that our debts are generally far higher. Consumer spend has become the mainstay of the British economy, to the detriment of the manufacturing industry, which has instead withered. The process has worked because we buy homes at cheap interest rates, then gear up against those homes to carry on spending. The result is that the country is now running on the highest level of debt ever.In particular, favourable interest rates in recent years have encouraged many thousands of people to take out second mortgages, perhaps to reduce unsecured debt, pay for home improvements or help with the costs of looking after a family. If you are one of the many with a second mortgage, this latest Bank of England interest-rate rise will be doubly painful. In addition, if you are looking for new mortgage deals, you might face paying out as much as two interest points higher, at a time when disposable incomes are falling and the saving rate has been squeezed to its lowest in nearly 50 years.Nor are those on fixed rate deals necessarily protected from the impact of the 5.75% interest rate. If you, like many hundreds of thousands of others in the UK, secured a two-year fixed rate mortgage in the summer of 2005, taking advantage of the then low interest rates, you may now be facing the shock of dramatic payment increases, as your fixed rate comes to an end and you are forced onto your lender s standard variable rate (SVR).So is this all a tale of doom and gloom? Well, it s certainly an uneasy time for first-time buyers and existing homeowners but there are still plenty of options in the market to ensure you get the best possible mortgage deal, despite the uncertainties. The most important thing is that you understand where the market is and where it is heading, and that you have contingency plans for possible interest-rate rises in the future. If you are a first-time buyer or you are looking to change mortgage, be sure to get the right advice to ensure you do not over-commit your finances. Using a comprehensive search service such as BeatThatQuote.com could also help you quickly and efficiently research available deals in the market, ensuring that you get the right mortgage for your individual circumstances.Most of all, do not let any concerns you might have over possible future interest-rate rises force you into making hasty decisions or panic buys. Take the time to think through your options and balance up not only your finances with the mortgage deals on offer, but also consider carefully your lifestyle preferences and what financial security you need to live comfortably and stress-free. Take time out now to consider the market challenges and opportunities, and you will reap the rewards in future of both financial and personal well-being.Caroline Poynton writes for Beat That Quote on all loans, mortgages and personal finance topics.



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Jobs for U.S. Veterans at Leading Intelligence Service Firm

Leading Intelligence Support Service Firm Seeks to Hire U.S. Veterans
OMNIPLEX World Services Corporation Joins HireVeterans.com
by Gordon Gates
OMNIPLEX World Services Corporation, a leader and innovator in delivering professional intelligence support services, is reaching out to hire qualified U.S. Veterans.  OMNIPLEX provides investigative and physical security services to corporations and government agencies located throughout the world.  It is a privately held company based in Chantilly, Virginia, with annual revenues of over $100 million.
OMNIPLEX is also a Top-100, minority-owned firm.  It is a ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System certified firm. They are one of the fastest-growing minority-owned enterprises in the country, employing more than 3,500 professionals worldwide, each with diverse skills and disciplines supporting our security and investigative services to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. History: Growth, AccomplishmentsJulien G. Patterson founded OMNIPLEX in August 1990, selecting highly qualified and motivated professionals who shared his values and vision to guide the company into what is today a $100 million-a-year organization that specializes in background investigations and physical security services for the federal government, Fortune 500 companies, and regional business entities. Since our inception, OMNIPLEX has always had a positive cash flow, offered competitive wages, and provided a generous benefits package to our employees. We consider people our most important resource. With more than 3,500 professionals worldwide, we have received numerous awards and were recognized in 2006 as one of Greater Washington, D.C.& 39;s Top 15 "Best Places to Work" by the Washington Business Journal. REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS
The following is a partial alphabetical listing of businesses and government agencies to which OMNIPLEX has provided services: ISO 9001:2000 Certification
OMNIPLEX is ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System certified. The ISO 9001 quality control standard exceeds commercial best practices, is our defacto quality standard, and is an integral part of our operating culture, policies and procedures. The ISO 9001 standard is an internationally recognized quality management system developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). To be certified, OMNIPLEX instituted a Quality Management System (QMS), with corresponding procedures detailing both the administrative and operational workflow requirements, and the necessary activities to deliver a high level of service to meet customer requirements. The ISO 9001 certification tells our customers that OMNIPLEX operates a QMS in accordance with the ISO 9001 standard."Right People. Right Values.®" is the company& 39;s founding principle and guides every aspect of the business, from the employees they select to the customers and communities they serve and support. Each and every employee is committed to the central tenets of honesty and integrity.
OMNIPLEX also operates OMNISEC International Investigations, Inc., (an OMNIPLEX wholly owned subsidiary).  It is one of the largest investigative service contractors in the United States. OMNISEC Investigators perform personnel security background investigations, pre-employment screening and business due-diligence services. We are one of the few companies chosen to perform national-scope background investigations directly for the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and civilian agency components of the U.S. Government. They provide a wide variety of armed and unarmed physical security support services for hundreds of thousands of civilian, military and government personnel.
OMNISEC provides total security solutions including staffing, planning and managing complex and intricate security installations and physical protection in the following settings: Government facilitiesMilitary operationsEmbassy compoundsManufacturing plantsIndustrial settingsOffice buildingsAnd other commercial and government settings
"OMNIPLEX was built upon the belief that there is a moral high ground in business. Our customers know that our mission statement is grounded to that value. Our success is guided by this principle, and it reflects our commitment to quality and continuous improvement and is validated in our client satisfaction ratings and sustained annual growth." — Julien Patterson, President and CEO
The OMNIPLEX team is made up of thousands of talented individuals around the world — all of them committed to excellence, honesty and integrity. OMNIPLEX is one of the largest and fastest growing minority-owned enterprises in the world, offering a vast array of exciting career opportunities in a wide range of challenging fields.
They offer world class benefits to qualified U.S. Veterans including:Comprehensive medical/hospitalization/prescription coverageComprehenisve dental coverageVision CoverageBasic Life & Accidental Death and Dismemberment InsuranceCancer insurance (optional)Intensive Care InsuranceLong Term Care Insurance Short and Long Term Disability InsuranceVoluntary Dependent Life InsuranceAccidental Death and Dismemberment and personal accident insurance401 K plan with matching contributionsDirect payroll depositPaid vacations and holidaysSection 125 Pre-tax Premium Conversion PlanFamily Medical LeaveBereavement LeaveJury Duty Leave
OMNIPLEX also offers corporate and team activities that enhance camaraderie, fellowship and build teamwork. Additionally, they support employee activities for everything from charitable functions and contributions, to community outreach programs. They encourage their employees to give back to the community and support organizations nationwide. "
Career Advancement — Opportunities are Unlimited
Right People. Right Values.® is at the core of all that OMNIPLEX does for its& 39; customers and employees. And, equally important, because they believe in promoting from within, OMNIPLEX is an ideal choice for those looking for a career, not just a job.
Their frequent, regular performance reviews, and employee development and incentive programs are all designed to help advance employees& 39; careers. Furthermore, they support employees in their quest for professional advancement, providing training programs, seminars and educational and technical opportunities to help employees get ahead. View and Apply to OMNIPLEX jobs on HireVeterans.comMore Jobs from OmniplexOfficial OMNIPLEX web site



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