ProfitBrite

Traffic is the Key to Financial Success Or Financial Doom

Every item of information on your website should be directly related to either the exact product or service you sell or should be associated with establishing your credibility. If you sell investment property online, then an adjunct area where you share your own ideas, forecasts and occasionally add postings with your interpretation of world events makes sense.

If you have a bicycle-repair facility, however, an area on your site talking about your stamp collecting hobby isn't going to grow your business.

Some business sites are quite informal, with links to members of the owner's family, favorite sites, pictures from their last vacation in France, and various hobbies. A personality-based site can work if you're building an eBay Store or similar informal venue, but most customers seek professionalism over personality.

Remember that It's Your Site

The first challenge in building a good site is that the better the caliber of your team, the more likely you are to butt heads with them and disagree on key design and technology issues.

While it's important to listen to advice and suggestions from designers and other experts, they aren't the ones who are footing the bill, and they aren't the ones who are going to be adversely affected if the site fails to perform.

You don't have the DHL delivery person telling you how to redesign your loading dock, your phone service provider doesn't call up and tell you to buy new handsets, and your Internet service provider isn't telling you what type of computer to purchase. They're all decisions you make on your own for your business. Designing your website is the same type of decision.

TIP: Website design is a collaboration between business thinking and technologists, with a sprinkling of public relations and marketing. Remember, websites change and evolve over time, too. So launch sooner, not later, and refine as you proceed.

Having said that, some of the best websites are produced because the business owner knew when to stop complaining and listen to the expert. An example of this is that you may have deep religious beliefs and want to sprinkle scripture or sayings from the Koran throughout your site. A consultant will advise you that, unless it's vital to your business identity, it's a bad idea because it could needlessly alienate potential customers who don't share your religious views.

Paul D Burrows: Covers many aspects in the internet marketing arenas, building many websites and researching techniques to help build clients education and their understanding of internet marketing and the results that can often be phenomenal, read my success story and the matrix - the complete internet traffic guide. http://www.pauldburrows.com

Internet Marketing and Joint Venture Programme http://www.globalincomeclub.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Traffic-is-the-Key-to-Financial-Success-Or-Financia...] Traffic is the Key to Financial Success Or Financial Doom

Online Shopping - Buying From Merchants in Foreign Countries

When you make a purchase from a company based overseas, you need to keep in mind that it is not governed by U.S. consumer protection laws. Many foreign-based companies are legitimate and want to reach the U.S. market, so they will provide a high level of customer service and voluntarily abide by U.S. rules. But there are always those operators that will provide substandard products and services because they know they can get away with it and they're not interested in long-term customers who provide repeat business.

Before buying from an overseas company, know who you are dealing with. Identify the company's name, its physical address, a telephone number, and an e-mail address. Check to see if the company is affiliated with industry groups, trust and safety programs, or other self-regulatory programs you are familiar with. Next, be sure about what you're buying. Look for accurate, clear, and easily accessible information about the goods or services being offered. If you have questions, contact the company for clarification before you make a purchase. Think about this: if you can't understand the answers you get, it might be a good idea to buy elsewhere. It is a lot harder to get a refund from an overseas seller than a U.S.-based one, so do your best in advance to eliminate the need for a possible refund.

The seller should clearly designate the currency involved so you'll know whether your need to pay in U.S. dollars or another currency. If it's a foreign currency, be sure to figure out the exchange rate before you buy so you know how much you're really paying. All major credit cards can process payments to foreign countries, or you can make the payment through your bank, but you will probably be charged for the service. Again, do your homework to find out ahead of time what fees and other issues are involved.

Be sure you know how the seller is going to ship and when you can expect delivery. Many of the major U.S. carriers--DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.--operate internationally. The seller may also use the local postal system in the country of origin that will then connect with the U.S. Postal Service. Find out about insurance and what will happen if the package is lost or damaged. Depending on what you buy and its value, you may have to pay duty (or tax) to the U.S. government when you import it. A legitimate seller will tell you what to expect. If you're not sure, contact the U.S. Customs office for more information. You may also need import licenses or other permits to bring the merchandise into the United States. Again, the U.S. Customs office or a customs broker can help you.

Jacquelyn Lynn is the editor of Flashpoints newsletter. Flashpoints is a comprehensive information resource for business owners and managers who want to take their operation to the Flashpoint. Visit http://www.theflashpoints.com to sign up for a free subscription to Flashpoints newsletter plus an extra free gift: The Mindset of High Achievers by JK Harris and Jacquelyn Lynn. In addition, Jacquelyn Lynn is the author of more than 20 books, including Entrepreneur's Almanac; Online Shopper's Survival Guide; Make Big Profits on eBay (with Charlene Davis); In Search of the Five-Cent Nickel (with Don Abbott); and 11 titles in Entrepreneur Media's StartUp Guide series. Visit http://www.jacquelynlynn.com for more details.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Online-Shopping---Buying-From-Merchants-in-Foreign-...] Online Shopping - Buying From Merchants in Foreign Countries

How to Start a Duct Tape Wallet Business - The Basics of Shipping

Everybody wants their stuff yesterday until they find out how much it it going to cost to make things happen in their royal time frame.

As I write this article in 2010, having a duct tape wallet shipped overnight in the mainland U.S. or Canada is going to cost approximately Eighty U.S. dollars or about four times the retail value of the wallet. Somebody would need to own a duct tape wallet pretty bad in order to pay a "C Note" (one hundred dollars) for one of these babies...

Shipping Is An Odor That Lingers

Many folks (especially salespeople) forget that a sale is not legitimate until the customer accepts and RETAINS the purchased item, none of which can occur until you have made arrangements for the goods to be delivered.

To that end, here are a couple of concepts which can dramatically influence the effect of your shipping policy:

Control Your Customer's Expectation - this advice may sound a bit like cheating but I recommend telling customers that it will take longer than it actually will for them to receive their goods so you set their expectation at one level and then automatically exceed it. While this takes some finesse, it is not very difficult to accomplish because few folks are trying to exceed customer expectations in the first place!
Box Like You Have Golden Gloves - quality products that arrive damaged tend to make the recipients ill. No one likes to see good stuff wrecked but the double edged sword of packaging weight and packaging integrity make this a difficult call. Simply ensuring your wallets are protected with a layer of paper wrapping inside the shipping envelop will eliminate potential damage from friction and handling.
Learn Maximum Sizing - Canada Post uses a plastic template with a slot in it to determine if packaging conforms to a regular size. To qualify for letter size the envelop needs to be no larger than 15" x 101/2" by 3/4" wide and less than 1.1 pounds in weight. We can fit three wallets into this size of bubble wrap envelop which reduces the shipping cost by 50% of what we would normally pay to ship as a package.

Examples of 2010 Canadian Shipping Costs

If you are shipping across international borders you need to consider customs and brokerage fees as well as the delay enhanced security checks sometimes take. All this can be handled efficiently and cost effectively through any major carrier like UPS, FedEx or DHL.

Here are a couple of actual costs to ship wallets around the world.

One wallet (Canada Post) - $ 2.75 arrives 4 - 6 business days
Three wallets (Canada Post) - $4.75 - arrives 4 - 6 business days
One wallet (Canada Post Registered) - $17.00 - arrives 4 - 6 business days
Six wallets (Canada Post) - $18.35 - arrives 4 - 6 business days
One wallet (UPS Overnight) - $79.90 - arrives by 4 pm next day

Ship, Ship, Let Her Rip!

Nobody should be afraid of shipping today because most freight companies have simplified their technology to the mom and pop level of understanding.

Today it is possible to sell anywhere in the world with the confidence that you can get your wallets to wherever they are desired for a very reasonable cost.

Here's hoping you stick to it!

Thank you, friend.

Barry Williams

DuctHide Tough Wearables is the worlds largest handmade duct tape wallet company providing several brands of wallets in more than 750 color combinations. Wholesale and retail orders shipped world-wide. Please visit our website to learn more about how you can earn an income with duct tape wallets. http://ducthide.com/trade-secrets http://www.ducthide.com/ducthide_story.html

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Start-a-Duct-Tape-Wallet-Business---The-Basi...] How to Start a Duct Tape Wallet Business - The Basics of Shipping

Home Based Office With a Virtual Office

When you are running your home based business, you might face with several problems. One of these problems is that some companies do not trade or to do business with home-based companies. Well, you can use courier services like DHL and FedEx to deliver your goods but if they found out that your address is a home address, they will automatically stop doing business with you. This can be overcome by having a office address, you will have a proper business address and it gives an impression to your customers that you are actually running a big company.

Besides that, another problem arises when you need to hold a meeting but if you are working from home, you do not have a meeting room. Even you have your personal meeting room at home, the facilities might be limited. It is difficult for your meeting members to find parking at residence area as well. Other tiny services like restroom and food services are also essential to provide comfort to the meeting members. Well, do not worry as virtual office solves it all.Good facilitates all these necessities and most importantly, they only charge for meeting room fee but not other services, where you can save quite a big amount of money.

Dennis enjoys writing and sharing information on topics like [http://www.yourcityoffice.com]Virtual Office and [http://www.yourcityoffice.com/virtual-office-vancouver.php]Virtual Office Vancouver. Visit for more details.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Home-Based-Office-With-a-Virtual-Office&id=3796332] Home Based Office With a Virtual Office