RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a technology that allows a website to display content from another website with a simple code. The beauty of RSS is that, once you install the code, you don’t need to do anything else again. If the content on the original website changes, yours will change automatically.
It is the primary means through which websites update their content. To display RSS on your web pages, you can use many forms of technology. You can use an RSS reader which is software that translates the raw xml language into an html display. You can also use JavaScript to display the RSS feeds but the disadvantage is that the search engines will not see the new content since the underlying code will not change.
To put RSS on your webpage, go to the site that offers the content and look for an orange colored icon with the initials RSS or XML. Click on this icon and you will see a URL. Copy the URL and paste it in your RSS reader. The RSS reader is software that can be downloaded from the site or you can have it from your web host.
RSS gives you free content on daily basis. You also have the added benefit of keeping your pages fresh with content, something the search engines like.
Ron Davies
Technorati Tags: Really Simple Syndication, RSS
Click Here: Use With Confidence: Google Ranks Our Free
2008 Wholesale DataBase Directory # 1
http://savesucash.com/wholesaler_database/
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals@
http://savesucash.com/savesucash_wholesale_products_mall.htm
Share This Info With A Friend
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Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Keyword Research and Analysis - The Art of Internet Marketing
Do you know what your target audience wants and how they are looking online? As an Internet Marketing Consultant I am often surprised that many website owners don't know who their market is, and how to target them with web copy and SEO.
Keywords are the words that web surfers enter in search engines to find websites about their search terms. If you want to get in front of your potential audience, it's important your website has good search engine rankings for your keywords that are related to the theme of your website.
Knowing what your target audience wants and how they are looking online is crucial to your online success. Optimizing your web pages for keywords that nobody uses in the search engines is useless. In addition, in order to get targeted visitors, the keywords must not be too broad or too general. Your copy and metatags should also support the keyword phrases your market uses and entice them with copy that meets their needs and compels them to action.
The First Step to Internet Marketing - The Right Keywords for Your Website
The first step in successful SEO copywriting is choosing the right keywords to make them very specific to your market. You can survey your target market for their keyword usage or use more thorough keyword research tools. When conducting the keyword research and analysis:
1) use keyword phrases containing two to four words2) be specific - geographically, topically, or by product3) only use the keywords that are important to your web business4) avoid very competitive keywords or general keyword phrases
Use focused and targeted keyword phrases that are common enough so the web searcher will use them, but selective enough that they don't return millions of matches. Most web surfers use a two to four word phrase when they search online, so phrasing is very important. For example, if you are offering a service like dog training or Internet Marketing, you wouldn't target the key phrase "dog training" or "SEO", but something more specific like "Chicago dog trainer" or "Vancouver Search Engine Optimization". Very specific keywords generate highly qualified, targeted traffic that increases your sales opportunities.
The Wrong Keywords for Your Website
Single words cannot promote ranking or sell effectively, for example you wouldn't want to target "dog" as a dog trainer in Chicago. Avoid the most popular keyword phrases or general keyword phrases because you'll be competing with millions of other web pages for a search engine ranking.
It's unrealistic to think that a new web site could rank number one on a popular phrase like "Marketing". You are better to target "Internet marketing strategies" or even better, "Internet Marketing Strategies Vancouver". More established companies who have been on the Internet for several years will have the advantage of link popularity and a high Pagerank and therefore better rankings in the search results for these broader or general keyword phrases
Search Engine Optimization - Feeding the Search Engine Machines
Another critical factor to help drive the targeted traffic to your site is optimizing the site using metatags. Metatags, often overlooked and misunderstood, are elements of HTML coding on a website. Search engines use these metatags to help them determine what the site is about and assist with indexing a website. Most metatags are included within the 'header' code of a website. The most important tags are the title tag, description tag and the keywords tag. Different search engines have different rules about how these tags are used and how many characters they should contain. Of importance to the process is if you know how the big three - Google, Yahoo and MSN - review the tags, then you'll be targeting 90% of potential web surfers.
To make good use of your metatags use your targeted keywords that you found during your keyword research and analysis in the site copy and the metatags.
By reviewing or crawling your website content and metatags, search engines will find out what your web site is about. As soon as search engines consider your web site relevant to the topic or search, the easier it is to get high rankings for your keywords and key phrases.
About the Author: Keith Raymond is a Vancouver Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization Specialist. Internet Marketing includes keyword research and analysis, search engine optimization (SEO), creating compelling web content, and producing online marketing strategies. Visit Netsurf Marketing to learn more about Internet marketing strategies to turbo charge your web presence.
Click Here: Use With Confidence: Google Ranks Our Free
2008 Wholesale DataBase Directory # 1
http://savesucash.com/wholesaler_database/
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals@
http://savesucash.com/savesucash_wholesale_products_mall.htm
Share This Info With A Friend
http://tinyurl.com/yppdhb
Keywords are the words that web surfers enter in search engines to find websites about their search terms. If you want to get in front of your potential audience, it's important your website has good search engine rankings for your keywords that are related to the theme of your website.
Knowing what your target audience wants and how they are looking online is crucial to your online success. Optimizing your web pages for keywords that nobody uses in the search engines is useless. In addition, in order to get targeted visitors, the keywords must not be too broad or too general. Your copy and metatags should also support the keyword phrases your market uses and entice them with copy that meets their needs and compels them to action.
The First Step to Internet Marketing - The Right Keywords for Your Website
The first step in successful SEO copywriting is choosing the right keywords to make them very specific to your market. You can survey your target market for their keyword usage or use more thorough keyword research tools. When conducting the keyword research and analysis:
1) use keyword phrases containing two to four words2) be specific - geographically, topically, or by product3) only use the keywords that are important to your web business4) avoid very competitive keywords or general keyword phrases
Use focused and targeted keyword phrases that are common enough so the web searcher will use them, but selective enough that they don't return millions of matches. Most web surfers use a two to four word phrase when they search online, so phrasing is very important. For example, if you are offering a service like dog training or Internet Marketing, you wouldn't target the key phrase "dog training" or "SEO", but something more specific like "Chicago dog trainer" or "Vancouver Search Engine Optimization". Very specific keywords generate highly qualified, targeted traffic that increases your sales opportunities.
The Wrong Keywords for Your Website
Single words cannot promote ranking or sell effectively, for example you wouldn't want to target "dog" as a dog trainer in Chicago. Avoid the most popular keyword phrases or general keyword phrases because you'll be competing with millions of other web pages for a search engine ranking.
It's unrealistic to think that a new web site could rank number one on a popular phrase like "Marketing". You are better to target "Internet marketing strategies" or even better, "Internet Marketing Strategies Vancouver". More established companies who have been on the Internet for several years will have the advantage of link popularity and a high Pagerank and therefore better rankings in the search results for these broader or general keyword phrases
Search Engine Optimization - Feeding the Search Engine Machines
Another critical factor to help drive the targeted traffic to your site is optimizing the site using metatags. Metatags, often overlooked and misunderstood, are elements of HTML coding on a website. Search engines use these metatags to help them determine what the site is about and assist with indexing a website. Most metatags are included within the 'header' code of a website. The most important tags are the title tag, description tag and the keywords tag. Different search engines have different rules about how these tags are used and how many characters they should contain. Of importance to the process is if you know how the big three - Google, Yahoo and MSN - review the tags, then you'll be targeting 90% of potential web surfers.
To make good use of your metatags use your targeted keywords that you found during your keyword research and analysis in the site copy and the metatags.
By reviewing or crawling your website content and metatags, search engines will find out what your web site is about. As soon as search engines consider your web site relevant to the topic or search, the easier it is to get high rankings for your keywords and key phrases.
About the Author: Keith Raymond is a Vancouver Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization Specialist. Internet Marketing includes keyword research and analysis, search engine optimization (SEO), creating compelling web content, and producing online marketing strategies. Visit Netsurf Marketing to learn more about Internet marketing strategies to turbo charge your web presence.
Click Here: Use With Confidence: Google Ranks Our Free
2008 Wholesale DataBase Directory # 1
http://savesucash.com/wholesaler_database/
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals@
http://savesucash.com/savesucash_wholesale_products_mall.htm
Share This Info With A Friend
http://tinyurl.com/yppdhb
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Google's new method to detect duplicate content
Google doesn't like duplicate content. The reason for that is that the top 10 search results should offer users a choice of different web pages.
Google's new patent application on near duplicate content describes a new method how Google tries to keep its users from finding redundant content in the result pages.
Content may be duplicated for a variety of reasons
There are many reasons why content is duplicated on more than one page, or why documents are very similar:
The content of a web page is available in different formats: web page, printable page, PDF, mobile phone page, etc.
The content of a web page is syndicated, for example news articles or blog posts.
The content management system (CMS) displays the same content in different locations. For example, an item might be listed in a "Size" category and in a "Color" category.
The website owner offers mirrors to make sure that a website does not slow down when many people want to access the same page at the same time.
Someone stole the contents of a web page to reproduce it on other websites.
To avoid showing the same content more than once in the search results, search engines try to detect these duplicate pages.
What's in the patent application?
The patent application describes how Google tries to detect duplicate or near duplicate content at different web addresses. It seems that Google might combine several existing methods for detecting new duplicate content to identify more duplicates on the Internet.
The new patent application shows that Google is serious about detecting duplicate content issues. This new patent application is only the latest step in Google's attempts to detect duplicate content. For example, previous steps can be found here (PDF) and here.
What does Google do when it detects duplicate content?
It's hard to tell what Google will do when they find duplicate pages. There are many instances where duplicated content is used for a legitimate purpose.
If Google only removes the duplicate pages from the search results for a certain query that might be okay. If Google penalized duplicate pages by removing them completely from the index, Google might risk not being relevant for very specific queries and it also might penalize the wrong pages.
It's likely that Google will pick the web page with the best reputation and the best inbound links for the search results if it finds more than one page with the same content.
What does this mean for your website?
If you want to get high rankings, it is easier to do so with unique content. Try to use as much original content as possible on your web pages.
If your website must use the same content as another website, make sure that your website has better inbound links than the other websites that carry the same content.
Alexa
Click Here: Use With Confidence: Google Ranks Our Free 2008 Wholesale
DataBase Directory # 1
http://savesucash.com/wholesaler_database/
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals
@ http://savesucash.com/
Share This Info With A Friend
http://tinyurl.com/yppdhb
Google's new patent application on near duplicate content describes a new method how Google tries to keep its users from finding redundant content in the result pages.
Content may be duplicated for a variety of reasons
There are many reasons why content is duplicated on more than one page, or why documents are very similar:
The content of a web page is available in different formats: web page, printable page, PDF, mobile phone page, etc.
The content of a web page is syndicated, for example news articles or blog posts.
The content management system (CMS) displays the same content in different locations. For example, an item might be listed in a "Size" category and in a "Color" category.
The website owner offers mirrors to make sure that a website does not slow down when many people want to access the same page at the same time.
Someone stole the contents of a web page to reproduce it on other websites.
To avoid showing the same content more than once in the search results, search engines try to detect these duplicate pages.
What's in the patent application?
The patent application describes how Google tries to detect duplicate or near duplicate content at different web addresses. It seems that Google might combine several existing methods for detecting new duplicate content to identify more duplicates on the Internet.
The new patent application shows that Google is serious about detecting duplicate content issues. This new patent application is only the latest step in Google's attempts to detect duplicate content. For example, previous steps can be found here (PDF) and here.
What does Google do when it detects duplicate content?
It's hard to tell what Google will do when they find duplicate pages. There are many instances where duplicated content is used for a legitimate purpose.
If Google only removes the duplicate pages from the search results for a certain query that might be okay. If Google penalized duplicate pages by removing them completely from the index, Google might risk not being relevant for very specific queries and it also might penalize the wrong pages.
It's likely that Google will pick the web page with the best reputation and the best inbound links for the search results if it finds more than one page with the same content.
What does this mean for your website?
If you want to get high rankings, it is easier to do so with unique content. Try to use as much original content as possible on your web pages.
If your website must use the same content as another website, make sure that your website has better inbound links than the other websites that carry the same content.
Alexa
Click Here: Use With Confidence: Google Ranks Our Free 2008 Wholesale
DataBase Directory # 1
http://savesucash.com/wholesaler_database/
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals
@ http://savesucash.com/
Share This Info With A Friend
http://tinyurl.com/yppdhb
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Only Constant Online Is Change
You had a great year online—another year of 25% web sales growth. You've got a search engine marketing program going, your site search works better than ever and your product pictures really pop. You can put your retail web business on cruise control. And cruise into oblivion!
E-retailing is constantly changing. Blogs, social networks, YouTube, video, widgets, Web 2.0, mobile commerce, and product reviews are just some of the new priorities on the web merchant's radar screen. The technology keeps getting better and more complex. Competitors keep pioneering new and improved practices. And web shoppers keep expanding their knowledge of the medium—demanding ever more sophisticated and interactive web stores. E-retailing is only a dozen years old, but today's pioneering shopping sites are light years beyond those that created the market.
The only constant online is change.. You must learn, adapt and emplement or be run over by the
tidal wave of change.
E-retailing is constantly changing. Blogs, social networks, YouTube, video, widgets, Web 2.0, mobile commerce, and product reviews are just some of the new priorities on the web merchant's radar screen. The technology keeps getting better and more complex. Competitors keep pioneering new and improved practices. And web shoppers keep expanding their knowledge of the medium—demanding ever more sophisticated and interactive web stores. E-retailing is only a dozen years old, but today's pioneering shopping sites are light years beyond those that created the market.
The only constant online is change.. You must learn, adapt and emplement or be run over by the
tidal wave of change.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Yahoo! search draws younger audience; Google users big spenders online
Groups that are highly indexed on Google tend to be older (55+) and the groups highly indexed on Yahoo! Search tend to be younger. [...]
The groups over-indexed on Google.com relative to the online population - are those that are among the most likely to have spent more than $500 online."
Read the full article using the link below
http://tinyurl.com/3dmofe
Click Here: Use With Confidence: Google Ranks Our Free 2008 Wholesale
DataBase Directory # 1
http://savesucash.com/wholesaler_database/
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Share This Info With A Friend
http://tinyurl.com/yppdhb
The groups over-indexed on Google.com relative to the online population - are those that are among the most likely to have spent more than $500 online."
Read the full article using the link below
http://tinyurl.com/3dmofe
Click Here: Use With Confidence: Google Ranks Our Free 2008 Wholesale
DataBase Directory # 1
http://savesucash.com/wholesaler_database/
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Share This Info With A Friend
http://tinyurl.com/yppdhb
Monday, February 18, 2008
YOU'VE GOT TO DO THINGS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
No sales?
Here's your 10-step rescue plan
By Dwain Jeworski
Imagine: After weeks of hard work, your website is finally live.
You've officially been open for business an entire week. And yet you haven't made any sales. Not. One. Single. Sale.Arggh!Don't despair -- we've all been there before. In fact, it's one of the most common problems people ask us to solve for them.
Here's something that'll help ease the pain of turning a "dud" site into one that rakes in the profits...IMC's surefire "My Website Ain't Making Money!" troubleshooting checklist! If you recently launched a new web site and aren't getting the results you expected, you need to ask yourself every single question on the list below, starting at number one.
Once you're able to answer "yes" to all ten questions, I guarantee the sales will come rolling in.Print out the following checklist and start your troubleshooting right now:
#1. Is there actually a market for your product?By that I mean, are you positive you're selling a product or solution people are actively looking for online -- and not finding? That is the formula for a successful business.The best way to answer this question is to do keyword research with a tool like Keyword Discovery or Wordtracker to confirm whether people are using search engines like Google and Yahoo to hunt for something just like your product -- but not finding it.It all comes back to supply and demand... You want to make sure people actually want to buy your product before you try to sell it!
#2. Are you getting enough traffic? Before you can really judge your website's effectiveness, you need at least 1000 unique visitors (not pageviews). If you've only had 100 visitors and haven't made a sale, be patient! You just need more traffic.Once you've had 1000 visitors, then you can begin to assess how effective your site really is.
#3. Are you getting the right kind of traffic? If you've had 1000+ visitors to your website and you still haven't made a sale, find out where your traffic is coming from. That'll help you know if it's targeted or not.(By "targeted," I mean, visitors who are actively seeking out your product and are therefore extremely likely to buy it.)The best way to get the RIGHT traffic to your site is by bidding on extremely targeted keywords in the pay-per-click search engines.If you drive 1000 visitors to your site -- using extremely targeted keywords in your PPC ads -- and you still don't make a sale, then we know the problem isn't the quality of traffic you're getting. It's your website.So let's take a look at that next...
#4. Is your headline effective? If your site doesn't have a compelling headline that clearly communicates a powerful benefit, your potential customers aren't going to stick around to see what you have to offer.Writing a better headline is typically the easiest way to fix a floundering website. If you get more people to stay on your site and read your offer, more people will buy your product.
#5. Are you distracting your visitors from your main sales message?You need to get rid of everything that encourages your visitors think of something other than the product you're selling and the problem it solves.This includes: links to other websites, Google Adsense ads, banner ads for other products, free articles that don't support the sale... the list goes on.Keep your visitors focused only on buying your product -- and your sales will go up.
#6. Are you using testimonials effectively?Like I said in last week's editorial, testimonials are one of your most powerful selling tools. Nothing says, "Buy it now!" like an unbiased third-party recommendation.If your site is brand new and you don't have any testimonials yet, give your product to a few friends and ask them to provide you with testimonials on how well it worked for them.
#7. Does your guarantee take away the risk of buying? A good guarantee is an essential selling tool -- especially on the Internet. Unless you're a major brand (like Sony, Wal-Mart, Pepsi) that your customers inherently trust, you need to let them know you'll stand behind your product.Reassure them that if they're not 100% satisfied they can return it to you and get all their money back. And remember, a longer guarantee usually results in more sales -- and fewer refunds!
#8. Is your price too high? Or too low?Most people know that if you price your product too high, you'll hurt your sales. But this can also be true if your price is too low.People get suspicious when the price is far below their expectations. They think it's probably "too good to be true" -- and as a result, they don't feel confident making a purchase.
#9. Is your ordering system easy to use? Just because you can figure out how to navigate through your ordering process, it doesn't mean your average customer can.If you want to make sure your ordering system is "user-friendly," find a few friends who aren't very Internet savvy and get them to order your product.Watch over their shoulders and take notes. Where did they get stuck?Make sure you fix whatever problems they encountered -- because your potential customers are encountering them, too -- and most likely leaving your site in frustration without buying!
#10. Do you have good salescopy? If you aren't using well-written salescopy to sell your product, then you'll never achieve online success. It's that simple.Your copy needs to use all of the selling tools I mentioned above to present a strong, linear sales message. It doesn't matter whether your particular site needs short copy or long copy, the fact will always remain:
Your product isn't going to sell itself! You need words to do the job.
So there they are... the 10 questions we ask whenever we look at a website that's not turning visitors into sales. I have never answered "yes" to all 10 questions without seeing a substantial improvement to the site's conversion rate.Now, if you're scratching your head, wondering what a good salesletter looks like... how to test pricing... how to write a headline... or how to use the pay-per-click search engines -- then I have to be honest and tell you, you need more help than we can provide in a single newsletter!
Dwain Jeworski is IMC's VP of Marketing
Click Here: Use With Confidence:
Google Ranks Our Free 2008 Wholesale DataBase Directory # 1
http://savesucash.com/wholesaler_database/
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Share This Info With A Friend
http://tinyurl.com/yppdhb
Here's your 10-step rescue plan
By Dwain Jeworski
Imagine: After weeks of hard work, your website is finally live.
You've officially been open for business an entire week. And yet you haven't made any sales. Not. One. Single. Sale.Arggh!Don't despair -- we've all been there before. In fact, it's one of the most common problems people ask us to solve for them.
Here's something that'll help ease the pain of turning a "dud" site into one that rakes in the profits...IMC's surefire "My Website Ain't Making Money!" troubleshooting checklist! If you recently launched a new web site and aren't getting the results you expected, you need to ask yourself every single question on the list below, starting at number one.
Once you're able to answer "yes" to all ten questions, I guarantee the sales will come rolling in.Print out the following checklist and start your troubleshooting right now:
#1. Is there actually a market for your product?By that I mean, are you positive you're selling a product or solution people are actively looking for online -- and not finding? That is the formula for a successful business.The best way to answer this question is to do keyword research with a tool like Keyword Discovery or Wordtracker to confirm whether people are using search engines like Google and Yahoo to hunt for something just like your product -- but not finding it.It all comes back to supply and demand... You want to make sure people actually want to buy your product before you try to sell it!
#2. Are you getting enough traffic? Before you can really judge your website's effectiveness, you need at least 1000 unique visitors (not pageviews). If you've only had 100 visitors and haven't made a sale, be patient! You just need more traffic.Once you've had 1000 visitors, then you can begin to assess how effective your site really is.
#3. Are you getting the right kind of traffic? If you've had 1000+ visitors to your website and you still haven't made a sale, find out where your traffic is coming from. That'll help you know if it's targeted or not.(By "targeted," I mean, visitors who are actively seeking out your product and are therefore extremely likely to buy it.)The best way to get the RIGHT traffic to your site is by bidding on extremely targeted keywords in the pay-per-click search engines.If you drive 1000 visitors to your site -- using extremely targeted keywords in your PPC ads -- and you still don't make a sale, then we know the problem isn't the quality of traffic you're getting. It's your website.So let's take a look at that next...
#4. Is your headline effective? If your site doesn't have a compelling headline that clearly communicates a powerful benefit, your potential customers aren't going to stick around to see what you have to offer.Writing a better headline is typically the easiest way to fix a floundering website. If you get more people to stay on your site and read your offer, more people will buy your product.
#5. Are you distracting your visitors from your main sales message?You need to get rid of everything that encourages your visitors think of something other than the product you're selling and the problem it solves.This includes: links to other websites, Google Adsense ads, banner ads for other products, free articles that don't support the sale... the list goes on.Keep your visitors focused only on buying your product -- and your sales will go up.
#6. Are you using testimonials effectively?Like I said in last week's editorial, testimonials are one of your most powerful selling tools. Nothing says, "Buy it now!" like an unbiased third-party recommendation.If your site is brand new and you don't have any testimonials yet, give your product to a few friends and ask them to provide you with testimonials on how well it worked for them.
#7. Does your guarantee take away the risk of buying? A good guarantee is an essential selling tool -- especially on the Internet. Unless you're a major brand (like Sony, Wal-Mart, Pepsi) that your customers inherently trust, you need to let them know you'll stand behind your product.Reassure them that if they're not 100% satisfied they can return it to you and get all their money back. And remember, a longer guarantee usually results in more sales -- and fewer refunds!
#8. Is your price too high? Or too low?Most people know that if you price your product too high, you'll hurt your sales. But this can also be true if your price is too low.People get suspicious when the price is far below their expectations. They think it's probably "too good to be true" -- and as a result, they don't feel confident making a purchase.
#9. Is your ordering system easy to use? Just because you can figure out how to navigate through your ordering process, it doesn't mean your average customer can.If you want to make sure your ordering system is "user-friendly," find a few friends who aren't very Internet savvy and get them to order your product.Watch over their shoulders and take notes. Where did they get stuck?Make sure you fix whatever problems they encountered -- because your potential customers are encountering them, too -- and most likely leaving your site in frustration without buying!
#10. Do you have good salescopy? If you aren't using well-written salescopy to sell your product, then you'll never achieve online success. It's that simple.Your copy needs to use all of the selling tools I mentioned above to present a strong, linear sales message. It doesn't matter whether your particular site needs short copy or long copy, the fact will always remain:
Your product isn't going to sell itself! You need words to do the job.
So there they are... the 10 questions we ask whenever we look at a website that's not turning visitors into sales. I have never answered "yes" to all 10 questions without seeing a substantial improvement to the site's conversion rate.Now, if you're scratching your head, wondering what a good salesletter looks like... how to test pricing... how to write a headline... or how to use the pay-per-click search engines -- then I have to be honest and tell you, you need more help than we can provide in a single newsletter!
Dwain Jeworski is IMC's VP of Marketing
Click Here: Use With Confidence:
Google Ranks Our Free 2008 Wholesale DataBase Directory # 1
http://savesucash.com/wholesaler_database/
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Share This Info With A Friend
http://tinyurl.com/yppdhb
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Choosing A Business That's Right For You?
Q: I really want to start my own business, but I have no idea what business would be best suited for me. I’m also eager to get started, but I don’t want to pick the wrong business just because I’m impatient. How should I go about deciding what business would be best for me?– Samuel J.
A: Before I answer your question, Samuel, I want you to reach around and pat yourself on the back for not letting your eagerness push you into making a wrong decision. All too often we entrepreneurs tend to let our impatience drive us to make decisions that we later regret. In business such haste can be very costly, indeed.
I always compare starting a business to jumping into a pool of freezing water. There are typically two types of entrepreneurs who take the plunge.
The first are the “Toe Testers.” These are those cautious folks who just stick their big toe in the pool to gauge the temperature of the water. It is for these careful entrepreneurs that the phrase “testing the waters” was coined. Toe Testers enter the business pool slowly, a little bit at a time. The lesson to be learned from Toe Testers is to start slowly and don’t feel like you have to wade in too fast. Ease into the business pool gradually to make sure it’s right for you. Remember, many entrepreneurs realize that the business world is not right for them only after they are in it up to their necks. And that’s when the term “sink or swim” takes on a whole new meaning.
The next type of entrepreneur is the “High Diver.” These are those fearless souls who climb the ladder and dive into the business pool head first without worrying about the depth of the water or the dangers that lurk beneath the surface. It is for these entrepreneurs that the phrase “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” was coined. Quite often these entrepreneurial daredevils find themselves drowning in unknown waters or end up with their heads buried in the bottom of the pool.
Both types of entrepreneurs may find success, depending on how well equipped they are to handle the water they are diving into. Here are a few ideas to help better prepare you for the plunge.
** Let your experience be your guide. Start with what you know. If you have spent twenty years working as an accountant or you love to build wooden toy trains as a hobby, consider how you can take that experience and turn it into a successful business. You might also find a great business idea right under your nose. Look around your workplace. Do you see needs that are going unmet or can you think of a better way of doing something? If so, you might have the seed for a profitable business.
** Do what you love and enjoy what you do. I can’t emphasize this enough. Many people start a business for the wrong reason: to get rich. While it is true that many millionaires in this country made their fortunes from their own business ventures, that should not be your sole motivation for starting a business. If you don’t enjoy what you do, you will not be successful, at least not from a mental point of view. Sure, the monetary rewards can be tremendous, but the mental anguish of working in a business you don’t enjoy is a high price to pay. I talk to entrepreneurs all the time who are running successful businesses, but are so unhappy as a result that they literally make themselves sick. If you don’t enjoy what you do the business will become a chore, not a joy.
** Don’t reinvent the wheel, just make it better. Many first time entrepreneurs assume that they have to come up with a new business idea to be successful. That simply is not true. Most successful businesses are born not of innovation, but of necessity. Instead of trying to come up with an idea that changes the world, take a look at the world around you and see where there might be a void that needs filling or a business concept that needs improvement.
Many successful businesses have been built by taking a traditional business and making it better. Domino’s Pizza was certainly not the first to offer home delivery of pizza, but they were the first to guarantee it would be delivered piping hot to your door in 30 minutes or less. Amazon.com was not the first company to sell books, but they were one of the first that would let you buy books from the comfort of your own home while sitting in your underwear.
** Focus on a niche. Many businesses have gone broke trying to be all things to all people. The ability to offer a gazillion products under one roof is all well and good for Wal-Mart, but not for most new small businesses. Try to identify a niche that you would enjoy working in and think about starting a business therein. If you love to work outdoors, consider starting a landscaping business. If you enjoy working with numbers, think about becoming an accountant or CPA. When’s the last time you had your gardener do your taxes? You get the idea. Focus on a niche and become an expert in your field.
** A franchise might be an option. Many new entrepreneurs consider buying a franchise operation instead of starting a business from scratch. Franchises are a good way to jumpstart the process because they have already done much of the hard work for you. They have proven the business model, established guidelines for running the business, spent millions of dollars on establishing the brand, etc. Buying a franchise is typically a very expensive and involved process that is beyond the scope of this article. The best thumbnail of advice I can give you is to thoroughly investigate the franchisor and the opportunity, use your own attorney to do the deal, and read the fine print in the franchise agreement.
** It’s hard to swim in a crowded pool. If the business pool is already filled with other companies doing the same thing you want do, chances are you will fail in the face of established competition. To succeed in such a crowded pool you will have to do something to stand out from the crowd (and I don’t mean greeting customers while wearing a bright red Speedo). If you can’t quickly and easily differentiate yourself from a large group of competitors, you’re better off choosing another business.
** Above all, take your time. Whatever business you choose to start, I encourage you to take the time required to make an informed, intelligent decision. Think about starting part time while you still have your current job (and income) to fall back on. Talk to friends and associates who use the product or service you will provide to see if they would consider become paying customers.
Remember, in business you can end up swimming in success or sinking in failure. The key to your success might just lie in the sensitivity of your big toe.
Here’s to your success.
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A: Before I answer your question, Samuel, I want you to reach around and pat yourself on the back for not letting your eagerness push you into making a wrong decision. All too often we entrepreneurs tend to let our impatience drive us to make decisions that we later regret. In business such haste can be very costly, indeed.
I always compare starting a business to jumping into a pool of freezing water. There are typically two types of entrepreneurs who take the plunge.
The first are the “Toe Testers.” These are those cautious folks who just stick their big toe in the pool to gauge the temperature of the water. It is for these careful entrepreneurs that the phrase “testing the waters” was coined. Toe Testers enter the business pool slowly, a little bit at a time. The lesson to be learned from Toe Testers is to start slowly and don’t feel like you have to wade in too fast. Ease into the business pool gradually to make sure it’s right for you. Remember, many entrepreneurs realize that the business world is not right for them only after they are in it up to their necks. And that’s when the term “sink or swim” takes on a whole new meaning.
The next type of entrepreneur is the “High Diver.” These are those fearless souls who climb the ladder and dive into the business pool head first without worrying about the depth of the water or the dangers that lurk beneath the surface. It is for these entrepreneurs that the phrase “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” was coined. Quite often these entrepreneurial daredevils find themselves drowning in unknown waters or end up with their heads buried in the bottom of the pool.
Both types of entrepreneurs may find success, depending on how well equipped they are to handle the water they are diving into. Here are a few ideas to help better prepare you for the plunge.
** Let your experience be your guide. Start with what you know. If you have spent twenty years working as an accountant or you love to build wooden toy trains as a hobby, consider how you can take that experience and turn it into a successful business. You might also find a great business idea right under your nose. Look around your workplace. Do you see needs that are going unmet or can you think of a better way of doing something? If so, you might have the seed for a profitable business.
** Do what you love and enjoy what you do. I can’t emphasize this enough. Many people start a business for the wrong reason: to get rich. While it is true that many millionaires in this country made their fortunes from their own business ventures, that should not be your sole motivation for starting a business. If you don’t enjoy what you do, you will not be successful, at least not from a mental point of view. Sure, the monetary rewards can be tremendous, but the mental anguish of working in a business you don’t enjoy is a high price to pay. I talk to entrepreneurs all the time who are running successful businesses, but are so unhappy as a result that they literally make themselves sick. If you don’t enjoy what you do the business will become a chore, not a joy.
** Don’t reinvent the wheel, just make it better. Many first time entrepreneurs assume that they have to come up with a new business idea to be successful. That simply is not true. Most successful businesses are born not of innovation, but of necessity. Instead of trying to come up with an idea that changes the world, take a look at the world around you and see where there might be a void that needs filling or a business concept that needs improvement.
Many successful businesses have been built by taking a traditional business and making it better. Domino’s Pizza was certainly not the first to offer home delivery of pizza, but they were the first to guarantee it would be delivered piping hot to your door in 30 minutes or less. Amazon.com was not the first company to sell books, but they were one of the first that would let you buy books from the comfort of your own home while sitting in your underwear.
** Focus on a niche. Many businesses have gone broke trying to be all things to all people. The ability to offer a gazillion products under one roof is all well and good for Wal-Mart, but not for most new small businesses. Try to identify a niche that you would enjoy working in and think about starting a business therein. If you love to work outdoors, consider starting a landscaping business. If you enjoy working with numbers, think about becoming an accountant or CPA. When’s the last time you had your gardener do your taxes? You get the idea. Focus on a niche and become an expert in your field.
** A franchise might be an option. Many new entrepreneurs consider buying a franchise operation instead of starting a business from scratch. Franchises are a good way to jumpstart the process because they have already done much of the hard work for you. They have proven the business model, established guidelines for running the business, spent millions of dollars on establishing the brand, etc. Buying a franchise is typically a very expensive and involved process that is beyond the scope of this article. The best thumbnail of advice I can give you is to thoroughly investigate the franchisor and the opportunity, use your own attorney to do the deal, and read the fine print in the franchise agreement.
** It’s hard to swim in a crowded pool. If the business pool is already filled with other companies doing the same thing you want do, chances are you will fail in the face of established competition. To succeed in such a crowded pool you will have to do something to stand out from the crowd (and I don’t mean greeting customers while wearing a bright red Speedo). If you can’t quickly and easily differentiate yourself from a large group of competitors, you’re better off choosing another business.
** Above all, take your time. Whatever business you choose to start, I encourage you to take the time required to make an informed, intelligent decision. Think about starting part time while you still have your current job (and income) to fall back on. Talk to friends and associates who use the product or service you will provide to see if they would consider become paying customers.
Remember, in business you can end up swimming in success or sinking in failure. The key to your success might just lie in the sensitivity of your big toe.
Here’s to your success.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com
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