How to totally screw up your Resume and lose job interviews

How to totally screw up your Resume and lose job interviews
So, you're about to start making or updating your resume so
you can go find your dream job (or hey maybe, just ANY
job...in credit crunch 2008 that might be the best you can
do for now). I know that it can seem impossibly difficult
but it's not that hard at all. However, it IS very easy to
make a mess of it - And messed up resumes and CVs get
"round filed" real fast (thrown in the bin) and round filed
= no job interview. Yep, a poor resume means you stand
100% no chance. So you want to get it right - right?

Fear not. It's not that hard at all - once you know what to
avoid - and that's what I'll tell you now.

So what are some of the classic errors that will screw your
CV up?

**John Doe - No contact information**

Many people feel that because they're sending a cover
letter, they don't need to include their name, address,
phone number and email address at the top of their resume.

However it's very common for cover letters to be separated
from resumes by HR departments who then pass the resume to
various other staff members for review. At this stage your
contact information is very likely to be lost forever! And
I can tell you that it's very frustrating for a manager to
receive a good resume that has all of the qualifications
that he or she is looking for in an employee without a name
or any contact information.

So - Very important - Include all of your contact
information at the top of your resume. Name, address,
phone, email.

**What do you want to do? No objective**

Large organizations may have dozens of ads for employees
advertised. If your resume goes first to an HR admin person
for filtering then how will he or she know what job you're
applying for unless you state this in your resume as well
as cover letter (again same dangers of lost cover letters
apply so put it on the CV header too)

**What do you want to achieve? No goals or ambition?**

Not necessary in all cases. Use common sense. Under your
name and contact information should be a heading about your
career objective. You can break this into two categories.
One should be for the position which you are seeking. The
other can be what you hope to attain in the future.

If, for example, you are seeking the position of a
newspaper reporter but have ambitions to be an editor or a
features writer, then you can outline this in your resume
as a career aim. This can be a handy indication that you're
a long term strategic thinker as well as a loyal employee
who is keen to develop new skills and add value to the
business.

As I say use common sense. If applying to small companies
it may not be wise to indicate that you want the job of the
person who's recruiting you!

**You don't have the right skills, goodbye! They're not
psychic you know!**

In any job no matter how junior there are skills required
even if it's just a summer job selling ice cream on the
beach (hey that's customer facing with a bit of sales you
know!) Way to many CVs are thin on evidence of relevant
skills.

Way to many people include all of their tasks in a short
paragraph, which doesn't impress many prospective employers.

So don't understate your past experience ' Include all of
the tasks you performed at your old job, or know how to do,
that concern to the position which you are seeking.

It's good to list all of the tasks and knowledge in bullet
point format so that it makes it easier for the employer to
see just what you can do. This is not the time to be shy or
modest. Highlighting your accomplishments, knowledge and
past experience can not be too underestimated when it comes
to your resume.

**Got fired or saying my current job and company are
rubbish - Writing why you left or are leaving**

Not necessary at all and looked at unprofessional. You will
most likely be asked why you left your prior employment
during your interview. Don't badmouth your last place of
employment, even if your boss was a reincarnation of the
Devil! Just say that you are seeking an opportunity for new
development.

**I want, I want! Talking money right off the block**

NEVER put down how much you are making at your current job
or how much money you expect to pull in at the new job.

While some employers will ask that you state your salary
qualifications in your cover letter, this is never
acceptable on a CV.

Many employees who ask that prospective employees state
their salary requirements in their cover letter tend to pay
low wages and do not want to waste their time with anyone
who expects to be paid enough money to make a living.

**Your resume looks like a 5 year olds "art" project**

For a 5 year old it's cute. For a resume it's death.
Coloured paper, fancy fonts and pics may look really nice
but is generally considered to be amateurish. Use white
paper. Black ink. Standard fonts. Standard upper and lower
caps and make it easy to read.

**Uneducated barbarians need not apply**

You didn't spring into existence from nowhere so make sure
that you put down your educational experience from the last
college or university that you attended to the first.

If you have a post graduate degree, that should come first
under the Education heading, along with the degree and any
awards.

Your undergraduate university or college should come second
along with degrees and accomplishments. If you have a post
grad degree you don't have to put down high school
information ' That's a given.

**No autobiographies please!**

Pages of life story filler are a sure way to get round
filed fast. With that said, it's a context thing. Don't
hesitate to make your CV more than one page if your
accomplishments, experience and education warrants this in
the context of the position applied for.

It's better not to underestimate yourself than to keep your
resume short and sweet. On the other hand don't pout down
long lists of hobbies, and non work related achievements,
your junior schools, places lived in, travel done and so
on. It's filler and recognised as such right away. Black
mark.

**Summary**

So, avoid these clangers and you'll be well on your way to
creating an interview magnet of a resume that will reflect
all of the reasons why you are the best person for the job
as well as a resume that reflects your personality.

----------------------------------------------------
From London where he was an expert job hopper Nick now
lives in Stockholm with wife Lena and Gunnar a Border
Terrier. He likes long forest and lake walks, is learning
Swedish, sells on ebay and publishes career help websites,
for example - http://www.bestcareerdomain.info where you
can find resume and interview help ideas and tips.

How to Sell Successfully in a Recession

How to Sell Successfully in a Recession
The debate is on whether we actually are in or still
approaching a recessionary period. If you have been paying
attention to the newspapers and television news, then you
know that our economy is in a tailspin. The media-painted
news is bleak as each new day reveals an additional
economic issue. It seems that both consumer confidence and
spending are down, mortgage foreclosures are up, savings
are down, the unemployment rate is up and consumer prices
of just about everything are rising. What is there to do
when you are a salesperson needing to make a living in such
a mess?

Downward trends are indeed a stressful time posing numerous
challenges, yet they do indeed present many opportunities.
You might ask a certain real estate agent how his business
is; he responds saying it is the worst market he has seen
in years and does not know what to do. Ask another and she
might tell you that she is excited and it is the best
market opportunity that she has seen in years. It is truly
a matter for one's perspective. For those clients who are
financially able, now is an outstanding time to acquire
property at a huge discount. She chooses to focus on those
clients looking for bargains. The other agent already gave
up, saying "woe is me."

I am not at all suggesting that the current economic
scenario is that simple to overcome in all markets. There
is no single answer to all these complex issues, yet there
is a single superb approach. The keys here are "current
scenario" and "downward trends." There will always be hills
and valleys in every economic cycle. The tide will
certainly turn at some point and a general wellspring of
opportunity will spread over the marketplace. But for now,
we must adapt to the current conditions.

What can you do now to help ensure your income stability
and peace of mind?

1 Re-train. Become the local expert in your field. Learn
more about the other products you have in your arsenal.

2. Study new markets that provide somewhat consistent
opportunities for growth such as food production,
pharmaceuticals, hospitals, utilities, laboratories, safety
and ergonomics, etc...

3. Make more of an effort to brand yourself. Establish
yourself as a valued expert. Focus and specialize.

4. Market yourself: Publish a blog, provide a regular
newsletter, write articles, and utilize email marketing to
better stay in touch with clients.

5. Believe in yourself and the unique value that you bring
to the selling table.

Forget about being a generalist and become a specialist.
Focus on one particularly profitable niche in your industry
and become the "go-to" person in your marketplace. We all
have a unique product line or service that offers greater
value and superior profit margins. Learn all you can about
them. Establish your expertise and publicize it well. Get
the word out. Be confident of the value that you offer.

I recently utilized this strategy at a local Tier 1
automotive supplier by seizing an opportunity to help them
with a unique problem. They were impressed by my response
and ability to remedy their situation. I asked about
similar areas of their plant and the opportunity to address
their issues before they became problems. They liked my
pro-active approach and allowed me to proceed. That success
soon generated others. In fact, their plant manager sent me
an email this past week asking me to meet with him to
discuss multiple opportunities for our products and
services in their plant.

That company has quickly become a major account. I have
been successfully designated their "go-to guy." We have
demonstrated our capabilities and proven our ability and
expertise. Interestingly, I started working with this
account a mere six months ago. I have a goal to develop
five more similar accounts over the next six months. Each
one is already identified and a strategy has been
implemented.

There are great opportunities; plenty of them, regardless
of the state of the economy. Do not give in to the
negativity presented by the media. Focus on your core
strengths and decide which clients need your expertise.
Select prospective companies that are in a strong financial
position to weather this downturn and get busy. Be
assertive. Become their "go-to" person and don't ever look
back.

----------------------------------------------------
Daniel Sitter, author of both Learning For Profit and
Superior Selling Skills Mastery, has garnered extensive
experience in sales, training, marketing and personal
development spanning a successful 25 year sales career.
Experience his blog at http://www.idea-sellers.com

Deciding whether or not to publish your prices.

Deciding whether or not to publish your prices.
Your website is up, your services/workshops/products page
is finished. So... do you publish your prices along with it?

If you do, won't that scare people away? If you don't,
won't people think you're hiding something? It's a
lose-lose situation, it would seem. So, do your clients
need to see your prices, or not?

Safety first.

When someone is looking to hire you, in their heart of
hearts, they've already made a decision. There is a Yes or
No that has already sprung to life, because our inner truth
compass is just that certain.

The problem comes in when the mind gets involved. Because
following one's heart-knowing involves surrendering
control, the ego gets a mite touchy about it. "Uh, are you
sure about this?" your client's ego asks.

Unless your clients are all spiritually-enlightened
masters, chances are their egos will need some soothing,
and the price isn't going to do it.

Well, not the price all by its lonesome.

The question I often hear is "should I publish my prices?"
perhaps because money is such a hot topic. But, the truth
is, the price only makes sense in context.

"Balloon, $27,390" Seems absurd, until you realize it's an
Aerostar S66A Turnkey Ride System- a hot air balloon, with
all the trimmings, by Paul Stumpf. (www.stumpfballoons.com)

Price or no price, people will be slow on the uptake.

Unless you give them more. If you just have two or three
bullet points and a short paragraph, whether you have the
price or not is irrelevant. You're just not giving enough
information to answer all the questions churning in the
mind of your potential client.

That $27K Aerostar is going to raise a lot of questions
before someone buys. It may be true that your service or
class doesn't cost twenty-seven thousand gees, and yet if
you're asking any significant price at all, their egos are
going to need some answers, before they'll let the heart
take control.

So, publish prices or not?

You thought it was a simple question, and it is. But the
answer takes a little bit more work than you had thought.
But, never fear! It's worth it. The little bit of extra
work will mean extra safety, and extra safety means extra
responses.

So, what's the extra? Let's find out.

Keys to Publishing Your Price.

• Get help coming up with questions.

Use friends, colleagues, trusted clients: tell them the
three-sentence version of your offer. "It's a class about
finding work when you've been unemployed, it's a day-long
workshop, and I'm thinking of charging $200 for it."

Then, tell them to come up with all the questions they
might have about it. Don't ask them for answers. Don't ask
for what they want to see in the workshop. Just the
questions that they want to ask you before they say 'yes.'

Push 'em to give you some outlandish questions - the ones
they're embarrassed to ask. "Should I wear a suit? Do I
need to bring a resume? Does it matter if I was fired for
bad conduct?"

• Now, answer those questions on your web page.

Answer 'em. If they have the questions, then believe me
your prospective clients have the questions. And they'll be
looking for the answers. Including the price.

• And yes, include the price.

At this point, after answering all of their other
questions, it definitely will cause more suspicion on the
reader's part if you leave the price out. They'll be
wondering: "They've told me everything but the price... is
there some catch?" They won't want to call you or email for
fear of getting caught in a hypey, hard-sell attack.

Your price is your price. It's okay to present it. If it's
the right price, you've answered their other questions, and
it's really the right thing for them, they'll pay you
happily. If it's not the right thing, whether you show the
price or not, they won't buy, and they shouldn't.

Publishing prices is somewhat of a no-brainer - you want to
publish your prices. But you also need to answer as many of
their other questions as possible, or they'll walk away...
not because of the price, but because their egos don't yet
feel safe enough to trust the heart.

----------------------------------------------------
Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your
Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your
Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line.
He has helped hundreds of small business owners around the
globe succeed in business without lousing their hearts. Get
three free chapters of the book online:
http://www.heartofbusiness.com

Nobody Cares About You!

Nobody Cares About You!
Are you hung up on yourself? Most likely, you replied with
an adamant "no!" But ' does your marketing say otherwise?

When someone visits your website, is it all about you? Do
you talk about how you work, your qualifications, your past
customers? The truth is, Nobody Cares About You ' yet.

When you are networking, emailing, direct mailing,
blogging, etc., is it all about you and how you work?

When people are first touched by your marketing message,
they are really only concerned about themselves and their
problems. They want solutions to their problems and they
want their needs met. Initially, your education, your
process and experience are the last things they care about.

For example, today I was looking for a way to repair my
washing machine. I went to the manufacturer's website and
the only thing on my mind was how to get my washing machine
fixed as fast and inexpensively as possible. I did not
care about their huge new product line or their store
locations. However, if my washer could not be repaired,
then I might be interested.

In another example, I received a sales letter email from an
information products expert, selling me on his teleclass.
In the first 7 sentences, he said I or me 11 times. If I
hadn't been interested in the topic, I would have deleted
the email before I finished those 7 sentences.

Your first tasks in marketing include making an emotional
connection with the prospect so you can begin to build a
relationship, and giving them information on solving their
problems and fulfilling their needs. By focusing on the
prospect, your target prospect will stay on your website
long enough to actually read what you worked so hard to
write!

An appropriate target market comes into play in a big way
here. If you are trying to appeal to everyone, your
message gets watered down so you can appeal to lots of
people. This is worse than talking about yourself! By
narrowing the aim of your message to a narrow segment of
the entire marketplace, you can then make that vital
emotional connection that keeps your prospect interested
enough to join your mailing list, make a purchase or tell
someone else about you.

If you have ever gone to a business networking meeting, you
have certainly heard people recite their laundry list
during their introductions. It goes something like this,
"Good morning; my name is Sue Smith and I have been a real
estate agent for 17 years. I help people buy and sell
homes in the blah blah area, so if you know anyone who is
looking to buy or sell a home, please tell them about me."

As soon as the next person begins their intro, you have
already completely forgotten what's-her-name. She has
talked about herself, has no target market and has not
addressed the problems or needs of anyone.

Get to know your target very well and you will understand
their problems and their needs and can then address them in
all your marketing. One of the most important places for
this information is on your website ' all pages of your
website! While the home page is of utmost importance in
keeping visitors interested in all you have to offer, you
need to remember that your entire website is there to
market your business ' not just the home page.

Even your 'about me' page should be marketing your
business. Remember, your prospects care about solving
their problems and meeting their needs; nobody cares about
you!

----------------------------------------------------
Audrey Burton, Small Business Coach, is "The Tigress". Get
her FREE Special Report, "Closing the Sale is Not
Complicated!" with her FREE monthly email newsletter at
http://www.TigressCoaching.com .

Call Center Trainings

Call Center Trainings
Nothing in the world can substitute the importance of
training, as it prepares you to take-on the challenges with
a lot more skill and belief and when its matter of creating
good impression on the caller who is of other nationality,
other culture and creed, the role of training gets even
more pivotal.

Call centre training is the most crucial part to make the
experience of your caller rewarding and to get repeat on
sales, otherwise, you won't get a second chance to create
your first impression. The key areas which need strenuous
training are product knowledge, technology and speaking
soft with skill.

There is some very significant kind of trainings that call
centers should conduct before exposing their agents to
global callers. Starting with the accent, make the heavy
and localized accent affordable for the US or other
developed nation caller, who are money rich and time-poor,
they do not want to take too longer in understanding the
alien accents. So, Train your agents through
accent-neutralization and by issuing easy to understand
monikers. This may help in overcoming the challenges that
your call centre is facing in serving global customers.

Agents should be taught about the cultures, as cultural
differences are one of the biggest obstacles in making call
centre acceptable. All the callers expect a certain amount
of experience on the part of agent. They are in some sort
of problem while they are calling, some credit card payment
issue, discrepancy on a bill, want to get assistance for
computer problem or are seeking delay in their already
bookings for airlines, they are all calling you with high
level of frustration and the agent ahs to be trained to
handle such situations with cool head and a lot of common
sense.

These already offended callers are not ready to relieve
anyone who is short of words, solutions and way-out for
their everyday problems, all the agents should go strenuous
in-house training before they are exposed to callers that
how compliance can be achieved. US based customers expects
the rep to offer a certain level of empathy, put
thoughtful questions across, use relevant words and get
hold of the problem smartly. Wheras, reps of under
developed countries show sympathy which is offending for
the callers who are expecting sincere support.

Training can give customer service raps more word choice
and way forward to lead the conversation ahead, they can
present a confident gesture about offering sincere
responses in the manner that echoes with your customer
base. The more technology savvy your customer service reps
are, the more their chances of converting a call into
long-term relationship exist. Train the reps with all the
innovative technologies to make them feel good about
everything. This will boost their confidence and they will
perform at their best.

As a crux, the rep should be given adequate knowledge of
the content they are supposed to handle, they should be
given ample training in receiving calls in safe-simulated
environment to get confidence and skills, a detailed
perspective of the country which has most potential
prospects for the call centre and last but not the least,
an ongoing coaching to make their skill, their excellence.

----------------------------------------------------
Be A Call Center trainings Expert, get your step to call
center kit Now at http://www.steptocallcenter.com

Unearth Vast New Sources of Profits Beneath Your Feet

Unearth Vast New Sources of Profits Beneath Your Feet
Many people are unconvinced that business model innovation
can revolutionize any business. Perhaps if we consider an
example from a tradition-bound business, you'll be
persuaded that the barriers have all fallen for creating
more powerful business models.

Let's consider the impact of business model innovation on
the geological thinking behind underground gold mining, an
industry that has had one of the most stable business
models in the world. Based on archeological records, it is
estimated that that business has been around for thousands
of years.

Until the industrial revolution, when power and explosives
could be applied in the mines and stratigraphic maps were
created, the business model and methods used were
essentially unchanged. You put more effort into wherever
you found some gold.

You drilled lots of holes to see what you could find, and
made three dimensional maps to suggest where the gold might
be found by extending the strata you knew to be gold
bearing. Then you drilled some more.

Until recently, the only innovation since then was the
development of futures markets for gold, so that miners
could sell their future production and inventories when
they wanted to reduce uncertainty or risk.

In March 2000, the gold-finding part of the business model
was laid to rest for all time by Goldcorp Inc. The company
issued a challenge to all of the world's geologists to find
more gold in its Red Lake Mine. That mine was already
tapping into one of the world's richest, highest-grade gold
deposits.

Everything the company knew about the mine was shared with
the geologists through the Internet. Substantial cash
prizes were offered for the best ideas. This occurred at a
time when gold prices were at a near-term low in constant
dollar terms.

As a result of having little else to do in the depressed
market, many of the world's best geologists participated.
Over 1400 prospectors registered for the challenge. A year
later, the company announced that the winning submissions
had located 6 million additional ounces of gold.

With further testing, that number may grow. The ultimate
revenue from mining that gold will exceed one billion
dollars and profits will probably be hundreds of millions
of dollars. The cost of the prizes was only $575,000. The
prices cost less than the unproductive exploratory drilling
that would otherwise have occurred.

To fully appreciate the power of this experience, you
should know that this is also a very long operating mine.
Most would assume that there was little more gold to be
found in it that has not already been identified.

To build on that success, the company launched its Global
Search Challenge in March 2001. That contest looks for
important mineral deposits worldwide over the following two
years, and offers two million dollars in prizes.

This amounts to a second model change in only one year.
This time, Goldcorp not only leveraged its own information,
it also leveraged that of everyone else as well as their
ability to interpret that information. Goldcorp will be
able to access every geologist who learned something that a
mining company is not yet exploiting.

And it can then simply go with the best ideas. The mining
industry can expect that the business model for finding
minerals will continue to rapidly change.

When other industries hear about Goldcorp's success, we can
expect to hear about similar challenges being offered for
new information and knowledge to solve problems and find
better opportunities. In time, this new model will
undoubtedly set off yet another new model.

Companies will acquire businesses and properties that have
had little information and knowledge applied to them,
following a similar contest to identify which ones are the
best to buy. Then there will be a worldwide contest to
decide which options for improving the businesses and
properties are the best ones.

Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved

----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of seven books including Adventures of an
Optimist, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The
Ultimate Competitive Advantage. You can find free tips for
accomplishing 20 times more by registering at:
====> http://www.2000percentsolution.com .

The Squeaky Wheel Gets Its Local and Global Clients

The Squeaky Wheel Gets Its Local and Global Clients
You've been squeaking - I mean trying to get your way -
ever since you were a baby. A matter of fact, before you
read any further, why not pull out a chubby picture of
yourself just to have a good laugh. Or, get a good image in
your mind of your baby picture. You got the picture? Would
you just look at that baby smile. Now, your method of
persuasion when you were a baby was crying really, really
loud hoping to get someone's attention. Well, it worked.

As I watch my daughter grow up, she mixes in a temper
tantrum to get our attention. And, much of the time it
still works. The point here is that your growing up
experiences have a lot to do with the way you persuade
others to purchase your product or services. And, so does
your communication.

Since I'm qualified to speak about generational cultures, I
want to point out that our persuasion skills are really a
product of our habitual ways of thinking that have been
passed down from generation to generation. I mimic mom, and
she imitated her mother before her. And I taught my
daughter how to speak, much like my teachers taught me. I
make conscious vocal changes, but I often find myself
thinking, "YIKES! I sound like my mom". When it comes to
trying to get our way, though our persuasion techniques are
very similar to those of our ancestors, the world around
those we communicate with has changed dramatically.

When I first learned this, I had a huge Aha! moment. My jaw
dropped open, because I began to understand for the first
time that some people's skills for persuasion were very
outdated. You may be a entrepreneur, manager, parent,
teacher or student. Whatever your role, you are trying to
communicate messages to those around you and probably doing
it much like your family and friends and their ancestors
and their ancestors. But consider for a moment how greatly
communication with the world has changed.

Now, let's fast forward to designing your website, getting
your letterhead or business card printed. Yes, just like a
child, you are still trying to persuade someone to pay
attention to you. However, now that you got staff and bills
to pay, you NEED to get attention, not just want to get
attention. Instead of squeaking, you need to be SPEAKING!
Since your competition is no longer just local, it's
global, you really need to consider getting out into the
public in a big way. Look at how much assertive advertising
went into Earth Hour 2008. The outgoing, friendly, global
minded and confident self-employed professionals will have
more success attracting clients, than the shy and timid.
So, who do you want to pay attention to you?

Here are some tips from the trenches. Follow these
fundamentals to discover how you may want to change your
client communication and improve your existing results. To
persuade prospects into becoming your clients:

- You must have deep conviction that you are the
answer to their problem.

- You have to have the personality, reputation and
credibility to take your message seriously. This comes from
your success record.

- You have to be trained to communicate your message
in front of audiences.

- You need to learn how to write in a way that
clarifies your thoughts to your target market.

- You must be able to share your story, with some
humor, of how the heck you got into your line of work in
the first place.

Let me tell you, you will not always get your way with
clients. But, by being conscious of how you communicate
with clients, polishing up your presentation skills,
strengthening your belief in your product or service, and
developing a deep passion for what you want out of your
business, you will get your way and persuade more prospects
to become your clients.

----------------------------------------------------
Kim Schott, your Global Client Communication Expert, is the
author of the Keys to Client Communication System, the
step-by-step, paint by numbers client communication program
to attract more clients in less time. To receive your
weekly how-to articles on consistantly attracting more
local and global clients in less time, visit
http://www.SchottCulturalConsulting.com

Jobs Where You Can Work At Home

Jobs Where You Can Work At Home
Have you been dreaming of a job where you can work at home?
Most people think how great the opportunity would be to
work at home. However they do not know how to get started
or what jobs are available. There are actually quite a lot
of jobs that are great for work at home individuals. The
following are just a few that are really great for this set
up and that might work for you!

Website Builder

If you have any web design experience then you can easily
work at home. You simply need to find some clients and
start building websites for them. This is a slow process
because you will need to market your services and gradually
build up a clientele. There are many places where you can
find new clients interested in your services. For instance,
you could advertise your services from your own website or
on forums. Both of these help you get the clients you need
to build a job where you can work at home.
Of course, if you aren't ready to go out on your own just
yet you can always find companies that will allow you to
work for them as a website builder and still work from
home. Finding these jobs takes a little more time and you
need to prove you are responsible enough to work at home,
but there are jobs available if you look in the right
places.

Writer

Many writers work at home simply because it is the best
place for them to get their creative juices flowing. There
are many companies that need writers from technical writers
to content writers and they are more than happy to hire you
and allow you to work at home.

Then, there are writers who are authoring books and things
of this nature. They can also work at home and make an
income.

Transcription

Transcription is another popular work at home job. This
involves taking a recording of a voice or voices and then
putting that into the written word. This is great for
individuals who have attention to detail and who can type
well. Not everyone will find that transcription is the best
work at home job for them, but it does work well for many.

Email Responder

There are many companies that receive hundreds or even
thousands of emails per day. They want to provide a
personal response to each email but they simply do not have
the time to do so. As a result, they hire people to respond
to emails. This is a great work at home job and you will
find it is really easy and can work around your schedule.

----------------------------------------------------
For more information and work from home tips, please visit
our website at http://www.homebasedbusinesst.com . We
provide very useful insight to all kinds of home based
business opportunities and give you the information and
tools you need to make money online.

What Do Your Clients Want?

What Do Your Clients Want?
What Your Clients Want: 9 Ways to Find Out

In order to successfully market yourself and your business,
you need to understand what your prospects and customers
need and what kinds of questions they want answered.

When you know this information, you can use the content for
your website, articles, newsletter, brochures,
teleseminars, ezine, speaking engagements, blog, free
reports, and so on. You can also use it to design new
programs, workshops, services and products.

In other words, you need this information to do ALL your
marketing!

So, how do you find out what your prospective and current
customers need and want most? Well, asking them is the
quickest, easiest and most direct method. There are also
ways you can "eavesdrop" to find out stuff too.

Below are 9 ways for you to stay on top of what your target
group wants:

1) Have a question page on your website

-allow people to submit questions to you in your area of
expertise

-have the link available on every page of your website

2) Keep current with happenings in your industry

-when you read magazines, newspapers and trade publications
clip out anything that you feel would be of interest to
your prospects, or have a possible impact on your clients'
businesses

3) Ask questions on your blog and allow people to post
comments

-if you have a blog, ensure that you are providing lots of
opportunity to get feedback from people who're reading your
posts

-keep track of questions that are being asked and see if
there are recurring themes you could write a specific blog
about, or create a new product

4) Solicit feedback prior to speaking to a group

-you can ask the coordinator of the seminar if they know of
any specific concerns and issues that are facing the
audience you will be speaking to

-if conducting your talk for a specific company, ask if you
can send an email around prior to the event in order to
make sure your talk specifically targets the group's needs

5) Set up a specific email address for people to send you
questions

-promote yourself as an expert by providing people with an
opportunity to submit questions

-tell people about this resource via your newsletter or
ezine, and make sure to publish some of the questions &
answers in the next newsletter

6) Do a survey

-at the end of a presentation or talk, pass around a brief
hand-out asking for feedback and any questions that they
didn't get answered

-have an online survey asking specific questions around new
products, programs, customer service , etc. and promote the
link in your newsletter, ezine, special email and blog

-pick up the telephone and call some current customers to
find out what's working/what's not, what new product or
services they need, and any other question you want
information about

-have a sheet at tradeshows where people can write down
their burning questions and you'll get back to them - give
away a prize for the best questions

7) Join online forums

-browse through online forums that are geared towards your
niche market to see what kinds of questions people are
asking and what frustrations they're experiencing

8) Gather information on your website contact page

-have another field (box) on the contact form where people
can provide details about themselves and their needs

9) Keep watch on competitors newsletters, articles and
blogs

-see what questions that they are being asked and what kind
of information they're providing to their clients and
prospective customers

I encourage you to use several of these methods for finding
out exactly what your customer base and prospects want. Not
only will you ensure that you stay current but you'll also
have great targeted content for all your communications.

The more you understand whom you're talking to, the more
your marketing efforts will succeed and the more lucrative
success you'll have.

----------------------------------------------------
Jody Gabourie, The Small Business Marketing Coach, delivers
simple, innovative and powerful marketing strategies to
help business owners find and keep their most profitable
clients. To learn more about how she can help you take
your business to the next level, and to sign up for her
FREE special report, ezine and articles, visit her site at
http://www.JodyGabourieMarketingCoach.com

The Interesting History of IATA Codes...Who Knew?

The Interesting History of IATA Codes...Who Knew?
Look at your luggage tag or air waybill and you'll see
airport codes instead of origin and destination city names
spelled out. IATA (International Air Transport Association)
assigns a three-letter identifier code to every commercial
airport in the world. (By the way, pronounce it
"Eye-ah-ta,") It's no mystery how IATA came up with BOS for
Boston or STL for St. Louis. But why the heck did it assign
MCI to Kansas City, IAD to Washington Dulles or EWR to
Newark?

Turns out there was method to the madness. When they
started assigning IATA codes, certain prefixes were set
aside. The Navy grabbed the "N" prefixes. Navy pilots train
at NPA (Navy Pensacola), for instance. Take away the "N"
from Newark and EWR makes sense. Nacogdoches, TX? OCH.

With few exceptions, prefixes beginning with "W" or "K" are
generally not used for USA airports lest they be confused
with radio station call letters. So before Washington
Dulles opened they were leaning toward DIA (Dulles
International Airport) but then realized that it might be
too easily confused with nearby Reagan (DCA—District
of Columbia Airport), especially when harried freight
clerks were scribbling chalk letters on baggage carts.
Stick the D at the end and International Airport Dulles
doesn't seem so crazy.

Long before the Wright Brothers, the National Weather
Service dotted stations around the country with two letter
city codes. Later, IATA adopted some of those by simply
adding an X. That's why we might ship from Portland, OR
(PDX) to Los Angeles (LAX).

JFK Airport is a rarity in that it changed IATA code from
IDL when it changed its name from Idlewild. Usually once a
code is assigned, it stays assigned. So if you hop on board
a flight to Indianola, MS and have a really old pilot, you
might want to make sure he doesn't head for New York seeing
how Indianola took over Idlewild's discarded IDL.

An IATA code that starts with Y probably means your freight
is probably headed for Canada. Literally hundreds of
Canadian airport codes begin with Y.

Who wants to be FAT? Fresno Air Terminal doesn't mind. How
do they get CMH out of Columbus? From Columbus Municipal
Hangar. Puzzled on CVG being Cincinnati? Cincinnati's
airport actually sits across the Ohio River in Covington,
KY.

File MCI for Kansas City under "too late now." Because of
the initial letter K restrictions, the original Kansas City
airport was MKC (Missouri Kansas City). When they started
planning a big new airport someone decided that
Mid-Continent International sounded pretty darned fancy and
got the MCI designation. Before the airport opened, local
politicians decided to change the name to Kansas City
International so that travelers would recognize their fair
city. Meantime, it was too late to change the MCI code.

Okay, I've kept you in suspense long enough. You're
wondering about ORD for Chicago O'Hare, aren't you? Midway
(MDW), its cross town rival, was bursting at the seams as
the world's busiest airport in the early days of commercial
jets. Officials decided to build a huge new airport
northwest of town where a tiny airstrip that had been
renamed for heroic Navy pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Butch O'Hare. As
MCI will vouch, once you get an IATA code it's almost
impossible to change it.

What was the name of the little strip before they changed
it to O'Hare? Orchard Field—ORD.

----------------------------------------------------
http://Howtoshipanything.com is and online resource
dedicated to help you ship both domestically and
internationally. W.E. Reinka, an international shipping
consultant, may be reached at
http://www.howtoshipanything.com/w-e-reinka/

The Five Best Ways Improve Your Organization during a Recession

The Five Best Ways Improve Your Organization during a Recession
Are you feeling the squeeze? With so many companies bracing
for a recession, leaders find themselves under pressure to
stop investing in organizational improvements. But we all
know that acting rashly causes problems. Morale goes down,
and when the economy improves, you've got to start over
from scratch.

It amazes me how otherwise rational leaders will just start
hacking away at an itty bitty leadership development or
training budget with more attention than they devote to
other operational expenses 20, 30, or 100 times higher.

Here are five ways you can intelligently s-t-r-e-t-c-h that
development investment during a downturn, and avoid all of
the problems caused by indiscriminate budget cuts:

1. First things first: get crystal clear about the
competencies your organization needs in order to execute
the business strategy. Let's say your organization is
shifting from being a profit center to being a cost center
in support of bigger business units. This is not an unusual
scenario in a downturn, as leaders ask their organizations
to line up around the biggest bets instead of experimenting
with multiple, smaller, and unproven bets. There's probably
a gap between your organization's current ability to
collaborate cross-functionally and what is now needed,
since they've been encouraged to work independently in the
past.

Check to be sure that's true, and if it is, focus your
organizational improvement efforts on enablers of
cross-functional collaboration such as creating
interlocking processes, establishing clear lines of
accountability, and honing your leaders' ability to
collaborate with other leaders.

Note how modest this line item can turn out to be, if you
play it right. You may need a process redesign pro to help
with the development of interlocking processes, an OD or HR
consultant to help think through how to establish clear
lines of accountability in a cross-functional environment,
and an OD consultant to hone skills in collaborative
leadership. You'll also probably need someone to handle
internal communications about the change.

All of these people could work behind the scenes as
advisors if your internal people can take the advice and
run with it, saving a lot of consulting fees. Maybe you
even have one or more of these internal resources available
and need no line item at all.

Either way, the return will be huge relative to the
investment, because you're focusing very specific and
limited resources to address an essential business need. In
this particular situation, we're not even really talking
about solving a problem, we're talking about raising the
bar and enabling significant change, which is an exciting
place to be. Who knew you could actually have exciting
organizational development during a recession?

2. Identify the root causes of any significant problems
before agreeing to a budget number. Do not settle for, "Cut
the technical training budget by 20%," which is a silly
request because it has no bearing on the business. Figure
out if your internal training is solving -- or at least
helping to solve -- the most critical problems of the
business. If it's not, chuck all of it, not just 20%.
Believe me, you'll be the CFO's new best friend and
employees who have been stuck in irrelevant training
classes will cheer. Then figure out which training, if any,
will help address critical business needs, and rebuild your
budget from the bottom up. It's never too late to get this
right. If you're too late in the game for this year, start
the process with an eye on setting next year's budget based
on real need, not just the previous year's number.

3. Get creative about continuing your business-critical
organizational development investments, with the goal of
sustaining and moving forward until better times allow you
to take bigger leaps. For example, it's essential to
develop your high-potential leaders on an ongoing basis,
during good times and bad, but do you really need to fly
them all to Tuscany, or would an easy-in/easy-out business
center like Frankfurt do? How about focusing on local
rotational assignments instead of bigger development
"events" that increase opex? How about utilizing other
technologies to develop them? Even something as dirt-cheap
as a quarterly book club is a way to keep the process
moving forward until better times. You could host it via
Webex, or a conference call, or a blog, or a wiki (o.k.,
maybe a wiki is a stretch...).

4. Don't compare apples to oranges. The $25,000 investment
to coach a new senior leader in a mission-critical role may
create more return than a similarly priced generic training
program for the masses. Be relentless at evaluating the
return you can expect from every organizational development
investment.

5. Where possible and feasible, switch from individuals to
groups. Again, in the leadership development realm, group
coaching can be quite effective, and costs less than
coaching 15 or 20 leaders one-on-one. You won't reap the
full benefits of 1:1 coaching, but you'll have the benefit
of building relationships between up-and-coming leaders and
you'll keep the process moving forward. Nothing kills
credibility like a repeated pattern of excellent programs
that launch with a big bang during good times and then
unceremoniously get the ax during bad times. Far better to
keep it going on a shoestring than to let it die.

----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Selby Long, Founder and Principal of Selby Group,
provides executive coaching and organizational development
services. Jennifer's knack is helping clients navigate the
leadership and organizational challenges triggered by
change and growth. She knows firsthand that great plans
often fail because companies don't take into account the
human factors that come into play when implementing them.
Visit Jennifer at: http://selbygroup.com

Starting A Small Business - How To Find One That Will Produce Instant Cash Profits Anytime You Want

Starting A Small Business - How To Find One That Will Produce Instant Cash Profits Anytime You Want
Are you tired of the program you are currently on? I mean
are you working way too many hours and would like a make a
drastic change in your life for the better? Are you looking
to start a small business and get free from a job so you
can make some really decent money?

Looking back now, years ago when my kids were young, I
could have walked away from my 7 day a week factory job and
I could have started making the same money (or better)
working just a small part-time business as a house painter.

It's like that Rod Stewart song where he sings "If I only
knew then what I know now". With all the overtime I was
getting I still could have beat that job by a mile. I could
have went to from 56 hours a week to just 30 hours per week
with better pay.

As an example, I have been a house painter for years now.
If I get slow and need business, I can go out and get
something going within a few days. And then I stay busy for
weeks or longer. Most of the time longer.

My small, part-time, painting business has been one of the
easiest and fastest ways for me to make instant cash. No
waiting two weeks or longer for a paycheck, no one to say
why are you late again?

No one to tell me that I cant take a day off from work
anytime I want to. No more having to work with someone that
I don't like. And best of all, if I can't get the money I
want to make, I walk away clean on to the next potential
customer.

Have you thought about a small business that produces
instant cash flow anytime you need it? A part-time business
where you could work just 6 hours a day or less, yet make a
full time income? Or just to replace the job you currently
have that you absolutely hate?

Just think if you had a way to make an instant $300, $500
or even a thousand dollars or more anytime you needed it
without having to borrow it. The power to be able to sit
down and write out checks to pay those bills anytime you
need to.

To be able to afford to take your wife and kids out to a
nice dinner on Friday night or Sunday afternoons. To be
able to take a really nice vacation, or buy that new dream
car, buy gas, etc.. Before starting a small business you
must ask your self a few important questions. Questions
like:

1. What do I enjoy doing the most or know a lot about that
I could turn into a profitable small business or part-time
business?

2. How much money would I really like to make? (think big)

3. How many hours do I really want to work?

4. How much start-up capital will I need?

5. How can I get an unlimited flow of customers? (this
guarantees continuous profit)

6. Can I do this thing anywhere and still make money?

7.) Can I do this just as a part-time business and still
make great money?

The idea is to think big, but at the same time be realistic
about it all. Most people think that to start a small
part-time business that they will only probably make an
extra $500 a week.

Which is not bad by the way. But when you think about Uncle
Sam wanting his part plus the cost of gas and the amount of
time you may have to spend, only an extra $500 a week may
not look all that appealing.

To make a pure $500 a week, taxes will take about 20%. So
that drops it down to $400 and if you have to drive
anywhere, that could suck up another $50 a week dropping
your final weekly profits down to $350.

So the idea for starting a small business or part-time
business is to think big. Think low hours, low mileage, big
profits. Find a niche market that you already have
experience in or would enjoy learning and doing. It could
be anything from an interesting cooking related business to
an automotive repair idea or service. The secret is your
desire, personal experience and to not be afraid to think
big or creatively.

----------------------------------------------------
Lee Cusano has owned and operated his own successful
painting business since 1991. In the last couple of years
Lee has added on a highly profitable small part-time
business called star mural painting.
Lee also offers a free report titled "How To Make $250 -
$500 A Day Showing People An Amazing Poster". To get this
free report please go to http://www.star-mural.com

Choosing your perspective

Choosing your perspective
In art, perspective first appeared in the Renaissance, as a
system for making paintings look more like the real world,
incorporating distance as well as size. Gradually the term
broadened to refer to our mental outlook over time, as well
as our visual. Of course, our mental and our visual
outlooks are connected through the act of perception, but
what are we really seeing?

We've all heard of the story of the blind men and the
elephant; an unidentified creature wanders into the Land of
the Blind and six wise men are sent to find out what it is.
Each blind man approaches the animal and according to what
they each find from their respective positions the elephant
turns out to be a wall, a spear, a snake, a tree, a rope or
a fan. In the parable, the six blind men argue long and
hard because they are each right within the limitations of
their findings, but are of course only seeing a part of the
animal. The moral of the story is that had they sought to
share their findings, rather than defending their own views
and disputing each other's, they would have discovered a
more complete view of the elephant.

The elephant is also a metaphor for reality and just like
reality it isn't static, it moves and changes and none of
us are able to see the whole thing at any one time. We use
our perception to connect with the outside world through
sight, smell, texture and meaning, but far from delivering
us a universally consistent view of the same old elephant
our perception is shaped by our perspective.

Our perspectives are influenced by many factors, from
external influences such as culture, religion, education or
even advertising, to internal conditions such as illness,
emotions or the effect of intoxicants. How different does
it feel to go to the supermarket when hungry, and how much
more would we spend, than if we go having already eaten a
big meal? Has the supermarket suddenly stocked the shelves
with more delicious food than usual, or do we have a
different perspective and are therefore seeing things
differently? Do we see the world as it is, or as we are?

The good news is that, whilst we each tend towards a
default perspective for each situation in which we find
ourselves, we can at any moment choose a different
perspective. There is always another way of seeing things
and looking for new and wider perspectives prevents us from
getting trapped in a one-sided view and gives us more
control over how we feel. Developing that habit of
searching for different and wider perspectives helps us to
cope realistically and flexibly with difficulties as they
arise. It gives us more options, broadens our experience
and paves the way for new solutions.

We can also influence our perspective by altering our
perception; literally by changing our viewpoint we can
change our point of view. This can be a simple act such as
shifting positioning a chair, sitting in a different chair
or for meetings that have a history of intractability, try
changing the venue. Using our bodies and our brains as a
unified system makes life easier.

"The aim of an argument or discussion should not be
victory, but progress." Joseph Joubert, Pensées, 1842

----------------------------------------------------
Yolanda Dolling helps businesses reduce costs and increase
sales through partnership and collaboration.
For more on how to grow your business without destroying
yourself or the planet, go to:
http://www.advizory.com

A philosophy of coaching

A philosophy of coaching
We cannot prove human nature; we can only form our own
view. One of the most accessible pieces of theory on this
point was provided by McGregor when he described the idea
that managers view their people in two main categories.
These he labelled Theory X and Theory Y.

Theory X

People are lazy and dislike work People must be coerced or
threatened with punishment People avoid responsibility
People are motivated mainly by money

Theory Y

Work is a natural part of life People will exercise self
direction People accept responsibility under the right
conditions People are motivated by achievement,
recognition, etc.

These two theories are really the extreme ends of the same
spectrum and in truth, most of us would admit to feeling a
mixture of these views about some people some of the time.
It is important to recognize that neither of the views can
be proven as right or wrong in absolute terms; they are
simply beliefs about human nature based on experience. Our
starting point as coaches therefore needs to be which set
of views is more useful. Probably Theory Y. It seems to me
that a coach is likely to be more helpful if his or her
starting point is to believe that the coachee starts with
the potential to achieve his or her aims. It is then the
job of the coach is to play a part in realizing that
potential.

Coaching takes a positive view of human nature and the
capabilities of people and as such it is more closely
aligned with Theory Y. In short, the best coaches have a
simple philosophy:

"The brain with the problem, is the one with the solution"

and they work on this basis in the certain belief that
people have vast reserves of potential which are rarely
used and that the coach's job is to draw it out.

This is important because our thoughts and feelings about
people at work manifest in our behaviour whether we realise
it or not. Approach your people as if Theory X is true and
they'll respond in kind and prove you right. The same holds
true for Theory Y. Putting this into action requires a
philosophy of coaching which recognizes that people are not
empty vessels into which knowledge and skills must be
poured, rather they are seedlings who require careful
nurturing and support.

Only then can we go on to develop an approach to coaching
that is entirely in keeping with these ideas.

Coaching in organizations is broadly similar to say,
coaching in sport in that the primary concern is to perform
better and develop people's abilities. Coaching can be
interpreted in different ways and we need to be aware that
some views of coaching may actually be confusing. Coaching
shares many characteristics with teaching, counselling, and
training etc. but has some subtle yet important
differences. Effective coaching allows people to develop
their sense of awareness so that they begin to see their
problems and concerns with greater clarity.

This presents a platform on which the coaching practitioner
can build in order to develop a deeper understanding and
practical skills. Over time they can become excellent
coaches and achieve great things both for the people whom
they coach and for themselves.

----------------------------------------------------
Matt Somers is a coaching practitioner of many years'
experience. He works with a host of clients in North East
England where his firm is based and throughout the UK and
Europe. Matt understands that people are working with their
true potential locked away. He shows how coaching provides
a simple yet elegant key to this lock. For a bumper load of
coaching tips and tricks - including FREE resources - visit
http://www.mattsomers.com

Succession Planning: Your Company's Future Depends on It

Succession Planning: Your Company's Future Depends on It
You've put your blood, sweat and tears into building your
company. It's grown into something that you're proud of '
something that will leave your mark on the world and bring
you the retirement you've always wished for. In fact, it's
grown past the point where you cannot expect to handle
everything on your own. What can you delegate? And to
whom? Or perhaps you're thinking that you'd like to start
moving into that planned retirement of your dreams. But
how will the business run without you at the helm? With an
entire generation of Baby Boomer leaders looking towards
their retirement futures, these questions are being asked
frequently. In fact, succession planning is becoming an
increasingly important aspect of today's business landscape.

The key to understanding succession planning is that it's
simply the act of having a systematic process in place. A
process where business owners and corporate leaders
identify, assess and cultivate their key people to ensure
they are ready to take on strategic roles within the
company.

Succession planning is something every leader and
organization talks about. On some level, every business
owner knows that they need to have a succession process in
place, yet very little attention is actually paid to
developing a strong plan and implementing it. Even when
there is some semblance of a plan, often it does not
address challenges and issues that arise as impediments to
a smooth transition.

Consider the following scenarios:

SCENARIO 1

POTENTIAL PROBLEM: Multiple partners or owners don't agree
on who should take over the business, in what time frame
and in which roles.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION: Define what skills, experience and
attributes are needed for a position and then to compare
those to any heir apparent candidates.

SCENARIO 2

POTENTIAL PROBLEM: Planning has been tardy and when the
owner or executive is ready to hand things over, the heir
apparent doesn't have the requisite skills or experience.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION: Short of something like a death or
debilitating disease, succession planning should begin
years in advance and those who are to be put in charge need
a formal training and development program designed and
implemented.

CONSIDERATIONS: Decide if you are going to have them buy
in, or you are simply handing them the keys to the kingdom.
All decisions need to be made well in advance and shared
with those who are going to be involved.

SCENARIO 3

POTENTIAL PROBLEM: The heir apparent simply isn't ready.
Not because they weren't given time or attention but simply
because they either don't have what you need right now (and
possibly never will).

POSSIBLE SOLUTION: First you have to ask yourself how you
will handle this should it arise. Second, you should be
creating markers (metrics) along the way so this doesn't
happen ' you should know at least a year out if the person
you have chosen is going to make it or not.

CONSIDERATIONS: This scenario can be avoided if there are
multiple people who may be possibilities; groom them both.
At some point one is likely to become the front runner.
Just make sure you provide each with the necessary
training, development, mentoring and guidance so that you
are giving each a fair and equal chance. If you have
multiple people you are grooming, let them know this. It
isn't fair for one person to believe they have 'the job'
and not be aware that there is competition. If at any
point it is obvious that one candidate isn't going to make
it, then you need to be fair and let them know they are no
longer in the running. You may also need to be prepared
for them to make the decision to leave your company.

It's very important that you understand that you cannot run
the business until the day you leave. Your
leader(s)-in-waiting need to be given the opportunity to
make decisions try new ideas and make mistakes under your
tutelage. This provides you with the opportunity to help
them learn, understand how they think and to gain trust in
their ability. Handing over the reins is best managed in a
gradual process. This way the company staff will have had
the time it takes to begin to view the incumbent as the new
leader.

Putting a succession process in place is crucial to the
success of any company. The key people you've identified
in your plan will eventually be accountable for making
certain that your company is capable of overcoming
challenges and obstacles in the future.

Unfortunately, succession planning tends to be one of those
initiatives that many business owners and leaders can't
seem to find the time to start until it's too late. A
strong word of caution here: if you don't address
succession planning now your organization may end up facing
the burden in the middle of a crisis.

----------------------------------------------------
Linda Finkle is a leading expert on organizational
communication strategies and human potential development.
As CEO of her executive coaching firm, INCEDO GROUP, Linda
has helped countless leaders build internal communication
and conflict resolution strategies. She brings about
changes in attitude and leadership style that yield
dramatic results. Company profitability is an inevitable
side effect. Learn more at => http://www.IncedoGroup.com

Starting a Home Based Business: Keywords are Jet Fuel

Starting a Home Based Business: Keywords are Jet Fuel
When starting a home based business there will be a lot of
things to consider and decisions to be made. However, from
the standpoint of marketing your site, there is no bigger
decision than what keyword or keyword phrase you will use.
Now for anyone new to internet marketing and is starting a
home based business, let me explain, in layman's terms,
what a keyword is.

We have all have used the search engines to find
information we are looking for. When you enter a word or
phrase into a search engine, that is a keyword. As you may
or may not know, there are statistics on the most commonly
used keywords and keyword phrases. A lot of the revenue
that search engines earn comes from advertising, and when
using a pay-per-click service you must select the right
keywords.

There are three main considerations regarding the proper
keyword selection.

1. You want a keyword that is relevant to what you are
marketing and selling.

2. You need to select a keyword that has a significant
number of searches a day to make it worthwhile. If few
people are searching on the keyword, nobody will see your
site.

3. You do not want a keyword with so much competition on a
specific keyword or your site won't be seen. This is
especially true when just starting a home based business on
the internet.

You see, what happens is sites are optimized for search
engines. When people are starting a home based business,
they will use keywords in the text of the site and other
places embedded in the code of the site, which helps the
search engines give you a higher page rank. Search engines
use keywords and how well your site is optimized for that
keyword as one of the criteria to rank your site. The
better your site is optimized the better it will rank.

As of this article writing there are 367,000 sites that
relate to the keyword term 'pet turtles'. Those 367,000
sites all have something about pet turtles in them.
However, in order to rank on the first page of that search,
one of the things that has to happen is you need to
optimize your site, so the search engines see the keyword
'pet turtles'.

However, if you were starting a home based business and you
were selling pet turtles, the keyword of 'pet turtles' is
not good, as it is too broad. Those 367,000 sites have to
do with anything and everything about pet
turtles....selling, caring for, trading, naming, etc. If
you were selling pet turtles, you would want a more
specific keyword, like 'pet turtles for sale'.

After you find a more specific keyword the next thing you
need to check, is your competition for that keyword, and
how often people search for that phrase. There are a lot
of tools available that can help you choose. There is
something called KEI Analysis. This is the Keyword
Effectiveness Index. The higher this number, the more
effective this keyword is for your website. The KEI
increases when the number of searches per day increases,
but it also decreases when the number of competing websites
increases.

A simple tool that is free that provides a high level
overview of your keyword effectiveness is Google's Keyword
Tool. You can plug in your keyword and get a quick sense
of your competition, the number of searches, as well as
additional keywords to consider that are in the same
category.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to
keywords and starting a home based business. When you
start to use pay-per-click advertising your selection of
the right keyword will drive profit to your site. If you
choose poorly, it will cost you money.

You need to make sure you do the proper research, spend the
time, and make the correct selection of keywords as when
you do, you will see your income soar.

----------------------------------------------------
John Washington is an entrepreneur who earns multiple
streams of income from home on the Internet. John has
evaluated numerous home based businesses Please
http://www.FortifiedWealth.com where you view John's
website and home business reference guide.

Entity Formation Fundamentals

Entity Formation Fundamentals
One of the most important steps in any tax strategy is
determining what entity should be formed to hold your
businesses and investments. For legal purposes, there are
four basic types of entities: sole proprietorship,
partnership, corporation and limited liability company. The
entity you choose should take into account both the tax
effects of the entity and the legal aspects of the entity.

- Sole Proprietorship -
Let's examine the tax and legal aspects of each entity,
beginning with the sole proprietorship. A sole
proprietorship is not really an entity. It's what happens
when you don't have an entity and you don't have any
partners. Sole proprietorship is the simplest form of
business. You simply report your income on Schedule C of
your personal income tax return. You don't have to keep a
balance sheet and only a limited income statement. Sounds
good, right? Wrong! This is one of the worst forms of
business both from a tax and a legal standpoint.

From a tax standpoint, not only will you pay income taxes
at your highest marginal tax rate on all of your income,
you will also pay self-employment taxes on 100% of your
income. And you will be at least 4 times more likely to be
audited by the IRS than any other business structure.

If that's not bad enough, the legal side of a sole
proprietorship is even worse. Not only are you liable for
all of your actions, you are personally liable for all of
the actions of your employees. Don't take our word for it;
ask your attorney. They will confirm that a sole
proprietorship provides absolutely NO asset protection.

So when would you use a sole proprietorship? ALMOST NEVER.
About the only time you might want to use a sole
proprietorship is for a side business where you are the
only owner, the only employee and there is very little
taxable income or even a loss.

- Partnerships -
For tax purposes, there are two types of partnerships:
general partnerships and limited partnerships. General
partnerships are the simplest form of partnership. In a
general partnership, two or more people share all of the
management and operating responsibilities of the
partnership. In a limited partnership, only the general
partners share the management and operating
responsibilities. The limited partners are passive
investors.

For tax purposes, income and deductions of the partnership
are reported on Form 1065, which is a separate tax return
just for partnerships. The partners each receive a form K-1
that shows their share of each item of income or loss. The
income or loss from their K-1 is reported on their personal
income tax return. The partnership does not normally pay
any income taxes. Distributions from a partnership are not
normally taxed to the partners.

General partners are typically liable for all of the debts
of the partnership. This means that they can lose more than
the amount they have invested. If there is a lawsuit
against the partnership, the general partners normally are
"on the hook" for any judgments that are more than the
partnership itself can pay. Limited partners typically are
only liable for the amount of their actual investment.

General partners must pay social security taxes on their
share of all of the ordinary earnings from the partnership.
Limited partners normally are not subject to social
security taxes on any of their share of income from the
partnership.

- Corporations -
For tax purposes, there are two types of corporations: S
corporations and C corporations. S corporations are taxed a
lot like partnerships. The income is reported on a separate
tax return, an 1120S and the shareholders all receive a K-1
that shows their share of each item of income or loss. The
income or loss from their K-1 is reported on their personal
income tax return. The S corporation does not normally pay
any income taxes. Distributions from an S corporation are
not normally taxed to the shareholder. In addition, they
are not normally subject to social security taxes.

C corporations are different. C corporations have their own
set of tax laws, tax rates and they pay their own taxes.
They report their income on a form 1120 and pay tax
directly to the IRS. Shareholders of a C corporation are
only subject to tax on distributions from the corporation.
These distributions are referred to as dividends and they
are often taxed at lower rates than other income.

Shareholders of corporations are not normally liable for
the debts of the corporation unless they personally
guaranteed the debt. This means that shareholders normally
can only lose the amount they have invested in the
corporation

- Limited Liability Companies -
For tax purposes, limited liability companies can be taxed
as whatever tax entity the owners want them to be. The IRS
allows a limited liability company to decide how it wants
to be taxed. There are some fundamental principals that
apply to how LLC's are taxed.

Single-member LLC's, those with only one owner, are
normally taxed as sole proprietorships. The IRS calls this
a "disregarded entity." So, for tax purposes, the LLC is
ignored. However, the owner of an LLC can elect to have the
LLC taxed as a C corporation or an S corporation (subject
to the rules of ownership for S corporations).

Multi-member LLCs, those with two or more owners, are
normally taxed as partnerships. They can be taxed either as
a general partnership or a limited partnership, depending
on the responsibilities of the various members (owners).
However, the owners of an LLC can elect to have the LLC
taxed as a C corporation or an S corporation (subject to
the rules of ownership for S corporations). Whether and how
distributions from an LLC are taxed depends entirely on how
the members have elected to tax the LLC, i.e., as a
partnership, S corporation or C corporation, and follow the
distribution rules for the respective tax entity.

Like a corporation, owners of an LLC generally are not
liable for the debts of the company unless they personally
guarantee the debt. This means that LLC members normally
can only lose the amount they have invested in the
corporation.

----------------------------------------------------
Tom Wheelwright is not only the founder and CEO of
Provision, but he is the creative force behind Provision
Wealth Strategists. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Tom likes to coach clients on wealth,
business, and tax strategies. Along with his frequent
seminars on such strategies, Tom is an adjunct professor in
the Masters of Tax program at Arizona State University. For
more information, please visit
http://www.provisionwealth.com