Sunday 17 August 2008

10 Things You Should Know Before You Bid On A

1. Know the value of the product before you bid. Ifthe product is brand new, check to see what priceretailers are charging for it. If the product is used orreconditioned, you will want to pay way less than theretail value.
2. If the product's description or picture isn't detailedenough for you, contact the merchant to get moreinformation before you bid. You don't want to take achance to waste your hard earned money.
3. Know the highest price you will bid for the productand stick with it. Don't get caught up in a bidding war;you may end up paying more than the product's worth.Don't forget to add in the shipping price with your bid.
4. Visit a few online auctions before bidding becausesome merchants auction the same product in manyauctions. You usually can purchase the product fora lower price in a unpopular auction because thereare less bidders.
5. Know the time the auction begins and ends. Youalso want to know how long it will take to ship. Ifyou need the product by a certain date, you'll wantto estimate the time it will take to receive it.
6. Know the payment options the merchant acceptsbefore you bid on their product. If they only acceptchecks or money orders, it may take even longer toget the product because the payment has to clear. Ifthey accept credit cards make sure they have a secureserver.
7. Know if the merchant offers a warranty or moneyback guarantee or before bidding on a product. Youdon't want to get stuck with a product that does notwork or you're not satisfied with.
8. Online auctions will, sometimes, allow you to checkthe merchants history with their auction. Check to seeif people have complained about the their products orbusiness practices before you decide to bid.
9. It's important to place a bid early in the auction toshow other bidders you are interested in the product.If someone does out bid you, don't be afraid to outbid them. Remember not to go over your maximumbid price.
10. Another reason to know when the auction ends;you can place a last minute bid. The other biddersmay not be keeping track of when the auction endsor may not have the time to bid again.

Thursday 14 August 2008

Increase Your Credibility With Web Site Awards

Web Site Awards are given from other sites to reward your site for a specific reason. They will usually give you an award graphicor text link to include on your site if you win. Awards are great to display on your Web site because they will give your business more credibility to your visitors and customers.Some things your Web site could be awarded for are:Web DesignContentLoad TimeWeb FeaturesEase of useOriginality If you think you have a chance to win one of these awards submit your Web site to the sites that give out web awards. Visit other peoples Web sites and see what awards they have won. Only register for awards that are related to the content of your Web site; this helps promote your site to your targeted audience. Before you register to win an award, make sure your Web site is ready. Your sites content spelling and grammar should be correct. It should be easy to navigate through your Web site. Graphics should be related to the content on your page. Create your own awards site for other Web sites. Give the winners a graphic or text link to place on their Web site when they win. Thiswill link your Web site to theirs and draw more traffic to your Web site

Monday 11 August 2008

How To Eliminate Your Competition Without Bloodshed

So how do you eliminate your competition without bloodshed? You must create a niche for your business. A niche is something that makes your business different from your competitors. To compete with other businesses nowadays (especially online) you need something that nobody else can copy. One of a kind! First you must know who your competitors are. Is your business the onlyone of its type? I doubt it. If so, it won't be for long. Do you know your exact target audience? If not, you will have to find out this information before creating any kind of niche. Below are two ways to come up with a competition eliminating niche.
1. Just Ask! The first way to come up with a niche is to think like your target audience or customers. Know their exact needs, wants, goals, problems and interests. There're two ways to do this: The first way is to put yourself in their shoes, think like them. The second way is to give them polls and surveys to find out what they're thinking. Pick a niche that none of your competitors are using. If you can't find one that your competitors aren't using pick one to improve.
2. Just Think! The second way to come up with a niche is to use your brain power. Ask yourself questions like: How can I set myself apart from my competition? What could I offer that they can't? Imagine or daydream that your business is on top of all your competitors. What niche put your business at the top in your head? Now, if you keep asking these questions your mind will eventually start shooting out more ideas than you can handle. One of those ideas may be the niche you're searching for. Now that you have your niche that's just half the battle. You must test it. Does your niche appeal to your target audience? Will it attract people away from your competition? If it does, you're done, until your competition comes up with a better niche. If your niche doesn't, than repeat the process above and test a new niche until it works. If you want to eliminate your competition and be successful you will use this process several times in your business life.

Sunday 10 August 2008

How To Eliminate Your Competition Without Bloodshed

So how do you eliminate your competition without bloodshed? You must create a niche for your business. A niche is something that makes your business different from your competitors. To compete with other businesses nowadays (especially online) you need something that nobody else can copy. One of a kind! First you must know who your competitors are. Is your business the onlyone of its type? I doubt it. If so, it won't be for long. Do you know your exact target audience? If not, you will have to find out this information before creating any kind of niche. Below are two ways to come up with a competition eliminating niche. 1. Just Ask! The first way to come up with a niche is to think like your target audience or customers. Know their exact needs, wants, goals, problems and interests. There're two ways to do this: The first way is to put yourself in their shoes, think like them. The second way is to give them polls and surveys to find out what they're thinking. Pick a niche that none of your competitors are using. If you can't find one that your competitors aren't using pick one to improve. 2. Just Think! The second way to come up with a niche is to use your brain power. Ask yourself questions like: How can I set myself apart from my competition? What could I offer that they can't? Imagine or daydream that your business is on top of all your competitors. What niche put your business at the top in your head? Now, if you keep asking these questions your mind will eventually start shooting out more ideas than you can handle. One of those ideas may be the niche you're searching for. Now that you have your niche that's just half the battle. You must test it. Does your niche appeal to your target audience? Will it attract people away from your competition? If it does, you're done, until your competition comes up with a better niche. If your niche doesn't, than repeat the process above and test a new niche until it works. If you want to eliminate your competition and be successful you will use this process several times in your business life.

Thursday 7 August 2008

10 Reasons Why People Don't Visit Your Web Site

1. You don't offer free original content. It's importantto give your visitors information they can't find any-where else. If you're the only source for a certain typeof information, people will flock to your web site.
2. You don't offer free software. Most people liketo find good deals on software for their computers. Ifthe software is free, that is even better.
3. You don't offer a free contest or sweepstakes. It'sa fact, people like to win things. If you can fulfill thatneed, people will stop by to visit.
4. You don't offer a free directory. Create a directoryof web sites on a particular topic that is related to yourtarget audience. People will visit because they will findwhat they're looking for, all in one place.
5. You don't offer a free e-zine. Most people love toget free information that they're interested in emailedto them on a regular basis. This saves them time andmoney.
6. You don't offer a free community. People like tohave a place were they can have discussions withothers on a particular subject. You could add a chatroom or message board to your web site.
7. You don't offer a free affiliate program. One ofpeople's basic needs to survive is money. When youoffer them a free opportunity to make money they'llline up to visit your web site.
8. You don't offer a free online utility. When you offera utility that can solve a problem, people will visit yourweb site. The utility could be a free autoresponder,e-mail account, search engine submission, etc.
9. You don't offer free current information. Supplynews stories related to your web site. People wantup-to-date news on the topics they are interested in.They will also be interested in visiting your web site.
10. You don't offer free samples of your productor service. Have you ever been to a store and youjumped at the chance to get a free sample of food?This same concept will also attract people to visityour web site.

10 Proven Ways To Accelerate Your Profits

1. Make copies of your web site in many differentlanguages. This'll allow foreign speaking people toread your web site and advertisements.
2. Give your customers a surprise bonus for buying.When you give customers more than they expect,there is a good chance they will buy from you again.
3. Send greeting cards offline or online to customerson holidays. You'll get the chance to increase yourorders by including your ad inside the card.
4. Market your products or services to your targetaudience. For example, don't try to sell a footballin a cooking magazine.
5. Give people the option of buying other productsor add on products when they decide to buy yourmain product or service at the point of sale.
6. Think of new ways to attract people to buy yourproducts or services. You could add on extra freebonuses, delivery options, payments options, etc.
7. Give other businesses the option of selling yourproduct. It could be a simple joint venture deal oran affiliate/associate program.
8. Follow-up regularly with all your prospects andcurrent customers. When people see your ad morethan once they are more likely to buy.
9. Learn sales ideas from reading and studying otherbusiness' advertising and marketing material. Itcould be ads, brochures, tv ads, sales letters, etc.
10. Educate yourself with new strategies to increaseyour sales. You could take classes, subscribe toe-zines and magazines, read books or ebooks, etc.