Know all about what it takes on how to make money the quick and easy way. We share with you details that no one else will!
Have you always wondered why some people seem to make money all the time while you struggle it out? Well, now you can learn all about the secrets of how to make money in a very short time span!
Fashion designing
If you love clothes and designing them by yourself, then fashion designing might just be the job for you! You could start your own website where you propagate your services online. Once you gain more experience and popularity, you can easily make at least a five figure income each month. If you have always been curious on how to make money then fashion designing is one of the best professions to make it big online. It would help if you had some prior qualification on fashion designing. However, even if you don’t it doesn’t matter because if your work is good, it will speak for itself. Once you start gaining more clients you can know how to make money easily and quickly.
Copywriting
If you love writing and creating fantastic advertising copy, then copywriting can be just the job for you. It is one of the best ways to learn how to make money very quickly online. Nowadays most companies are on the lookout for people who can write good quality ad copy for all their marketing and sales campaigns. If you are able to write clear, crisp and concise copy which grabs the attention of the reader, then copywriting can be a rewarding profession. What’s more you can be in the comfort of your own home and still enjoy substantial income each month! Thus copywriting represents one of the best ways on knowing how to make money online.
Freelance photography
Have you always loved clicking away on your camera? Do you love to shoot wildlife or wedding pictures? If so, you might just be on a journey to learning how to make money easily online. Today photographers are much in demand – thanks to the vast number of events that keep occurring on a daily basis. So whether it’s journalism, or advertising, fashion or weddings – you’ll find that good quality photography is needed for almost every industry. If you are an experienced photographer who wants to know how to make money easily, then this profession can be a great experience for you. Not only will you achieve great job satisfaction (since it’s something you enjoy doing) it will earn you good income each month as well!
Interior décor
Have you always wanted to do up rooms and interiors? Do you have an eye for detail? If so, interior decoration can be a great profession for you. Not just that, with interior decorating you can easily know how to make money in a very short duration of time.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Seven Words You Cannot Say In Sales
In the early 70's, George Carlin created quite a stir with his comedic "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television." So much so, that his original routine is still talked about today. His choices were funny to some and grossly offensive to others. The fact remains, that despite a steady decline in moral standards on television, those seven words remain off-limits to this day, at least on network television.
Our word choices and uses are important. They often convey our level of intelligence and understanding to others. Incorrect usage of words displays ignorance, causing others not to take us seriously. Words help to create pictures in our minds. This is critically important, especially in selling, where perception often means everything. "What you are doing speaks so loudly, that I cannot hear what you are saying." says Ralph Waldo Emerson. One might re-phrase that expression to say "I hear what you are saying, but I understand what I am perceiving."
The following words depict negativity and are perceived by your customers as evasive, uncaring, non-interested and non-committal. Trust me, if you are being perceived in this manner, you have already dug yourself into a deep hole and further speech will likely bury you. Lose these seven immediately:
1. forgot
2. blame
3. excuse
4. can't
5. don't-care
6. won't-do
7. no
People want to be part of business and personal relationships where they feel they have importance and matter to the other person. Is that not what you want? There is no place for words or a mindset such as these on the journey towards success. These seven words represent apathy and self-serving, traits that seldom lead to sales growth. It is not only these exact words but the attitudes behind them that must be eliminated.
Development of superior selling skills begins with sincere interest in others. It begins with having the genuine desire to be of service. Our customers not only expect these but demand them as well. It is the base of what will develop into a relationship.
We are in the early stages of another presidential election season. There are seldom more opportunities to witness words, intentions and records more highly scrutinized than right now. Will President Clinton ever live down his scrutiny of the word "the" in defense of his actions? Learn from seeing how words will surely be separated from context, twisted and edited to mean something totally new. "What did you mean when you said...?" will be a commonly asked politically-charged question.
Choose your words carefully. Mean what you say. Forget vulgarity. Forget off-color humor. Forget clouded meanings. Be direct in your communications so that your customer knows exactly what you can, cannot and will do for them. Make certain that they thoroughly understand your intentions and expectations. This is where integrity shines. Clear word choices lead to clear communication which in turn leads to satisfying relationships. Choose your words carefully and win.
Our word choices and uses are important. They often convey our level of intelligence and understanding to others. Incorrect usage of words displays ignorance, causing others not to take us seriously. Words help to create pictures in our minds. This is critically important, especially in selling, where perception often means everything. "What you are doing speaks so loudly, that I cannot hear what you are saying." says Ralph Waldo Emerson. One might re-phrase that expression to say "I hear what you are saying, but I understand what I am perceiving."
The following words depict negativity and are perceived by your customers as evasive, uncaring, non-interested and non-committal. Trust me, if you are being perceived in this manner, you have already dug yourself into a deep hole and further speech will likely bury you. Lose these seven immediately:
1. forgot
2. blame
3. excuse
4. can't
5. don't-care
6. won't-do
7. no
People want to be part of business and personal relationships where they feel they have importance and matter to the other person. Is that not what you want? There is no place for words or a mindset such as these on the journey towards success. These seven words represent apathy and self-serving, traits that seldom lead to sales growth. It is not only these exact words but the attitudes behind them that must be eliminated.
Development of superior selling skills begins with sincere interest in others. It begins with having the genuine desire to be of service. Our customers not only expect these but demand them as well. It is the base of what will develop into a relationship.
We are in the early stages of another presidential election season. There are seldom more opportunities to witness words, intentions and records more highly scrutinized than right now. Will President Clinton ever live down his scrutiny of the word "the" in defense of his actions? Learn from seeing how words will surely be separated from context, twisted and edited to mean something totally new. "What did you mean when you said...?" will be a commonly asked politically-charged question.
Choose your words carefully. Mean what you say. Forget vulgarity. Forget off-color humor. Forget clouded meanings. Be direct in your communications so that your customer knows exactly what you can, cannot and will do for them. Make certain that they thoroughly understand your intentions and expectations. This is where integrity shines. Clear word choices lead to clear communication which in turn leads to satisfying relationships. Choose your words carefully and win.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The process of valuation - 2
Reasons for valuation
Most valuation assignments are for financing purposes, wherein the property owner ( or buyer ) applies for a bank loan and offers to charge the asset to the bank as security to the loan. However, valuers may be appointed for other, more challenging reasons that often require additional skills and experience.
Some of the reason include :-
Most valuation assignments are for financing purposes, wherein the property owner ( or buyer ) applies for a bank loan and offers to charge the asset to the bank as security to the loan. However, valuers may be appointed for other, more challenging reasons that often require additional skills and experience.
Some of the reason include :-
- Funding - In consideration of granting an individual or company a loan or banking facility, the lending bank normally required ' adequate security ' from the borrower in the form of a property asset that it can foreclose and sell by auction in the even the borrower fails to repay the loan sum an interest. The bank normally require the property to be assessed by a professional valuer on its panel prior to granting the loan or banking facility, to make sure the security offered is worth more than the loan sum sought.
- Sale of property - Both a buyer and seller may want a professional opinion of property's market value before entering into negotiations. This is to ensure that the seller does not over-price the property, or that the purchaser does not under pay for it.
- Tracking property values - Some clients, especially the wealthy, may want to know their real nett-worth and for estate planning and strategic purposes, may want a periodic valuation of their assets.
- Stamp duties - When properties change hands, the Federal Government levies a tax known as Stamp Duty, payable by the purchaser or transferee based on the market value of the transacted property. Purchasers would require the transacted property to be valued in order to determine the market value for stamp duty payment.
- Family law settlements - In the even of divorce, incapacity, or death an to facilitate the equitable distribution of property assets, the affected spouse or beneficiary, or even the court ( if a legal tussle is involved ) would require the assets to be valued.
- Foreclosure - When a bank exercises its right to foreclose on a property in the event of default by the borrower, it would require the asset to be revalued to determine the ' reserve price ' prior to its sale by public auction.
- Land Acquisition - When the Land Administrator exercises its power to acquire private property under the Land Acquisition Act, the owner and tenant of such property may need to appoint a registered valuer to evaluate the amount of compensation damages they can claim from the administrator.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The process of valuation
Market value is the focus of a real property valuation exercise, where valuers are engaged to estimate the Worth of the asset in question.
In its simplest form, valuation may be describe as ' the analytical process followed by the valuer', or even an experienced investor considering property for investment, to occupy or for speculation.
This process includes:
In its simplest form, valuation may be describe as ' the analytical process followed by the valuer', or even an experienced investor considering property for investment, to occupy or for speculation.
This process includes:
- Defining the particular property to be valued
- Identifying the particular right or interest to be valued, for example the freehold interest or the sub-lessee's interest; or the compensation business or property owners would claim in the even of their properties are compulsorily acquired
- Date of the valuation - this is especially crucial in land acquisition proceeding, since valuation will be based on the date the notice to acquire is published, in accordance with the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act 1960, and not necessarily when the title transferred or when physical possession of the acquired land is taken. This date is important in the even of litigation that can last many years, during which the value of the property can appreciate or depreciate.
- The purpose and objective for the valuation. In most cases, it is to determine the ' market value ' but valuation may also be carried out to determine the property's insurance value, its value to a business or the value to a purchaser with special interest.
- The appropriate method of valuation most suitable for the type of asset to be valued. This must be in keeping with the objective of the exercise.
- Limiting conditions, if any, which must be stated in the valuation report.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Good or bad, hard to say
Once upon a time, there was a king. The king liked one of his followers very much because he was very wise and always gave very useful advice. Therefore the king took him along wherever he went.
One day, the king was bitten by a dog, the finger was injured and the wound was getting worse. He asked the follower if that was a bad sign. The follower said, ' Good or bad, hard to say '. In the end, the finger of the king too bad that it to be cut. The king asked the follower again if that was a bad sign. Again, the follower gave the same answer, ' Good or bad, hard to say '. The king became very angry and sent the follower to prison.
One day, the king went hunting in the jungle. He got excited when he was on the chase of a deer. Deeper and deeper he went inside the jungle. In the end he found himself lost in the jungle. To make things worse, he got captured by the native people who lived inside the jungle. They wanted to sacrifice him to their god. But when they noticed that the king had one finger short, they released him immediately as he was not a perfect man anymore and not suitable for sacrifice. The king managed to get back to his place after all. And he finally understood the follower's wise quote, ' Good or bad, hard to say'. If he hand't lost one finger, he could have been killed by the native people. He ordered to release the follower, and apologized to him.
But the king's amazement, the follower was not mad at him at all. Instead, the follower said,' It wasn't a bad thing that you locked me up. ' Why? Because if the king hand't locked the follower up, he would brought the follower along to the jungle. If the native found that the king was not suitable, they would have used the follower. Again, the quote ' Good or bad, hard to say ' stands.
>>> The moral of the story is that everything that happened in this world, there is no absolute good or bad. Sometimes good things turned out to be bad things eventually, while the bad things become a gain. Whatever good things that happen to us, enjoy it, but don't have to hold too tight to it, treat it as a surprise in your life.
Whatever bad things that happen to us, don't have to feel too sad or despair, in the end, it might not be a total bad thing after all. If one can understand this, he or she will find life much easier to live with each day...
Anything that happens there is a reason for it, but sometimes we are not in the situation to understand it as yet.
One day, the king was bitten by a dog, the finger was injured and the wound was getting worse. He asked the follower if that was a bad sign. The follower said, ' Good or bad, hard to say '. In the end, the finger of the king too bad that it to be cut. The king asked the follower again if that was a bad sign. Again, the follower gave the same answer, ' Good or bad, hard to say '. The king became very angry and sent the follower to prison.
One day, the king went hunting in the jungle. He got excited when he was on the chase of a deer. Deeper and deeper he went inside the jungle. In the end he found himself lost in the jungle. To make things worse, he got captured by the native people who lived inside the jungle. They wanted to sacrifice him to their god. But when they noticed that the king had one finger short, they released him immediately as he was not a perfect man anymore and not suitable for sacrifice. The king managed to get back to his place after all. And he finally understood the follower's wise quote, ' Good or bad, hard to say'. If he hand't lost one finger, he could have been killed by the native people. He ordered to release the follower, and apologized to him.
But the king's amazement, the follower was not mad at him at all. Instead, the follower said,' It wasn't a bad thing that you locked me up. ' Why? Because if the king hand't locked the follower up, he would brought the follower along to the jungle. If the native found that the king was not suitable, they would have used the follower. Again, the quote ' Good or bad, hard to say ' stands.
>>> The moral of the story is that everything that happened in this world, there is no absolute good or bad. Sometimes good things turned out to be bad things eventually, while the bad things become a gain. Whatever good things that happen to us, enjoy it, but don't have to hold too tight to it, treat it as a surprise in your life.
Whatever bad things that happen to us, don't have to feel too sad or despair, in the end, it might not be a total bad thing after all. If one can understand this, he or she will find life much easier to live with each day...
Anything that happens there is a reason for it, but sometimes we are not in the situation to understand it as yet.
Friday, August 10, 2007
How to overcome that No. 1 fear
THE Book of Lists famously ranked public speaking as the number one fear, above disease, money, flying and, most curiously, death!
But why is public speaking so intimidating?
One theory is that it’s all down to evolution: for most of our history, we have lived in small nomadic groups – so if we make fools of ourselves, the chances of being able to reproduce are dramatically reduced. There’s nowhere to run and hide if you are living in a tribe. Therefore, we have evolved the fear of public ridicule as a defence mechanism to protect our genes.
So, how can we overcome this fear?
First, we have to try to perceive the fear for what it is: an outdated survival instinct. Nowadays, we no longer live in small tribes, so the absolute worst thing that can happen if you embarrass yourself in front of others is that you feel a bit silly. This might not be much consolation but it does help put things in perspective.
Ask yourself, ‘’What’s the worst thing that can happen if this doesn’t go well?’’
A more practical solution is to ensure that you are well prepared with a clear structure to your presentation.
A good way of doing this is to follow the “Power of Three’’ principle. Things are easy to remember in threes: Small, Medium, Large; Red, Yellow, Green; Internationalism, Integrity, Individuality. If you reduce your presentation to three key points, then you will find it a lot easier to hold your train of thought under pressure. It will also help prevent boring your audience.
Another tip for structuring the talk is to use small cue cards.
You arrange the points you want to make in the order you want to say them on cards that fit easily into the palm of your hand. Make sure you number them in case they get mixed up. This will help you to maintain fluency. Fluent speakers appear confident and in control. And when you appear confident, soon enough, you will start to feel confident.
Presenting is a complex skill, just like gymnastics. Nobody would think of doing a gymnastic performance without practising. Similarly, you do not want to go into a presentation without running through it a few times.
You can do this with or without a test audience. If they are people you know and feel comfortable with, this will help boost your confidence.
Doing something several times makes it familiar and less intimidating.
Everybody likes to be liked, and nobody likes to be bored. Therefore, it is crucial to the success of your show that you do not send the audience off to dreamland.
An absolute golden rule here is to make sure that you never, ever simply read from your slides.
If your audience are over the age of five or so, they know how to read. So don’t read the slides. Keep the words in your mouth and on your cue cards. Use a maximum of six key words on each slide if you must use slides at all.
The second point here is to make sure that your audience are learning something. Tell them something new – just as I did at the beginning of this article, when I told you that public speaking is the number one fear.
Your audience will like you if they find you interesting, and you will pick up on that, which, in turn, will make you a more confident presenter ... Thanks, everyone. Any questions?
But why is public speaking so intimidating?
One theory is that it’s all down to evolution: for most of our history, we have lived in small nomadic groups – so if we make fools of ourselves, the chances of being able to reproduce are dramatically reduced. There’s nowhere to run and hide if you are living in a tribe. Therefore, we have evolved the fear of public ridicule as a defence mechanism to protect our genes.
So, how can we overcome this fear?
First, we have to try to perceive the fear for what it is: an outdated survival instinct. Nowadays, we no longer live in small tribes, so the absolute worst thing that can happen if you embarrass yourself in front of others is that you feel a bit silly. This might not be much consolation but it does help put things in perspective.
Ask yourself, ‘’What’s the worst thing that can happen if this doesn’t go well?’’
A more practical solution is to ensure that you are well prepared with a clear structure to your presentation.
A good way of doing this is to follow the “Power of Three’’ principle. Things are easy to remember in threes: Small, Medium, Large; Red, Yellow, Green; Internationalism, Integrity, Individuality. If you reduce your presentation to three key points, then you will find it a lot easier to hold your train of thought under pressure. It will also help prevent boring your audience.
Another tip for structuring the talk is to use small cue cards.
You arrange the points you want to make in the order you want to say them on cards that fit easily into the palm of your hand. Make sure you number them in case they get mixed up. This will help you to maintain fluency. Fluent speakers appear confident and in control. And when you appear confident, soon enough, you will start to feel confident.
Presenting is a complex skill, just like gymnastics. Nobody would think of doing a gymnastic performance without practising. Similarly, you do not want to go into a presentation without running through it a few times.
You can do this with or without a test audience. If they are people you know and feel comfortable with, this will help boost your confidence.
Doing something several times makes it familiar and less intimidating.
Everybody likes to be liked, and nobody likes to be bored. Therefore, it is crucial to the success of your show that you do not send the audience off to dreamland.
An absolute golden rule here is to make sure that you never, ever simply read from your slides.
If your audience are over the age of five or so, they know how to read. So don’t read the slides. Keep the words in your mouth and on your cue cards. Use a maximum of six key words on each slide if you must use slides at all.
The second point here is to make sure that your audience are learning something. Tell them something new – just as I did at the beginning of this article, when I told you that public speaking is the number one fear.
Your audience will like you if they find you interesting, and you will pick up on that, which, in turn, will make you a more confident presenter ... Thanks, everyone. Any questions?
How to avoid theft of identity
First, they go through your garbage and retrieve old bank statements. Then they call you, posing as an official from your bank, and ferret out your personal details. Before you know it, your identity has been poached.
Welcome to the world of identity theft.A recent study pointed out that one of the many things Malaysians feared the most was identity theft. The study in June by technology services and solutions company, Unisys, sampled a group of 890 people aged 18 to 64 in Peninsular Malaysia. Called the Unisys Security Index, it focused on four areas of concern — national security, financial security, Internet security and personal security.
While overall security worries among Malaysians stood at a moderate index of 174 out of a possible 300, certain specific areas were more troubling.Sixty-three per cent claimed to be extremely concerned about Malaysia’s national security in relation to war or terrorism, while 56 per cent said they were very worried about their personal safety.Just over half the people quizzed said they were afraid about their ability to meet essential financial obligations.However, the top two worries among the respondents were identity theft and credit card fraud. Seventy-five per cent polled claimed it to be their primary concern.
However, despite being worried about identity theft and credit card fraud, only 41 per cent of people actually exercise the most basic discipline of destroying their bank statements, bills and other items containing personal information before throwing them into the garbage. This is in contrast to the findings which show that most people are concerned about unauthorised access or misuse of their personal information and 34 per cent of people never read the privacy policies of banks, companies or government departments they had dealings with.Almost one-third of Malaysians used "easy to remember" numbers, like their birthdays, as PIN codes.
Malaysian identity theft victims spend an average of RM808 and 175 hours working to repair the damage to their credit profile.They also faced a range of credit-related problems when trying to cash cheques, obtain loans or even rent a house.Destroy sensitive documents before throwing them away and try to opt for electronic statements instead of hard-copy statements. Keeping personal mailbox locked is the first line of defence against financial fraud and identity theft. Have a personal mail held at the post office if you are going on holiday. Consumers should keep track of the date on which their mail arrived so that they would be aware if it was stolen. They should also check their account balances regularly, choose PIN numbers which cannot be easily guessed, keep updated credit reports on their personal history and always insist on identity verification from people seeking personal information
Welcome to the world of identity theft.A recent study pointed out that one of the many things Malaysians feared the most was identity theft. The study in June by technology services and solutions company, Unisys, sampled a group of 890 people aged 18 to 64 in Peninsular Malaysia. Called the Unisys Security Index, it focused on four areas of concern — national security, financial security, Internet security and personal security.
While overall security worries among Malaysians stood at a moderate index of 174 out of a possible 300, certain specific areas were more troubling.Sixty-three per cent claimed to be extremely concerned about Malaysia’s national security in relation to war or terrorism, while 56 per cent said they were very worried about their personal safety.Just over half the people quizzed said they were afraid about their ability to meet essential financial obligations.However, the top two worries among the respondents were identity theft and credit card fraud. Seventy-five per cent polled claimed it to be their primary concern.
However, despite being worried about identity theft and credit card fraud, only 41 per cent of people actually exercise the most basic discipline of destroying their bank statements, bills and other items containing personal information before throwing them into the garbage. This is in contrast to the findings which show that most people are concerned about unauthorised access or misuse of their personal information and 34 per cent of people never read the privacy policies of banks, companies or government departments they had dealings with.Almost one-third of Malaysians used "easy to remember" numbers, like their birthdays, as PIN codes.
Malaysian identity theft victims spend an average of RM808 and 175 hours working to repair the damage to their credit profile.They also faced a range of credit-related problems when trying to cash cheques, obtain loans or even rent a house.Destroy sensitive documents before throwing them away and try to opt for electronic statements instead of hard-copy statements. Keeping personal mailbox locked is the first line of defence against financial fraud and identity theft. Have a personal mail held at the post office if you are going on holiday. Consumers should keep track of the date on which their mail arrived so that they would be aware if it was stolen. They should also check their account balances regularly, choose PIN numbers which cannot be easily guessed, keep updated credit reports on their personal history and always insist on identity verification from people seeking personal information
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Common mistakes buyers make
Often the biggest investment for most people, house buying is also an area when they have little knowledge in undertaking. If there was a school that taught the right movers to make…
From the school of hard-knocks, here are some “dont’s dos” as offered by a United States based realtor Lending Tree LLC:
1. Don’t go it alone Buying a home is a complex process, requiring knowledge about everything from real estate values to legal matters and insurance. You will need advice you can trust, so set a team to assist you – one that includes professionals such as lawyers, estate agents and friends in the know.
2. Don’t buy a first sight While love at first sigh may be fine in romance, it is so when putting hard earned money into a house. Make a list of your needs and wants, and compare it with how well the house meets them. Checkout the neighbourhood at different times of the day to learn about noise an traffic patterns; whether there are schools nearby (even if you don’t have children, schools nevertheless add value to a locality) and other facilities and amenities you require.
3. Don’t think you own the bank have a clear idea of how much you can spend before you go looking. This will save you the hassle of failing in love with a house that’s out of your price range. Checkout your credit rating with your bank and get the officer to work out how much of a loan you can obtain.
4. Don’t overbuy You may able to borrow more, but can you afford to? Analyse your monthly expenses. As a general rule, your total monthly debts, including your mortgage, should not exceed 50 per cent of your gross household income.
5. Don’t misplace your trust Never get carried away or become emotional about a transaction. Event if the estate agent or the seller is a great friend, or a charming personality, never forget that for them, this is serious business. Be an active, informed participant in the deal by doing your own research from various sources. Find out how you support team can assist.
6. Don’t accept oral agreements Never depend on what is agreed orally! Get it write and get it in writing, from the beginning. Buying a house is a legal transaction, and written contract apply, not verbal agreements.
7. Don’t overlook the fine print You need to understand what you’re signing. Furthermore, although time is of essence when it comes to making an offer or buying a house, never be rushed into it. Get all documents, read and fully understand them and raise questions to clarify doubts before signing on the dotted line.
8. Don’t make an unconditional offer Never be tempted to throw caution to the wind once you’ve found a great house, no matter how excited you are about it. Remember that even if the bank says you’re qualified for a certain amount of loan, it is still left to the bank whether it will accept the house as collateral. Is the unit worth the amount of loan to be released? What does the valuation report say? In the case of completed property, it is advisable to have it inspected by a home inspector before you commit.
9. Don’t have house buyer’s remorse No place is perfect, so don’t miss out on a great house in the market in your search for the perfect one!
From the school of hard-knocks, here are some “dont’s dos” as offered by a United States based realtor Lending Tree LLC:
1. Don’t go it alone Buying a home is a complex process, requiring knowledge about everything from real estate values to legal matters and insurance. You will need advice you can trust, so set a team to assist you – one that includes professionals such as lawyers, estate agents and friends in the know.
2. Don’t buy a first sight While love at first sigh may be fine in romance, it is so when putting hard earned money into a house. Make a list of your needs and wants, and compare it with how well the house meets them. Checkout the neighbourhood at different times of the day to learn about noise an traffic patterns; whether there are schools nearby (even if you don’t have children, schools nevertheless add value to a locality) and other facilities and amenities you require.
3. Don’t think you own the bank have a clear idea of how much you can spend before you go looking. This will save you the hassle of failing in love with a house that’s out of your price range. Checkout your credit rating with your bank and get the officer to work out how much of a loan you can obtain.
4. Don’t overbuy You may able to borrow more, but can you afford to? Analyse your monthly expenses. As a general rule, your total monthly debts, including your mortgage, should not exceed 50 per cent of your gross household income.
5. Don’t misplace your trust Never get carried away or become emotional about a transaction. Event if the estate agent or the seller is a great friend, or a charming personality, never forget that for them, this is serious business. Be an active, informed participant in the deal by doing your own research from various sources. Find out how you support team can assist.
6. Don’t accept oral agreements Never depend on what is agreed orally! Get it write and get it in writing, from the beginning. Buying a house is a legal transaction, and written contract apply, not verbal agreements.
7. Don’t overlook the fine print You need to understand what you’re signing. Furthermore, although time is of essence when it comes to making an offer or buying a house, never be rushed into it. Get all documents, read and fully understand them and raise questions to clarify doubts before signing on the dotted line.
8. Don’t make an unconditional offer Never be tempted to throw caution to the wind once you’ve found a great house, no matter how excited you are about it. Remember that even if the bank says you’re qualified for a certain amount of loan, it is still left to the bank whether it will accept the house as collateral. Is the unit worth the amount of loan to be released? What does the valuation report say? In the case of completed property, it is advisable to have it inspected by a home inspector before you commit.
9. Don’t have house buyer’s remorse No place is perfect, so don’t miss out on a great house in the market in your search for the perfect one!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
4 Easy Ways to Get Advertisers on Your Site
Pump up your profit margin with these simple tips for attracting advertisers.
If you're just getting started on the internet or simply looking for ways to add new revenue streams to your business, you might be considering accepting ads for other companies' products on your website.
Who wouldn't like to make a few extra bucks without any effort? You just put up a few ads on your site and wait for the cash to roll in, right?
Not necessarily.
To make your site attractive to companies looking for ad space, you'll need to have a great niche market, tons of traffic and the promise of good ad placement on your site. However, if you don't have all these elements in place yet, there are still ways for you to make money from ads on your site. The easiest and often the most successful include:
1. Promote an affiliate product on your site.
Joining another company's affiliate program is one of the simplest ways to get started with internet advertising. While affiliate links aren't technically ads, they allow you to make money by promoting someone else's product. As an affiliate, you earn a commission each time someone you've referred makes a purchase. To encourage sales, you might post a banner on your site that links to the affiliate site or publish a newsletter article about their product.
Different affiliate programs offer different payout options. Some might offer 10 percent commission for each sale, while others pay up to 50 percent of each sale. You'll want to shop around for the best deal for you and the best fit for your site. To find good affiliate programs, check out the following directories:
Associate Programs
Affiliates Directory
Refer-It
Some internet advertising pros are actually making all their income from signing on with multiple affiliate programs. They don't even have a product of their own! This isn't a strategy for beginners, however, so take some time to check out different programs before committing to this option.
2. Use targeted advertising with Google AdSense.
Google's AdSense program allows you to make money advertising on your site by placing targeted text ads generated by Google on your pages. The ads appear in rectangular boxes running down the side or across the bottom of a web page with the words "Ads by Google" over the top. These ads are paid for by businesses that use Google's pay-per-click program, AdWords. These ads reflect the content on your site, so if your site sells a book on how to recognize authentic baseball cards, for example, the ads that appear on your site might be for baseball card retailers.
As a Google AdSense publisher, you earn money every time a visitor to your site clicks on one of the AdWords ads on your site. If you're getting a lot of targeted traffic--and if these visitors are interested in the products being advertised--that could mean a healthy new source of extra income for you.
Best of all, Google AdSense is free to join. It's easy, too. Google does all the work of finding relevant ads for your site--you just collect the payments.
A word of warning: Google ads don't work for all sites, so if you add them, be sure to test them. You don't want to lose credibility with your target market.
3. Approach companies directly to ask if you can advertise for them.
If your site is already getting lots of traffic, try looking for sites that offer complementary products and target the same niche market as you do. For instance, if you own a bridal shop, you could approach a local florist to see if they'd like to advertise their wedding bouquets on your site. An ad on your site would also be seen as an implicit recommendation of their product, and it could send a ton of brides to their site. And the more successful your ads are, the more you can charge for them.
Be sure to contact potential internet advertising partners in a professional manner. Call them on the phone instead of just e-mailing them so your communication is more personal and professional. Be ready to supply them with information about your business and your site traffic. The more information you can give them, the more likely they'll be to consider your offer. And above all, make sure they have a solid reputation. If you partner with a questionable company, their activities could reflect poorly on your business.
4. Sign up for a blog-specific ad program.
If you have a blog, consider signing up to feature blog-specific ads on your site. The key is to consider the kinds of ads your target audience will find valuable. Here are some great ways to attract advertisers to your blog:
Sign up with a context-based ad program like Google's AdSense that will automatically generate ads for your site that you can put up within minutes of being accepted to their program. Crisp Ads offers a similar program, but only for blogs.
Place Amazon Associates ads on your site, and feature ads for products you personally use or are happy to endorse. That way, your customers are responding to your recommendations.
Get advertisers interested in your blog with a link they can use to contact you for rates and requirements. This link can be a simple message saying "Click here to find out how to advertise on this blog!" That way, anyone visiting your site is free to discuss advertising opportunities with you.
Sign up with an advertiser-publisher connection program like BlogAds or AdBrite, and get listed in their publishers' directory. One important note: With these types of ads, the advertisers look through listings of thousands of blogs to choose the right people to promote their products. Unless you're getting thousands of visitors a day, they might not be all that interested in doing business with you.
Making money from your site isn't a matter of putting up a few ads and grabbing a paycheck--it takes a lot of research and testing on an already established site to make even the best internet advertising strategies truly pay off.
Even then, you may find that your audience resists the presence of ads. If you're putting people off by placing ads on your pages, you could end up losing more customers and revenue than you actually gain. To make sure this doesn't happen, test every aspect of each new ad campaign you run.
Once you do discover the internet advertising strategies that work best for your site, you can try promoting another product, and then another. Soon, all those added revenue streams will combine to swell your profits.
If you're just getting started on the internet or simply looking for ways to add new revenue streams to your business, you might be considering accepting ads for other companies' products on your website.
Who wouldn't like to make a few extra bucks without any effort? You just put up a few ads on your site and wait for the cash to roll in, right?
Not necessarily.
To make your site attractive to companies looking for ad space, you'll need to have a great niche market, tons of traffic and the promise of good ad placement on your site. However, if you don't have all these elements in place yet, there are still ways for you to make money from ads on your site. The easiest and often the most successful include:
1. Promote an affiliate product on your site.
Joining another company's affiliate program is one of the simplest ways to get started with internet advertising. While affiliate links aren't technically ads, they allow you to make money by promoting someone else's product. As an affiliate, you earn a commission each time someone you've referred makes a purchase. To encourage sales, you might post a banner on your site that links to the affiliate site or publish a newsletter article about their product.
Different affiliate programs offer different payout options. Some might offer 10 percent commission for each sale, while others pay up to 50 percent of each sale. You'll want to shop around for the best deal for you and the best fit for your site. To find good affiliate programs, check out the following directories:
Associate Programs
Affiliates Directory
Refer-It
Some internet advertising pros are actually making all their income from signing on with multiple affiliate programs. They don't even have a product of their own! This isn't a strategy for beginners, however, so take some time to check out different programs before committing to this option.
2. Use targeted advertising with Google AdSense.
Google's AdSense program allows you to make money advertising on your site by placing targeted text ads generated by Google on your pages. The ads appear in rectangular boxes running down the side or across the bottom of a web page with the words "Ads by Google" over the top. These ads are paid for by businesses that use Google's pay-per-click program, AdWords. These ads reflect the content on your site, so if your site sells a book on how to recognize authentic baseball cards, for example, the ads that appear on your site might be for baseball card retailers.
As a Google AdSense publisher, you earn money every time a visitor to your site clicks on one of the AdWords ads on your site. If you're getting a lot of targeted traffic--and if these visitors are interested in the products being advertised--that could mean a healthy new source of extra income for you.
Best of all, Google AdSense is free to join. It's easy, too. Google does all the work of finding relevant ads for your site--you just collect the payments.
A word of warning: Google ads don't work for all sites, so if you add them, be sure to test them. You don't want to lose credibility with your target market.
3. Approach companies directly to ask if you can advertise for them.
If your site is already getting lots of traffic, try looking for sites that offer complementary products and target the same niche market as you do. For instance, if you own a bridal shop, you could approach a local florist to see if they'd like to advertise their wedding bouquets on your site. An ad on your site would also be seen as an implicit recommendation of their product, and it could send a ton of brides to their site. And the more successful your ads are, the more you can charge for them.
Be sure to contact potential internet advertising partners in a professional manner. Call them on the phone instead of just e-mailing them so your communication is more personal and professional. Be ready to supply them with information about your business and your site traffic. The more information you can give them, the more likely they'll be to consider your offer. And above all, make sure they have a solid reputation. If you partner with a questionable company, their activities could reflect poorly on your business.
4. Sign up for a blog-specific ad program.
If you have a blog, consider signing up to feature blog-specific ads on your site. The key is to consider the kinds of ads your target audience will find valuable. Here are some great ways to attract advertisers to your blog:
Sign up with a context-based ad program like Google's AdSense that will automatically generate ads for your site that you can put up within minutes of being accepted to their program. Crisp Ads offers a similar program, but only for blogs.
Place Amazon Associates ads on your site, and feature ads for products you personally use or are happy to endorse. That way, your customers are responding to your recommendations.
Get advertisers interested in your blog with a link they can use to contact you for rates and requirements. This link can be a simple message saying "Click here to find out how to advertise on this blog!" That way, anyone visiting your site is free to discuss advertising opportunities with you.
Sign up with an advertiser-publisher connection program like BlogAds or AdBrite, and get listed in their publishers' directory. One important note: With these types of ads, the advertisers look through listings of thousands of blogs to choose the right people to promote their products. Unless you're getting thousands of visitors a day, they might not be all that interested in doing business with you.
Making money from your site isn't a matter of putting up a few ads and grabbing a paycheck--it takes a lot of research and testing on an already established site to make even the best internet advertising strategies truly pay off.
Even then, you may find that your audience resists the presence of ads. If you're putting people off by placing ads on your pages, you could end up losing more customers and revenue than you actually gain. To make sure this doesn't happen, test every aspect of each new ad campaign you run.
Once you do discover the internet advertising strategies that work best for your site, you can try promoting another product, and then another. Soon, all those added revenue streams will combine to swell your profits.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
19 eBay Success Secrets
Secrets you can use to create a booming business on eBay.
1. Choose a User ID carefully. Be sure to choose a User ID that represents your business or the items you sell. This will become your eBay brand identity to prospective buyers.
2. Start With the "How to Sell" Tour. Watch the eBay selling demonstration video. Then, learn more at the eBay Learning Center.
3. Get ID Verified. You can use the ID Verify option instead of, or in addition to, giving your credit card information when setting up a Seller's Account. You might want to do it so you'll be given an ID Verify icon in your feedback profile, giving the eBay community more confidence to buy from you and allowing you to bypass some feedback requirements when selling in certain formats.
4. Get Computer Backup Disks. Power surges or computer crashes can wipe out your valuable data in seconds. Routinely save the business documents on your hard drive to disks. Label them, and file them in a safe place.
5. Use Accounting Software. Accounting software helps you know how your business is doing so you can make it more profitable. It's also going to make your life much easier come tax time. A bookkeeper can recommend the right software for your business, set it up and teach you how to use it.
6. Make Space for Inventory and Shipping Materials. These items don't have to be in your office, but they do need to be in a safe, dry place nearby. This helps you keep an eye on what you've got and what you need as your business grows. The U.S. Postal Service offers free eBay/USPS co-branded Priority Mail shipping boxes. Go to http://ebaysupplies.usps.com to order yours.
7. Write a Daily To-Do List. Schedule a time to follow up on opportunities that aren't part of your normal tasks, and use this time frame to respond to unplanned tasks that pop up that day.
8. Take eBay's Fees Into Account. Even though eBay charges a small listing Insertion Fee and a Final Value Fee, you may want to take these into account when you're pricing your items. Both of these fees are listed here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/fees.html.
9. Choose the Best Category. From eBay's home page, click the "Buy" button, and browse the categories to find ones that work for your items. Also see where competing items have been placed. It's a good idea to choose two categories for your listings to reach more buyers.
10. Spotlight Your Title. For an additional fee, you can grab buyers' attention when they search for listings by bolding your text (which has increased final item prices by an average of 25 percent) and using a color highlight or border on your listing. Also, say more about your item by adding a subtitle.
11. Consider Hiring a Trading Assistant. When your business on eBay starts booming, you might want help managing your listings so you can focus on other areas of growing your business and also enjoy a balanced work/home life. Hiring a Trading Assistant can free up the time you need and want. Find a Trading Assistant at http://pages.ebay.com/tahub/index.html.
12. Use My eBay. Make sure to use My eBay to monitor your listings and activity on the site. My Messages can also help you keep track of your eBay correspondence.
13. Attend Industry Trade Shows. Not only will you get a preview of product trends, you can also connect with manufacturers and discuss the opportunity of selling their products on eBay. Bring your business cards, and be ready to discuss your success as an eBay seller.
14. Donate to a Nonprofit Organization. Donate part of or the entire final sale price to your favorite nonprofit organizations. Support your community, and your charity listings will get additional visibility along with a blue-and-yellow ribbon icon. Search more than 5,000 charities at http://givingworks.ebay.com.
15. Beware of Unusual Buyer Requests. To help protect yourself from potential fraud, be wary of buyers who have unusual requests. If buyers ask to send partial payments, consider that a warning sign.
16. Ask eBay Consultants for Advice. Once you know how to sell on eBay and you've checked out the eBay Community, your head will be buzzing with new business ideas. Run your questions by the Seller OnRamp consultants for free advice on creating a profitable business on eBay.
17. Subscribe to the Chatter. Every month, get feature articles, tips, helpful links and member interviews. Share your eBay story, and you may be next in the member spotlight.
18. Sign Up for the PowerUp Newsletter. Get advance notice of upcoming events and promotions by e-mail at http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/newsflash.html. You'll get a heads-up on free listing days, feature discounts, seller sweepstakes and more.
19. Design Marketing Materials to Promote Your Store. Get business cards, fliers, letterhead and envelopes to strengthen your Store's brand and invite offline shoppers to check it out. Download eBay's marketing templates for free or visit NetPost Business Connect to create and mail advertising and promotional messages to your customers.
What is AdSense
AdSense is an ad serving program run by Google. Website owners can enroll in this program to enable text, image and, more recently, video advertisements on their sites. These ads are administered by Google and generate revenue on either a per-click or per-thousand-impressions basis. Google is also currently beta-testing a cost-per-action based service.
Google utilizes its search technology to serve ads based on website content, the user's geographical location, and other factors. Those wanting to advertise with Google's targeted ad system may sign up through AdWords. AdSense has become a popular method of placing advertising on a website because the ads are less intrusive than most banners, and the content of the ads is often relevant to the website.
It currently uses JavaScript code to incorporate the advertisements into a participating site. If it is included on a site which has not yet been crawled by the Mediabot, it will temporarily display advertisements for charitable causes known as public service announcements (PSAs). (Note that the Mediabot is a separate crawler from the Googlebot that maintains Google's search index.)
Many sites use AdSense to monetize their content and some webmasters work hard to maximize their own AdSense income. They do this in three ways:
They use a wide range of traffic generating techniques including but not limited to online advertising.
They build valuable content on their sites which attracts AdSense ads which pay out the most when they get clicked.
They use copy on their websites that encourage clicks on ads. Note that Google prohibits people from using phrases like "Click on my AdSense ads" to increase click rates. Phrases accepted are "Sponsored Links" and "Advertisements".
The source of all AdSense income is the AdWords program which in turn has a complex pricing model based on a Vickrey second price auction, in that it commands an advertiser to submit a sealed bid (not observable by competitors). Additionally, for any given click received, advertisers only pay one bid increment above the second-highest bid.
Google utilizes its search technology to serve ads based on website content, the user's geographical location, and other factors. Those wanting to advertise with Google's targeted ad system may sign up through AdWords. AdSense has become a popular method of placing advertising on a website because the ads are less intrusive than most banners, and the content of the ads is often relevant to the website.
It currently uses JavaScript code to incorporate the advertisements into a participating site. If it is included on a site which has not yet been crawled by the Mediabot, it will temporarily display advertisements for charitable causes known as public service announcements (PSAs). (Note that the Mediabot is a separate crawler from the Googlebot that maintains Google's search index.)
Many sites use AdSense to monetize their content and some webmasters work hard to maximize their own AdSense income. They do this in three ways:
They use a wide range of traffic generating techniques including but not limited to online advertising.
They build valuable content on their sites which attracts AdSense ads which pay out the most when they get clicked.
They use copy on their websites that encourage clicks on ads. Note that Google prohibits people from using phrases like "Click on my AdSense ads" to increase click rates. Phrases accepted are "Sponsored Links" and "Advertisements".
The source of all AdSense income is the AdWords program which in turn has a complex pricing model based on a Vickrey second price auction, in that it commands an advertiser to submit a sealed bid (not observable by competitors). Additionally, for any given click received, advertisers only pay one bid increment above the second-highest bid.
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