Franklin Connection

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Copyright © Margie Franklin

Quite unexpectedly one of Liv’s best friends, Brieanna announced her engagement. Andre had just asked her to marry him & she was bursting at the seams to share the news with Liv. It was all so very exciting. Brie and Andre had been dating for a little over a year, but there hadn’t been any mention of a wedding. At least not to Liv & she would know because Brie tells her everything.

Brie is thinking about having the wedding in Jamaica. Andre doesn’t seem to care where he gets married as long as Brie will be his wife. Andre did agree to the September 23rd wedding date, but hopes that Brie will take charge of all the details. She’s considering staying at Sandals, an all inclusive couples resort located on a private island in Montego Bay.

Brie has heard a lot about Sandals’ “WeddingMoon” package from her friends and has even fallen in love with the famous drink called the “Jamaican Smile.” One of the things that appeal to Brie about Sandals’ “WeddingMoon” is that Preston Bailey gives his special attention to each one. Many Hollywood stars have chosen Preston to create that ultimate romantic moment for them so he comes highly recommended.

Another reason that Brie is thinking about Sandals is because of the transfers they give to each couple upon arrival. The transfers allow the newlyweds to hop on air conditioned shuttles and go to other Sandals Resorts in “Mo Bay.” It makes it easy to travel within the same town for a variety of dining experiences and a change of scenery. Sandals also has the “Stay at 1, Play at 7″ program. This means their guests can take advantage of the amenities at all 7 of the resorts in Jamaica, if they’d like. It’s a matter of convenience combined with the bonus of seeing other parts of the island.

Andre and Brie completed the Honeymoon Bridal Registry they had discovered on their favorite travel website, http://www.franklinconnection.com. It’s free for couples to register and provides a variety of options for family and friends when choosing wedding gifts. Andre and Brie have both lived on their own for a number of years. They don’t want the material things that most newlyweds who are just starting out need. With that in mind the happy couple made a wish list of romantic things that they would like to experience on their honeymoon. Their dream list consisted of little adventures that they would always cherish.

Brie and Andre thought the Bridal Registry was awesome and would be convenient for everyone. Their friends and family will save gas and the aggravation of driving to the mall by simply ordering their gifts online at http://www.franklinconnection.com. It’s easy to use too. All Brie and Andre had to do was bring up the travel website, click on “Bridal Registry,” and follow the easy instructions. Instead of buying a toaster or blender, Brie & Andre’s friends and family will have other options. They may contribute towards a romantic couples massage, limo ride w/champagne, Kingston Jamaica Day Tour, live webcast of the wedding, The Dolphin Experience, Hot Towel Beard Shave or even cash to help towards the cost of the honeymoon.

Brie’s thoughts turned back to when she first met the love of her life. She had always been a romantic so she knew right away that Andre was the perfect match for her. He loved the same things that she did, sailing, horseback riding, surfing & snowboarding. But she moved him to the top of her A-list when he told her that he volunteered at the Special Olympics every year. Andre won Brie’s heart because he truly cares about helping people. His good looks were just a bonus, a part of the total package. He doesn’t just talk about volunteering, he takes action.

Brie also volunteers, but her focus is on helping people who are living with HIV/AIDS. That’s how she met Liv. They both were volunteers at the Pater Noster House. The Pater Noster House takes care of low income individuals who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and are homeless or facing homelessness. The Pater Noster House provides a temporary place for them to stay.

Liv & Brie are fun-loving people whose enthusiasm and joy of life is contagious. They enjoy volunteering and have found it to be rewarding because the people they assist are very cool and often become their friends. Most just want someone who’ll listen to them while they bare their souls. People living with AIDS often endure pain, ridicule and avoidance. Although, thanks to education, things have gotten better, but there’s lots of room for improvement.

Liv’s brother died of AIDS many years ago. During the last few months of his life he lived in the Bailey-Boushay House in Seattle, WA. It was the first 24-hour AIDS nursing home and hospice in the US. The doctors, nurses and volunteers took excellent care of Liv’s brother. They even provided accommodations for her family while visiting her brother. The special attention and strong desire to keep Liv’s brother comfortable during the last few months of his life touched Liv deeply. So she vowed to do her part. She wanted to comfort other’s and help relieve some of strain that families in similar circumstances might be feeling. That’s when she decided to volunteer at the Pater Noster House.

Volunteering has always been in Brie’s blood. She tries to help those less fortunate than she because she’s just that type of person. Brie was the one to call on if you needed help in high school or church. After graduating she continued that spirit of helping others by volunteering in the community and other charities. But her heart and passion has always been to contribute, in her small way, to finding a cure for AIDS. The battle against AIDS must be won soon!

Volunteering for Liv, Andre and Brie is a common thread that ties them together. Now they have a wedding to look forward to. Hopefully, the plans will be finalized soon. There’s still a couple of other wedding destinations to consider, so Brie and Andre will look into those before making their final decision. Who knows, maybe they’ll choose an Adventure Wedding and Honeymoon in Africa.

About the Author:

————————————————————————————

Margie Franklin, The Home Biz Diva, owns her own online

Travel Agency and Work at Home Opportunities. To book airfare,

cruises, hotel reservations, car rental, or to use the best online

honeymoon registry, buy passports visit:

Book Travel Online

Work in the Comfort of your Home

http://myvmteammajic.com

————————————————————————————

Copyright © Margie Franklin
http://www.franklinconnection.com

Today we find that Liv has booked travel to China. She decided to venture out of the country and head to the home of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

After searching several travel websites, Liv found the ideal China Tour Package at http://www.franklinconnection.com. Choosing this travel website was the right decision because it also alerted her that a China Visa is required for this tour. Luckily, she was able to download & print it from http://www.franklinconnection.com.

The China Visa is required, in addition to having a passport. The fee is $200.00 and it must be requested at least a month prior to the departure date. Liv was glad that http://www.franklinconnection.com had given her advance notice.

Liv prides herself in trying to “expect the unexpected.” To that end, she also bought the Travel Protection Plan. She’d hate to forfeit the money she paid for the China Tour if an emergency caused her to cancel the vacation. The Travel Protection Plan costs a little extra, but gives her peace of mind.

China was chosen as a vacation place because it sounds fascinating. Liv already new a few things about Chinese culture from high school. For instance, she knew that the Chinese are only allowed to have one child per family. Although some families receive authorization to have 2 children. The One Child policy was established to help with the over population issue. It seems to be working, but there’s also a rumor that abortions have increased and infancy deaths, especially for females. It seems that the Chinese prefer to have a son than a daughter. Liv is puzzled by this. It conveys a negative message to the world that the Chinese do not believe in a woman’s ability to excel or achieve greatness.

Liv’s vacation plans to visit China were already confirmed prior to the recent tragedy of the earthquake in the Sichuan province. Since the earthquake included the collapse of many schools, several families lost the only child they had. That made their loss even more devastating. The earthquake didn’t stop to consider one’s gender, it just destroyed everyone and everything in it’s path. There’s been over 60,000 deaths reported thus far, 26,000 people are missing and over 353,000 were injured.

The outreach of love, compassion and financial assistance has been overwhelming, but much more funds are needed to reconstruct Western China.

Even though the earthquake was quite devastating, China has not canceled the Summer games. Liv is so thrilled to be attending the major event of the year where several countries come together as one and participate in friendly competition. She really hopes to see the Olympic Flame too, but there’s been a lot of controversy & turmoil surrounding it. It seems some activists have made an attempt to snuff out the torch. They want to boycott the Summer Games because they’re protesting China’s crack down in Tibet. Liv applauds the brave, proud torch bearers who will keep the flame lit during the 130 day, 85,000 miles journey from Greece to China.

There’s so much to do in China. The Great Wall is definitely a must see for Liv. She’s heard so much about how fantastic it is. The Great Wall is the largest man-made construction and took several dynasties to complete. It was actually started in the 5th century BC and completed in the 16th century. It winds through the countryside for over 4000 miles and was built to protect the northern border of the Chinese Empire from invasions and attacks.

Liv can visualize the men hard at work, sweat dripping down their backs with a look of determination on their faces as they constructed the Great Wall. They had to overcome numerous challenges as the years turned into centuries, but they persevered. Millions of men lost their lives during construction of the wall.

From Beijing, Liv will fly to Shanghai and visit Cheng Huang Miao (Temple to the Town Gods), which is loved by tourists. From there she will travel to the famous Nanjing Road and…go…shopping! Nanjing Road is known as the best shopping street in China. The shopping district stretches for over 3 miles and is lined with hundreds of upscale department stores, theaters, bars, and fast food restaurants, and many other forms of entertainment. Speaking of entertainment, there’s a rumor that a young man ran for several minutes on Nanjing Road in the nude before he was finally caught.

If she can fit it in her budget, Liv hopes to extend her stay in China so that she may catch some of the Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Games start 12 days after the end of the Olympic Games. These games are inspirational as the athletes had to overcome illnesses and other challenges in order to compete. It would be great to be there to cheer them on to victory.

Although it’s too late now, Liv is hopeful that in the future the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games merge into one fantastic event!

When her vacation comes to a close Liv will be wondering what the next adventure will be. The destination is unknown, but she’s sure that she’ll book it at http://www.franklinconnection.com because of it’s so easy to use & has competitive prices.

At the end of her China Tour Liv will ride the Maglev train back to the airport. It travels over 258 miles per hour and is the world’s fastest train. Although Liv had lots of wonderful and unique experiences in China, she anxiously looks forward to sleeping in her own bed. It’s great to take vacations, but there’s no place like home.

About the Author:

Margie Franklin, The Home Biz Diva

—————————————————————–
To book airfare, cruises, hotel reservations,

car rental, use the best honeymoon registry

or buy passports visit:

http://www.franklinconnection.com

http://www.livethedreamwithfaith.com —————————————————————–

Copyright © Margie Franklin

Olivia,  Liv” for short, is considered to be “The Virtual Travel Diva” by her friends and family. They call her “The Virtual Travel Diva because she is living her dream by virtually traveling the world.

It all started quite innocently. Liv didn’t get to take vacations as a young girl, so she vowed to take several each year when she became financially stable. Now Liv has traveled to many highly sought destinations, thanks to http://www.franklinconnection.com.

When it came to choosing a website to book her vacations, Liv considered the older ones, like Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity. But she chose franklinconnection.com because she had read about the owner, Margie Franklin, online. Her research showed Liv that Margie is a real down to earth person who truly cares about helping others. On the other hand, Liv hadn’t heard anything about the people behind Orbitz, Expedia or Travelocity. Plus, the prices on franklinconnection.com are competitive & there’s many exciting options available on the site. Therefore, to Liv, franklinconnection.com was the obvious choice.

One of Liv’s favorite fun-in-the-sun places to visit is Key West. It’s a fairly new resort called Parrot Key Resort, which is part of the Singh Resort beach house family. Liv loves the name “Parrot Key” because it puts her in mind of beautiful, multi-colored things such as rainbows & Joseph’s coat of many colors, as well as the gorgeous bird. Multi colors are a sign of the good things in life.

Liv chose to vacation in Key West because it’s home to America’s only living barrier reef. She had also heard of Key West’s “live and let live” motto and that suited her just fine. She’s fairly liberal herself and a happy-go-lucky, spirited person.

Memories of the breath taking sunsets of Key West & sandy beaches rate high on Liv’s places to see. Many people flock to the Sunset Celebration on the Mallary Dock because it’s the best place to be at that time of day. Part of the excitement is being entertained by the jugglers, mimes, musicians and artists while awaiting the sunset.

Liv enjoyed the “Duval Crawl” which has everything from pubs, clothing stores, restaurants & souvenir shops. There’s such a huge variety of novelty stores that no excuses are allowed for not being able to find souvenirs for friends and family.

Key West is also famous for their fun-filled night life on Duval Street, scuba diving, snorkeling, boating, sailing, big game fishing & museums. A word to the wise…there’s limited parking and the streets are often filled with scooters & bikes…so be cautious and considerate to others.

As for the experience, Liv found it to be very rewarding and definitely worth repeating.

About the Author:

—————————————————————–

Margie Franklin, The Home Biz Diva, owns her own online

Travel Agency and Work at Home Opportunities. To book airfare,

cruises, hotel reservations, car rental, or to use the best online

honeymoon registry, buy passports visit:

http://www.franklinconnection.com or

http://www.livethedreamwithfaith.com

—————————————————————–

Read more >>

Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/ebiz.html

When you are starting out in a new home business and no one
knows who you are, one of the greatest challenges you will face
is how to drum up new business.

If there were not people in your community or marketplace that
you knew who needed your products or services, you probably
would not have started your business to begin with. But, once
you have talked to those who you personally knew who needed your
what you offer, then your next task is to find others who will
help keep your doors open.

Many people know that they must turn to advertising at some
point in the future, but they hope that day will be long down
the road. For some, this utopian concept will come to fruition.
But for the rest of us in the real world, we must come up with
creative solutions for meeting our home business advertising
needs while working within our budget.

Most people have a misconception about having to spend lots of
money in order to advertise their home business. When you start
out, you honestly will not have much money available for
advertising, and if you do, you should still spend it wisely.

Before you jump headfirst into the world of advertising, let me
share some of the lessons I have learned concerning this most
important topic.

LESSON #1

It does not have to cost an arm and a leg to advertise your home
business, unless you fail to plan and fail to test.

As much as is possible, you should always test your advertising.
If you jump in and start dumping tons of money in to advertising
without first testing your advertising, you might find yourself
broke and without sales at the end of the road. Most people who
commit this error write off their failure on the home business
they chose or the economy or any of a hundred other excuses.
But, if they are unwilling to take responsibility for their
mistake, they will never learn from their mistake. Don`t let
this be you.

LESSON #2

All testing should be done in blocks. If you begin to advertise
simultaneously in newspapers, radio and television, how will you
know which advertising is bringing people to your cash register?
You won`t. All you will know that something might be working,
but you will not know what is actually doing the trick.

Even if you tell people in your advertising to tell you how they
found you, my experience shows that fewer than 10% of the people
ever will tell you anything — and those people who do may not
even get the facts straight! You cannot rely on your customers
to tell you what advertising is working for your home business.
You must put in the extra effort to know for yourself.

LESSON #3

Only when you have a proven and solid advertising portfolio
should you venture to drop big bucks in an advertising campaign.
Even then, you should be careful to keep further measurements to
determine how much the maximum advantage of an ad would be.
Sometimes you might be able to reach ten times as many people,
but depending on the kind of media and other factors, the
additional exposure will only generate twice as many sales. Keep
your eye attuned to situations like this to get the most from
your advertising dollars.

LESSON #4

As Lesson #3 illustrates, sometimes your best advertising
investment may actually cost you less money. When you are first
starting out, whether you are running a home business or a
business outside of your home, you need to be able to get people
talking and thinking about your business.

If you are busy testing ads in media`s such as the newspaper,
magazines, radio, and television, you need to learn ways of
promoting your business that do not require large cash
expenditures. A few examples are:

· Word of Mouth
· Business Cards
· Press Releases
· Non-Primetime Ads on Radio and Television

Here is more information about each type of low-cost advertising:

WORD OF MOUTH

This of course is the cheapest kind of advertising on the planet
— it does not cost you anything. Ask your customers if they
know anyone who could also use your products or services. When
they are happy with your offerings and service, they will be
willing to tell you whom you can contact, and they will pass the
word for you.

BUSINESS CARDS

You can usually pick up 500 business cards for about $20. When
you do, hand them out. Do not give more than a couple of cards
to each person. If they need more cards from you, they will ask.

Some people are known to network with others on a regular basis.
Some of these people are also known to be always looking for an
extra few bucks. With these people, you can suggest to them that
if they write their name on the back of one of your business
cards and the card is presented to you, then you will pay a
referral fee to them. You do not have to offer much —
sometimes one dollar is enough. Look at your home business and
your offerings and decide how much would be a good referral fee.

PRESS RELEASES

Press Releases are a good source for generating news about your
home business. The business editor at your local newspaper is
always on the lookout for a good business story to fill the
business news section of the newspaper.

Of course, the business editor understands the economics of
running a paper and is more inclined to run your story if you
buy advertising in his/her publication, but will still print
stories for special events and openings.

The important thing to remember about Press Releases is that it
must be constructed in the form of a news story. Even if you are
a sole proprietorship, quotes from you should be written in a
third person format: John Doe said, “Your quote here.”

A Press Release should pack the most important information at
the beginning of the copy, and leave extra details towards the
end.

You should always provide the reporter who gets the task a
simple and easy way for him/her to contact you directly. Often
the reporter will want to contact you to get details that will
enhance their take on your story.

NON-PRIMETIME ADS ON RADIO AND TELEVISION

Believe it or not, some of the best rates for radio and
television are on the overnight and non-primetime venues. These
target times are not a total waste as they can easily keep the
infomercial people in business.

These off-hours are just less populated than the primetime hours.

Don`t be afraid to check your local radio and television rates
for non-primetime hours to see what bargains may exist. With
television, primetime is 7pm to 10pm. With radio, primetime is
8am to 5pm. This sure leaves a whole lot of hours available to
advertise your home business at discount rates!

IN CONCLUSION

When it comes down to it, there is a lot to understand about
advertising, but when you have the basic knowledge down pat,
everything will fall into place and bring more dollars to your
bank account.

About the Author:
————————————————————
Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy has helped thousands of people
in over 200 countries around the world start and run a
successful home business. Discover 3 easy steps to start
your own home business and subscribe to The Home Biz Guy’s
Free Home Business Secrets Mini-Course at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/free.html
————————————————————

Quote of the Day:

“Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.”
– Voltaire

Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/free.html

P.S. Get your free Dotcomology book at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/dotcomology.html

Jim Killeen’s adventure through the search engines of GOOGLE to the
far corners of the world have given him a knowledge one can only
obtain throughout the journey.

Computers have become a focus of our daily lives rather than an
addition to the tasks we perform each day. Simply checking our
occasional emails has become a thing of the past. Bringing the
computers out of the den and into the main living area of the home
for researching information, watching videos and sometimes
gathering advice on the many websites available through the
world-wide web. GOOGLE has produced the greatest impression and has
enabled web users to connect, seek, and ultimately locate each
other.

GOOGLE Me The Movie, Jim Killeen, and Blog Talk Radio are merging
together for a one night event on GOOGLE Me Talk Radio! Thursday
night April 24th at 8pm ET. This will be an exciting evening with
the host of GOOGLE Me Talk Radio, Jim Cobb and The GOOGLE Me Man
with the plan, Jim Killeen. Be sure to spend some time at
http://www.GoogleMeTalkRadio.com for the entertaining evening.

Looking to stand apart from others? Go to Margie Franklin’s website,
http://www.brandyourselfgoogle me.com

Copyright © Margie Franklin
http://www.LiveTheDreamWithFaith.com

Recently, I was once again reminded of just how fragile life is. A friend of my teenage daughter died unexpectedly. The news of Ashley Dillon’s death was devastating because she was loved by all those who knew her. During her short time on earth she made many friends, volunteered at her church, competed in sports & participated in the high school band. According to my daughter, Juanita, there was never a time when her friend didn’t have a smile on her face or a kind word for those around her.

Juanita called me to tell me of the loss of her friend, but I could hardly understand what she was saying because of the huge sobs coming from her. I had never heard her cry so deeply. Upon arriving home, we spent time talking about Ashley. My daughter kept repeating that her friend was a good person, who always got A’s on her report card & was nice to everyone. She just didn’t understand why God would take a person who had such a positive influence on others.

My thoughts turned to the family. No one expects, nor wants to out live their children. I wanted to reach out to them and let them know how deeply this has touched me and that they are in my thoughts and prayers. I wish I could erase the huge loss that the family is experiencing, and take away the pain & anguish.

We must not question why such a loving, brilliant individual’s life was snuffed out at such an early age. For it is God’s will and he wanted Ashley to be with him. Only faith in our Lord will help get friends and family through these extremely challenging times.

I love my teenage daughter deeply and would be devastated if anything happened to her. I call her my “P & J” (pride & joy). While she’s lovable the majority of the time, there’s occasions when we have disagreements. I’ve discovered that the teenage years tend to be challenging for parents and children alike. I call the struggles & moodiness that teenagers experience “the teenager syndrome.”

My P & J was always an angel during her pre-teen years. But, lately a different side appears from time to time. It’s during these moments that I must keep reminding myself that the angelic side will reappear & stay for good once the teenage years are behind her. Until then I’ll continue to motivate, love, nurture and guide her. No matter what challenges we may have we both know that we’ll overcome them. For the love in our family is strong and the Lord’s blessings are many. I cherish our time together.

I can’t imagine that Ashley experienced “the teenager syndrome” because she had such a big heart. On the other hand she was a teenager and may have had mood swings. Therefore, I want her family to know that Ashley loved them very much. I’m sure she admired them for standing firm in their beliefs and family values. I would also venture to guess that if she had ever been “grounded” or not allowed to hang out with her friends, she knew that she was being disciplined out of love.

Ashley Dillon was only 16 years old when she died. However, in her young life, she managed to become an inspiration in the lives of many. Please remember to focus on the positives and don’t beat yourself up wishing that you would have handled things differently. Ashley wants you to hold onto the precious memories that you created together.

About the Author— —————————————————————–
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.LiveTheDreamWithFaith.com —————————————————————–

Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/ebiz.html

1. Use a “P.S.” at the end of your ad copy. This
is were you either want to repeat a strong benefit
or use a strong close like a free bonus. 

2. Publish a free ebook and give it away from your
web site or in your e-zine. This will increase your
traffic, sales and e-zine subscribers. 

3. Create multiple streams of income with your web
site. You could sell your own products, join affiliate
programs, sell advertising space, etc. 

4. Give your visitors compliments in your ad copy.
This can earn their trust and put them in a good
mood, in return they will be easier to sell too. 

5. Create new products or services only if there is
a strong need for them. You won’t have anyone to
sell them to if you don’t have a market. 

6. Sell your backend products to your customers
right after they order. Take them to a “Thank You”
web page that includes other products you sell. 

7. Sell a few products on your web site instead of
selling a large amount of products. To many choices
can overwhelm your visitors and they won’t buy. 

8. Include content and free stuff on your web site
that promote the products you’re selling. If they
don’t read your ads, they may read your offerings. 

9. Remind your visitors that you’re human not just
a web site. You could publish information on your
family life, a picture of yourself , a profile, etc. 

10. Provide a “Contact Page” on your web site.
Give your visitors as many options to contact you
as possible. This’ll add credibility to your business.

About the Author:
————————————————————
Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy has helped thousands of people
in over 200 countries around the world start and run a
successful home business. Discover 3 easy steps to start
your own home business and subscribe to The Home Biz Guy’s
Free Home Business Secrets Mini-Course at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/free.html
————————————————————

Quote of the Day:

“Let us be about setting high standards for life, love,
creativity, and wisdom. If our expectations in these areas
are low, we are not likely to experience wellness. Setting
high standards makes every day and every decade worth
looking forward to.” — Greg Anderson

P.S. Get your own website setup free at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/freesetup.html

Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/ebiz.html

Are you an online marketer? Or do you simply promote affiliate
programs? Marketing is truly the most misunderstood word in use
today on the Internet. Let me see if I can clarify this issue
just a bit.

In Marketing 101 at your local university, marketing is actually
the process of Product, Place, Price and Promotion.

PRODUCT

No business can exist without a product or service to sell.

In a nutshell, entrepreneurs are the people who believe in a
product, service or idea, so much that they are willing to
invest their lives into the development of their dream.

Historically, every major corporation in the world was started
by an entrepreneur with a dream and the drive to make it a
reality.

However, there comes a time in the life of every corporation
when those who fear the gambling nature of their founder, squash
the entrepreneurial drive that made the company a viable concern
in the first place. The entrepreneur will either submit to the
careful nature of the stockholders, or he will be forced to
leave the company he created.

The only entrepreneurs who withstand the pressure to move more
carefully are those who have maintained majority control over
their companies.

PLACE

In the offline world, place is defined by location. On the
Internet, place is defined by domain name and the web hosting
service chosen.

Both online and offline, place can make or break a company
without respect to the quality and value of the product, service
or idea.

PRICE

Selecting a price is determined first on a basis of whether the
company wants to be seen as a discount or a value company.

Take for example Wal-Mart and Staples.

Wal-Mart is the lead discounter in the marketplace. Staples on
the other hand is the specialist in office supplies.

Both sell a significant number of office supplies despite the
fact that the lowest price can usually be found at Wal-Mart. As
a value dealer, Staples can afford to charge more for their
products than Wal-Mart.

So the question for you is whether you want to position your
company as a discount or value company.

Testing has shown that products and services can be sold at any
number of prices and still reach a significant number of people.

The challenge of selecting the best price for your product or
service will require a certain amount of testing.

UNDERSTANDING THE PRICING EQUATION

Let`s assume we are selling a product. Let us also assume that
we know that the product can be sold for $10 or $50. Let us also
assume that if the price dips below $10 or rises above $50, then
the product sales fall off significantly.

Our challenge is to determine the best rate at which to sell our
product.

Testing has shown us that we can sell 1000 items a week at $10.
Testing has also shown that we can sell 500 items per week at
$50. And testing has shown that we can sell 650 items per week
at $45.

At $10, our projected weekly earnings are $10,000. When we sell
the product at $50, we know that we can earn $25,000 per week.
Most importantly, we know that we can earn $29,250 when our
product is priced at $45.

With the imaginary testing we have done on our imaginary
product, we can easily see that selling our product at $45 per
item will earn us more money over the long haul.

Thus, when we make the decision for a national rollout of our
product, then we will price our product at $45.

Of course, this is a very simplistic analysis of the point I am
trying to make. Though simple, I believe this analogy will help
you understand the methods of developing a product`s prices.

PROMOTION

Promotion, on the other hand, is the process of notifying the
consumers for your product or service of your availability to
serve them.

Methods of promotion vary distinctly and should be arranged to
meet very specific goals.

As with product, place and price, promotion should not be left
to chance. You should test every ad, every media, and every
price point to determine the best bang for your promotional
dollars.

HEADS UP!

If you are an online promoter or marketer, please factor in the
most important element concerning the cost of your promotions.

What element is that? Your time!

Value your time at a certain dollar amount, and figure in your
time into the cost of your promotional accounting.

I say this because too many online promoters lose sight of this
concept and spend 20 hours to generate one sale while using free
advertising. Even if you rate your time at the federal minimum
wage, then you will have invested $105 of your time for one sale
that might only net you a gross sale of $45!

ARE YOU TRULY A MARKETER OR ARE YOU JUST A PROMOTER?

Most people who run a business on the Internet call themselves
marketers. Yet, most of these same people are really just
promoters wrapped in the label of a marketer.

True marketers do not promote without a lot of advance work.
They spend time planning, testing and measuring their actions
and results to get the most out of every dollar spent and earned.

Entrepreneurs finesse the art of marketing as they build their
company into a major enterprise.

If you are a promoter who does not keep an eye on the total
marketing equation, then you are bound to fail.

If you do call yourself a marketer, then do what a professional
marketer does. Make sure that every dollar spent is spent well.
Make sure that every dollar earned is put to good use. Market
well so that when the people of the next generation look at your
life, they will see a fine example of a successful entrepreneur
that they will strive to emulate.

About the Author:
————————————————————
Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy has helped thousands of people
in over 200 countries around the world start and run a
successful home business. Discover 3 easy steps to start
your own home business and subscribe to The Home Biz Guy’s
Free Home Business Secrets Mini-Course at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/free.html
————————————————————

Quote of the Day:

“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections
must first be overcome.” — Samuel Johnson

P.S. Get your free Dotcomology book at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/dotcomology.html

Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/ebiz.html

When you need an auto mechanic or an air conditioning repairman,
where do you turn for help? Sure, some people turn to the yellow
pages. But most will turn to friends and family and ask if they
know of anyone who can do the work.

The best place for your business to be positioned is to be the
business on the tips of the tongues of the people asked to make
the referral.

THE 300 RULE

Preachers, funeral directors and people in a few other
professions have learned “the 300 rule” through their own
personal experience.

“The 300 rule” states that the average person knows 300 people
on a friendly level. Wedding planners tend to make reservations
for 300 guests. Funeral directors tend to need to make room for
300 mourners. You get the idea.

DOODLING WITH CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE

Imagine your circle of friends, family and acquaintances, a.k.a.
your circle of influence. Now, draw your circle of influence as
a circle on a blank piece of paper.

Next, contemplate the people in your parents` circle of
influence. Some people who know your parents also know you.
Therefore, you will share some influence with the people your
folks know. Now draw your parents` circle of influence on your
piece of paper.

Your circle and your parents` circle will intersect in one area,
although the larger majority of the two circles will not
intersect. If you are like most people, the two circles on your
page at this point looks very similar to the MasterCard logo.

Now imagine drawing a page full of intersecting circles, each
circle representing the circle of influence of the people who
are within your own circle of influence. Imagine trying to
encapsulate an accurate rendering of where your circle and the
circle of your friends will actually intersect.

Some circles will share a large area of space, while others will
barely cover one another.

Actually, you can only imagine at this point what your piece of
paper will look like. The actual layout of the circles imagined
in this analogy is simply too overwhelming for the mind to
comprehend.

THE BIG PICTURE

300 multiplied by 300 equals 90,000. By using the analogy of
doodles in the previous section, the average person can actually
network with up to 90,000 people! Even factoring in the overlap,
one can still probably network with 50,000 people through their
own circle of influence!

Simply amazing, isn`t it?

HERE IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS

There are 300 people on this planet whom you have a reasonable
amount of influence. Take advantage of this fact. Make darn sure
that every person within your own circle of influence KNOWS that
you are in business for yourself, and make sure they understand
what your business offers.

When your friend is asked to make a referral, they will
recommend you.

PASSIVE VERSUS ACTIVE REFERRAL NETWORKING

When people ask your friends for a referral and your friend
mentions your business, that is passive referral networking.

Active referral networking is when you can get your friends go
directly to their friends and say “Hey, I have a friend who just
started a business. If you are in need of what he offers or you
know someone who will need his services, would you please give
my friend a call or make the referral to his business?”

If you can get even a portion of the people in your own circle
of influence to actively refer your business, then you have
built the foundation to build an advertising campaign even more
effective than the average local television advertising campaign.

Think about that for a moment.

Most people only dream of reaching 50,000 potential customers
with their television advertising dollars. You now have the
knowledge to reach 50,000 people without spending a single penny.

About the Author:
————————————————————
Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy has helped thousands of people
in over 200 countries around the world start and run a
successful home business. Discover 3 easy steps to start
your own home business and subscribe to The Home Biz Guy’s
Free Home Business Secrets Mini-Course at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/free.html
————————————————————

Quote of the Day:

“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot
by striking.” — William B. Sprague

PS: Get your free Dotcomology book at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/dotcomology.html

Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/ebiz.html

Operating a home business is seldom easy and interruptions come
in all shapes, sizes and forms.

Between the family, friends and neighbors who call or come by,
and the telemarketers who insist on ringing your number off the
hook, getting through the workday can be a real challenge.

When you introduce children into the home office environment,
your productivity and patience can be seriously tested.

For example, right now my three-year old daughter is pulling on
my shirt and begging me to read her a story. Clearly, Im in the
middle of something important here, but how can I say no to
those eyes? Ill be right back…

Ok, that wasnt so bad was it? Shes happy, Im happy (having
bonded with my daughter) and now Im back to continue my
conversation with you  Whats the lesson here? Flexibility
is a major key to balancing your home business priorities with
your familys needs.

I can tell you from first-hand experience that maintaining a
deep level of concentration on work in a home business for long
periods of time is next to impossible. Naptime does offer some
reprieve, but any break from the kids is usually short lived.

Even with older children, summertime introduces new challenges
with kids running in and out of the house all throughout the day.

I would like to share with you some of the tips I have
discovered to help manage your home office with children in your
midst. Since children of different ages pose different
challenges, I will present my tips in terms of age groups.

OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS

We will look at older children first since they pose the least
challenge to our work productivity.

Children, who are old enough to understand the idea of schedules
and chores, are old enough to understand the needs of your home
business. Explain to your children that you do your work at home
so that you can be near them when they need you. But also be
sure they understand that you must do your work so that you will
have the money necessary to keep your house, feed the family and
to provide them with money for entertainment.

Once your children understand the necessity of your work, then
outline a work schedule and explain it to them. Do make sure
they understand that emergencies are definitely an acceptable
reason to interrupt your work. Then make sure they understand
that between hours x and y, you will be doing work — and then
hold them to respecting your schedule.

INFANTS

Infants will never understand your needs for work. But
fortunately, babies do well under a schedule or routine. Instead
of expecting your child to work around your schedule, schedule
your work around the needs of your baby.

It is simple. Babies eat, sleep and poop. Sometimes they play.
Fortunately, babies sleep more than they do anything else.

Naptime offers the best advantage for getting your work done.
Get your baby into a routine of eat, sleep and play, and you
will experience unexpected levels of productivity.

TODDLERS

If you have a toddler running around the house while you are
operating your home business, then you may find that your hair
turning gray or disappearing altogether. But, gray hair is a
sign of character, right.  

I am venturing to guess that the person who devised the door
lock for the inside of the house did so because he had toddlers
in his own home. Inside door locks should only be utilized when
you are making that important phone call and your toddler is
screaming for your attention. At all other times, your door
should remain unlocked with your door open.

Develop a routine with your children for meal times, naptimes,
and play times. Work these times into your work schedule and
adhere to them. If you fail to keep appointments with your
children, your children will have less respect for your work and
do more to prevent you from the completion of your work.

Don`t be afraid to let your children sit in your lap while you
are working. It helps them to feel wanted and it helps them to
be a part of your daily life. There are times when it is okay
for them to be sitting in your lap while you work, and at other
times you need them out of your lap. Don`t be afraid to tell
them to get down and go play or read a book so that you can
resume your work.

Permit your children to have their toys in your office. Often
they will sit contently and play while you work. Just knowing
you are near is enough to keep them happy.

Be prepared to take an hourly break to deal with your toddler.
Try to do potty breaks at your hourly break and to do drink
refills. This can help your child grow into a routine that will
work well with your home business. At each break, spend a few
minutes with your child giving hugs and kisses and talking with
your child about what he or she wants to talk about.

Toddlers don`t always do well with the routine, so be prepared
to take a few minutes when needed to give the attention that
your child so desperately needs in the moment.

IN CONCLUSION

I hope these tips serve to help you in the challenge of
operating a successful home business.

My home business permits me to fulfill my financial obligations
*AND* see my children grow up. I would never contemplate trading
my home business for another kind of business. Even with the
added challenges of dealing with toddlers in my home office, the
upsides far outweigh the downsides.

Growing my own home business with children around has definitely
given me a new respect for all people who successfully run a
home business with kids in the work environment. I tip my hat to
you… You deserve it!

About the Author:
————————————————————
Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy has helped thousands of people
in over 200 countries around the world start and run a
successful home business. Discover 3 easy steps to start
your own home business and subscribe to The Home Biz Guy’s
Free Home Business Secrets Mini-Course at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/free.html
————————————————————

Quote of the Day:

“You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind.”
– Author Unknown

P.S. Get your free Dotcomology book at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18762/dotcomology.html