Infotips » Books

You Just Sell Some Ebooks Dont You?

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Its easy isnt it? Well I thought it was when I started my Online Bookstore…..

I figured if you build it they will come, well I got them to come, but I forgot to get them to buy anything.

So whats the answer? Now its not all doom and gloom, but lets be realistic, its not easy.

Lets look at the challenges and then the solutions will become apparent as we go.

The first problem is the competition, if you sell books you are up against the likes of Amazon and if you sell eBooks you are up against literally thousands of sites.

Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the other big dogs sell across the spectrum and they buy in bulk and sell cheap. You really cant compete with them.

So how do you sell books competing with these guys? The simplest solution is not to compete against these guys, sounds crazy doesnt it, but its true. Pick an area that you have some knowledge of and then specialize in that area.

Maybe you have a dog that you take to agility or fly ball classes or competitions. You use your knowledge of this area to locate books and ebooks on the subject and then create a specialist website, a “niche site” to sell them from.

The next problem is advertising, email isnt dead no matter what you hear. But it is much harder to get your email read by those you send it too. Spam filters are a necessary evil but they can starve a business of cheap advertising.

The easiest way around that is to create a demand for information and then use that demand to obtain email addresses from your potential customers. This could be through a regular newsletter or by providing an eBook in exchange for the email information. If you are up to it you could write your own eBook to offer, that way the information is unique.

If you do that, then you will be put in the readers “white list”, that way they will get your email and better still, read it.

Then there is traffic, you need thousands of visitors and you need them to come because they want to, not because they are tricked into coming.

This is the difficult bit, you can join as many traffic exchanges as you like, but in my opinion, you are wasting your time. The

visitors you get will be low quality, that is to say that the chances of them wanting anything from your site will be poor.

The real answer is that holy grail, search engine traffic. You could use Googles Adwords, but you had better keep a very close eye on whats going on, I recently took my eye off an Adwords campaign that I made a small change to, 24 hours later it cost me an extra $60 in exchange for 10 leads. That is an expensive lesson to learn when you are supposed to be making money not losing it.

The safest way is to study Googles guidelines then take a visit to my home page at http://www.e-readit.co.uk and find the button for Easy Submit and Meta Tag Analyzer, use the free tools to find out where you are loosing out in your Meta Tags. That will help a little but you need to do a little more yet.

The key to success with all search engines is quality content. The best content will draw the best results.

You need to have products that they will be willing to buy from you, before they will buy from you they need to trust you.

To help your visitors trust you, stop selling them! That is to say, do your very best to explain why they cant be without your products, but dont beat them over the head with logic. Get them passionate your product, create a desire, the rest will happen.

Finally you need to have them come back and buy from you again and again if possible. That is where the list that you built with samples and teasers. That list is your ticket to back end orders and repeat business.

So what did I specialize in? Answer: Webmasters eBooks and in the world of real books Motivational Books and Rare Books.

I hope this gives you an idea of the challenges, some of the possible solutions and of course, where to get more information on the subjects

Heres to your site and your success

About the Author

With a love of books, a background in IT and a desire to build a big business, Steve has developed a number of websites, partnered with some of the internets best known characters and developed his own products. Its time to share the knowledge and help others.

Youth Entrepreneurship, A Disappointing Truth

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:15:03 +0000

The psychology of entrepreneurship can be very rewarding to one who dreams of starting their own business. The freedom of being your own boss has billions of people seeking financial independence and other entrepreneurial expectations. But is entrepreneurship for everyone? Are their any restrictions on who can become entrepreneurs? Sadly, the answer is yes. Many people turn their heads when it comes to assisting young people with business projects, they believe age plays a vital part on the success of an entrepreneur, this in some cases causes the entrepreneur to abandon their dream.

Youth entrepreneurship has great wealth to it; it keeps youth out of trouble, adds growth to the economy, and establishes the opportunity for a better future of business to come. Youth is the age of anyone who is looked upon as young. Young entrepreneurs face many weighty problems such as obtaining start -up capital, leasing property, equipment and so on. When in grade school students were taught to plan for the future because they were the future. But if the present fails to make way it would be destroying the upcoming economy at an early start.

Many people have spoken on the importance of youth entrepreneurship, but few are planning for improvement. Most youth focused entrepreneurial organizations only educate on the “how to ” portion of entrepreneurship. These organizations lack the resources needed to help youth secure start-up loans after their

books close. What good is having an entrepreneurial education if there are no start-up funds to reward it? Locally to nationally youth entrepreneurship still battles for the headlines, hoping the discrimination would someday end.

So what about the government don’t they offer funding? The U.S. Small Business Administration offers a large variety of guaranteed loan programs available to entrepreneurial minded individuals: however, these programs are not available to the younger generation due to the fact that they may not have a credit history. Therefore, I guess these loans are not so guaranteed after all.

Now let’s not assume all youth or even most, have come across these problems. There have been many successful young entrepreneurs who have not encountered such setbacks and have made history. Everyone will not look upon youth as incompetent, just some who might have neglected themselves because they lacked skillful knowledge back when they were younger. The point is, help youth today so they will be able to help you tomorrow and the cycle will continue.

Since the age of 17 Michael has runned businesses throughout Massachuttes and Connecticut. Now age 21 he holds an Associates Degree in Management and Business Administration and is the author of “Green light Entrepreneurship” which will be available to the public in January 2004.

mike01119@yahoo.com

Your Personal Fortune Is In Your Words!

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:45:01 +0000

What is the most important skill you can possess as an Internet Marketer?

Your words!

The words you choose to use in your ad copy, in your sales letters and on your website will determine your success in sales!

Improve your “word” skills daily. Read the ads that come to your mailbox (spam) and learn what words others are using to SELL their product. More important read your competitors ads. What words do they use to SELL their product?

Carl Jung did a study and has determined people fall into one of 4 groups:

1. Thinkers

2. Feelers

3. Sensors

4. Intuitors

Thinkers are detailed oriented, logical and their fear is criticism. They will check and recheck facts. Targeting this group you will need to use factual numbers, precise words outlining benefits of saving money and value for money spent. Be professional and conservative giving the thinker facts and space to make their decision.

Feelers are risk takers and highly competitive. Entrepreneurs and investors fall into this category. They are assertive and confident and do not have time to waste time. To target this group you will need to use “strength” words, saving time, money and appeal to health related issues. Be quick and confident with your words to attract a “feeler”.

Sensors are idea people, advertising, writers…anything creative. People of this group are prone to buy “status”. Use words that will make them feel important, well liked, and recognized. The sensors are into things that will help them become more organized, they like software and books. Approach this group with friendship, show you are not “all business”.

The Intuitors are excellent listeners and patient. They are slow in

making decisions. They are “comfort” people and if they are comfortable with you, will purchase from you. They are turned off by fast talking salespeople so you will need to make friends with them first, selling yourself and finding a common ground between you and them. Use comfort words.

Look at your product. Think about the above groups and write down words you feel would attract each group. Go to http://www.dictionary.com and http://www.thesaurus.com, expand on the words you have written down. Avoid hype but find some words that will spice up your adcopy.

Do not try to sell your product in your ad. You are only writing to your target group to get them to take the next step. Use your email address or set up an autoresponder so you can capture the email address of your prospect, and to send them a more details of your offer. Use words that will appeal to each target group.

Create a picture in the readers mind. Its like telling a story, you have a beginning, a middle and an end. Your ad is a teaser to get them to WANT to read your story. (know more about your product)

Finally, please follow “truth in advertising”. Educate yourself on the FTC guidelines. http://www.ftc.gov Your product must be legal and you must be ethical and honest promoting your product. No amount of words can fix that!

The words you choose WILL sell your product…choose them well!

Ron Pioneer

Learn more secrets in my website..

http://www.affila.com/

contact@affila.com

Your Organization Is Only as Good as Your People

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:00:01 +0000

Let’s begin by singing the jingle from an old US Army commercial. Ready? Sing! “Be all that you can be, in the Aaaaarmy.” Now, don’t you feel better?

“Be all that you can be.” Why do you suppose the army selected this slogan? They selected it because there was a certain kind of volunteer that they wanted to attract, and that message would appeal to that group of people. They wanted to attract risk takers and adventurers. The purpose was to try and tap into the need that many people feel for adventure and growth.

In more recent times the slogan has been changed to, “An army of one.” A slightly different slant in order to appeal to a generation with slightly different values, but still an appeal to the same basic group of people – the adventurer and risk taker.

Just why do they want to attract this kind of person? Simple! In a military organization, that is the kind of person they need in order to be successful in carrying out the mission. They can’t recruit a bunch of lazy folks who are not self-starters and expect to get the job done. Every organization has a type of person it needs to attract in order to become more successful. If they can recruit those people, they will accomplish what they intend to do. If not, they will fail.

Is That All There Is?

Wouldn’t it be great if that was all there was to it? But the reality is different. Sure we have to start with people who have the right qualifications and personality characteristics. But beyond that, every single person who comes into the organization has a whole set of other needs that must be fulfilled. They have personal growth needs, physical needs, emotional needs, relationship needs and on and on. And so what? Organizations don’t function for the purpose of providing those kinds of things to its associates or employees, do they?

Well, no and yes. Certainly the primary purpose of any company or organization is to provide for the needs of the customer or client first. And even though it is not the primary purpose of an organization to provide for the human needs of its workers, the people in the organization still have the needs. And if you ignore those needs beyond a certain point, productivity will begin to suffer, regardless of the overall competence of the workforce. The trick is to, somehow, accomplish the primary mission while creating an environment which allows the organization’s human individuals to experience fulfillment. It may be possible get away with being totally task focused for a while, but soon you will begin to see declines in morale and productivity.

Four Keys to High Organizational Morale

So, what are some things that can be done to insure the good of the organization and its personnel?

Number one is to be absolutely clear about task expectations. People respond more enthusiastically when they know exactly what is expected of them. This is a principle of human nature that can be clearly seen at every age of development. What happens when you don’t give children clear parameters within which to live? They, literally, go wild. They need the boundaries, and so do

your workers. People are able to focus more fully on the task, and will have a strong feeling of accomplishment when a job is completed, when they don’t have to worry about issues that are beyond the scope of the job.

Secondly, give people an opportunity to grow. This is not a contradiction of point number one, above. At every level of responsibility people need to know the boundaries. But everyone also has an inner desire to grow beyond where they currently are. It is possible to provide higher level possibilities which also have their own parameters. Give people something to work toward and they will produce more than they would without that possibility.

A third thing that can be done is to “loosen up”. This, too, can be taken too far, but the tendency is all too often in the other direction. People want to be treated with respect. If you treat people as professionals, they will respond as professionals and get their assigned tasks done, even in the absence of outside pressure. Tension in the atmosphere creates tension in the body which leads to fatigue and a loss of productivity and morale. Handled correctly, people will work from an inner motivation, which is always superior to outside pressure.

Finally, create an atmosphere of respect and friendship. Even if it means leaving a huge salary, many people will quit a job or organization that puts too much negative pressure on them. I know a number of people who have done just that. They left jobs with good pay and high prestige because the atmospheric pressure was just too high. On the other hand, people will be loyal to an organization when they feel respect and friendship, even if the pay is low.

Render Unto Caesar

Of course, the primary focus of every group must be on fulling the purpose of the organization. Most organizations don’t exist for the purpose of making their members feel good. It is there to provide a product or service to its clients and customers.

That being said, there is no reason it cannot be a platform for the personal fulfillment of its employees while it is fulfilling its primary mission. If both of those things can be incorporated into the equation, you will have happy workers and a very productive organization. Everyone has a part to play in this process, but it begins at the top. Every leader sets the tone for their followers. Begin, now, to create an atmosphere in your organization that allows both the organization and the individuals to “be all that they can be.”

Dr. Freddy Davis is the owner of TSM Enterprises and conducts conferences, seminars and organizational training for executives, managers and sales professionals to help develop greater effectiveness and productivity. He is the author of the book Supercharged! as well as the Nutshell Series of books for strengthening business. You can visit the TSM website at www.tsmenterprises.com, or you can contact Freddy directly at 888-883-0656 or davis@iname.com.

davis@iname.com

Your Future Profit is in the Stars

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:30:02 +0000

You dont believe in astrology but you check your horoscope in the newspaper just for fun. Me too. But millions of people do believe in astrology and are willing to pay to know the future. This creates an opportunity for you to profit from an astrology web site.

Because the earth and other planets orbit around the Sun in the same plane, the planets appear to move through a belt in the sky called the “zodiac”. The zodiac is divided into twelve parts called “houses”.

Astrologers believe that the angles the planets make to each other and to the Sun and Moon affect our lives. Each house influences specific areas of our lives, such as health, money, career, and relationships.

The part of the zodiac that was rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of a persons birth is that persons sign. My sign is Virgo. Virgos are hard working and dedicated to duty. They are also self-centered, critical, and lacking sympathy and empathy. Anyone who knows me would probably say that description fits me pretty well.

Each planet controls a particular aspect of our life. For example, Mars has an aggressive influence. If Mars were to move into Virgo, my horoscope would predict that business endeavors would be likely to succeed for me, but nervous irritability would manifest itself.

Here is how to develop your astrology web site.

Use impressive graphics to display the signs of the zodiac. Give the site an air of class and mystery.
Astrologers use special symbols to write a map of a persons individual possibilities or difficulties in life. Provide some impressive scientific looking charts.
Provide a free daily horoscope for each sign. Word each horoscope to tempt the visitor to register to receive more detail.

“A great opportunity will make itself available to you, but a

person presenting that opportunity may not be entirely truthful with you. Please login for complete details.”

4. Provide several levels of access. To login requires a small membership fee. For a higher fee, provide access to a comprehensive analysis. For an even higher fee, provide personal consultation by email. For an even higher fee, provide telephone consultation.

Important Points

Before you get started on your astrology web site, train yourself. Read a few good books on astrology. Visit some astrology web sites.
On the front page of your Web site place a link to a disclaimer that includes: “Any predictions of future events are NOT guaranteed, they are meant only as possibilities.”
A person seeking guidance from astrology is actually looking for consolation and reassurance in their life. Regardless of what your astrological charts predict for the individual, communicate it in a reassuring and encouraging way.

If you are creative, can write, and like people, than you can provide valuable astrological guidance to people who are willing to pay to know the future. My horoscope for you is this – your future profit is in the stars.

–

Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included.

Copyright(C)Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com. To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank email to subscribe@bucarotechelp.com

Writing a Books Marketing Plan for Maximum Profit

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:45:03 +0000

Much has been written about book proposals. But less has been written about book marketing plans. This is wrong!

What happens after your book is published has a great deal to do with whether you become published and profitable. or just published.

A book proposal is a direct-marketing document intended to persuade publishers to edit, print and distribute your book. It’s a sales piece intended to communicate the inevitability of your book’s success.

Your book’s marketing plan, however, is intended for an audience of one – You! It’s not intended for your publisher. Rather, it’s intended to identify the revenue streams that you will develop after your book is published.

Your marketing plan should describe profits you will earn above and beyond royalties from sales of your book. It should describe in detail your market and the steps you will take to earn this income.

The reason to prepare your marketing plan now, before you sign a publishing contract or write your book, is that the success of your marketing plan depends on the way your book publishing contract is negotiated.

Coaching and consulting

Let’s assume, for example, that you plan to use your book as a way of enhancing your visibility and credibility among your target market. At the simplest level, you will want to include your web site address at several points in the book. Knowing this goal, you can insist that the publisher agrees in writing to include your web site address in specific locations in your book.

Remember: promises don’t make it! Let’s take the worst case scenario. You and your acquisition editor agree that you can include five mentions of your web site address in the book. However, as often occurs, the acquisition editor, after signing the contract, fades out of the picture.

The new development editor then informs you that author’s URL’s can only appear in one place, in the author biography hidden toward the rear of the book. When this happens, what happens to your coaching and consulting

plans?

Likewise, you may have planned to buy books in case lot quantities for resale and/or distribution to your prospects and clients. Understanding this before you sign the contract, you can include the right to purchase books for resale at trade discounts in your contract, ensuring your ‘book pipeline’ won’t get turned off.

If you know you want to offer telephone coaching at $75.00 a call, for example, you can negotiate written permission to promote this service within the body of your book.

Remember: promises are written on air. Only written agreements count!

Other back-end profit opportunities based on your book’s title include:

.Articles, columns, newsletters
.Yearly updates
.Special Reports
.Teleclasses and seminars
.Speaking and training
.Audio/video recordings
.Choosing a web site address based on your book’s title
.Free downloads of sample chapters from your web site
.Fee-based web site services

The possibilities are endless, but nothing can happen if, after signing the contract, the publisher limits your ability to promote your business and your website in your book.

Thus, it’s imperative that you start by preparing a marketing plan that analyzes post-publication profit opportunities and describes the steps needed to make them happen. Only then are you in a position to decide if the publisher’s ‘boilerplate’ contract meets your needs.

The stronger your book proposal and the more experienced your agent, the more likely you’ll get what you want (need) in your contract.

Jay Conrad Levinson says the first volume of his Guerrilla Marketing series earned him thirty million dollars. But only about $35,000 came from the book itself. All the rest came from back-end profits.

That’s how important this issue is!

About the Author

Roger C. Parker is the $32,000,000 author with over 1.6 million copies in print. Learn about Writing Magic: 8 Steps to Becoming Published and Profitable here: www.publishedandprofitable.com

Write Press Releases That Dazzle

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:45:01 +0000

When a reporter is wowed, intrigued, surprised or captivated by your press release, you can be pretty sure you’ll get some media coverage. And for most businesses, positive media coverage is worth its weight in gold. The bad news: Although truckloads of news releases fill reporters’ inboxes every day, few of them are dazzling, or even interesting.

As a former editor, I speak from experience when I say that most press releases end up in the garbage can. But don’t let that stop you from sending them – a well-written news release can generate more publicity and goodwill than you could ever accomplish with a paid advertisement. To help keep your release out of the garbage and get it in print, start by following these five guidelines.

1. Make it newsworthy. Releases should be used to announce news, and they should only be sent when something truly newsworthy is happening at your company. Don’t send releases that sound more like advertisements than news; they’ll get tossed immediately. (However, newsworthy events may happen more often than you realize – see the Resource Box below for ideas.)

In keeping with the news format, eliminate any superfluous language or outrageous claims (don’t describe yourself or your products as “wonderful,” “amazing” or “unbelievable”). Is your release written in language that would appear in a story in the newspaper or magazine you’re pitching? If not, it might sound like fluff rather than news. Make it clear from the beginning what your news is and why it should matter to the reporter and his or her readers.

2. Tell a good story. Although you’re sharing hard news (I hope), your press release should still be interesting to read. Even though your readers are media-types who do this for a living, they still like to hear a good story. Draw in your readers with a creative introduction and interesting language. Find new ways to say ordinary things. Read magazines, newspapers and books and pay attention to the stories that interest you and keep your attention. Then try to mimic those techniques and styles when writing your own releases.

3. Target your audience. As with any writing project, keep your audience in mind when you’re writing. The editor of a small-town newspaper has

different interests than the editor of a trade journal for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Choose the media outlets that would be most interested in your release and send it to them. For best results, you might even send each person a unique version tailored to their interests. And always send your release to an actual person – rather than sending a release to a general news desk, find out which reporter covers your industry or the type of news you’re sending and send it directly to him or her.

4. Develop a relationship. Once you’ve located the reporters who cover your industry, start developing relationships with them. Call or e-mail to introduce yourself and find out if they prefer releases to be faxed, e-mailed or mailed. Be respectful of their time and the harried pace of their work, but don’t be afraid to check in occasionally to follow up on a press release or let them know how much you enjoyed a recent article. Don’t just rely on them for fr*e publicity; find out what you can do for them and do it – one-sided relationships never last. Be easy to work with and willing to accommodate their needs, and they’ll be much more interested in covering your news.

5. Be consistent. Your communication with the media must be ongoing in order to get their attention. One release sent in a vacuum will probably not yield a lot of results. If reporters are unfamiliar with you or your business, it won’t be a top priority for them to cover your release. However, if they’re accustomed to receiving (actual) news from you and you’ve made an effort to forge a positive relationship with them (see #4), they’re more likely to a) actually read your releases, and b) publish them, or at least keep you in mind as a resource for future stories. If you really want to take advantage of the possibilities press releases can offer, keep hanging in there.

Nancy Jackson helps companies better market their products by creating dazzling press releases, along with other communication products such as newsletters, Web sites, brochures and custom publications. For monthly marketing tips, subscribe to her newsletter at www.writeshoponline.com.

Write and Speak for the Ear

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:30:02 +0000

You and I may not aspire to write great books or make great speeches. But almost all of us want something to happen when we write or speak. And, the more we direct our words to the ears of readers and listeners, the greater our chances of getting the results we want.

By writing or speaking for the ear, I mean that spoken words can have more power than written words. After all, when we have important messages, we prefer to deliver them verbally and personally, rather than by sending a written message.

Of course, its not practical or possible to deliver every message verbally. But, if we can capture some of the nuances of the spoken word we can increase the power of our messages. When we write for the ear, our writing undergoes some subtle but important changes. Our words, sentences, and paragraphs change in several ways.

Consider the number of pauses that occur when we speak. Most of us pause often, more often than when we write. To capture those pauses, use commas or one of the other slowing punctuation marks, such as colons and semicolons.

Writing for the ear also means shorter sentences. And even fragments of sentences. As you can imagine, speech tends to greater spontaneity than written expression, which means shorter sentences and more fragments.

Many of the same principles hold when we make formal speeches or presentations. Especially if we speak from prepared notes.

Whatever we say, when we speak publicly, has to go in through listeners ears. And so, if youll allow me to belabor the obvious, we need to write speeches for listeners ears, not our mouths.

You can call on many quick and easy techniques. For example, use short words whenever possible. Words such as many rather than numerous; use rather than utilize; and need rather than

require.

You can also speak for the ear by using common words rather than jargon or technical words. Step back from your speech, after writing it, and ask yourself if you use words that a child will understand.

We also want vivid words, words that fire up our imagination, that paint new images on the canvases of readers minds. Descriptive words that convey action and emotion, words that drive ideas into our heads.

Use active verbs and not passive verbs. Banish words like is, and are. Also, check for the word being and rewrite to get rid of it. Bring in verbs that do something.

Now that youve got the words you want, put them into short sentences. One short sentence. Followed by another short sentence. But, every once in while add a longer sentence for variety and to reduce the chances of boring your audience. And, keep the ideas simple within those long sentences.

Im biased, I know. After spending the better part of a decade writing and reading radio news copy, I think its a good idea to write for the ear.

Try it for yourself. Write something, read it out loud, and ask yourself about the effect its likely to have on readers. Re-write as necessary, and read it aloud again. Repeat the process a few times. By the time you finish you should have a well-crafted piece of writing, even if no one ever reads it aloud or hears it spoken.

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbotts Communication Letter. Each week subscribers receive, at no charge, a new communication tip that helps them lead or manage more effectively. Click here for more information: http://www.CommunicationNewsletter.com

abbottr@managersguide.com

Worried About Debts?

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:45:01 +0000

Having trouble paying your bills? Getting dunning notices from creditors? Are your accounts being turned over to debt collectors? Are you worried about losing your home or your car?

Youre not alone. Many people face a financial crisis some time in their lives. Whether the crisis is caused by personal or family illness, the loss of a job, or overspending, it can seem overwhelming. But often, it can be overcome. Your financial situation doesnt have to go from bad to worse.

If you or someone you know is in financial hot water consider the options below. How do you know which will work best for you? It depends on your level of debt, your level of discipline, and your prospects for the future.

Developing a Budget: The first step toward taking control of your financial situation, is to do a realistic assessment of how much money you earn and how much money you spend. Start by listing your income from all sources. Then, list your “fixed” expenses – those that are the same each month – like mortgage payments or rent, car payments, and insurance premiums. Next, list the expenses that vary – like entertainment, recreation, and clothing. Writing down all your expenses, even those that seem insignificant, is a helpful way to track your spending patterns, identify necessary expenses, and prioritize the rest. The goal is to make sure you can make ends meet on the basics: housing, food, health care, insurance, and education. Your public library and bookstores have information about budgeting and money management techniques. In addition, computer software programs can be useful tools for developing and maintaining a budget, balancing your cheque book, and creating plans to save money and pay down your debt.

Contacting Your Creditors: Contact your creditors immediately if youre having trouble making ends meet. Tell them why its difficult for you, and try to work out a modified payment plan that reduces your payments to a more manageable level. Dont wait until your accounts have been turned over to a debt collector. At that point, your creditors have given up on you.

Managing Your Auto and Home Loans: Your debts can be unsecured or secured. Secured debts usually are tied to an asset, like your car for a car loan, or your house for a mortgage. If you stop making payments, lenders can repossess your car or foreclose on your house.

Unsecured debts are not tied to any asset, and include most credit card debt, bills for medical care, signature loans, and debts for other types of services.

Debt Consolidation: If your objective is to reduce interest rates and lower your monthly payments, avoid bankruptcy, consolidate your bills and have one monthly payment, or simply get out of debt the fastest way possible, then a debt consolidation loan could provide the answer.

Are you paying out too much every month for your credit cards, store cards and loans? Then why not replace them all with one, lower, convenient repayment through a consolidation loan?

Consolidation loans can give you a fresh start, allowing you to consolidate all of your loans into one – giving you one easy to manage payment, and in most cases, at a lower rate of interest.

Secured on your UK home, low cost, low rate, cheap, low interest debt consolidation loans can sweep away the pile of repayments to your credit and store cards, HP, loans and replace them with one, low cost, monthly payment – one calculated to be well within your means.

With a Debt Consolidation Loan you can borrow from

Work Is A Four-Letter Word

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:00:01 +0000

I can hear the jokes already and most of them are not politically correct. Let me throw out a word that we often dont attach to work and yet I think it is a word of redemption, of contribution, of achievement, of community, and ultimately, of legacy.

Here it is: LOVE.

Kahil Gibran proclaimed, “Work is love made visible”. I would further clarify his position by insisting that a job is what you do for a paycheck. Work is what you do for a life. It is that energizing, all-encompassing activity that allows you to bring skills to bear in ways that are satisfying beyond a pay period. It is that activity that saves you from being a faceless number in a mechanistic wheel-hence it holds redemptive powers. It is that activity which makes a contribution to a larger world order. It is that activity from which you sense a measure of accomplishment and achievement. It excites you. It gives you joy. It binds you to a community of people who are stakeholders in what you do. Ultimately, it has a ripple effect and the potency of a legacy for those who follow.

“Ah come on!” you insist. “How about a garbage collector? A waiter? A store clerk? Who is going to love those jobs?”

Great question. And at face value, it seems that not every employment opportunity has such grand potential. Just take the money, leave it as soon as you can for greener pastures. Screw those miserable bosses. Thumb your nose at the customer.

And tomorrow you die.

Thats it. Plain and simple. While you are looking for the dream vocation, the better work environment, the nicer boss, reality can step in and your one moment on the Planet is gone forever. Its a reality made even MORE real by current events.

Theres an uneasy shift that has taken us by storm and rattled our plod-along workaday world. Many are paralyzed by the insecurity of the times. The terror of 9-11 and the subsequent global aggressiveness pushed us over the edge. With a wobbly U.S. economy, unsettled change continues to bombard us. Mega-mergers boggle the mind with the endless zeros streaming behind a behemoths financial size. We gasp at the number of employees who are cast off from a consolidated giant. We see plant closures and layoffs in everything from clothing manufacturing to banking. Overnight web companies turn almost under-age youth into millionaires and executives at age 40 are left scratching their heads. Then, dot.coms fail, leaving bewildered employees in the rubble. Wall Street meltdown, corporate greed, and icon-like presidents who crash as fallen idols make daily headlines.

Despite statistics that indicate employment is coming back, theres pain and inaccuracy behind these cold numbers.

We are working more but feeling as if were earning less and living in time poverty. Affluenza is an all too common word. The consistent notion that work should be a 24/7 event is being challenged by a rising number of strident voices. And with those voices comes a cry for the most urgent answer to sustainable success: finding meaningful work that makes an impact and lets us live in the bargain. Answer that plea and well unleash a productive and creative power akin to a tsunami.

In short we want to LOVE what we do, who we do it for and who we do it with AND love the life we create outside that work. Thats the essence-the Holy Grail-the mysterious work/life balance piece. Finding that Holy Grail is done by parallel processing, working on two tracks. The first track is to make work “work” for you in your current situation.

Wouldnt it make more sense to transform wherever you find yourself-even while continuing to search-so that if and when you leave, theres a faint footprint of achievement, community, contribution and yes, even the memory of a beneficial interaction. Such a transformation allows you to love yourself in the process. It keeps bridges from burning and strengthens a network of relationships that one day you might call upon.

The critical question becomes: how do you turn a “job into a “work”-into something that gives you more than a paycheck? No, you might not be able to alter the corporate strategic plan, paint the garbage truck peppermint pink or change a boss from a toad to a prince. But, there are specific action items you can take within your sphere of influence. Too often, we expect management to lead us in career directions, to provide us with recognition, to make “it” a better place. Its just like a marriage: theres responsibility on both sides. Using the tools offered by Bev Kaye and Sharon Jordan Evans in Love it. Dont Leave It (available at major bookstores), youll find a literal alphabet soup of specific action steps to help you take ownership for your life at work

Dont wait. Time is too precious to squander. You CAN fall in love again.

Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE is one of top-ranked women business speakers in the United States. Shes authored numerous books the newest of which is The Resilient Spirit, radio commentator, and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association. You can find Eileen at http://www.EileenMcDargh.com.

Eileen@EileenMcDargh.com