Entrepreneurial e-gnorance
Part 1: Questions for the entrepreneur to be
If you are an entrepreneur starting out, or have been around the block for some time but are yet to hit on the jackpot, you might be missing out some of the cornerstones of doing busingg through the new age media, the internet. Ask yourself the following questions and in seeking out answers to the, you may find the magic touch that could propel you to the success that drives you everyday.
What are you going to sell
It is not true that anyone can sell anything. I for example could never operate a cookies business because i would end up munching them all up before they saw the light of day. On the other hand I have been selling my writing for years now and i will keep doing it for as long as there is paper and pen. The point I am trying to get across is that you need to know what you are best qualified to sell, and more importantly, to know why anyone would buy from you and not somewhere else. If you think you have the capability to sell it better than anyone alse doing it, then you have a seller. Working hardest may get you results but working smart rakes in the profits. Be smart about what you are going to sell and you shall be rewarded.
Who are the potential buyers
One common mistake that could be the deathblow in your entrepreneurial endevour is the asumption that the presence of people means that there is an obvious market for your product. In the realistic business world you do not just sell to people, you sell to a target audience that is informed about your product and have the means and desire to purchase it. To identify this target audience, you will need to carry out a market survey and identify the demographics before launching your product to the identified market.
One potential but often ignored source of such data is the local offices. As required by law, they maintain these records and though they can not divulge personal information, they are helpful when it comes to raw statistics and this should save you some time and money, a plus if you are still in the initial level of entrepreneurship. Having this initial information is crucial but it is still up to you as the entrepreneur to analyze it and based on your analysis, determine the best approach to this particular market segment.
How are you going to market to potential customers
Having decided on what to sell and who to sell it to removes two main obstacle in your march to success as an entrepreneur. The next key step for you is to reach the identified market with your product and get them interested in it. The form of advertising that you pick on heavily influences the market section that you reach. For more information on advertising have a look at the related articles on advertising. The resources at your disposal determine the advertising route that you take but I am writing on the assumption that you may not have a million bucks at your disposal for advertising. For advertising on the internet, with the right approach it should be possible to drive enough people to your site. again there are different options to choose from depending on your product and target marketvisit our internet marketing section for more information on this.
How Will You Present Your Product
The next step after you have captured the attention of the market is to present your product to them in an irresistible manner. Their visiting you is a good sign but it is not a sure bet that they will purchase from you or even establish any mutual contact beyond the initial visit and interest. You should fuel their interest into a passion and convince them of the merits of purchasing from you. Have information on what problem in their lives your product is going to solve, the advantages that your product provides over that of rival businesses and gain their trust by providing guarantees on each purchase they make from you.
If you can succeed in making your potential market segment to feel compelled to purchase from you, for as long as you have quality and superior products on offer, you will have buyers for your product.
How will you sell the product
Automating the buying process saves your customers not only time but the frustration of having to fill in endless forms and type in their details in numerous forms. The best way to circumvent this process is to have an automated system incorporated into your system to provide the customer with a smooth and stress free buying process. It serves no point to have everything else working smoothly for you, only to lose your potential sale at the purchasing stage because of an archaic buying pprocess.
To achieve this, one of the best prospect today is having a merchant account with a verified brand In my opinion, Paypal is the best that allows the customers to buy from you in the easiest way possible through a third party billing house. You should also think of having a follow-up system that informs the customers of a confirmation of the purchase and if possible, have a tracking system that alllows them to check on the progress of their purchase.
Another key issue that you will need to address is delivery. Customers want to be able to get the delivery made in their spoecified time and location so you should recruit the services of a reliable carrier, FEDEX, DHL or whichever method you think will serve your customers best.
Customer Support
This involves not only the well known practices of post-purchase support for product that w ere purchased from you but also and maybe more importantly, a system that will act as a spur for the current customers to continue purchasing from you. Putting incentives is important if you are to have loyal and dedicated customers. Though having guarantees with a refund if the customer is not satisfied with the purchase is not absolutely neccesary, it is a powerful tool in conveying the trust you have in your product. You are literally sticking out your neck and this gives the customers one more reason to trust you.
Having a customer support contact both mail and phone, customer opinion page etc gives you an edge over some of your competition that may be overlooking this simple but nevertheless effective way of creating a lasting rapport with your customers.

About The Author

Charlz Wachira, the Online Marketing Alchemyst, runs http://www.e-gnorance.com, an online venture aimed at marketing entrepreneurial endeavors online. He also writes on a variety of issues related to entrepreneurship, e-commerce and online marketing. He can be reached at charlz@e-gnorance.com

A ClickBank merchant account allows you to define and sell up to 50 separate products. If you have more than one product in your range, it makes sense to sell them from a shared ClickBank account. Here are three good reasons why:

Every active ClickBank account incurs a setup fee of $49.95. Why pay this more than once
Managing multiple ClickBank accounts adds unnecessarily to your administrative effort
The combined sales of multiple products through one account will significantly boost your Marketplace ranking

Unfortunately, the architecture of the ClickBank system has, historically, not been well suited to selling multiple products from a single account, especially for merchants who use affiliates to promote their products. The problem is that, although you can define 50 products within ClickBanks account control panel, you can only specify a single landing page URL - the destination page that your affiliates will refer their prospects to.
The result is that all referrals must arrive at your site via a common page. This forces you either to present all your products on a shared sales page or to create an intermediate page, from which your visitors must click through to see the product of their choice. Neither option is ideal as they both create obstacles that will distract your prospects and seriously reduce your conversion rate.
For optimum sales effectiveness, affiliate referrals should go directly to the sales page for the product of interest. This is known as deep linking and is widely acknowledged as the best way to convert affiliate referrals into buyers. But ClickBanks lack of support for this technique is a major barrier that inhibits effective use of its growing affiliate network.
To tackle this problem, a number of pioneering merchants have developed their own techniques to work around ClickBanks shortcomings. Some of these innovations have even evolved into successful commercial software products. Most implementations rely on intercepting the inbound referral and automatically redirecting it to the relevant product page, as indicated in URL parameters passed by the referring affiliate. There are several variations on this theme, but they share a common gambit - using scripts, installed on the merchants web server, to intercept and redirect requests.
However, the need for smoke and mirrors to fix ClickBanks limitations may soon be a relic of the past. In October 2003, ClickBank announced plans for major improvements to its hoplink system - improvements that will all but eliminate the need for workarounds or enhancement products.
The new architecture - known as the enhanced hoplink system - employs a more flexible referral URL format, in which affiliates are able to specify the numeric code of the product they are referring their prospects to. Using this code, ClickBanks server will look up the corresponding sales page URL and send referrals directly to it, handling cookie-tracking and other admin chores in the normal manner.
The main attraction of the enhanced hoplink system is its simplicity of implementation and maintenance. Whereas add-on products require at least a moderate understanding of script installation and configuration, the hoplink system is maintained entirely via the ClickBank account control panel. This means that a merchant selling multiple products even across multiple web domains can expose them for affiliate deep linking, simply by configuring the relevant sales page URLs in his account.
At the time of writing, ClickBank has published the format of the enhanced hoplink URL, but has not completed the database and control panel changes that will allow the configuration of multiple landing pages. So, although we can visualize the new architecture and dream of the benefits it will deliver, we remain in eager anticipation of its release.

About The Author
Copyright © Tim Coulter. All rights reserved.
Tim Coulter is a consultant and software developer who helps netpreneurs to harness marketing technologies.
He is also the author of "ClickBank - The Definitive Guide" The Ultimate ClickBank Tutorial & Reference Manual.

http://www.clickbankrevealed.com/

If you have been on the internet for awhile, you know that there are millions of people trying anything and everything to get your attention. They want in your wallet. Its a great big money grab out there folks, and the net has become the biggest marketing arena on the planet, driving whole industries and generating Billions of dollars in sales.
So whats the problem Well, none if you are one of the small businesses with focus. A whole lot of problems if you lack focus.
There are myriad small business opportunities on the net today. And if you do your research and find something you want to associate with, or you create a product for a well-researched target market, you are well on your way to financial success. Or are you
You see the more you become active on the net as either someone looking for the right opportunity, or as someone who has found the right opportunity already, the more you are bombarded with choices. Everyday you get emails saying that the next best thing since sliced bread has come along.
The new "thing" demands your attention and you get nervous that you might be missing out on another opportunity for financial success.
But dont you already have one At least, havent you been presented with several great opportunities in the last week So why on earth take a serious look at yet another Why fragment the time you need to spend on your current business with all the marketing it takes to get yet another off the ground and profitable
What I am talking about here is something I call "Sign-up-Itis."
Not to be confused with Sinusitis, which can be just as debilitating.
It goes like this: You find your focus, you are fired up. All is good and you are ready to start working on the hundreds of little things you need to do to get traffic and make sales. You need to get good search engine positioning, you need a links campaign, you have to research ezines in your niche and place ads, you need to set up joint ventures, you need to create and update content on your site, set up a merchant account, a delivery system, and the list goes on from there.
Then you get an email from a friend or associate telling you that you HAVE to check out the latest and greatest. You do. Its an awesome opportunity. You look at your plate and its already full with your current project, but the plate has a lot of things on it you really dont enjoy doing. Its a lot of work to make any business pay off, as you can see from the short list above.
"Its Much More Fun To Think About Success Than It Is To Do The Work It Takes To Achieve It"
But this NEW thing is exciting, fresh, new. It draws you in and its MUCH more fun to think about success than it is to do the work it takes to achieve it, so you buy in. You get a ton of tools to start this new venture. Its all overwhelming, especially since you have gone back to your first venture and realized you now have TWO great things that can both make you money, but they BOTH need your attention on a grand scale in order to see profit.
Now, here is the part where most people give up. They say to themselves "Internet marketing is nothing more than a series of steps that I cannot complete. I am always excited when I get started on something, but when it comes down to DOING what I start, it gets hard and doesnt happen as fast as I would like it to."
Let me make one thing clear right now: It is not the nets fault for not providing us with real opportunity.
Opportunity abounds and is right there for us to snatch up and achieve success. Never let yourself fall into the trap of reasoning your way out of success. "Its not for me." "I cant do this - its for people much better with computers and internet marketing than me."
The problem lies with your focus and your fear of success. You must CHOOSE the opportunity you are passionate about, or create a product you stand behind and love, and then hunker down for the long-haul! Make yourself do everything you are taught to do to build your business and build it - all the way or not at all.
It should be no surprise the next time you get an email with the next best thing inside. You should say to yourself "Thats great! Another opportunity for someone has just been born! But I am busy with MY business and cannot take on another venture at this time."
We Do It On Purpose
Lack of focus is sometimes a purposeful self-defeating tactic your subconscious uses to keep you from success. Success is NOT a destination. Its a journey.
And that journey scares the hell out of 99% of normal, everyday people. So be it. It IS scary to think of radical life changes, even if they are for what you consider to be far better than your current situation!
But dont let a lack of focus and your fear of success tear you away from your dreams. USE your fear and confront it, right now. Today.
Make hard decisions and stick to them, then begin the process of working on a focused, tight marketing campaign to make whatever venture you choose the venture that sets you free.
Wear electronic blinders. Keep lean and mean and only take on new responsibilities that will be good for your CURRENT business.
Throw the rest in the trash.
We all know there are tons of opportunities out there. That is a fact. Its time now to get the stars out of your eyes, choose your niche, your product, your affiliate program or your MLM, and get to work. Make a vow not to stop until you are where you want to be financially.
The question is not "Can you really make money online" This has been proven time and again over the years by thousands of people,many of whom you read about all the time.
The question is "Do you really want to be one of those people, or are you stuck in a cycle of constantly sabotaging your success with a lack of focus"
The cure for Sign-up-itis is focus and hard work. Success is something you decide to achieve one day. Its that decision that is often the biggest hurdle any future success story has to conquer
Copyright 2004 Jack Humphrey

About The Author
Jack Humphrey is the CEO of EquipMint.com and author of Power Linking 2: Evolution, a successful system for bringing your website all the high-quality, targeted, cash-in-hand traffic it can handle. For copy or ghost writing: http://jackhumphrey.com

Recently, I went looking for an Internet Merchant Account. My mission was two-fold:
1. Open an account for myself and
2. Research options for my new ecommerce information site Take-Payments-Online.com.
After some research, I thought Id found an attractive Merchant Account offered through a reputable reseller. As it turns out, I learned the hard way that I was wrong.
Fortunately, my experience can help you avoid the same trap. Based on my own experience, I developed a list of questions to ask a potential merchant account provider. Understanding the answers to these questions before signing an application or agreement will help make for a solid partnership between you and your account provider.
But first, the story:
My Internet Merchant Account Experience
I found what looked to be a competitive Merchant Account offered through a program at a popular reseller. Fees were summarized on the resellers site and applying was simple. I paid an $89 set-up fee, which took me to an online application I was required to submit to get the process going.
Thats when things got interesting. Submitting an application meant agreeing to a previously undisclosed 45 page merchant agreement. An unmentioned termination fee was buried on page 11.
If I ever cancelled the account, Id be hit with a $295 termination fee. I knew from my research that the large termination fee was not competitive with other merchant accounts and other aspects of the account were not attractive enough to compensate.
Suddenly, this merchant account was not such a good deal.
More critically, however, the termination fee was not disclosed before I was required to pay for set-up. I immediately asked for a refund.
Non-Refundable
Then things got even more interesting. I was told the $89 fee was non-refundable. Id seen a footnote that the fee was non-refundable, but interpreted it to mean only if they actually did some work and processed an application. I had not completed an application and did not intend to after learning of the extra $295.
Using the email support system so I would have documented proof if I needed it, I insisted on a refund. Still no go.
When I explained there had been no set-up to justify a set-up fee, they responded that the fee was really an application fee - non-refundable, as explained in the footnote on the order page.
Basically, they were telling me Id paid $89 for a link to an online application, which I had not and did not intend to submit.
Finally, A Refund
I explained I would not take no for an answer. If we couldnt work this out Id report them to the Better Business Bureau for undisclosed fees, file a complaint with my credit card company, and copy the company president on each. My complaint was sent to the next level.
Finally, after an additional three day wait, the refund was approved.
Avoid An Internet Merchant Account Trap
I made the mistake of taking information at face value and relying on the resellers good reputation in other areas.
To avoid unpleasant surprises such as mine, insist on all information and agreements up front, before committing to the account or paying initial fees.
Having all of the documentation may not be enough. Be sure you understand all aspects of your Internet Merchant Account agreement as well as fees and equipment required.
If you find incomplete, unclear, or conflicting information, ask questions.
If your sales representative is more interested in getting your signature than helping you understand your commitments, ask for another representative or go elsewhere. There are many, many Internet merchant account options available. You need not be trapped into one that is uncomfortable for you.
Based on my own experience, I developed a list of seven multi-part questions to ask a potential merchant account provider. Before contacting a provider about fees and agreement details, you may also want to familiarize yourself with all of the potential fees associated with an Internet Merchant Account. There is a list here, about half way down the page: http://www.take-payments-online.com/InternetMerchantAccount.html
7 Questions to Ask
Understanding the answers to these questions before signing an application or agreement will help make for a solid partnership between you and your account provider:
1. Can I accept credit cards both online and offline
Do I need to get separate authorizations or permissions when setting up my account for different types of transaction Internet, retail, phone orders, etc.
What other additional fees are involved if I accept both online and offline credit card charges
2. Can I accept online payments using methods other than Mastercard and Visa Discover, American Express, Diners Club, online checks, debit cards, etc.
If so, what are the fees and do I need to do anything to "activate" those payment methods
3. What are the different discount rates and fees for different types of charges Internet, in person, telephone, mail, etc.
4. What are the other fees related to this account - yearly, set-up, application, monthly minimum, statement, support, cancellation, discount, per-transaction, gateway access fees, card reject fee
Are these subject to change
Are there any other fees
5. Do I process charges manually or automatically
If manually, is it possible to get automatic processing
If so, do you provide a secure online payment gateway
How do I do it and what extra charges will I pay
6. What other software and services do I need to become fully ecommerce enabled online such as secure gateway provider, etc.
Do you have a list of compatible or preferred providers
7. Do I need additional hardware or software
If so, what is the cost and how do I get it
Ask these questions and establishing a mutually comfortable relationship with your Internet Merchant Account provider from the start. It will help you avoid "traps" and lay the groundwork for a long, solid partnership.

About The Author

Bobette Kyle draws upon 10+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Her book, "How Much for Just the Spider Strategic Web Site Marketing for Small-Budget Businesses", shows how to better find, target, and attract Web customers. Read about it at WebSiteMarketingPlan.com - http://WebSiteMarketingPlan.com.
Copyright 2003 Bobette Kyle. All rights reserved.

These days everyone wants to know how to make money online.
Yet, for some, this lifestyle seems out of reach. Does this describe you at all
If you

Offshore instruments of asset protection no longer belong in the realm of the wealthiest individuals with high paid financial advisors. Thanks to the internet and globalization of financial markets, there are plenty of firms that can help just about anyone "go offshore". What follows is a brief introduction to some of the most popular tools of offshore asset protection and how they can be used by online business people and internet marketers like yourself to protect and grow your business.
1. Offshore Trusts
An offshore trust is a very simple agreement that helps put some distance between you and your hard earned assets. A trust is simply a legally binding agreement between two parties - the grantor and the trustee. The grantor "grants" control over specified assest and property to the trustee, who is then responsible for them. Beneficiaries are listed in the trust, who will "benefit" from the assests being entrusted. Often this is in the form of receiving the assets upon the death of the grantor, or by receiving the profits generated by the assets listed.
The main point is that this agreement helps separate the grantor - you - from these assets in a legal sense, making it more difficult for someone to take them from you. By moving the trust offshore, there is an added layer of protection. If youve ever worried about a frivolous lawsuit destroying all youve worked for in your internet business, this is certainly a form of asset protection youll want to look into.
2. Offshore Incorporation
There are many benefits for the internet marketer who chooses to incorporate offshore. Protecting your privacy from the prying eyes of an ever more invasive government - especially in the area of online information, legally limiting the amount of taxes you pay on your online income, and protecting your business against lawsuits are just a few of the ways an offshore corporation or IBC can benefit the internet marketer.
Properly planned and executed, forming an offshore corporation need not be any more expensive or time consuming than forming a corporation within your own borders. Be sure to deal with a legitimate and established firm when establishing your IBC, make sure your asset protection needs are being met and that all of your questions are answered.
3. Offshore Bank Accounts
Again, keeping with the theme of protecting the internet marketers wealth from both lawsuits and privacy invasion, the offshore bank account will also help address these issues.
Most companies that offer offshore incorporation will also help you set up an offshore bank account. Choose a country where information privacy laws are respected and enforced, and preferably keep the account in non-US funds. The acccounts are usually offered with an international debit card, so you can access your funds from ATMs around the globe.
4. Offshore Merchant Accounts
Of particular interest to those who create their income online is the option of establishing an offshore merchant account for handling all of your credit card transactions.
Besides addressing privacy issues, an offshore merchant account may be more suitable for those offering items, information, or subscriptions for sale online that are more difficult to procure a domestic merchant account for. These include higher risk services such as you might find in the adult website or online gambling arenas.
5. Offshore Webhosting
Although often considered home to the worst internet has to offer, such as spammers and hackers, offshore webhosting certainly has its place for legitimate online marketers and should not be dismissed outright.
Few would disagree that new internet laws, especially those related to spam are having an adverse affect on those it should least be harming. On top of that, the privacy invasion allowed by legislation such as the Patriot Act further increase the need for protecting your online information outside the borders of the USA.
Yes there are plenty of scam artists in the offshore webhosting arena. Do your research though, and you will find secure, well-staffed offshore webhosting operations with high-uptime, fast connections, good support and reasonable prices to suit your needs.
With all the new laws that allow for invasion of your privacy, including your financial information, combined with the fact that the USA is one of the most lawsuit prone countries in the world, every internet marketer and individual doing business online owes it to themselves to at least consider how going offshore can benefit you and your business.

About The Author
James Allen is the creator of GatesToWealth.com, a website which introduces tools of offshore asset protection and wealth generation. To learn more about going offshore and to subscribe to "Mind the Beach" the newsletter of offshore living and lifestyles, swing on by:

http://www.gatestowealth.com

This is a "Shareware" Article whats that read on...
This article is shareware. Give this article away for free on your site, or include it as part of any paid package as long as the entire article is left intact including this notice.
Copyright © 2004 James Allen.

Surf to Google and perform a search on "Internet Merchant Account". The results are staggering 472,000 results! If you have created a web based business and need to accept credit card payments, your choices are limitless. Before you partner with a provider, take time to understand the different components of internet credit card processing, and know what to look for in a merchant provider.
How It Works
Accepting credit card payments through your web site actually requires multiple components. Between a paying customer and your bank account, three layers exist:
Payment Gateway - This is the code that will transmit a customers order to and from an internet merchant account provider. The payment gateway provides you the ability to accept customer billing information credit card number, credit card type, expiration date, and payment amount and the necessary validation steps that must be followed before the credit card is actually billed.
Internet Merchant Account - A Merchant Account is an account with a financial institution or bank, which enables you to accept credit card payments from your clients. The payment gateway actually transmits the billing information to the internet merchant account provider. Unfortunately, most local banks do not provide internet merchant account capability.
The main reason why most local financial institutions or

The Lowdown on Ecommerce
Ecommerce is truly the most confusing aspect of purchasing web design services. This is unfortunate since most if not all businesses online would like to provide their customers and potential customers with easy access their products or services. In order to help make sure you get what you need to to set up an ecommerce web site, let

Should your business have a toll free number for customers to make sales, service and billing inquirers The industry began in the early 1970

Internet has opened a new era of business opportunities. Each day, thousands of new consumers are joining the Internet. More and more companies are adopting Internet as their primary sales and distribution channel. According to Forrester Research -The survey of 130 U.S. companies indicates consumers spent $76 billion shopping on-line in 2002. This represents a 48 percent increase over 2001, and projections for 2003 come close to $100 billion, representing 4.5 percent of total retail sales.
As a business you probably understand that in order to stay competitive you must integrate ecommerce to your present business strategy. A little research will show you that there is an extensive array of technology and solutions for enterprise and web store building available in the market. You also perceive that ecommerce sites can cost you from a mere couple of hundred bucks to hundreds of thousand of dollars. How to choose something from so many options that will exactly fit your present need
Although, this might look like a daunting task, a little preparation will definitely help you taking the right decision in your quest for an appropriate ecommerce solution. To understand your requirement better and create a proper ecommerce strategy, you have to ask yourself a number of questions. Below I jotted down some of the questions that, hopefully, will spur your imagination.

What should be the look of my web store
Do I need a database for my product catalog
How should the purchase order generate on my web store
Do I need to handle different pricing system for dealers, wholesalers and end customers
How do I bill my customers
How easy can I make my web store to navigate
How many search options should we have
Can I show my customers a product comparison table
What should be my merchant account gateway system
Finally, how much should I invest to build my web store

If building an ecommerce site from scratch feels too overwhelming to you and you are a small business, my suggestion is - to build a web store with one of the providers similar to Yahoo, Bigstep, Rusbiz etc.
The web stores that you can build directly on the Internet have all the necessary features like shopping cart, product catalog and payment gateway as any regular ecommerce site. In most of the cases, you construct web store online from templates and easy-to-use editor and you hardly need to know html or other script languages.
You can order your Web Store from Rusbiz right now.
The benefits of using a web store that you can build online are enormous.
Quick to build: If you have all the materials handy, you can build a web store within a day.
Easy in use: You don