Use Affiliates for Selling Ode

How selling through Affiliates works...
You peer into brain and defile mind troll,
Then pull out the heart bottle's cork -
Crazy potato heads, where're the fish rolls?

Don't Overpay for Selling your Products. Use Affiliates

How selling through Affiliates works...

I bet that if you aren't yet into selling your products through Affiliates it's because you didn't look for the benefits. And I can also bet that when you are thinking about doing more sales, you are thinking about hiring a new Sales Manager or paying for some advertisements.

No secret that the newly hired Sales will spend about 6 months trying to understand your products and the market (but, well, he gets paid even if he makes no sales in the learning time) and even when he starts selling it will still take 6 months to get him up to speed. About the advertisements, they are a sure cost and a not so sure result.

If you have been there and have done that (or just thinking on doing it) what about hiring not one but 1000 sales people (and promote your products widely) only paying a commission from sales made? If that sounds good, then you are already thinking to sell your products through affiliates - the pay per performance model.

I'm not sure if you know how selling through Affiliates works. Keeping the explanation on the most basic level, it's about Affiliates (webmasters, companies or individuals) that pre-sale your products on their sites and get rewarded for every successful sale. They promote your products on their sites, and should get a commission from the sales they generate. Each one is a Salesman for your products.

Now, let's talk about the benefits:

• It's cost effective

You don't have to pay 1000 sales people, you don't even have to pay a single one. You don't have to pay for advertisements. You only pay a commission for successful sales. Think about affiliates as "external sales forces".

• It's the best way to penetrate new markets

No matter what products you have on sale, selling in Asia would be completely different from selling in USA. Selling in USA will be completely different from selling in Europe. How many sales people you need to target each market and each country? Well you only need affiliates. They know the niche markets and know how to promote your products there. It's like having a local sales force. Which you only pay on results!

• Have a niche product?

No problem, Affiliates are niche marketers. Actually the best practices in affiliate marketing point that you should follow a niche and get the best Search Engine position for it. That means the affiliate will get a good Search Engine position for your niche product - could help for your position in front of the competition.

• Increase your sales

If you are in the race of increasing sales, the affiliates do just that: they bring multiple sales from multiple sources. And actually, these sales will be made through your site or payment solution. With Affiliates, sales can only go up.

• Increase the awareness of your products

What would you say if your products will be listed, mentioned or at least linked from thousands of sites? Not so bad. It's called Affiliate Marketing.

• Create Added value to your products

Some of your affiliates might be experts in your field, and with a genuine interest in testing and evaluating your products. You don't have to pay for it, because they expect to be paid a commission from sales.

Still not convinced? Amazon is doing it (and thousands others) so they must be doing something right.

This article was written by Cristian Dorobantescu, Affiliate Network Coordinator at Avangate B.V. Avangate is a complete ecommerce provider for shareware sales incorporating an easy to use and secure online payment system plus additional software marketing services and sales tools:
http://www.avangate.com. Copyright © 2007.

Consumers Complain Poem

At some point in time you will be faced
When green pointy thingies they've had to fill...
Misery comes to them singing songs of youth misplaced,
Disgustingly drunk, don't die, save soul, leave will.

Make Your Complaint Heard & Get Results

At some point in time you will be faced with the need to register a complaint because of a poor product or poor service, or maybe even both !

Here are some tips to make sure that your complaint is NOT ignored.

Keep Your Cool

It’s difficult to do this when you are “mad as all get out” but it’s a key step to making sure you’re complaint gets heard. Act reasonably and politely.

Make the person on the other end of your complaint WANT to help you. Losing your temper can cause the other person to become “defensive” instead of cooperative and helpful.

Identify Yourself

Don’t start out with “what” you are - “I’m a lawyer”, “I’m a doctor”, “I’m a trash collector”. Start out with “who” you are - “My name is Jim”. You want them to see you as a person, not just another problem.

Give them your name and telephone number. This allows the other person to respond more effectively and follow-up with results. Remaining anonymous doesn’t establish the one-on-one relationship you need in order to have your problem resolved.

Be Precise

Have receipts and other records available to assist you in giving an accurate account of your complaint. Give them as many details as you can - the date you made the purchase, the store where you made the purchase orencountered the problem, the name of the salesperson you were working with, etc.

Keep a record of the date, time and name of any person you speak with about your complaint. If they are unable to resolve your complaint immediately, ask when you can reasonably expect a follow-up phone call.

Thank You

End your conversation by thanking them for their help. If you have the person’s name you are speaking with, address them by name, “thank you Angela”.

When the problem is resolved to your satisfaction, you may even want to write a simple thank you note. People who work in customer service appreciate this more than you might know.

Use these steps “to your credit” the next time you have a complaint, and you’ll have greater success and results.

Author: James H. Dimmitt. Get your FREE credit report online now and subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter “TO YOUR CREDIT”. Visit http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com for more information.

Consumers Fight Serenade

Consumers - Fight Back With FTC's Do Not Call Registry

The Federal Trade Commission has rolled out it’s National Do Not Call Registry and the registration site already has over 700,000 registrants. This is great news for consumers who have grown tired of annoying sales calls by pesky telemarketers.

Consumers can register online at www.donotcall.gov.

You can register up to three personal phone numbers at one time. This is a free service established by the FTC and your “do not call” registration is good for a 5-year period.

Additionally, a toll-free number is also available for those who want to register by phone. The toll-free number is 1-888-382-1222. You must call from the phone number you want to register when using the toll free registration service.

The toll free number is only accessible to those states west of the Mississippi River in the initial week of registration. The program will spread nationwide the following week.

Telemarketers will be required to “clean” their call lists by matching their list against the national “do not call” list every 90 days starting in September 2003.

Companies who call listed people will be subject to fines of up to $11,000 per violation. Enforcement will begin in October 2003. You will be able to file a “do not call violation” complaint online or by phone.

Over two dozen states already have their own “do-not-call” lists and most of these states plan to incorporate their lists into the national registry. If your state is one of them, you do not need to re-register for the national registry.

CAUTION: There have been reports of scam artists and identity thieves calling people to request or confirm personal information for this new registry. The FTC has posted this warning to consumers on their web page:

“The FTC will not allow private companies or other such third parties to "pre-register" consumers for the national Do Not Call registry. Web sites or phone solicitations that claim they can or will register a consumer's name or phone number on a national list – especially those that charge a fee – are a scam. Consumers will be able to register directly with the FTC, or through some state governments, but never private companies.”

Consumers should also be aware that some types of telephone solicitation are exempt from the do-not-call protection. Companies from which you have purchased, leased or rented from in the previous 18 months are exempt. Also charities, surveys, and calls on behalf of politicians will be exempt from this service.

The National Do Not Call Registry does not cover business to business calls.

Author: James H. Dimmitt. Get your FREE credit report online now and subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter “TO YOUR CREDIT”. Visit http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com.

Will I Have Opus

Want them to never speak to each other again?
Iron roaches that's been in the minds finally died -
Although it's fun, they must abstain
Crying out loud when wet horror been dried.

Five Reasons Why I don't Have a Will

One: I hate my children and want them to never speak to each other again after the battle over my estate.

Two: I hate my spouse and want him or her to suffer the agony of attempting to probate my estate without a will.

Three: I think foster care is great and I want my minor children placed there while a court decides which greedy relative will get custody.

Four: My family doesn't need the money so I want the government to take as much of my estate for taxes as possible.

Five: I have reliable information that I am never going to die.

Of course the above is written tongue in cheek. However the tragedy of the Twin Towers, the battle over freezing Ted Williams body, and now the sniper shootings in the D.C. area are bringing to more Americans a deeper realization of their own mortality and that of their loved ones. The American Bar Association estimates that 70% of Americans do not have a will. The median age of those killed in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center was 39 and over two thirds of those killed were men. This is the age group least likely to have a will and the court battles will last for many years after the physical scars are erased.

A case in point is the story of a young lady from Atlanta, Georgia. Her parents divorced when she was a baby and her mother died several years later. Her aunt took in the child and worked two jobs so the niece could graduate from college. The young lady was ambitious and bright. After college she excelled in her job and which allowed her to buy a house and a new car. Eventually the aunt became disabled and was taken in and cared for by her niece. One foggy morning a crash on an Atlanta freeway ended the young lady's life. Without a will her entire estate; home, car and bank account; was awarded by the court to two half-sisters that she had met only briefly at her father's funeral. The aunt was forced to enter a nursing home. Unfortunately what is fair is not always what is legal. My wife Carolyn is currently involved in a court battle over her mother's estate. A family member confiscated the will and has refused to provide any information in defiance of a court order. It has been over a year and the estate is still in limbo. Much of the emotional stress and most of the legal bills would have been avoided if an attorney had been in possession of a copy of her will.

Review the five reasons not to have a will and ask yourself which one applies to you. I will also be glad to add any new reasons to the list. One that is not acceptable is that it costs too much.

Nolo's Willmaker software is available online at a cost of approximately $40.00. Pre-Paid Legal Services http://www.prepaidlegal.com/info/carolynpatterson will prepare a will for you and your spouse without extra charge with a membership and offers reduced rates on trusts and other estate legal issues. An attorney that specializes in estates can be located through your state's Bar Association. Whatever route you chose, don't leave your final arrangements to the whim of a judge.

Author, Wayne Patterson owns two successful construction companies and has been featured in the national Constructor magazine: http://www.solidgoldhomebusiness.com.

Singing Signing Will Verse

Signing and witnessing is critical to the legal
Days that break with hands and bowl of surreal.
Reality is murderer, looks like an eagle,
And morning sun looks like drop of oatmeal.

Signing And Witnessing Your Will

Signing and witnessing is critical to the legal validity of your Will and requirements differ from province to province.

Witnesses

You and your two witnesses sign the document in each other's presence and also initial each page.

Neither your beneficiaries (someone who benefits from your Will) nor their spouses should be witnesses.

As one or both witnesses may be called upon to give evidence as to the execution of your Will, they should be residents of Canada. It is recommended that your witnesses be younger in age than you.

In addition, a document required for the "probate" of the Will (called an affidavit of execution) should be signed and sworn by one of the witnesses, shortly after the Will is signed.

A Regular Review

Once you have drafted your Will, don't allow it to become outdated. A Will drafted a few years ago reflects your thinking and lifestyle at that time. Consider what may have changed:

* Tax laws - your Will should reflect the latest tax saving strategies.
* Family circumstances - a birth, a death, or a move to a new province may indicate the need for a revision to your Will. Marriage necessitates a new Will.
* Your investments - your stocks have increased (or decreased) in value. You have purchased property, acquired a work of art or started a small business.
* Your wishes - you may now want to add a new beneficiary, change your Executor, or increase your support to organizations

If you do not have a Will, or if your Will has not been updated recently, perhaps it is time to meet with a lawyer and get the job done. Take the first step; call Ontario March of Dimes toll-free at 1-800-263-3463 x 383 for a free copy of 'My Personal Organizer' - a handy estate planning tool.

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

Your Will Life Ode

Your Will - A Personal Reflection Of Your Life

Every person is unique, however, people have common needs - air, water, food, shelter, love, a sense of accomplishment. Beyond these, we are also concerned about our current financial needs, our futures and our family's well-being. Our day to day living is stressful enough and preparing a Will is not a subject most people talk about easily. The topic is usually ignored. Unfortunately, that is what almost half of Canadians do. Even among people who have already made Wills, most have not had their Will professionally reviewed every five years as recommended to keep pace with family, tax and legal changes.

What is a Will?

A Will is a written document, properly dated, signed and witnessed, in which you detail how the things that you own and your money are to be distributed after your death.

Why Is Estate Planning So Important?

Dying without a proper Will (or one that is out of date) risks needless taxation, legal challenges, delays, and family upset at an extremely stressful time. And your property may not be distributed as you intended. The only way to ensure that the things that you have worked hard all your life to have, will be passed on in a timely, tax-effective manner, according to your wishes, is to have a valid, up-to-date Will.

Without a written Will:

* If you die 'intestate', that is without a Will, you will allow the province in which you lived to decide the distribution of your estate.
* Your lifetime earnings could easily be depleted by taxes and unnecessary administration costs.
* The settlement process will be drawn out and your family may undergo financial hardship.
* You can not express your choice of a guardian for your young children.
* Nor will you have a choice of Executors, the individual or institution who will act on your behalf and carry out your final wishes. Without a Will the courts will appoint an administrator, who may not be the individual of your choice.
* There can be no donations or gifts to your favourite organizations.
* If you have no or next of kin, the province will take your estate into its own treasury.

A properly drafted Will is the only way to make a statement on your values and provide an orderly and timely plan for the settlement of your life.

Your Will is not a "Do-it-Yourself" project. As the laws are ever changing, we strongly urge you seek professional advice. This will ensure your personal situation is considered in the context of your province's estate and trust laws.

If you do not have a Will, or if your Will has not been updated recently, perhaps it is time to meet with a lawyer and get the job done. Take the first step; call Ontario March of Dimes toll-free at 1-800-263-3463 x 383 for a free copy of My Personal Organizer - a handy estate planning tool.

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.