The Information Marketing Primer For Helping and Healing Solo-Professionals - Part 9 - Telesummits

As a helping and healing professional, you have a wealth of information to share. And through your Information Marketing business, you will be able to reach people far beyond the number you see in your private practice. In addition, Information Marketing can provide a lucrative stream of income that is residual in nature. 

In previous articles in this series, I have discussed identifying your target market, creating a web presence, developing a free report in written and audio formats as a means of building credibility, creating an email newsletter or e-zine as an ideal "keep-in-touch" strategy, creating an E-Book and hosting teleseminars. 

In this article in the series, I am going to discuss how to take the teleseminar to a higher level through hosting a Telesummit. 

A Telesummit is a series of teleseminars hosted by you and in addition to having you as one of the presenters, there would also be several other presenters from complementary disciplines that you have invited to participate and who will all address the same topic from different angles. You can either interview them or have them speak on their own. 

Let's use the example of a family therapist who works with parents of young children. You could have an eight part Telesummit that is entitled "How to Raise Your Children to Become Positive, Healthy, and Caring Adults". As a family therapist, you would provide your perspective for the first hour of the Telesummit. On subsequent calls (which you can schedule twice a week for four weeks), there could be presentations by a nutritionist, a developmental specialist, a recreation therapist, a physical therapist, a behavior specialist, a pediatrician, a nurse practitioner, a clergyman or woman or any number of helping or healing professionals who could lend their expertise to this subject.  Each call would be about an hour in length.

How would you get participants? Start be creating a list of all the people you know from different disciplines...they can be well known or be experts who aren't in the public eye...yet. Then extend the invitation to them to be a speaker. 

Would they be reimbursed for their appearance? No. Then why would they do it? Because appearing on other people's teleseminars directs listeners to their sites and is a no-cost way of marketing themselves. It is great publicity. 

What could you charge for the event? You could charge anywhere from $79 for the series to $159. Having well-known experts will, of course, command you the higher sale price. 

Follow all the same information for hosting a teleseminar that I gave in Part 7 and apply it to the Telesummit along with these other points: 

• Come up with a theme or topic
• Set the dates and time (same time for each call)
• Invite your speakers
• Once they agree, get their bios and photos. Send them the call date and time, the bridge line information and make sure to include the moderator code if there is one as you want them to call in on this. Be sure to send gentle reminders before the event.
• Have your web designer design a one-page "sales page" that lists all the pertinent information (but NOT the call-in number) and lists all the speakers and their bios. People will be able to sign up from this page. Also have your webmaster create a database to capture the names and email addresses of those who are signing up for the call if you are not using a shopping cart system or a system like AWeber. 
• If you do not have a shopping cart, there are other alternatives to have people pay for the teleseminar like Pay Pal or Authorize.net.
• Make sure to let people know that you will provide them a link to the recording of the call if they cannot attend live...this will up the rate of people signing up because listening live is not the only option. After the Telesummit is over, provide the link for replay to everyone who signed up and paid.
• Send reminders of the call a few days before, a day before and the day of.
• Make sure to get on the line at least 15 minutes before the call to make sure everything is working well. Ask the other speakers to get on the line with you about 5 minutes before the call.
• Mute all callers before you begin.
• Remember to turn on the recording for the teleseminar. Use a back up recording program if possible. 

By the way, some people offer the Telesummit for free to those who listen live but offer the recordings at the prices suggested earlier. You can package the Telesummit as one of your information products and promote it for as long as you like after the event.

Then promote, promote, promote. Feature the Telesummit in your E-zine and on your blog. Send a solo-email blast. Ask each of the speakers to promote the event to their lists (this will help you grow your list as subscribers have to opt-in through your database). 

Telesummits are great list-builders and credibility builders in addition to being a stream of income. Though they are a little more work on your part than a single teleseminar, they are well worth the time and effort.

Holiday Shopping Online - A Smart Choice

It was the day before Christmas, and as expected a major department store was overwhelmed by last minute shoppers. A very busy and lone customer service clerk was frantically trying to sort out the flood of requests from the long line of customers standing in front of her counter, when a very angry and aggressive man pushed his way to the front of the line to confront her.

"I ordered a diamond necklace from this store a month ago, and this necklace is not what I ordered." the man snapped. "It's the day before Christmas, and I'd like you to tell me what I'm supposed to do now?"

The clerk politely explained her situation and asked him to please take his proper place in line. At this suggestion, the man bellowed, "Young lady, do you know who I am?"

In response, the clerk calmly picked up the microphone for the store's public address system and said, "This is the Customer Service Desk, and we have a gentleman here who does not know who he is. If anyone can come and identify him, please do so."

The man, now furious, looked at the clerk and said, "Screw you!"

The clerk, a rather attractive and shapely young woman, smiled at him and said, "You'll have to stand in line for that as well, sir."

I don't know if this story is actually true, but I suspect it's not. However, I thought it would be fun to remind you in a humorous way that once again it's time to start thinking about the holiday shopping season.

These days, you have two choices when it comes to holiday shopping. On one hand, there are those shoppers who still enjoy the hustle and bustle of doing their holiday shopping in traditional stores. Admittedly, shopping for gifts in this manner does have a certain appeal, especially if you're one of those people who loves the festive decorations and crowds of people.

On the other hand, many shoppers now take advantage of the option to do all, or at least part of their holiday shopping online. In fact, shopping online is starting to become one of the most popular options for holiday shoppers. Why? Well, there are a number of benefits to doing your holiday shopping online. Two of the most important benefits are the ability to do last minute shopping, and the convenience of avoiding those overcrowded and hectic stores. Let's take a closer look at these and a few other advantages of holiday shopping online.

Last Minute Shopping

While there are many hard-core shoppers, who are always prepared for the holidays and generally do their shopping well in advance, many of us normally find ourselves scrambling to purchase gifts at the last minute. It should not surprise you to learn that the last minute shoppers far outnumber the well organized group, who often complete their holiday shopping months in advance. The "last minute" crowd typically includes all the chronic procrastinators, who usually put off holiday shopping until the very last minute. It also includes those well intentioned shoppers who frequently get caught by surprise with a need to purchase gifts for a few extra people at the last minute.

Fortunately, making your purchases online can take a lot of the stress out of buying last minute gifts. By far, the greatest benefit of doing your last minute shopping online is the ability to have your gifts shipped directly to friends and relatives. Many of today's available shipping options even make it possible to have your gifts arrive within 24 hours after you've made your purchase. And, if you have really deep pockets, there are even companies out there who will deliver your gifts on a day and at a time that you specify, like Christmas Eve, for example. Expect to pay a premium for these express shipping services, but it can be a worthwhile investment for last minute shoppers who would otherwise be caught empty handed.

Avoiding Holiday Crowds

Generally, the huge crowds at traditional stores can be unbelievable during the holiday season. Add to this the frustration of trying to find a parking space and then attempting to navigate to various stores, and the whole experience ends up being too stressful and chaotic.

While it's true many shoppers thrive in this chaotic environment, most people find shopping in this manner to be totally aggravating. Some shoppers may even enjoy this type of environment for brief periods of time. However, research had shown that many people have difficulty completing their holiday shopping with so much chaos surrounding them.

Shopping online provides a welcomed escape from much of the confusion that is often associated with holiday shopping at traditional stores. Online shoppers can shop when it is most convenient for them, and typically the only troubling crowd related problem you will experience is a slow loading website (normally the result of too many online visitors). Waiting for a few extra moments for a website to reload may be a little frustrating, but it is significantly less stressful than standing in line at a crowded store.

Additional Benefits

There are other benefits to shopping online, which do not necessarily pertain to the holidays, but certainly simplify the process of purchasing holiday gifts. One of these benefits is the ability to comparison shop with ease. When shopping online, comparison shopping is as easy as opening the websites for competing businesses and comparing their products and prices. This is certainly much simpler than running around from one store to another, trying to find out which store has the best price on a particular item.

Here's one final, but much less obvious benefit of shopping online: the ability to purchase items from stores all over the world. Holiday shoppers who limit themselves to traditional stores are also limiting their product choices. A shopper at a traditional store can normally only purchase items that they physically find in a store, while online shoppers can search stores around the world for a particular item. This can be particularly useful, especially if you're looking for a specific or unusual item that might otherwise be impossible to locate.

The Bottom Line

So, what's the bottom line? If you're one of those people who thrives in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, and you don't mind fighting for parking, pushing your way through large crowds, and standing in long lines to make your purchases, then we wish you well. For all of you procrastinators out there, who are always looking for simplicity, convenience, and ease, we'll see you online. Remember, even if you wait until the very last minute, online shopping is still your smartest choice.

Finding a Business Online With Business Directory Script

There are business directories with lists of websites that have been compiled for a particular subject, product or service. If you are planning to buy chemicals or agriculture machinery, office furniture or special software, there is specialist website for each of these products. Today, the web has become far more interesting than being just a shopping catalogue, as it is one of the best places to start browsing in one of the big business portals.

The directory is extensively used by big business portals that are superstores, advice centers and business directories all rolled into one. Thus, an online directory is used for bringing together material, services and advice from other sites and it is used to provide a central point of reference for the net users. But, if you are looking for something in particular you can make use of other parts of the directory in order to help find it quickly and efficiently.

But on the other hand, if you are interested in browsing the web, then you can find portals that will make a great starting point of your surfing. The internet is platform for a whole range of business organization working for a cause. Most of the online businesses aim their efforts on behalf of a particular group of businesses, as there are many small businesses or manufacturing industries.

However, the business directory is packed with information that can be used for the target audience. There are many small online businesses that make use of the online directory for providing links to services like insurance, financial and management advice and archives of business guides for small businesses. Thus, there are millions of businesses online that are available with interesting websites that could provide the perfect solution for your company.

Most entrepreneurs who have online businesses and are struggling to make a mark on the overcrowded internet, there are business directories available on the internet that will not only generate money but it will also bring you, your share of fame. One can also increase the website ranking and one does not need to be a techno geek or a web master in order to install the business directory scripts software. The business directory can be used for listing various corporate events, other corporate, self-employed entrepreneurs and many more.

Moreover, the online directory lets you personalize the content in the directory and you can also make sub categories so that the net users can find the information easily. There are many advantages of getting listed in paid web directory as compared to the free business directory. Paid directories are the one that are more efficient and have good page ranks and get you not only quality web traffic to your site but it also give a boost to the search engine ranking of your website. Therefore, getting listed in a quality online business directory is very important for any company who would want to boost sales with online traffic coming from the directories.

WorldWide Shopping Online is a Growing Billion Dollar Trend!

With online shopping becoming a billion-dollar market in Britain, analysts say that stores will be forced to change their business models to adapt.

Online shopping is poised to take 20p out of every UK consumer pound by the end of the year, a landmark milestone that analysts believe will make the channel a critical business for many high-street retailers. Although online shopping growth actually fell in June (the first time it has done so since 2005), the report predicts the economic downturn will encourage more consumer spend to go online, as shoppers hunt for bargains. Also, with the price of fuel at such all time highs,you have to count the cost of the shopping expedition
as well as the prices of merchandise.

In CMR's latest thought leader position for Forbes, we show that e-commerce is actually booming in China, driven by changing demographic demands, especially from Chinese youth. It is critical that companies begin to look at how to use the internet to drive sales. Not only should companies utilize the internet for marketing purposes, but they should look at it as a critical sales channel to Chinese youth who are increasingly turning to the internet to buy not just cheap items like books and DVDs but more complex and expensive products like electronics, luxury items, and clothes.

This week, comScore Networks released the first in its latest series of studies geared at examining the online shopping activity of European citizens throughout the holiday season.

The initial data shows that French retail sites experienced the largest gains in the first three weeks of the holiday seasons, highlighted by a 79 percent increase in online shopping traffic for the week ending November 26th versus the pre-holiday average.

"While cyber shopping visits rose most quickly in Germany during the first week of the holiday shopping season, online shoppers in France have since become more active," said Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe.

"These gains show that consumers armed with high-speed access and positive online retail experiences are increasingly comfortable shopping online."

Ivins continues, "As online spending continues to grow and account for a larger percentage of total consumer spending, the growth in online shopping could be the difference between a good Christmas and a great Christmas for many online retailers."

Metrical analysis of the United States and Europe show trends of increased spending in online retail from last year, and the rate of transition from traditional to online shopping isn't showing signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The larger question, however, lies in what all these numbers actually mean? How do you gauge these metrics to gain insight into actual user behavior rather than just dollars spent online?

Why are shoppers spending more time online rather than in traditional retail marketplaces? Is it just a matter of price, or does product availability and comfort factor into the equation as well?

If marketers are truly serious about gearing their advertising campaigns in contextually relevant ways, it will be important to ask the "why" question more and more in response to studies like this which reflect statistics, but give little insight into gauging consumer intent.

It depends on how far one lives from the store as well as the mode of transportation used. While it is hard to beat the greenness of walking across the street to your neighborhood grocery COOP and bringing your own containers for bulk purchases and canvas bags for the short walk back home, not everyone is fortunate enough to live in such close proximity to the marketplace. Not everyone even desires to live centrally.

Living in the country, a family on Wasted was addicted to online shopping. Wasteful? Yes, however, if it weren't for the internet, they would probably still be addicted to shopping. The difference is that they would have to drive their gas guzzlers into the city to get their fix.

The US Postal Service, along with shipping giants such as Fed Ex and UPS are making the rounds anyway, driving close to most American households everyday, if not right past it. Even in the country. These services are like well-organized carpools for goods.

Make Money Online - The Power of Information Marketing

Growing your online income from nothing to a fulltime income is not only possible, but it's been done by countless of others before you. But almost everybody has the same question at the beginning:

How do I get started?

There are a million answers to that question, but this article will be about my favorite option: information marketing. Never before has there been a product class that can deliver incredible profit margins, amazing speed to market, and low competition at the same time.

But information marketing does just that.

Let's talk about this in detail:

First let me say, in no ambiguous terms, that there has never been a batter time to start growing an online income. Internet marketing is absolutely exploding... and this expansion is opening up more opportunities every day.

Even in our current recession, there are tons of online business owners pulling down big figures every week. This is because, even when money is tight, folks need certain things and still have problems they want solved.

Anyways...

Information marketing is one of the easiest, most profitable areas of online marketing one can get into. It's dependable, because folks always have questions they need answered by an expert. It's profitable, because you are selling ideas instead of something that needs manufacturing plants. And it's relatively simple to do, since there are so many areas where folks need quality information at a good price.

The global economy is shifting from laborers to thought workers. Commerce is fueled by those that sit behind a desk and excel and creating certain thoughts. This might sound far fetched to you... but just think about yourself or maybe those in your social circle.

Salesmen? Thought workers. Writers? Thought workers. Teachers? Thought workers. Programmers? You guessed it... thought worker.

This is what makes information marketing so profitable... all of those thought workers need ideas that will improve their craft. Then when they get home, they need ideas that will make their hobbies and social life better.

This is especially true in the wake of the decline of public education. Especially in the West, we are woefully unequipped to compete in the global marketplace. We need specialized information, offered by experts or marketers that contract experts, to even the playing field.

Add the fact that publishing has never been easier for the "little guy" and you have a recipe for huge opportunity. With nothing more than a computer and a grasp of your native language you can make all kinds of information products people would gladly pay for.

Profit margins are enormous in the information marketing business. This might be reason enough to consider it. Think about it: you never have to contract for a prototype. You never have to have a warehouse. You never have to manufacture anything, beyond a product that sits on your computer's hard drive.

And that one product will be a constant paycheck as long as somebody wants the information you have to offer.

If you haven't picked up the punch line yet, the power of information marketing is staggering. If you plan on building an online income, there isn't a better way to do it... bar none. Don't let this boat pass you by... nobody knows for sure how long the window of opportunity stays open. Hop on board while you can; there's a crowd on shore starving for your insight.

Christmas Holiday Shopping Online - 5 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Online Shopping Experience

Christmas is approaching fast and more people than ever are using the Internet to do all of their Holiday shopping. Shopping online can save you on time, travel expenses, and you don't have to deal with crowds and long lines when you shop on the Internet. You can find some really good deals online if you look around. You can try to find a bargain on eBay or compare prices from multiple web-sites selling the same product you are interested in to get the best deal. There are literally hundreds of ways to save money online if you are a value shopper.

The Best Deals Are On The Internet

The reason you can find so many good deals online is that it costs less to run an Internet based business than a traditional retail store. The operating costs are less than a brick and mortar, less employees, and almost everything is carried out automatically by a computer. Many companies who have a traditional store location will also offer customers special deals when they shop online. Any company that wants to have a chance of getting a lot of business online must have competitive prices and compete with the global market. This translates to huge savings for the customer!

Here are 5 things that will help you get the best prices possible:

1. You need to compare prices from different companies. Sure this is obvious and is something most people do even when they do their shopping offline. The problem is that it is even more important when shopping on the Internet. You may find a deal that you really think is dirt-cheap and order it quickly only to find out another website is selling the same thing for $15-$20 dollars cheaper! Don't just make sure you are getting a good deal. Make sure you are getting the best deal!

2. Make sure the company has a good reputation. Unfortunately there are a few online stores that have poor customer service, unfavorable return policies, and are slow on shipping. Search the Internet to see if they have any negative reviews before you decide to do business with any particular company. The most important thing you can possibly do is to make sure they have a secure checkout page. Click the checkout button for the item you wish to buy and make sure that there is an "Https://" in your address bar in front of the actual website address. This means that you are doing business on an encrypted page and that your information is secure. If a checkout page does not display the "Https://" it is time to get out of there and find a more professional company!

3. Check the shipping and handling prices before you check out! The price of a given item may be dirt-cheap but the shipping might cost you an arm and a leg. Make sure you know the entire shipping and handling cost and compare it to several other websites selling similar items to make sure it is reasonable. On the other hand, there are a lot of websites that take care of the shipping and handling for free! Just be sure that you aren't overpaying for the shipping.

4. Check to make sure the company has a mailing address, a phone number, and an e-mail address you can use to get in touch with them. If any of those 3 things are missing, this is not a website you want to do business with. This is a very simple task but it's amazing how many online shoppers do not check for these basic things.

5. It's important to either use a pre-paid credit card or use a traditional credit card that has some type of consumer protection program. It's very safe shopping online but it is possible to get scammed the same as in real life. A pre-paid credit card will make sure that there are no "accidental" overcharges. They can't take out more than what is actually on the card so this is a pretty safe way to do business online.

It's important to make sure you have some type of protection if you are using a traditional credit card. You need to have some way to dispute charges and most credit card companies have a customer service department to handle claims like that. It could just be a simple computer error and your credit card company can take care of problems like that for you.

Stick to those guidelines and you are sure to have an enjoyable online shopping experience. This will make your Holiday stress-free and you will probably want to do it again next year!

Who is the Best Broker - Forex Trading?

Finding the best Broker for Forex Trading is one of the biggest steps to getting a Forex Trading Business or extra income stream off of the ground. There are many different considerations to take into account, among those being commissions charged, spread rates, and speed of execution. Don't make a decision without evaluating your potential future Currency Trading Broker on all of these!

The way that modern Forex Trading works is that there are many different brokers in countries all over the world connected to the Interbank system over the internet. Generally speaking, if you meet the minimum requirements for acceptance by the broker, you can sign up and trade every currency under the sun, no matter what country the broker is in.

It used to be the case (and sometimes still is), that choosing a trading broker was done on the strength of relationship alone. With the nature of trading having gone from being a brick and mortar type business to a much more online, web-centered model, choosing the best Forex Trading Broker really comes down to what services the broker can provide, and what price.

Read about the future of Automated FX Trading [http://www.forex-trading-university.com] Systems

Professional Currency traders know that to trade well and profitably, they have to watch their bottom line very closely. Speed of execution and pricing considerations are paramount, and most traders will choose their trading broker accordingly. Instead of getting caught up in the hype and gimmicks of the brokerage community, they break down specifically what they need their Forex trading broker to do for them to make them the most money possible.