Business Matters | Eternal Spiral Books

Creating Your Personal Image Online

February 13, 2012 Business Matters No Comments

How to Enhance Your Career Prospects by Building an Impressive Personal Profile Online

by Evelyn Trimborn and Carolyn Stone

**If you are looking for a new job, or a better job, what will YOUR prospective new boss discover when they type your name into a search engine???**

It’s time you faced the truth. 75% of HR managers will type your name into a search engine as soon as they receive your resume. What will they find when they seek YOU out online?

If they discover anything that raises a red flag in their minds, chances are you will not even make it to the interview stage, no matter how qualified you are for the job.

If you want to rescue your reputation online, and even enhance your career prospects, this step-by-step guide will show you how to begin building an impressive personal profile online starting today.

Discover what your current profile says about you. Learn how to create content that will neutralize any negative impressions, and turn the tables in your favor. You will even learn how to make more money online while building a powerful profile at the same time.

You will also discover the best ways to build your own personal brand, online and offline. Each of the eight chapters concludes with specific action steps to help you craft compelling content to create a career-boosting online presence sure to attract the attention of the people who count most in your niche and industry.

Your career is too important to leave to chance, especially in this economy. Download this guide and take charge of your online profile and enhance your prospects starting now.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: WHAT DOES YOUR CURRENT PROFILE AND NETWORKING SAY ABOUT YOU?

CHAPTER 2: CREATING YOUR OWN PERSONAL BRAND

CHAPTER 3: YOUR CURRENT ONLINE IMAGE

CHAPTER 4: WHAT KIND OF IMAGE SHOULD YOU PROJECT?

CHAPTER 5: FURTHER OPPORTUNITY SEEKING THROUGH YOUR ONLINE PROFILE

CHAPTER 6: CREATING A FAVORABLE FIRST IMPRESSION

CHAPTER 7: BRANDING YOURSELF

CHAPTER 8: BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS ONLINE

CONCLUSION

Job Hunting Outside the Box

February 10, 2012 Business Matters, Life Matters, Non-Fiction No Comments

While the conventional means of finding a job work for many people, responding to job postings and newspaper ads are not the only way to land yourself a great job these days. So think outside the box-the ad box.

Networking is the name of the game for people willing to get out there and angle for the 70% of jobs that never make the papers and job boards. Networking can help you stand out from the crowd and get in first before the company ever has to consider advertising the job or turning to a recruiter to fill it. Here are a few suggestions for unusual but effective ways to land a job even in this tough economy.

*Let your friends and family know you’re available for a new opportunity.
Tell them specifically what skills you have and the types of positions that fit your skills. Encourage them to send your well-crafted email on to everyone they know as well.

Use several marketing tools to showcase your abilities. Post your resume everywhere you can online. Join Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Start a blog, follow industry blogs, and make posts with a link to your resume.

Put an ad in the newspaper.
Instead of just answering ads, put a “job seeking ad” out there. Put an ad in Craigslist. There are tons of free classifieds online – use them lead people to your online resume and portfolio of work. Seeing is believing. Why would the company’s hiring manager bother to look for candidates if they know that they have a position coming up and have already seen what you can do?

Cold call businesses to see if any opportunities have cropped up.
Call and ask for the HR department and see what if you can get a foot in the door. Find the name of someone at the company via LinkedIn who is in your area of expertise and learn more about them and their company. Then call and ask for a moment of their time and take it from there.

Hang signs around town.

You’ve seen those signs on telephone poles that declare, “We Buy Houses.” It could just as easily read, “Great Salesman Available For Hire” or “Great Website Designer.” Again, lead them to a special URL with your resume and portfolio of work. Also consider using a unique QR code on the sign so people with a Smartphone can just point and click (hint: make your resume mobile-friendly). The QR code will make it convenient for them to find out more about you and also show that you are following the latest technology trends. This is a must depending on the kind of work you are looking for or industry you are in. You can made QR codes online at QRstuff.com. Be sure to create a unique landing page at your website which the QR code can lead them to.

Make up business cards that state you’re looking for a job.
Include your occupation of choice, name, phone, email, and a link to your resume. Also include your QR code on the card as above. You can also create a QR code that will load your contact information right into their list of contacts on their Smartphone. Go to QRstuff.com to learn more and create your own for free.

Fire-up the fax.
Fax your resume to companies that meets you specifications. You never know! They might have upcoming positions to fill and you could be saving them the trouble of advertising and having to interview widely.

Go to networking opportunities.
Meetup has all sorts of interesting groups in large cities that cater to all different kinds of interests, from movies to Scrabble. If you are outside of the house, you are meeting people, and can meet nice new people and hand out business cards as appropriate.

There are also special networking meetups, such as contacts and cocktails, for general or specific industries. Even if you don’t get a job through these meetups, you are practicing meeting strangers and talking your way through your skills. You will also often meet people you might use yourself at some future date, or possibly even partner with.

These are just a few suggestions as to how to think outside of the job ad box and use modern technology and networking techniques to broaden the scope of your job search. Think beyond the traditional job hunting methods that everyone uses. Instead, be creative and pro-active about your job hunt, and you may soon catch the attention of your next boss.

For more information on job hunting successfully, see Questions You Need to Ask on Your Next Job Interview
For more information on how to create a powerful professional profile for yourself online, see: How to Raise Your Professional Profile Online

Successful Outsourcing: A Step-by-Step Guide

February 9, 2012 Business Matters 1 Comment

by Joan Mullally and Evelyn Trimborn

Successful outsourcing can be one of the best steps you ever take to grow your business and help take it to the next level of success.

However, what is outsourcing, and how can you start outsourcing successfully in your business? In this detailed, step-by-step guide, you will learn:
* What outsourcing is
* How to budget for outsourced workers, even if money is tight
* How to hire skilled workers to grow your business
* The ten signs that you need to start outsourcing tasks in your business
* The main types of outsourced workers you can hire to expand your business
* The best places to find reliable outsourced workers.

You will also discover:
* The best ways to prepare to work with an outsourced worker
* The #1 mistake you can make with an outsourced contractor and how to avoid it
* The main questions to ask yourself and your virtual assistant before you hire
* How to hire a top-quality copywriter for your business
and more.

If you want to get started outsourcing successfully in order to grow your business and increase your revenue, get started today with the help of this invaluable guide.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: WHY YOU SHOULD OUTSOURCE
* 10 Hints that You Need to Outsource
* Outsource Strategy Worksheet 1: Planning
CHAPTER 2: TYPES OF OUTSOURCING
CHAPTER 3: FINDING THE RIGHT OUTSOURCED WORKER/S FOR YOUR BUSINESS
* Types of Outsourced Workers to Choose From
* Outsource Strategy Worksheet 2: Executing
CHAPTER 4: HIRING AN OUTSOURCE CONTRACTOR:
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND YOU PERSONALLY
CHAPTER 5: PITFALLS TO AVOID WHEN WORKING WITH AN OUTSOURCED WORKER
CHAPTER 6: ADVANCED OUTSOURCING STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX 1: A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR HIRING A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
APPENDIX 2: A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR HIRING A COPYWRITER
FURTHER READING
ACTION STEPS
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Joan Mullally and Evelyn Trimborn are the authors of over two dozen titles which focus on small business and successful marketing, particularly online marketing. All of their guides focus on the practical action steps needed to accomplish your particular business goals.

Buy Now: Successful Outsourcing: A Step-by-Step Guide (Business Matters)

How to Start a Successful Direct Sales Business

February 8, 2012 Business Matters No Comments

by Annabelle Stevens and Carolyn Stone

Direct sales is a $132.5 billion industry, with over 87 million sales representatives all over the world selling high-quality products that have become household names. If you’ve’ ever heard of Avon or Tupperware, you will know that direct sales can be a fun and successful way to make money in your spare time.

In this guide, top marketers Annabelle Stevens and Carolyn Stone give you the secrets to their success in the direct sales world.

You will learn:
*How to choose the right company to work for
*How to get started organizing your direct sales business
*How to convey confidence to sell well in any setting
*How to manage your time efficiently
*How to set up a productive home office to run your business efficiently
*How to set realistic income targets every month and reach or even exceed them

You will also discover:
*How to start marketing your direct sales business online and offline
*How to throw a successful party every time, for even more profits
*How to find hosts and hostesses for your direct sales events
*How to locate further resources to support your direct sales business, including tax information
*How to recruit and lead a winning direct sales team, for even more profits

If you are interested in starting your own business in order to earn extra income and even gain financial freedom and become self-employed, use How to Start a Successful Direct Sales Business to help you begin achieving your goals today.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Annabelle Stevens and Carolyn Stone are two of the main writers and editors for the popular marketing site InsiderSecretsCorp.com, and the authors of over two dozen finance and self-help guides.

Buy Now: How to Start a Successful Direct Sales Business (Business Basics)

Great Ways to Earn Extra Income Online

February 6, 2012 Business Matters, Non-Fiction No Comments

The job market in the United States has been under stress ever since the drastic economic downturn of Autumn 2008 and the second stock market plunge in August 2011. If you are one of the many people all over the world looking for better financial stability, earning extra money online might be one of the best ways to get out of debt and start saving for your future goals.

Taking an extra job outside of the home can mean long hours and even more stress. Many people don’t even have that option because they have a family to take care of, and even young children at home. The good news is that working online can be done almost any time that it is convenient for you, depending on your own personal circumstances.

If you are already working a day job, you can set aside an hour or two at night after the kids are in bed to earn extra money online. If you are a stay at home mom, you can work while the children are in school and still be there for them when they get home. (Just look online for Work At Home Moms (WAHMs) to find a wealth of resources and discover just how popular and lucrative being a WAHM can be.)

For those of you who do not have quite such a flexible schedule and only a limited number of hours each day and perhaps at the weekend to earn some extra cash, here are a couple of ideas that really work.

*Write articles for popular websites.
Submit articles at sites where you earn page view revenue and/or upfront payment for articles. Such sites can be gold mines for someone with writing skills, talent and the willingness to produce content regularly and market their content through their social network. .
Various websites such as Triond, Associated Content at Yahoo, Helium, Constant Content, and HubPages will pay you for your articles based on the page views they receive. Some of these sites also offer upfront payment for articles and opportunities to sell full rights to your work.
The Internet world for writers is vast and varied. After all, everything on the Internet runs on words and content.

Regardless of the type of writing you do, fiction, poetry, non-fiction, or technical, you’ll be able to find a number of websites where you can sell your work.

You can judge how reputable a site is by appearance and the way they pay their writers. The sites listed above pay using PayPal and have all been reported as reputable places to earn some cash. If you are able to write well on interesting topics or your own area of expertise, open your free accounts at one or two of them, put up some articles, and start to promote them.

Just keep in mind that there might be a writing test and NEVER, EVER copy another person’s work no matter how desperate you are. This is plagiarism and can be punishable by law. It is estimated by some of these sites that up to 70% of the submissions they receive are plagiarized. Naturally this will get you banned from the site before you’ve ever even started, so don’t do it.

*Become an affiliate.
Ever hear of Amazon? eBay? If you have ever shopped at those sites, you can become an affiliate and sell products through them in exchange for a commission. They offer a wide range of products at great prices and pride themselves on excellent customer service.
You don’t have to sell directly or get your hands dirty as an affiliate. All you have to do is drive traffic to those sites through your own specially coded affiliate link that you will be given once you are approved and set up your account. The code ensures that any sales make through that link are credited to you and you will receive commission on the sale, usually within 60 days of it being sold.

There are payment thresholds for these companies, that is, they will pay out once your account has reached a certain level of earnings, such as $50. Once you have reached the threshold, you will receive regular monthly payments each month thereafter. You will be paid through PayPal, so if you do not already have an account there you can sign up for one for free, verify the account, and then you are in business.

Both websites offer a great deal of guidance on how to sell successfully as an affiliate. Amazon will even let you create your own customized stores full of the products you are most interested in. You don’t even need a website to become an affiliate, or any website skills. If you can copy and paste on the computer, you can become an affiliate.

Commissions are not high to start with, around 4 to 6%, but the more you sell, the more you can earn, up to about 15%. Just think of what you could earn if you were selling high-ticket items like electronics? Both sites offer a wide range of products, so our suggestion is that you choose an area that you are genuinely interested in, and become an expert at it. This is known as a niche. You might be an expert on Hong Kong cinema or historical romance novels. Use your knowledge to make a list of great products to sell and create your special links in your affiliate area.

Then go to blogs, discussion boards, chat rooms and social media sites where your niche topic is being discussed. Join in the conversation naturally, with no hard selling. Just post a link at the end of each of your comments.

If you have your own website, start writing (honest) reviews of hot items in your niche. You will soon become seen as an expert worth listening to.

Finally, becoming an affiliate is one of the best ways to give you and your family an instant discount on many of the products you already buy. Just give your family and friends your link to shop through, and watch your affiliate earnings grow.

You may feel that you have hardly any time to yourself once you get home from work, but giving up the TV or aimlessly surfing the Internet and focusing your attention on a paying job with freedom and flexibility could be one of the best ways to get out of debt and start saving for a better future for you and your family. Start doing your research today and

FURTHER READING

Essentials For Setting Up Your New Small Business

How to Make Money with Affiliate Marketing Even Without a Website

How To Transform Your Hobby Into A Home-Based Small Business

How to Make Money from Private Label Rights Products

3 Fast Tips To Get Website Traffic Quickly

February 1, 2012 Business Matters, Marketing Matters, Non-Fiction, Technology Matters No Comments

One of the most significant keys to success on the Internet is getting website traffic. The more visitors you have, the more prospective customers, and your chance to turn them from browsers into buyers and boost your sales and profits.

You will have already laid the foundation with a great website full of content. If not, then start with the basics, putting up keyword optimized pages, with your keywords all tagged appropriately. Once you do this, the search engines will start to find your site. Then it will be up to you to convince a human being that your site is worth paying attention to.

Here are three of the best ways to drive free traffic to your site on a regular basis.

1-Add content to your site daily

Content is essential for traffic and a top search engine ranking. Content is what search engine spiders look for and index. Without it, there is nothing to index or rank.
Give visitors and search engines a reason to come to your site. Make a commitment to provide daily, optimized content and your traffic will soar. If you are using a blog platform like WordPress, just upload your content, set the scheduler to publish at a date in the future, and in this way you can load up a month’s worth of content in less than a day.

2-Get social.

Now more than ever before, Internet marketing is about building a relationship with your user, and being part of a larger community. Whether you offer a forum on your website or you participate in social networking sites, social networking is a valuable free traffic generating tactic.

Sites like Facebook and Twitter can be powerful tools for generating links and traffic to your site. It does take time to get started, but once you create a profile and then post content, links to your site, and ideas which generate conversation, you will start to get found. People will Like you or Follow you and word will spread about your site.

Another great thing about social networking is that you can search for like-minded people. You don’t just have to hang around chatting with anyone, you can chat with any one of a number of dog agility training groups. Find the group that is right for you, and join in to start connecting with your prospective customers, to help generate free traffic.

3-Create buzz about your site.
If you use a blog platform, there are ways to post your content on your site, and then tweet about it or list it on Facebook using a WordPress plugin. You can do the same with your marketing emails through the Aweber email marketing platform.

Therefore, you can not only do the work once and then use it in various ways, the more ways you use it, the more likely that people will pass along the information to people they think might also be interested in it. They can forward your email to a friend, re-tweet it, or post it on Facebook.

If enough people spread the word about your site, it can be said to go viral, and get a great deal of buzz. One of the best ways to create buzz is through a great free special report or must-have product at a super price.

Using one of these strategies can help you get more traffic to your site quickly. Using all four on a regular basis can give you maximum results in the form of steady streams of traffic that can take your business to the next level.

How to Make Your Small Business Look Larger Even on a Budget

January 22, 2012 Business Matters No Comments

by Joan Mullally and Evelyn Trimborn

Starting your own small business can be a wonderful opportunity to work for yourself, to earn a better income or to replace lost income, but it is hard work and small businesses often have several obstacles in the way of their success. One of the main ones is not being taken seriously because your company is considered to be too small.

If you want to run a successful small business while landing medium-sized or even larger clients, there are several steps you can take to make your business look larger and more impressive in order to gain more credibility.

As a small business, you often can’t afford expenses such as a receptionist, professional office space, a member of staff for every job that needs to be done, and so on.

However, with a bit of foresight, you can create the impression of running an efficient business that looks larger than it really is – one that is worth dealing with. You can even accomplish this without breaking your budget once you know how.

In this guide, top marketers Joan Mullally and Evelyn Trimborn, co-founders of Accent Marketing Group, Inc., will be showing you some of the best ways to present your small business in a more professional light, even if you are only a lone employee.

Discover the best ways to make your business look larger. Learn how to position yourself as an expert in a variety of ways designed to impress prospective customers and win you word-of-mouth recommendations and testimonials.

Discover the best and most cost-effective ways to drive traffic to your website and take advantage of both online and offline marketing opportunities. Position yourself to make the most of all the sales and business opportunities that will come your way as you build your impressive professional profile. Best of all, learn how to do this even if you only have a small budget.

In this guide, you will also get handy appendices on how to build brand recognition and how to start outsourcing effectively to grow your business even more rapidly and score the top clients that you are aiming for in your niche or industry.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: YOUR BUSINESS BASICS
CHAPTER 2: YOUR COMPANY MATERIALS
CHAPTER 3: YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE
CHAPTER 4: DRIVING TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS
CHAPTER 5: ADVERTISING YOUR BUSINESS
CHAPTER 6: SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS
CHAPTER 7: EFFECTIVE SALES STRATEGIES FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX 1: SMART OUTSOURCING TIPS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
APPENDIX 2: THE KEY INGREDIENTS OF LASTING BRANDS

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Joan Mullally and Evelyn Trimborn are the authors of over two dozen guides in the Business Matters, Marketing Matters and Mobile Matters series. They are the co-founders of Accent Marketing Group, Inc. and love to consult for small to mid-sized start-up companies.

Buy Now: How to Make Your Small Business Look Larger Even on a Budget: Enhance Your Business Image Without Breaking the Bank (Marketing Matters)

Questions You Need to Ask on Your Next Job Interview

January 19, 2012 Business Matters, Self-Help - Life and Mind Matters 1 Comment

by Carolyn Stone and Evelyn Trimborn

How many times has this happened to you:

It’s getting towards the end of the interview and everything is going GREAT. Then the interviewer suddenly asks the one question that is bound to stump most people if they are not prepared.

Suddenly, your interviewer asks if you have any questions.

This can truly be the make or break moment in your interview.

How you handle this loaded interview question will be crucial to your walking away empty-handed, versus with an offer in hand.

This practical guide covers the questions you should ask at an interview to leave a favorable lasting impression upon the people interviewing you.

It also discusses how to take control of the interview in a subtle, professional way, to see if you are a good fit for the job, and even more important, if the job is right for YOU.

The new third edition of this guide also give you a list of action steps to help you polish your resume so you can gain the all-important opportunity to go on an interview.

You will also learn:
+ How volunteering can be the gateway to a new job
+ How to gain new skills without paying for educational courses
+ How to network like a pro
+ Why you might want to go back to school to enhance your skills
+ How to use your skills to earn money through self-employment
+ How to make the most of online opportunities
and much more.

You will also get:
+ Checklists for men and women regarding appropriate attire for an interview,
+ Hints and tips on how to calm your nerves on interview
+ Key items you need to bring on interview
+ Things to watch out for once you arrive at your interview;
+ A free PDF download “Finding a Job Checklist” you can use to help keep you on task with your job hunt.

Start using this guide now to put your best foot forward to try to land the great job you deserve.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SYNOPSIS
INTRODUCTION
TOP QUESTIONS TO ASK ON YOUR JOB INTERVIEW
STEPS TO READY YOURSELF FOR INTERVIEW SUCCESS
+UPDATE YOUR RESUME TO SHOW OFF YOUR SKILLS
+TAKE AN INVENTORY OF YOUR PERSONAL AND SOCIAL SKILLS
+UTILIZE TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS FOR FINDING WORK
+EXPLORE ONLINE EMPLOYMENT
+ACCESS ONLINE NETWORKING TO FIND A JOB
+USE VOLUNTEERING AS A MEANS OF FINDING A JOB
+CHANGING YOUR MINDSET IN ORDER TO FIND WORK MORE EASILY
+FOLLOW UP ON ANY LEADS PROMPTLY
+TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR TIME OFF
CONCLUSION
FINDING A JOB ACTION STEPS LIST (With link to download free PDF as well)
APPENDIX: Interview Preparation Checklists
+Men’s Interview Clothing Checklist
+Hints and Tips for Men
+Other Key Items for Everyone to Bring
+Hints and Tips for All Candidates
+Women’s Interview Clothing Checklist
+Hints and Tips for Women
FREE NEWSLETTER AND GUIDES OFFER
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Evelyn Trimborn and Carolyn Stone are the authors of over 50 self-help books relating to finance, health and self-improvement. They are frequent contributors to a variety of websites, including InsiderSecretsCorp.com.

Buy Now: Questions You Need to Ask on Your Next Job Interview (Business Basics)

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