Archive for November, 2009
Automating Your Home Based Internet Business
Owning your own Internet business is a dream come true for many. Unfortunately most people don’t realize the cost of running such a business in terms of time. Between setting up and maintaining your web site marketing the site creating products and customer service you end up working more than a full time job.
Although there are certain tasks that you must handle yourself there are usually even more tasks that can be automated or outsourced.
One of the most time consuming aspects of running a business is customer support especially if you’re selling software. Many times you will find yourself answering the same questions over and over again which is something that can be partially automated.
A great way to cut down on a lot of your support requests is to set up an online help desk with a knowledge base on your site. A help desk will enable your customers to visit your site and go through a series of questions and answers that will try to solve their problem without the need for human intervention. However if they can’t find a solution they can then submit a support ticket for assistance. You can find a nice online help desk software at Kayako. If you get a lot of support requests this will definitely be a great option for you.
Another way you can cut down on your support requests is to set up a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page and place it on your web site. If you’d like to use this option create a new web page and type out any questions you receive or any questions you think your customers may ask and then answer them. Your FAQ might look something like this:
Question: Is your software compatible with the Windows Vista operating system?
Answer: Yes our software is compatible with Vista.
In addition you could also create ‘answer’ templates for questions you receive on a regular basis. To do this open your text editor and type your email message that will be used to answer questions. Save your new template within an easily accessible folder. If you do this for each potential question you can easily copy the answer from your template and paste it into your email reply each time you receive a standard question. Some email programs will enable you to create what is referred to as stationary. You can use this feature to create your templates.
You will be amazed by the amount of time you’ll save each day by automating a portion of your customer support requests. However there are many other things that you can do to automate some daily tasks.
As an Internet business owner you have most likely have heard about autoresponders. Autoresponders can also be used to automate portions of your business as they can send out an automatic response to every email message received.
You can set up an autoresponder on your own server but most find that it is much easier to sign up for an autoresponder service such as Aweber or Get Response. Either way there are numerous tasks that can be taken care of with an autoresponder.
If you write articles autoresponders provide a great way to deliver them to your visitors email address. You can place special links on your site for your visitors to request your articles.
Autoresponders can also enable you to provide your visitors with your advertising rates such as web site or ezine advertising. By enabling your visitors to request this information via your autoresponder you won’t have to manually send it to them.
You can also use your autoresponder to automate your digital product delivery. Instead of redirecting your customers to a ‘thank you’ or ‘download’ page redirect them to a page where they can enter their name and email address into your autoresponder form. Upon submitting their information your autoresponder will automatically send them their download instructions.
If you’d rather not use an autoresponder service here are two software programs that you can install on your own web server:
AutoResponse Plus A complete list management system that will enable you to manage an unlimited number of lists send plain text or html messages send out customized messages and include a link for your customers to automatically remove themselves from your list.
12All Broadcast This script will enable you to fully manage your email lists send plain and HTML messages personalize messages and enables your customers to remove themselves from your list automatically.
There are an unlimited number of uses for autoresponders such as promoting business opportunities delivering free email courses and much more. Use them to your fullest advantage.
Automating portions of your Internet business can save you a wealth of time and enable you to focus on more important things like spending time with your family or making more sales.
About the writer: Shelley Lowery is the owner of www.WebSource.net. Join Shelley and many others who work from home. Find out how you can launch 6 automated income streams in just 24 hours. Visit: www.BoardYourShip.com
Automatic Garage Door Openers Are A Great Investment
The concept of a garage door system arrived during the Second World War. Garage Door Openers have been saving Americans from back injuries for over 35 years yet there have been few new modifications or major innovations in these garage door openers. Believe it or not some people have voice activated garage door openers instead of you having to place your finger over the button when you walk from your house to the garage.
Garage door can keep the home safe because when they close the doors are locked automatically this way you don’t have to worry about locking the doors. Garage doors are important features in a security system for a number of reasons and those who use openers however need to be mindful of a few things. The main parts in a garage door opener system are: transmitter the remote control safety sensors key pads receiver/remote kits screw drive and much more.
The garage door openers are automatic and so convenient they are standard in most garages today. An automatic garage door opener is not just a convenience; it’s an investment in your house and an important home appliance that will get daily use for many years to come. An automatic garage door opener is a terrific convenience and it may give you a sense of security as well.
When building a home it is sometimes confusing when trying to figure out the opening of the garage door. The rough opening for a garage door simply put is the actual size of the door itself. You should make sure the garage door is properly balanced you can do this by slowly opening and closing the door when the bottom of the door hits the floor evenly and the door doesn’t sway back and forth the door is balanced.
The reason garage door openers do not burn out is because the springs allow the door to open easily by pulling the door up so the opener has less strain on the motor the springs also help if you need to open the door manually. Usually two types of springs are used linear expansion and tensional springs. The springs on your garage door can pose a safety hazard. These kinds of springs are installed over a shaft that helps roll the door up to the open position. Garage door springs are very dangerous even when the garage is closed as they contain large amounts of potential energy that’s just waiting to be suddenly converted to kinetic energy ie movement and have killed or seriously injured many people.
Some garage door openers offer heavier steel or a sturdier design. Some garage door openers do not use the steel chain pulley system; they use a screw threaded steel rod that turns to move the garage door up and down. If you are deciding on which type of garage door to purchase keep in mind the differences between wood and metal the wood doors need to be taken care of just like a deck you need to stain or paint it so it doesn’t rot a steel door is easier to maintain. If you decide to get a steel door the main thing to check is that it has been properly prepared to prevent rust.
About the writer: George Water and David Marc Fishman are the owners of Priceriot. Priceriot is a new online auction where prices drop as people shop for applicances. How to do things.
Are You Placing Your Success In The Hands Of Others?
This December coming will be the second anniversary of my fulltime home business. Did you know that it took me almost six years to get to the stage of earning enough income to be able to make it a fulltime venture?
That’s right! Six years of long hours spent in front of a PC. For the last year or two I used a wireless laptop which at least meant I could move around the house rather than been stuck in one room.
Many of the people I deal with today do not want to spend six weeks let alone six years building their business. They expect INSTANT riches. Are you one of those?
Sure some people are overnight successes but they are a small minority. The vast majority of fulltime internet marketers have taken at least a year or two to make a real success of their home business. I’m a slow learner8230;
I am a fulltime affiliate marketer. That means I make my income selling other people’s products and services. The first product I ever sold earned me 8. Obviously I wasn’t able to buy a new car in the first month but the initial sale was a big turning point. It was then that I realised that it really IS possible to make money online.
From there my income grew steadily until I was comfortable enough to take the massive step of making a career of it.
Was it easy? Obviously not or I would have got there a lot sooner.
The most important thing I have learnt over the years is that you absolutely MUST take responsibility for your own business. Too many people out there are putting THEIR success in the hands of others and frequently blaming people places and things for their failure.
If you think someone is actually going to do this for you or even meet you half way then you’re sadly mistaken. Many people that are making it won’t even answer your emails. That was my experience at the beginning and it still is to this day. Am I complaining? No this is something that I accept totally. It doesn’t come between me and success. If MY success is conditional on what OTHER PEOPLE do then I become frustrated time and time again.
The only lucky breaks you are likely to get are those you create for yourself.
If someone isn’t playing ball then move on until you find someone that will. If you don’t get a response to your email try again try the phone try someone else. Just keep trying! The only way you can actually fail is by giving up so simple. So true that 95 give up.
The next time you find yourself thinking ‘if only this8230;’ or ‘if only he would8230;’ stop yourself and look at how YOU can find another way. How can YOU add to your business on a daily basis?
One positive action every day for your business will eventually lead you to that elusive online career regardless of what other people are doing.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Mitchell is a home business consultant with 22 years experience in network marketing and home based programs. He specializes in developing “passive” income revenue. He can be reached at www.Retire4Good.net
