WAHMs United

New Blog... I've been ignoring this one LOL

2005-07-29T13:53:00.000-04:00

I bet you thought I'd totally disappeared..

Nope - I'm still here!! I have set up a new blog site however and would love to invite all my blogger friends to come on over for a visit :-) My new site incorporates info about me as well as 3 seperate blogs... Wahm Cafe, Choose Health and The Fratscher Family Blog.

The software I'm using for the blogs is called Thingamablog - I encourage everyone to check it out. It does have some limitations, but it's a terrific, convenient and easy to use software package.. and best part is it's totally free!

Your Partner In Success..

Dianne Fratscher

Free & Affordable Advertising!

2005-03-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

My friend Kara Kelso over at Moms Market Online created a new Free and Affordable advertising list - pick it up free at http://www.momsezine.com/advertising-list.zip

~ Dianne ~

Ok... so I dropped the ball ...

2005-03-16T15:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a very long time since I last posted here - yup, I did it - I dropped the ball bigtime.

As a work at home mom, life can often get in the way of business, and that is definately what has happened to me in February & March.

First our 2 y/o son came down with a very nasty cold. It was over 2 weeks before he started feeling better. In the meantime, I experienced the joy of an absessed tooth - uuugghhhh. Pain is definately NO FUN!

My 9 y/o daughter is a figure skater. This year I'm the Secretary of our Skating Club and on March 19th is our annual skating carnival. So, we've got practice at least twice a week (and during March break - this week - the schedule is Monday, Wednesday & Thursday practices, dress rehearsal Friday night from 5 - 8 and then 2 shows on Saturday at 2 pm & again at 7 pm. Friday morning at 9 am starts the set up at the arena. At noon I have to be in the city to pick up the radio system, then back to the arena to make sure everyone knows how to use the radios (I called in a favor from the company I worked at for 10 years for the radios!). Then at 5 we start the dress rehearsal. Oh... did I mention we have a 2 y/o son??? I'll be running around trying to get kids into the right costumes on time, my husband is on spotlight duty, my daughter is one of the skaters... and then there's my son. I'm thinkin we forgot about him somewhere along the lines LOL. Oh well - no babysitter - so we'll have to try to keep him occupied with something :)

AND... in amongst all this somewhere, I signed up as a consultant for Creative Memories - what am I NUTS? Well, my goal with this was to get me offline & out of the house more. In 2 weeks I achieved my 30 day Success Plan, I only need another $100 retail to make my second goal by the end of March, and I should be about $400 in towards my 60 day goal, so we'll see how that goes. However, it has already taken me more offline than I anticipated. I know it will settle down after my first 90 days, but right now trying to make those goals has taken my full attention.

I'm a little bummed about the fact that CM is so strict about advertising online. I mean, I can totally understand that they want to push the offline part of it - but honestly, what is the harm of online advertising??

Did I mention I also caught a cold at some point during all this??

So, Saturday is the big, exhausting day and I'm hoping after that to get caught up on everything I'm so far behind on.

Priorities - finally getting my website overhauled. My current template just isn't expanding with me the way I'd like it too, so a mega update is coming. Then with April being right around the corner, I'm co-hosting the 2nd Annual Celebrating Home Business Expo again this year at the Expo Connector, which should keep me hopping. On top of that the first entire weekend in April is all CM stuff - a meeting Friday night, a Home Class on Saturday & a Bridal Show on Sunday :)

Does anyone have a few (or a few dozen) extra hours every week I could borrow??

~ Dianne ~

Very cool desktop search tool!

2005-02-15T16:56:00.000-05:00

Easily search your entire hard drive in less than a second to pinpoint the right file, e-mail, music or pictures.

Copernic Desktop Search brings the power of a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use search engine right to your PC and allows you instantly to search files, e-mails, and email attachments stored anywhere on your PC hard drive. It executes sub-second searching of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, Acrobat PDFs, and all popular music, picture and video formats. CDS also searches your browser history, favorites, and contacts.

I know that Google also has a desktop search tool, and though I've never personally utilized it, I've heard that it isn't as good as Copernic for the main reason that Copernic searches so many more file types.

The Copernic Desktop Search tool is completely free, so set up your copy today - I put it through it's paces yesterday and am absolutely loving it! No more searching through folder after folder looking for that darn file :)

Dianne >:o)

Wahm Newz - Feb. 4th edition now online

2005-02-05T08:58:00.000-05:00

In This Issue:

* Message from Dianne

* Article - What’s In A Name

* What’s New On Wahm’s United

* Home Business Hosting

* Recipe

* Sponsor Ad

* Link Trader

* Marketing Using Forums

* RSS For Beginners

We have switched to a new blog-style format, so please stop by & have a look!

Do you have a business plan?

2005-01-27T08:31:00.000-05:00

In August of 2002, I was one of 'those' people... someone that was starting an online business, without any real clue of how to start or where to start even.

I didn't know that free websites weren't all they were cracked up to be, didn't know a thing about html (or what it was for that matter), didn't know a thing about marketing, and yet, here I was creating a website. Think I was nuts lol!

One gift that I have been blessed with is the ability to learn quickly - anything that is computer related. I've had this gift since I was a kid, and my former boss used to remind me of it on a regular basis :)

It didn't take me long to create my vision - I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish and started creating that vision online. I learned, soaked in all the information I could find - and am still learning today.

The difference today is, I know what html is, and I know how to code. I also know php, cgi.. what my path to perl is and a lot more technical stuff that many work at home moms have never heard of.

I don't like having to rely on someone else to do things for me... I'd much rather ask someone for help to walk me through it so I can learn it for myself.

Now back to business plans. I mentioned that I had no idea what a business plan was when I first started. Well, it didn't take long for me to find more information on what they are. Even though I knew it was something that I needed, I still held back on actually taking the time to sit down and write out my own business plan.

Until yesterday I still only had my vision in my head. However yesterday I decided to sit down and start to seriously figure this out, with the help of a good friend, Patrysha Korchinski from Incredible Impressions.

Most of what we discussed during our hour & a half chat was pretty much what I already knew I should be doing... but discussing it with someone else that could add to my vision, and clarify my goals really helped a ton.

I realized that my financial goal really was set too low. Having someone actually take the time to break it down into $$/time/people was incredibly eye opening! I also made the affirmation that I will start setting business hours online (I'm here 24/7 right now it seems lol). Patrysha was also able to help me set up a schedule of hours in a day & goals.

I highly recommend that everyone talk to Patrysha - you will definately come away with a great feeling - excited and ready to move your business forward!!

AND... here's a great deal - let me know that you're definately going to speak to Patrysha - email me about it, and I'll send you a Referral Card that will save you 10% off every service that Patrysha offers!!

Keep in mind that Patrysha only charges $25 for press releases, and in the last few weeks, two that she's written and submitted have been picked up BIG TIME!!! Never thought about Press Releases? YOU SHOULD!! Visit Incredible Impressions for more information on the Power of Press Releases!

~ Dianne ~

2005-01-27T08:26:00.000-05:00

What’s in a name?
By Dianne Fratscher
www.WahmsUnited.com

We’re not talking about people names, we’re talking about Domain Names!!

Domain names are extremely important for every business that wants to join the many millions already online today. The domain name that you select for your business will be the identity that your business is known by. First impressions count, and in order to turn visitors into customers having your own domain name vs. a free address is crucial.

Having your own domain name has many benefits.

Some people believe that they just can’t afford to pay for their own domain. In truth, you can’t afford NOT to. When starting a business online, your goal is to let as many people in your target audience know about your website. If you’re promoting a lengthy free domain, it makes it that much harder for your visitors to remember and return to. Domain names are also very important to search engines. In many cases, search engines won’t even spider your website if it’s hosted on a free domain, and if you’re not listed in search engines, you’re completely eliminating anyone finding your website via internet searches (i.e. Google).

Purchasing your own domain allows you to create email addresses such as you@yourdomain.com which is also helping to establish your business identity and make you and your business look professional. Customers want to know they can trust you, and having both your own domain name and domain email address will help to build their trust. When using either a free domain name or a personal email address from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), you are only promoting them, and not your own business.

When selecting your domain name, there are a few things to remember. Shorter is always better, however short domain names are extremely difficult to come by today. If you find it necessary to use multiple words in your domain name, separate each word by a hyphen ( – ). Some search engines such as Google see the hyphens as a space whereas using and underscore ( _ ) to separate words will be treated as being the same as if the underscore was never there. Using hyphens instead will help Search Engines differentiate the words in your domain name. Also try to place a keyword or two into your domain name for increased impact.

The small fee that you pay per year for your own domain name is peanuts compared to the overall benefits that you receive by having your own domain. You can check out the availability of domain names and register new domains at Home Business Hosting (http://www.wahmsunited.com/homebusinesshosting).

.~*~ .~*~ .~*~ .~*~ .~*~ .~*~ .~*~.

About the Author:
Dianne Fratscher is a work at home mother of 2 children. A full time online entrepreneur, owner and founder of www.WahmsUnited.com, a leading informational resource site for work at home parents. For further information about Dianne, WahmsUnited.com or how you too can run a successful online business visit www.WahmsUnited.com.

This article may be used at no cost providing the resource box is left in tact and all links are active. It would also appreciated that you send a copy of the publication you are using this article in to: info@wahmsunited.com. If this article is to be used online, please send an email with a link to the location of the article.

Interesting discussion on Guru's

2005-01-21T17:57:00.000-05:00

I've recently found myself involved in a rather interesting conversation with friends Anita DeFrank, Kara Kelso and Alice Seba (whom I can't actually call a friend, but do know *of* her lol).

It started over a rant that Anita had about *Guru's*, and has grown into quite the discussion!

Check it out here

Today will be one of those days...

2005-01-17T08:10:00.000-05:00

My daughter woke up during the night not feeling well :( She was ok, never sick or anything, but this morning she was still complaining about her tummy hurting and now a headache - in this family, migraines are a big problem. I've suffered from migraines since I was just a kid, my dad also had migraines, as well as other relatives on my side. On my husbands side, his mother and one of his sisters suffers from them as well, which means for my daughter she's getting it from both sides - not a good thing.

So, today my daughter will be home from school. My husband will be home from work and he's not feeling so great either.

I have an absolute ton of work to accomplish today, and no idea where to start (I'm thinking it's a lack of focus thing lol). Which is why I thought I'd start here, and get back on track with my blogging.

My two year old is going to play at the babysitters today, or I'll have absolutely no hope of getting any work done. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but this week I actually have deadlines LOL... so I can't avoid getting the job done.

I'm luckier than some work at home moms I know.. many don't have the luxury of an occassional babysitter! How does everyone else deal with deadlines and family?

~ Dianne ~

Link Trader

2005-01-17T07:50:00.000-05:00

I made a decision recently... one that I've considered off and on for a while, but finally started the ball rolling. I'm expanding... growing if you rather.

The main focus of Wahms United was, is and always will be to help fellow business owners succeed. I'm thinking however that trying to roll everything into one massive website is probably not the wisest move.

So, I'm beginning to grow my network of resource websites. The first two are now online, though admittedly I haven't made any changes to them at all (ie: copyright info etc).

The first is www.Womens-Portal.com which is pretty much a search engine for women's issues. I really liked the looks of the site when I saw it, so hopefully it's useful! I do plan on selling advertising in the form of banner ads etc on here, and the forum needs to be changed as right now it's linked to some third party site which I'm really not a fan of... but hey, things will come in time ;)

The second site and the one I have a lot of hopes for is www.Link-Trader.net. It's a text traffic exchange. It allows you to add your text link and specify your target catagories (websites) that you'd like your ad to be seen on. You then generate your own html code to your specifications, making it much easier to blend into your existing website - very unobtrusive ;)

So please feel free to check both the Womens Portal and Link Trader. Hopefully you'll find them both useful resources too!

~ Dianne ~

2005 has started with an incredible BANG lol

2005-01-13T18:15:00.000-05:00

Testimonials... what can I say about testimonials...

They're the BEST! lol

I just have to share three testimonials that were recently sent to me:

"Wahms United has helped my business get the leads that I had been working so hard to get on my own. Dianne has done a great job to keep her clients happy and in the spotlight! Thanks so much, Dianne for introducing me to Wahms United!" ~ Shelley Addis, Crazy Bee Gifts

"I am proud to be one of the the many the members of WAHMS United. While one of very few men in the group, Dianne makes me feel welcome all the time and like I belong. She runs a wonderful organization that preaches good ethics and professionalism. Also, not only does Dianne treat everyone like a professional but she treats them like a friend as well." ~ Seth Mellin, SM Creative Marketing

"Joining the combined efforts of Wahms United and SBRN was one of the best moves I've made since I decided to start my on-line business. I have met so many wonderful people, and started great business relationships with many!! Dianne is such a great leader! She can encourage members to strive for more, without being intimidating or bossy. She's got the type of personality that you just want to get to know her, and (the best part) she's willing and available so you can get to know her!!" ~ Renee Twaddle--Sweetly Wrapped

I have been completely floored by these - they've absolutely made my 2005 the greatest, even though the year has only just begun!!

I just had to share them :)

~ Dianne ~

Chat last night was awesome!

2005-01-05T21:21:00.000-05:00

It was our first official Make Your Site Sell chat and we reviewed 3 websites. We had many participants looking to have their sites critiqued by their peers too which was great. However, there's only so much anyone can accomplish in 1 & 1/2 hours. So next Tuesday, 3 more sites:

Pantry Essentials, which should be interesting as I know both the owner and the designer :) The whole site was recently overhauled by WebPageOne and they also added a shopping cart. Both the owner and designer will be present for the site critique, so it will definately be interesting to hear the comments of others!

SM Creative Marketing is another very new website, and I've only just recently had the pleasure of meeting it's owner, Seth Mellin - who also happened to be our first male member :)

And the third site will be Incredible Impressions. Patrysha, the founder of Incredible Impression is a friend of mine, and a great girl. I expect to see her business really do well, and look forward to helping her create the perfect site!

Next Chat - Tuesday, January 11th at 9:30 pm in the Wahms United chat room - everyone is welcome to join us!

If you're interested in reading the edited transcript, you can do so here.

~ Dianne ~

What a busy week already!!

2005-01-04T19:05:00.000-05:00

The New Year is upon us, and I haven't been posting here as much as I should be. I've been swamped with working on my website...

I've added a new resource & link exchange directory which is already seeing new link exchanges happening. Now, I know that it's much more beneficial to just exchange with sites that have a higher Google Page Rank... but unless I spend countless hours every day contacting those sites, I'm kind of stuck as to how to achieve this lol. I have soooo many projects under way right now, and my first priority is to my members at the moment. Making Wahms United THE resource site for work at home parents ain't easy ya know ?? lol

Speaking of our members, we increased our annual and semi-annual membership rates to $49.95 US and $28.00 US respectively, and Nancy has already brought in 3 new members! I have one new one pending, so hopefully she'll contact me soon :)

It's really tough for any work at home parent to find enough hours in the day to accomplish all of the tasks on our to-do lists... especially when you have a large site, and people are always asking for help, advice etc. Not that I mind... no sirreeee! That's why I started WU, and why I love it so much. But sometimes it would be nice to accomplish everything I set out to do in a day *grin*.

So what is my major goal for 2005? Well, I have a few actually. First, I want to increase my targeted traffic, and several ways I plan on achieving this is by stepping out of my comfort zone and host seminars, workshops, chats and write articles and submit them to directories. Also included on the list is to work some more on my SEO. I love the SEO class on Yahoo

My next goal is purely financial - to increase my monthly revenue. I've hired an advertising firm to help me out with this, and though I'm not ready to say who it is I'll be working with just yet, I certainly hope they pay off... and will report here on how things are going with them over the next few months.

With all the goals that I set, I write them out, and under each main goal I create a list of steps or smaller goals that will help me realize that main goal. I find that this type of planning is crucial to obtaining your goals. Without a set plan in place, I bounce all over the place and get very little accomplished.

Think that's about it for now :)

~ Dianne ~

Make Your Site Sell

2005-01-04T18:57:00.000-05:00

a weekly chat dedicated to enhancing your website to improve your visitors experience. Our goal here is to raise the number of visitors that just visit, to visitors that convert to paying customers :)

Chat Location: http://www.WahmsUnited.com/chat.php
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 9:30 pm EST

Each week we'll take a look at participant's websites for *critiquing* by fellow work at home parents that could be potential customers for you. We'll discuss openly and honestly what we think of each website (constructive criticism!!), and brainstorm improvements.

This week we're looking at:
http://www.sweetlywrapped.com/
http://www.soleutions.ca/
http://www.crazybeegifts.com/
http://www.wahmsunited.com/

This chat is currently open to everyone, so feel free to invite your friends :) Attending doesn't mean you have to participate in the website critique... most ideas will be suitable for any site, with some minor modifications :) If you have a second to stop by each of the sites listed above, we'd love to hear your comments on them as well... the bottom line is, if you were a customer, would YOU buy from the site?

~ Dianne ~

I still have some free invitiations!

2004-12-31T08:17:00.000-05:00

Instant Buzz is the latest and greatest in the battle to get traffic to your website. Totally and completely free, IB has a lot to offer.

What's the real scoop with Instant Buzz?

IB is a multi-level program. You get credit for ads viewed by people who sign up under you. But again.. this program costs nothing - you never have to buy anything or sell anything!

The creators of IB are both well known in the online marketing community - Mike Chen and Mark Joyner. When you visit the IB community forums, you WILL see that they are actively participating and helping others get started with IB. There are a lot of great threads in the forums and everyone can pick up some marketing tips.

When you first register with IB, it will install a very small toolbar (IE must be used for this), which display's text ads (headlines). Ever time you click on a link you earn credits (free traffic). Every web page that you visit causes the toolbar to update, showing new text links which also earns you free traffic. You don't have to surf other members sites like other traffic exchange programs which makes IB a revolutionary program.

Along with the text ads, there's yet another way to earn free traffic. You have the option of placing a Hyperspace Ad on your website. You can see this ad on Wahms United (upper right hand corner). It's definately not overpowering and I can also place the code on every other page of my site too.

So what's the catch? Well there are two small catches honestly, but don't worry, they're not that bad, I promise!!

1) When you sign up, they promo their "Make Your Own Software" product. (which you don't have to buy!!)
2) The creators of the site get heavier ad rotation to advertise their products to this huge community.

Of course, there's no free lunch, right? Where do these guys make their money (something I always want to know)? 1) When you sign up, they promo their "Make Your Own Software" product. I don't know anything about it, so I can't recommend it one way or the other, but I didn't buy it. 2) The creators of the site get heavier ad rotation to advertise their products to this huge community. Heck of a way to build a receptive audience!

My results to date:

Well, I can't say that I've made any sales from IB but please keep in mind that I'm only pushing 1 product right at the moment and I also have very little experience with writing catchy headlines LOL. I can still say this however - I'm getting TARGETED traffic to my sales page :) Qualified visitors. They responded to my ad copy -- they weren't going to my sales page just to earn advertising credit for themselves. This is an important differentiator from many other traffic generator programs I've seen.

So there you have it... and if you're interested in checking out Instant Buzz for yourself, I'd love to give you the URL to head to, but this system is by Invitation Only. I was lucky enough to have a friend invite me, and now I'd love to invite you! If you're interested, please leave a comment below and include your full name and a valid email address. Keep in mind that if you don't leave a valid email, you'll never receive the invitation. You can also Email Me to receive your invite.

Holiday Treasure Trove Contest

2004-12-30T23:58:00.000-05:00

December 31st is the very last day to enter our massive Holiday Treasure Trove Trivia contest!!

Over $800 in prizes to be won - this is one contest that you really want to enter :) You could win a profession Press Release, a Mini-Vacation, Advertising, Personal Products and so many other items I'd be here all night trying to list them.

So what are you waiting for? Christmas???? (Sorry, this contest will be long over by then LOL)

And to make it even easier to enter, instead of completing ALL of the trivia questions, submit just 5 correct answers and you could become our Triva Trove Champion!

It would still be appreciated if you would visit each of our wonderful sponsors however ;)

~ Dianne ~

2 Days Left....

2004-12-23T10:56:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that in just a mear 2 days time, families worldwide will be celebrating Christmas. It seems Mother Nature granted my wish for a white Christmas. We're currently sitting somewhere between 30 - 40 cm's of the fluffy white stuff... and it's still falling!! WOW We haven't had a snowfall like this in several years, and I must say, it's awesome LOL

Of course, by boxing day, I'll be wishing it was +35 and not -35 so that I could be hanging out in my bathing suit by the pool with the kids instead of tromping through slush and freezing my tootsies off :)

Today is my last day to try to get any business accomplished, though it's already 11:00 am and honestly, I haven't done much yet. My dh took the kids to the sitters a while ago - took them almost 1/2 hour to get out of the driveway, but he did it (he's one of those people that won't let the weather stop him from doing anything). Then he headed off on the highway to the city. Do I worry about him out there in this snow storm? Sure I do, but I also can't remember him ever having a problem in bad weather. He's prepared - driving the big van that's loaded with weight, dressed well for emergencies, has his cell phone which is equipped with Roadside Assist, has a shovel and even took a friend with him... so he's fine :)

Anyway, I'm anticipating that this will be my last post until at least Dec. 29th, as on Saturday we're heading to Toronto for our family celebrations. So with that, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays - It's such a magical time of year :) And if you don't celebrate, I still hope you enjoy your days ;)

Huggs to everyone!
Merry Christmas!!

~ Dianne ~

New weekly chat starting in January!

2004-12-22T11:31:00.000-05:00

Last night we had a gathering of friends to kick off our chat schedule. I unfortunately forgot to announce the chat here, but I did save the chat transcript, which you can read here.

Anyway, a lot of good stuff came out of it I think. Everyone walked away with ideas that can improve their websites, and their visitor's shopping experiences.

We also decided to take on critiquing of websites. Everyone posted their URL and on January 4th, we will meet again and hear what everyone has to say about the sites. Sometimes it can be difficult for us to step back and look at our sites from a Customer's prospective, and I think personally, that is a key issue to having great retail site :)

I'm looking forward to our next chat, on Jan. 4th at 9:30 pm EST in my chat room. Everyone is welcome to join us!

~ Dianne ~

Trends for 2005

2004-12-17T21:53:00.000-05:00

According to an article posted by Small Business Trends, it's looking like it could be a great year for small business :)

A few trends for 2005, according to Watts Wacker, the renowned futurist are:

Accelerated Online Sales: We are going to see an increase in the increase of buying online. Online shopping and technology has moved beyond the early adopters and the mainstream. It is now so well established it is drawing in the laggards. Watts drew an analogy from hearing a cell phone ringing during a church service. He said don't assume it is just a rude person. It is probably someone in his 70's who just purchased a cell phone for the first time who doesn't yet realize what the rest of us have known for some time about cell phone etiquette

Return of Loyalty: After years of saying "loyalty is dead" and "consumers are fickle," there are signs that when people find something that works, they stay with it. Expect to see the real power not only of service (i.e., how you provide something) but experience (i.e., how I feel about the result). This bodes well for the small business market -- and Watts suggests small businesses think about customer loyalty strategies. He points to the example of the high-end Dorothy Lane grocery stores, and how they stopped advertising. They took their ad money and developed a loyalty award program: the top 10 shoppers get an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.

So how can we apply this knowledge to home based business? In the first trend, with the increase of online shopping, everyone needs to make sure the visitors to their site will have a pleasant and memorable visit. Easy site navigation, easy to read, a convenient shopping cart are just a few of the things that are necessary for every online retail store.

For the second trend, Customer Loyalty... how can you ensure that your customers will return for more? By delivering more than the customer is expecting, following up with customers, prompt shipping, top notch customer service are all keys to loyalty.

Here's an article that may be useful in helping you build your own Customer Loyalty Plan.

We'll be discussing this in further depth in an upcoming chat, so stay tuned!!

~ Dianne ~

Reflections of the Past

2004-12-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

The end is very near for 2004. What steps do you take in closing out the old and reigning in the New Year business wise?

I personally take some time to reflect over the past year. The choices that I made - were the joint ventures that I entered into worth while? What advertising worked for me and what didn't - what needs to be adjusted. Is my business plan still on target and if not, what adjustments need to be made there.

More importantly for me right now is -- are my members happy with the services we've been offering, and what other services can we implement in 2005 to make our membership community even stronger?!!

Perhaps you set personal and business goals at the start of every new year - have you achieved all of your goals for 2004? If not, I challenge you to sit down and really think about WHY you didn't achieve them.

Many people think that just creating a goal is enough, truth is though, that's far from the reality of the situation. Setting your goal is the ultimate finale - that's what you want to achieve usually by a date that you set for yourself. The factor that most people miss out on however is How Will You Achieve Your Goal? Each goal needs to be carefully planned out. Each goal needs to be broken down into numerous smaller goals, and with each little goal achieved, you take one step closer to you ultimate goal!

Here's an absolutlety superb *free* resource that can help you realize your goals - the Resolution Success System.

Here's some of what you will find inside:

1. The Resolution Disillusion
Why do our resolutions fail?
2. Step One: Learning the Resloution Success System
Focus on the method and not the result.
3. Step Two: Pick One and Get It Done
Narrow your focus to achievable goals.
4. Step Three: Divide and Conquer
Deconstruct your goal in to managable parts.
5. Step Four: The Rule of 20
Learn how to take action.

...and more!

I've found it unbelievably helpful to me with my goal setting, and I hope that you will too. Please note that I am in no way associated with the Resolution Success System and earn nothing.. not so much as a thank you (lol) for referring you.

Dianne >:o)

Marketing with Message Boards

2004-12-15T11:52:00.000-05:00

Dianne Fratscher, founder of WahmsUnited (http://www.wahmsunited.com), a resource and educational site for those either interested in starting a home business, or those current home business owners looking for further success.

Dianne has been an online work at home mom (WAHM) since the summer of 2002, after health issues interfered with working outside the home. Today, a full time mother of 2 and part time entrepreneur, Dianne enjoys the freedom of working online – according to her own schedule.

Affordable means of advertising and site promotion are key issues to the majority of home based business owners, and through her workshop on Marketing with Message Boards, Dianne will teach you how she succeeds in marketing herself as an Expert in her field.

Join Dianne on Thursday, January 20th, 2005 at 12:00 noon EST at www.webpageone.org to discover how you too can bring further success to your business by utilizing this well known media.

Communicating What You Do To Entice New Clients

2004-12-10T09:32:00.000-05:00

Here’s the scenario:

You‘re at a gathering and you come across someone who would be a perfect client for your business. You engage in a conversation and the inevitable question comes up. “What do you do?”

You get excited, your eyes light up. “This is it. This is my shot! I’ll get him now,” are the thoughts racing through your mind.

“Well, I am a small business coach,” you say as you anxiously await for your prospect to tell you how you are the answer to his prayers.

“Oh, I see...uh... I think I left the lights on in my car... It was nice talking to you. Bye.”

And you watch your perfect client rush away to find someone else to talk to.

It’s important that you are able to communicate what you do in ways that will help your prospective client understand that you are a solution to his problem.

How you position yourself is the difference between getting that “deer stuck in the headlight” look from your prospect or having someone ask you for more information.

Positioning revolves around your core marketing message that clearly states who you work with, what problems you solve, what solutions you provide, what benefits you offer, what results you produce, what guarantee you give, and what is unique and special about your particular service.

Positioning is the foundation that you build the rest of your marketing upon.

Here are two things that you must NOT do when telling prospective new clients what you do:

1) Do not use your label. This is a sure-fire way of ending a conversation quickly. How many times have you told someone, “I’m a coach” and they say, “Oh, what team?” or “How nice” and then quickly change the subject. Chances are that when you open with your label, if you get a continued conversation, that person is only being polite.

2) Do not use the process, for instance, a coach might say: “I help people discover their excellence by co-creating the positive environment needed for a powerful conversation by having a two-way structured dialogical process that goes beyond basic listening skills and includes multilevel hearing and co-active interaction by the coach.” If your strategy is to have the “deer in the headlights” look in every prospect’s eyes, this is the one for you.

When you, the business owner, communicate the process of what you do, you are still not reaching your prospects by communicating what’s in it for them. They will be confused and they will run as fast as they can.

Package your services verbally so that you can communicate in a crystal-clear fashion what you can do for your prospective client in a nutshell.

Here is one thing that you MUST do when telling prospective new clients what you do:

Communicate the problem, then the solution. This approach works so well because people are living in, thinking about and totally immersed in their problems. So, if you relay a problem clearly and quickly and show that you do indeed understand that, you’ll get their full attention in a heartbeat.

Be as specific as possible.

“I work with organizations that are facing the many challenges of the slow economy” will not get you the same result as, “I work with small to mid-sized business owners who are struggling to get clients”.

Now, you’re getting your prospect's attention.

Then you follow up with the flip-side of the problem... the solution. If you can now show your prospect through logic, examples, testimonials and case studies that you do indeed have a solid solution to this problem, you will get that person’s ear - and business.

Here is an example of a good answer to “What do you do?”:

“You know how a lot of small businesses struggle to find new clients? I have a service that guarantees them new clients.”

Bingo!

You’ve gotten their attention. You notice now that their body language changes. They lean toward you as they talk, there is a warm glow in their eyes. You’re speaking to a small business owner who happens to be struggling to find new clients. He asks you, “How do you help small businesses get clients?”

“Good question...”, you say.

Again, I caution you to stay away from your process. Continue talking about the benefits that working with you will provide. The processes are for later... much later.

If you remember that this is about your customer, and not about you, and you engage your prospect by asking connecting questions about his problems and linking them to the benefits of working with you, you will have the perfect opportunity to explore a great business relationship.

Irene Brooks is the Founder of 3-D Success Partners, a firm that specializes in helping small businesses attract as many clients as they can handle, as well as Senior Editor of the 3-D Success Newsletter. To get your free lifetime subscription go to http://www.3-DSuccessCoach.com.

How to build your Business by helping your downline

2004-12-10T07:38:00.000-05:00

Before you decide that your membership to an affiliate program
should be cancelled because you're "not doing any good", here
are eight simple steps to utilise to build your business by
helping your downline build their business. Give it one more
month and see the difference it can make.

1) Email your downline once every week
By sending one email per week, you will be giving your downline
a chance to get to know you and to build a trusting
relationship. Always identify yourself and the program as some
downline mailing systems don't show this and most people belong
to more than one program. Remember, as their sponsor, it is
your responsibility to provide a service to them and be there
when they need you.

2) Make sure they know you are there to help
Let them know in clear statements that you're quite happy to
help them in any way they need it. Eg. "I'm always here to help
you."

3) Let them know what works for you
Share the ideas and method you utilise yourself that work.
Eg. "I used this ad and received a great response! Why don't
you try it? Here is the ad copy."

4) Don't focus on upgrading
Your downline doesn't want to hear your suggestions about
upgrading. They want to hear how to build their business first.
Once they build up their business, the next natural step for
them is to upgrade, without your prompting. Focus on building
their business instead of upgrading.

5) Provide value
Give them something of value to use in their promotions with
each email. Eg. "Here's a splash page that you can download and
use" or "Here is a follow-up series you can copy and paste into
an auto-responder." Make sure you provide full instructions.
It's safe to assume that they're a newbie - even if they
aren't. It will be easier for them to understand and you won't
receive as many emails asking more questions that you could
have answered in your instructions.

6) Provide Encouragement & Recognition
Make sure you give your downline who progress another level or
reach a certain goal a public pat on the back. They deserve it
and it's encouraging for the other members of your downline.
Keep encouraging them. Eg. "Keep promoting consistently and you
will succeed."

7) Always be yourself and leave out the hype
These are real people you're talking to. Leave the hype for the
ad copy and speak to them honestly like you would a friend.
Never be negative about the program! If there is something that
needs fixing, turn it into a positive by suggesting a
workaround. ;~)

8) Don't brag
It's okay to tell your downline that you're doing well and they
can be too - just don't say "I've made $600 this week, how are
you doing?" It can be a real turnoff... especially when someone
has only just joined a program and hasn't had a chance to start
promoting.

Dianne >:o)

National Do Not Call List

2004-12-09T22:27:00.000-05:00

I got the following information off of one of the groups that I belong to:

Some of you may already know this, but as of Jan 1, 2005
telemarketers may call cell phones. You have until December 15th to get
your phones on the Do Not Call list. Go to www.donotcall.gov or call
888-382-1222 (from your cell phone).

This is being backed up by a report found here.

Pretty scary stuff considering most of us pay for our cellular airtime and don't need junk calls running up our bills!!

Dianne

Our All New Affiliates Program!!

2004-12-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

You can now register as a Wahms United affiliate and earn 20% commission on all sales made through your unique affiliate URL.

AND.. you'll also earn 3% commission on all 2nd tier affiliates. What does this mean exactly?? If someone visits Wahms United via your affiliate link, and they register for our affiliate program, you'll earn commission on all sales from THEIR affiliate link!

Sign up here to start earning today

Dianne >:o)