The services listed on this page are among those I use; therefore, I recommend them wholeheartedly. Each company will help you with its own technical issues and support questions.
In addition, they all pay a small percentage for referring them to others; thus allowing you to pass on the favor so your earnings zero out your costs. (Registration for an affiliate or distributor program will be required.)
Scan the list to see the variety of offerings to streamline your business and make you more profitable.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs allow you to reward the people who recommend your products and services--usually customers who are raving fans! The software, run entirely online - nothing for you to install - records each person who signs up to recommend your products and tracks the clicks from all the people they refer. You set your own commission rate and pay them monthly. Affiliate programs have been proven repeatedly to increase sales. The one I use is integrated with my shopping cart as a one-stop solution.
Article Marketing
Publish or perish. Delivering quality content in your field of expertise, in such a way that your name gets passed around as an authority on your subject matter, is one of the least expensive ways to draw traffic to your website to read more of what you have to offer. This is an inexpensive service to give your precious gems wide distribution.
Article Writing
To have others write articles for you inexpensively, as low as $3 each for 400 words, put it out to bid. (See Help) To learn how to publish your own articles online, see tutorials.
Autoresponder
An autoresponder delivers your message to the person asking for more information instantly and whether or not you are at your computer. You write an initial message, like "thanks for visiting my site," or "here's the report you asked for." The real power, besides instant attention, is the ability to load follow-up messages that will please your fans and keep them informed of your activities till they buy everything you're selling, unsubscribe, or die. The one I've linked to here is the "best in the business." I've known the founder and CEO over 10 years. While many other wannabe's went out of business (some taking my list of thousands of names with them!), Tom Kulzer has continued to improve his services. You can also send broadcast messages to your list at specific times or instantly. Inexpensive and essential. (In 2001 I published a book on how to write an entire "drip marketing" campaign. It's called Email Marketer's Cookbook: Stirring Recipes for Sizzling Campaigns.
Books on All Subjects - Free
Trading books is not a business tool directly; unless you need a technical or business book. This is a service I use not only to get books I want for only the price of shipping, but also to follow what others are reading. I read books others recommend, because that saves me the time of discovering which are most worthwhile. Then I send to other folks books I've read (they pay the postage) and my bookshelves can almost hold my books. What does this have to do with business? If you would draw people to you, you must be an interesting person. Freshen your conversation skills by reading a book or two a week.
Cards
In the days of email, iPhone and Blackberries, isn't it fun to receive a hand-written card in the mail? Guess what? Your customers love them, too! Create a series (called a campaign) to be sent at intervals you specify to thank them for believing in you, to ensure they're still enjoying (and using) what they bought from you, and to remember them on the holidays. Mix 5" X 8" postcards with 2-3 panel cards sent in envelopes under a real stamp! Similarly, a prospecting campaign can easily be established to go out every time you receive a new business card from someone. Import your entire address book and send 200 personalized holiday cards in a hour! At certain membership levels, your handwriting will be turned into a font you'll use on each card, along with four customized signatures. Send a free card or two on me today! (Send one to someone close by so you can appreciate the quality when you see it.)
Conference Calls*
Most of my self-employed years working with the public as a business coach and consultant I have made use of free conference call services. Yes, I've also used paid services, but most of the free ones available now are better than the paid ones I used in the 90s. You pay only your own long distance to dial the number. You give your guests the number and a login PIN. They pay their long-distance. The call can be recorded and used as a podcast. How cool is that? You can search online for free conference calls, but this is the free conference calling service I use.
Customer Follow-Up
see Autoresponders and Cards
Customer Service
This is phenomenal! People are more likely to make a purchase when interacting with a sales person or customer service representative. Have you ever noticed that when someone asks, "Do you have any questions?" the usual first response is "No thank you." Immediately afterwards, "There is one thing..." Your online sales will improve with Live Agent Software. When someone starts to leave your page, a "virtual agent" asks them to stay and possibly even offers them a special. I got snagged by one this morning! I wanted a $37 product. Then I was offered an upgrade that approached $80. I wasn't ready to spend that much, so as I clicked my Back button to return to the cheaper item, the "Live Agent" offered me the upgrade for free. Instead of dilly dallying about the $37 versus $79 product, I immediately purchased the $37 product with all the benefits of the $79. Since a membership is involved and other products are available, it's possible she'll get more money out of me yet. This thing works!
EBAY
eBay is not my preferred means of earning income online; though some people have done quite well with it. I use it to get rid of things I want money for. Otherwise, I use FreeCycle. But if you do want to make money on eBay, the first thing you need to do is get educated. These eBooks will help you market on eBay. Since this is not my main business, this endorsement goes only so far.
Email Broadcasting
To send email to your list, or to sub-sets of the lists vendors store for you, install this inexpensive software on your computer. Emails are sent one at a time -- not a "blast" that alerts spam-detectors. Try the free version for 30 days. Can send personalized plain text and HTML emails.
To learn about how to write autoresponder sequences, see Email Marketer's Cookbook: Stirring Recipes for Sizzling Campaigns.
Help
If you run a one-person business, it can't get any bigger or any easier. Yet assistance is only a few dollars and a few mouse clicks away. Put your job request out for bid to tens of thousands of specialists around the world, people who are working while you are sleeping. Writers, banner designers, illustrators, magazine and bookcover graphics people, programmers - you name it, someone can do it. Last night I asked for help controlling the layout of this website. The bid I accepted was for $13, held in escrow by the company until all the work was complete to my satisfaction. See those cute little rollover menus up there? Part of the coding! The ruling lines around my tagline? part of the bid. The coder I hired did about 10 things for me more elegantly than I could have done and far more quickly (CSS coding).
Hosting
If you have a website, it is hosted somewhere! I prefer inexpensive hosting, like this one. Since I have lots of websites, I use quite a few different hosts. (I keep the registration list in a spreadsheet.) Though there are good reason to spread your sites around, I do also like the unlimited domains capability of this host.
Internet Marketing Myth
Are you sure what you believe about marketing on the Internet is correct? What if it isn't? What is the gold is not "in your list"? This ebook shows pictures and examples of what is and isn't working now in our industry.
Leads - Pre-Qualified Biz-Opp Seekers
Before I became a full-time writer and online marketer, I was in network marketing, sometimes called referral marketing or person-to-personal marketing. After years in the business, I became a full-time coach (and part-time network marketer), sometimes working with people in up to 40 companies at a time. I developed considerable expertise in the industry, one reason for which was learning how to buy and use pre-qualified leads (people looking for extra income) instead of continuing to badger my friends and family whom I wore out with my first MLM venture. Even if your friends and family still listen to you, you need to accelerate your business by talking to people who already have the itch you have the salve for!
legal protection
Hate to say it, but if you're in business, you need a lawyer! Not just because you might get sued, but because you'll occasionally need contracts, advice and simply the ability to say, "Let me run that by my attorney." For $26 a month or less, in most locations, you have access to an attorney in the state and subject matter area of your questions or concerns. Unlimited questions. Eight-business-hour call-back. A 10-page document review free once a month. Will and Testament renewal for your household yearly. When you talk to Brian, tell him Lin sent you. He'll do the paperwork and get you taken care of.
Mailing
See Postage
passwords - Remember them securely
Every site you have to join in order to take advantage of asks you to create a unique password. They warn "Don't use the same password on multiple sites." How would you ever remember it if you used a different one on each site? Duh! Some require 6 characters, others 8, some numbers, some symbols...Your access to the sites where you make money (or get help making money) is an asset. Your passwords are valuable. This little utility securely remembers all your passwords. (You can password protect it if others have access to your computer.) There's a free version, but I upgraded to the inexpensive paid version because it was less hassle.
Postage
Save yourself half an hour or more when you have mailing to do. Print postage from your own computer. I subscribed to this service when also trying out postage meters. Yes, there is a small monthly charge--less than with a postage meter. But you don't have to drive to or wait in line at the post office. Ever. You must use this promo code: C-3PHK-JG3. Just copy it and paste it into the web form at the bottom where it says click if you have a promo code.
Photographs & Illustrations for $1
There are many places to find photos online. The one thing you do not want to do is steal photos or use them without permission. You can find free photos here and there--free to use and no royalty necessary. Personally, I find the time trying to locate the free ones far worse than paying one dollar for a royalty free online image. If you'll be blogging or publishing a lot of articles, I recommend buying at least $25 in photo credits. That way, when you need one, you can download it with one click. You need only 72 dots per inch (dpi) for web browsers. (Read the rules if you'll be selling the content in or on which the photo is used. "Royalty free" does not mean the photo is free; nor does it mean you can use it anytime anywhere for any purpose without paying additional.)
Programming, Writing, and Other Help
see Help
Publicity
see Article Marketing and Radio Publicity.
Radio Publicity
Radio shows were the most fun of anything I've done to promote my book. I've been told Jack Canfield and mark Victor Hansen, of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, do a radio show every day. But you don't jump in without some training, or without a list of the right radio stations to contact. That's where this toolset helps. The man who put it together has sold a million dollars worth of his small book.
Shopping Cart
A "shopping cart" is an interface that connects your website to your merchant account, allowing you to accept credit cards, checks if you like, directly from your sales page. It also provides for showing a catalog of your wares. There's no limit to the number of products you can sell (or same products with different price points, different bundles, coupons and sales). The shopping cart I use also provides for paying commissions to customers or other fans who refer your products to people (affiliate programs). It has autoresponders, and lets you build the shopping page to look much like your website, furthering your branding. You still need a merchant account. The shopping cart alone costs around $100 a month, give or take $50.
Here's another good shopping cart. I do not personally use this one (how many does one need?), but it comes highly recommended. Impressive list of features! When I have time, I'll look into the possibility of switching.
Stamps
see Postage
Toll Free Voicemail
I've used this tollfree voice mail service for 10 years. The messages come to me instantly by email, including the phone number of the caller. Callers hear a three-minute promo for my book, and can leave a message or press a button to reach me in person. Most hang up. I call them back, usually instantly, introduce myself and state, "I wonder if I can answer any questions for you." It isn't a question. People don't like to be questioned by strangers. No one ever asks how I got their number, but they do always have questions. Increased sales have paid for this hundreds of times over.
There's a separate version specialized for real estate.
Web Hosting
see HostingWebsites
see Help
Writing
see Help
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* There is no charge whatsoever to this service, so there is no referral commission available.