Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

The Zero Down 80/20 Mortgage

This is an excellent loan for those that are lacking the down payment required for other types of mortgages. The 80 20 mortgage is simply two loans for 100% of the purchase price. It is a first mortgage at 80% of the purchase price with a 20% second mortgage. If you are a conforming borrower, doing your loan in this manner will save you from having to pay mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance . . .

How To Become A Data-Feed Super Affiliate

I am not going to describe what a product feed (or a data-feed) is. There is a lot of information out there about how to use one to build sites. Instead, I want to talk about how you can actually make more sales with data-feed sites.The program that I manage offers a product feed, and I get a chance to see a sad picture of many good affiliates wasting their potential.Here is my advice from the . . .

Repairing Your Credit is as Easy as 1-2-3

1. Review Your Credit Report For Errors. After you have received a copy of your credit report, you need to look through it very closely. If you do not yet have a copy, TrimYourDebt.com has negotiated with one of the credit bureaus to offer consumers a free look at their credit report and credit score. It is a 30-day free trial offer, so you get the information right up-front and you can can. . .

This is the Power of PR

The power of public relations is its ability to alter individual perception, resulting in changed behaviors that lead directly to your organization’s success. Its power really lies in doing something positive about the behaviors of a business, non-profit or association manager’s important outside audiences – behaviors that MOST affect his or her operation. That’s how external stakeholder behavi. . .

Short Messaging Service (SMS) for Enterprise Messaging

Short Messaging Service (SMS) for Enterprise MessagingSMS for Enterprise Messaging – Value added servicesShort message service, usually called SMS, is a globally accepted wireless service for enterprise messaging (mobile value added services) that enables the transmission of alphanumeric messages between mobile subscribers and external systems such as electronic mail, paging, and voice-mail sys. . .

Can It Be? Is There Advertising People Actually Love?

Can it be???Is there advertising that people actually love?You bet there is! And you are already very aware of it. The type of advertising I'm referring to is promotional items, also known as advertising specialties. It's anything a company would put their logo and contact information on, and then give away. They are used by many businesses all over the world to help maintain, and increase the . . .

Bad Credit Debt Consolidation Loans

Are you looking to consolidate credit card or other debt? Do you have bad credit history? There are many options available online nowadays to help you consolidate your debt. Whether you are wanting to consolidate credit card debt or other kinds of debt, it can be overwhelming searching online to find the best ones for your situation. Here is a short overview of what kind of debt services are av. . .

No-Holds-Barred Conversation with Dan Lok - Part 1

Question: If you were starting out and had no references or a substantial resume, how would you go about finding paying customers for your services? To answer your question, I'll assume you're a junior copywriter or marketing consultant. When I first started out and didn't know a soul, I'd open the yellow pages and cold-call the business owners. I'd go to networking events and try to get busine. . .

Seven Tips For Work-At-Home Motivation

Considering a work-from-home business? Clients often say their biggest fear is loss of momentum. Here are ten tips to keep yourself motivated and productive. (1) Build structure into your day.Create a schedule and To Do list every evening for the next day, before you sign off for the day. (And yes – it is important to sign off, even if you return later to complete a project.) Include breaks and. . .

Allan Kempert Discovers That Truly All You Gotta Do Is Ask

A year or so ago, I met Allan Kempert. Allan was the Quality Assurance Supervisor for a metal stamping company in Ontario, and just completed Norman Bodek’s book, The Idea Generator, Quick and Easy Kaizen. As Allan explains, he couldn’t put the book down because it was such a simple approach and he knew that it was going to empower the employees at his place of employment. In fact, Allan had . . .

Faxless Payday Loan - Faxless Cash Advance Loan, The Easi...

If you are in a hurry for a payday loan, the last thing you want to have to do is fax in your documents of verification. That’s no problem, nowadays, you can find many payday loan or cash advance loan companies that can verify your income and identification without you having to fax in any documents.To see a list of recommended faxless payday loan companies, click on the link toward the end of . . .

Refinance Quote - Get The Best Refinance Quotes You Can Get

When going to refinance or get a mortgage loan quote, the internet can be a useful tool to shop around for the best interest rate. The reason the internet is a good place to start applying, is because most mortgage applications online do not typically pull your credit with the first application. Most of the time, the application will ask you to describe your credit. Once you have received an in. . .

4 Secrets to an Effective E-Newsletter

"Around 65 percent of marketers say they plan to increase their use of email newsletters." Source: Intermarket GroupIt's no secret that offering value to your customers in the form of useful information is one of the best ways to initiate, develop and solidify relationships. But, how do you continue, issue after issue, to make your newsletter stand out in the crowd and keep your readers reading. . .

Increase Your Sales in 5 Minutes

Increase your sales—in five minutes. This article is the third in a series of five articles probing the five critical points influencing how you find a steady stream of customer for your business.Customers Buy BenefitsYou want more sales? Customers buy for one reason. They buy because your product or service has a benefit they want. Telling your customer your product has a 10 year warranty is a. . .

Savvy Internet Marketers

You know that your business will probably grow slower than molasses in the Winter unless you joint venture and partner with other online marketers. If you're just launching your own product or service, you really need access to their lists. You need access to their contacts. You also know... intuitively, that people like partnering with their friends. They like partnering with people whom they . . .

Being A Socially-Aware Organisation

Private organizations must appreciate that being socially-aware is not just to donate monies to various charities every year – though this effort is laudable. It is more complex and requires a lot more coordination and corporate planning. However, the benefits of having a well-run social outreach programme can provide a great multiplier effect in terms of positive public perception and organi. . .

Astonish Your Customers With These Customer Service Tips

Customer service today is getting worse. Win customers over and you build your business for life. Proven by the leader in the industry -- Nordstrom's. Nordstrom's customer service keeps improving and they continue to drive others out of business because of it. Here are six ways you can thrill customers and snatch a larger market share from your competitors....Offer to do an extraordinary favorH. . .

Boost Your Networking Opportunities

A short and memorable web address will ensure that your new contacts can also locate you and be updated with your company’s developments.Always use your corporate email address when corresponding with your networks.Incorporate a blog (an online diary) in your corporate website and invite your networks to contribute to your comments.Profile your networks and provide free links back to their own . . .

Justify Social Security ... Don't Save for Retirement

It is a common question when investors review their retirement plan—should we include social security benefits into our retirement income projections? It seems the closer an investor is to retirement, the more likely he/she will include social security benefits into the analysis. Younger investors, however, may feel compelled to omit such benefits. They must then become mavericks on the retirem. . .

4 Steps to Success In Life, Business, The Universe And

Everyone wants to succeed in life. And no one starts a business of any sort, on-line or off-line, wanting to fail.Yet the sad fact is that 80% of offline and 97% of internet businesses will fail in the first year. 84% of internet businesses will never make any income at all. So what can you do to ensure your success? Luckily these four simple (never confuse simple with easy), tried and tested s. . .

More Uses for Your Business Plan

You have invested a lot of time and energy on writing a business plan just to get a loan or to attract an investor. What do you do when you get the money or, worse, should you be turned down?Do you just file it away? That's like investing in a boat that remains parked in your driveway after its inaugural voyage.Instead of filing it away or leaving it on a shelf to gather dust, why not capture m. . .

Attention PR Shoppers!

As a business, non-profit or association manager, what do you want? Publicity that delivers newspaper and talk show mentions, or behavior change among your key outside audiences that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives? Special events that attract a lot of people, or public relations that persuades your most important outside audiences to your way of thinking, then moves them. . .

UK Debt When Moving Abroad

The idea of moving abroad to escape debt seems to be more of a common practice these days. People who have failed businesses or are swamped in debt believe that moving abroad will give them a fresh start and allow them to build a new life.Reading some of the comments on various UK debt forums opinions on this seem to be divided. Some people think running away from debt is too much of a risk, . . .

Keeping Your Own Money – NOT Handing It Over To The Taxman.

Most people trying to make a crust online (or offline for that matter) are so focused on doing just that, they ignore taking simple steps to ensure that they hang on to just as much of it as they can. Instead, they hand over large lumps of their hard-earned money in tax, usually in one of two mistaken beliefs. Either: It’s a good thing, a sure sign of a civilised society. Or, If they don’t, t. . .

Start Up Your Passion: Startup Ideas From My Home-Based B...

Where can I get free startup ideas to help start my home business? What possible ideas can I come up? I don't know anything. I can't do anything. I have no skills.Sound familiar? I went through the same thing many times myself. But don't worry, My Home-Based Business Advisor has you covered. We're going to help you come up with lots of startup ideas.First of all, everyone knows something, or ca. . .

Top Ten Tips When Business is Slow

How's your business going to keep growing with the holidays just around the corner? What can you do when most people don't want to spend money now?If you are concerned the cash flow won't flow and you won't have enough income for the next months, check out these ten tips:1. Create written copy to email your subscribers and other email lists. Just for your faithful customers, send a free how-to . . .

Personal Debt Reduction Practices

Personal debt reduction practices, the steps people take to relieve the debt in their lives and to become more financially free, are a hot topic among financial circles. American spending habits are producing more people who are deeper in debt rather than people trying to achieve financial freedom. The amount of debt Americans go into each year is mounting as most people strive to keep up wit. . .

How to Make the Most of an At Home Money Making Business ...

An at home money making business opportunity can be a great way to stay home and earn money. However, as with any opportunity, you should ask questions. First, examine the product the opportunity sells. Would most people want it? Would you want it? Your liking the product will translate to others liking it too.Second, what will the at home money making opportunity cost? Will it cost to join or . . .

Work from Home

So you want to work from home. First you need to determine your expenses. You'll have household expenses, insurance, car, loans, food, clothes, and luxuries such as vacations and hobbies. On the positive side, you can look at how much you're saving if you work from home. You can save on childcare(if you have children), car expenses such as gas and upkeep, office clothes and other personal appea. . .

Market Your Passion Online: Internet Advertising Advice F...

You need to be advertising and marketing your home-based business, but what does it all mean? You need customers. You need sales! But where do you start? FFA Pages Banners Traffic Exchange Programs Reciprocal LinkingThese are just some of the ways for your home-based business to be advertising and marketing online (meaning on the Internet). But, what do they mean? FFA Pages - You submit your si. . .

How to Create a Great Electronic Resume

After creating the perfect resume, you then need to distribute it. You'll likely be sending some professionally printed hard copies, especially to "A list" companies or organizations you've set your sights on. But just as likely, you'll be distributing other copies electronically. Presuming you've written a great resume to begin with, here's what you really need to know about your electronic ve. . .

5 Ways to Drastically Improve Your Resume in 10 Minutes o...

Follow these quick and easy tips to build yourself a better resume in under 10 minutes flat. * Use strong, action oriented language that describes specific skills or accomplishments. Go through your resume from top to bottom and eliminate weak language. Don't write "Was in charge of large graphic design department that increased company revenues" when you can say "Managed 12 graphic artists in . . .

7 Deadly Cover Letter Writing Sins

Don't start off your job search with one (or more) strikes against you by committing any of these common cover letter blunders. Each is easy to avoid, but they can sink your chances of an interview if you include them in your letter. 1. Sending your letter to the wrong person, location, or department. Do you really want your letter to land you a job at the company you're sending it to? Then tak. . .

Be A Great Feedback Facilitator

The feedback facilitator should provide a brief introduction about his background. This is to assure the group about his competence and professionalism in directing the session.The feedback facilitator should also have the detailed bio of all the participants.It is preferable to have another person to take down and later transcribe the minutes of the session.It is very important to set out the. . .

Refinance Mortgage Loan – Tips on Refinancing Your Home M...

Refinancing your home mortgage can come with some great perks. If you do it with no money out of pocket, you can skip one to three mortgage payments. You can save money on your payment or pay off your entire mortgage faster when you have better terms. Here are a few things to pay attention to when you refinance your mortgage loan, to make sure that you don’t overlook anything that you might reg. . .

Bad Credit Mortgage Loans – How To Get Approved

Persistence is the key working toward getting approved for a bad credit mortgage loan. There are many factors that you, as a borrower have control over that can help you get approved faster and easier. There are guidelines that most sub-prime lenders go by that, if you know them, can help you move through the process without getting stuck, unable to get financing.If you have a bankruptcy or for. . .

Losing business monentum?

CONTENTS:1. Are you losing momentum while others plan ahead?2. Is your brainstorming getting the action you want?3. Are you starting your new employees the right way?4. Are you maintaining your documentation correctly?5. Call to Action.1. Are you losing momentum while others plan ahead?Now is the best time for you to create your 2nd-half 2003 action plans.Just go to my website and request my F*. . .

Building The Foundation For Wealth

You wouldn’t build your home on anything less than a solid foundation. Similarly, you can’t build wealth and financial independence without first having sound foundational principles to build upon.I have found that many people are working on wealth building strategies such as maximizing their 401K returns, aggressive stock trading, and real estate investing without such a foundation.Most of my . . .

How To Conduct Effective Meetings

Before you call your next meeting, the FIRST step is to decide if it is really essential. To determine that, ask yourself the following: Is this meeting essential? Can we do without it? Can we accomplish the task without a meeting? Can it wait another week? Can we get things done with few meetings?Then, if you have decided a meeting is the best way to accomplish your objective, the following t. . .

Leadership: Wisdom of the Ages

If you gather 100 experienced leaders together to share with you their most important secrets for success, you probably wouldn’t hear a lot of academic theory or jargon. Instead, this is a good idea of what you’d hear:1) Put ethics first. If you make unethical decisions for short-term gain, you will lose in the end. Let your principles guide you in the many decisions you must make regarding. . .

A Couple Of Killer Internet Marketing Techniques

There are many simple, infallible ways to earn income, and one of the surest ways is through marketing your business on the internet. When you learn basic internet marketing techniques, you'll wonder why you haven't already jumped on the bandwagon. When you think about it, the only things you'll need to make money is a vision of what you want out of life and the wisdom and energy to put your id. . .

The Seller's Guide to the Buyer's Eye

A strong tendency towards a sellers market will continue until the baby boomers finish the cycle of buying and selling real estate, estimated to end in 20 years, according to the Senior Real Estate Association. Baby boomers (born between 1946-1964) are in their peak years for real estate investment. Real estate investments will continue to be lucrative throughout the cycle. The realtor and sell. . .

Refund Anticipation Loans -- More Harm than Help

If someone offered to loan you $2100 of your own money at interest rates of up to 222% you’d probably laugh at them and walk away; but, this spring, 1 in 10 Americans will do just that: they’ll borrow their own money at interest rates as high as 744% thru refund-anticipation or “rapid refund” loans.Refund anticipation loans are short term, high interest loans that commercial tax preparation se. . .

How To Start Your Business With One Good Idea

Do you have an idea for a business? Perhaps the only idea you have is that you NEED an idea so you CAN start a business. Before turning any idea into a business, you must first have an idea how to succeed. For most people, the definition of a successful business is one which is profitable, and a profitable business is built upon ideas that have been properly researched. Here are 10 steps you ca. . .

In The Beginning

The greatest occupational high that financial services Marketing Directors experience is bringing a vision to market through a financial product or service innovation. Seeking to experience the same euphoria that great inventors like Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison must have felt, they follow their dream of implementing a financial product idea that they believe will generate significant inc. . .

A New Age Of Small-Unit Leadership

Recent mergers in many industries remind me of a point that Gen. Dwight Eisenhower often made, "Generals move the pins on a map," he would say, "but the front-line troops have to get the job done."And the key to the job is leadership, small-unit leadership, leadership of the most basic units or teams of an organization. Without good leadership in front-line units ­ the squad leaders and platoon. . .

How Managers Can Help Retain Their Best Employees

A major problem for employers today is attracting the best talent, and then retaining key employees. Research shows that the key ingredient for retention lies within the manager’s ability to understand what employees really want. The survey results below first came out in 1946 in Foreman Fact, from the Labor Relations Institute of NY and was produced again by Lawrence Lindahl in Personnel mag. . .

Checklist For High Performing Teams

Why do some teams perform well while others struggle? How can you assess how effectively your team is working now, and identify methods for improvement?Research shows that 85% of the reasons that teams of people succeed or struggle has more to do with interpersonal issues, than technical competence. But both are needed for effective teamwork. Below please find a checklist you can use to iden. . .

A High Achiever Almost Went Bankrupt Because He Did Not K...

Practical Biz Solutions The business success newsletter for business owners, top executives, and commission sales people from Stan MannPlease forward Practical Biz Solutions to appropriate friends.Dear Reader: High Achievers have great strengths. They also have correspondingly great weaknesses. The very leadership style that worked so wonderfully in one situation may be self-defeating in anothe. . .

The Synergy Paradigm

Synergy: {n} The working together of two things to produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects.Most businesses operate on two distinct levels: Human Systems – Those systems that are concerned with or operated by people. Process Systems – Those systems that are functional or mechanical in nature.Each of these systems is independent of the other and each has its own charact. . .