About three years ago I ordered a Bose QC3 headphone. When I received them, they had a bit of a quirk in the left ear — I had to fiddle with the cord to get clear sound. At that time, I should have sent them back for an exchange, but I didn’t. Fast forward a couple of years and they stopped working completely out of that ear.

Thinking it was the cord, my husband and I searched around to find a replacement. We found one on eBay through a seller named mazatlan and ordered it. And it was the wrong cord — our fault not his. But he was great about it. He sent us out a replacement (before we even returned the wrong one). But that didn’t work either.

His help didn’t stop there though. We exchanged no less than 10 emails with him guiding us through what we needed to do to get a replacement for the headphones. This is fabulous customer service from a guy who was making less than five dollars on a sale! He recognizes the value of the five dollar customer.

If you have a set of broken Bose QC3 Headphones that are out of warranty, it’s easy (and not too expensive) to get them replaced. Bose will let you exchange your headphones for a new pair for $100 plus about $6 shipping, and you’ll receive a brand new Bose QC3 with the carrying case and attachments, and also a full one year warranty. What a deal! I’m thrilled with my new headphones and it never would have happened without that five dollar purchase from mazatlan on eBay. Thanks Ron!

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You’ve heard me say this before — don’t be a bank to your customers. If you are doing work and waiting to get paid, that’s the role you are playing. Watch this quick video from SBTV for some tips.

What do you think?

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This past January, I attended my first Niche Affiliate Marketing System workshop — NAMS. It was the third of it’s kind and full of lots of interesting tidbits and tactics I could take to improve my results. You can read about my NAMS3 experience here.

NAMS is held twice a year and is just an awesome conference for anyone who is trying to dip their toe in an online business venture. It is non-threatening, helpful and fun. What’s really cool about NAMS (well, there’s lots of cool things!) is that during the sessions a product is created and put online for sale. Then there’s a contest to see who can make the most sales. But it’s not really about the contest. It’s about proving that anyone can make money online.

See, a lot of people think it’s rocket science. And it definitely isn’t. The biggest key to success when building an online business is to take action — every single day. Simple, huh? But I digress.

I wanted to tell you about the product they made in this NAMS4. A four person panel of experts — Super Affiliate Lynn Terry, SEO Copywriter Extraordinaire Karon Thackston, Business Owner Dan Morris and Backlinking Queen Susanne Meyers — spent almost 90 minutes demystifying and simplifying the world of keyword research, which is a big part of your success online. Here’s a sneak peek.

That’s one of the things I loved about NAMS. People talk freely about their success and work from a prosperity mindset of helping others. This video is just a tiny taste of the info you’ll find on the full MP3 product. You can even take it with you on the go, but be prepared to take notes!

And for only $17, you just can’t beat it. If you’re looking for practical, no nonsense advice that you can put to work for your online business right now, head on over and pick up your copy of All You Need to Know About Keyword Research right now.

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Yep. It happened. I’ve been buying most of the stuff I own online for at least five years now. I am cautious about who I do business with and where I buy, but I buy something online every week and have never had any problems — until last week. It was an old, established account that got my money (so to speak) and it was my own fault that it happened.

Let me first say I absolutely believe it is safe to buy online. I actually think it’s more of a danger to hand over your credit card to a server who walks away with your card to some dark corner of a restaurant, than it is to use a credit card online. Which, by the way, is how credit card fraud happened to me a few years ago — but that’s a story for another day.

So, let’s talk about what happened last week. My email notifier popped up on my phone and when I went to check it, I had seven order receipts from my PayPal account.

No one but me uses that account so I knew there was something wrong. When I opened the emails, I nearly got sick to my stomach. The receipts were for purchases at the iTunes store and all told amounted to just shy of $300. The really bad part of this is that I keep a minimum amount of funds in my PayPal account — typically less than $200 — so the orders had begun to draw from my bank account (the back up funding source to my PayPal account). It would have been easy to panic.

But I didn’t.

The first thing I did was to log in to my iTunes account, change my password, and cancel my iTunes billing agreement (more on this in a minute). Then I did the same thing with my PayPal account. That stopped the flow. It’s amazing what a few tiny characters can do.

Then I had to worry about cleaning up the mess.

I started with iTunes. I couldn’t find an iTunes support phone number so I called the Apple support number. And here’s an irritating practice. Apple doesn’t have a support phone number for iTunes. The only option you have is to enter a support ticket via their online form and they promise a response within 48 hours. Ugh! So I entered the details of my issue in the online form and sent it on it’s way.

In the meantime, I contacted PayPal phone support. Yes, you can talk to a real live human. Hurray! I was a bit concerned about getting a refund on the fraudulent purchases from iTunes and wasn’t sure if I should initiate an action from my PayPal account or not. The rep (Thanks Amber!) assured me that I surely could do that, either right away or wait until the 48 hours had passed. I decided to wait.

And I waited. And waited. And waited for what seemed like forever. Forty eight hours passed with no response from iTunes. So I decided to give them one more day.

That did the trick. On the third day of waiting — I got the refund emails from PayPal, that iTunes initiated, a short time before I received their email telling me they were refunding. They were very apologetic about the delay and advised me of steps to take to mitigate fraud issues in the future. (I had already done these — first — see above.)

So all is well and my money was completely refunded. I’m relieved. But there’s a lesson in this story and that’s why I’m telling it to you.

1. Your first line of defense for any of your online accounts is your password. It’s a really bad idea to use a “standard” password on many online accounts. I know this and so do you. But do we practice it? Most of us don’t. I’ve gotten in the habit of using my “standard” password when I first set up an online account, then coming back after it’s established and changing it to a more secure password. That is a bad practice. My iTunes account was three years old and I had never changed it to a secure password. There’s no excuse not to change it except pure laziness (or busyness) since I use a really awesome password manager called RoboForm to help me randomly create secure passwords and keep track of them.

2. Don’t set up one click billing agreements. Technology has made it very easy for all of us to do so much in a single click, we’ve gotten lazy. And that can put your finances in jeopardy, just like it did mine. When I think about the possibilities that didn’t happen — what if the purchases had occurred in the middle of the night and subsequently cleaned out my bank account along with triggering all sorts of other charges? The damage could have been several thousand dollars, not a few hundred. It just makes me cringe. I was really lucky. So even though you can set up one click ordering on web sites like iTunes, it doesn’t mean you should. Forward think the possibilities of what could happen if your account is compromised. Then decide what to do. If the possibilities aren’t pretty, then don’t do it. I know I won’t.

3. Change your critical passwords on a regular basis. I’m planning on changing my passwords every time the time changes just like I do my smoke alarm batteries. More frequent would even be better, but at least it’s a start.

There you go. That’s my story about online credit card fraud. You can control what happens to you with a few simple keys by making sure you have a secure password. I’ll certainly be more diligent about it now and leverage the excellent password manager I have at my fingertips. What about you?

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What a surprise we found recently in our favorite batch of Keebler cookies.

When we opened the package, we discovered a trifold note enclosed which included a personal note for all cookie lovers.

I was impressed that Keebler made such a smart move to get the people who love their cookies to join their email list. Smart marketing indeed. Below is the outside of the trifold note. Notice that it invites the reader to get “Treemail” messages (cute, huh?) by visiting the Keebler website.

And the inside of the note is even better. Very personal and enticing. Makes you want to visit. We did.

You can use these email marketing tactics in your small business. And since you are nimble and quick, you can do it now.

Don’t be fooled. Email marketing is more popular than ever. If you are not growing your business using email, you are leaving a lot of money on the table. And if you’re not sure what to do, sign up to get my free email marketing tips (via email of course!). I’ll send you an email every week for six months. Each tip contains something quick, easy and actionable that you can use now. Sign up here.

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Please enjoy this guest post from Lloyd Burrell of Office Desk Reviews.

photo credit: wolfsavard

One of the positive effects of the current recession is that the home-based entrepreneur lifestyle dream is turning into reality for more and more people.

Starting your own business is like directing an adventure movie. The way to prevent it from turning into a disaster movie is to be very meticulous in your planning.

A Good Office Desk Makes a Good Foundation

It is easy to plan for some of the obvious things in a business. Issues like the marketing of your company, the impact of the new business on your family and the managing of your cash flow are pretty easy to anticipate.

But there is one piece of business that is often overlooked when home-based entrepreneurs are getting started and that is the importance of having the right office desk.

The Lynchpin of Businesses Large and Small

Selecting the right office desk is an often ignored feature of the creation of a home business—or any business for that matter. A lot of time is spent by many new entrepreneurs on software, communications equipment or office peripherals. Forgetting the office desk is a common oversight. But an office desk is the focal point of your business. Everything in your new enterprise originates from what you do at your office desk.

A good office desk can:

>> Give you, your staff and your client’s confidence.
>> Instill in your business a sense of purpose.
>> Be the starting point for a successful day.
>> Act as storage centre for your computer, files and peripherals.
>> Be where you get your greatest inspirations..

Core Values to Consider When Buying Your Office Desk

As with any product there are always some key things to keep in mind so that you get the best value for your money.

Measurements: Your desk should fit nicely in your office space. You should measure your area before hand so you don’t end up with a desk that might be very stylish but is too large and causes you to feel like you are being pressed against the walls every time you sit down. Your new office desk should not force you to move any other furniture.

Personal and Personnel Space: What image do you want to project with your desk? That depends on who will see it, which depends on your business. Will you meet clients there or share it with a staff member? Or will you be the only user?

Functionality: You also need to ask yourself what function your desk will serve. If you need a lot of space for files, peripherals and other office supplies you might want to think about a desk with a lot of drawers that keeps those items organized. If you will be sharing your desk or office a locked storage drawer might be useful.

Your body, your desk: It is likely that you will be spending an awful lot of time at your desk. So you want to purchase a desk that is comfortable to you while also being ergonomically sound. An ill-fitting desk can give you back pain, RSI or cause other health problems.

Back to Basics in Buying a Desk

There is a full complement of office desks to choose from in today’s market. Almost all of them are built with computer use in mind.

It goes without saying that you need to shop within your budget, so then you need to consider what features you would like to have in your office desk. Some of the most popular are listed below:

Sliding keyboard tray
Balanced shelving
PC/Hutch space
At least three storage drawers
Cable grommets

There are many desks on the market that provide the basics while still being attractive. A terrific desk for home and small business start-up entrepreneurs are corner desks. The best corner desks for offices are not necessarily the most expensive. Many come with a price tag of less than two hundred dollars that will accommodate even the tightest budgets.

It is easy to get caught up in the nicer office furniture and a good office desk can run into the low five figures. But most experts would agree that that amount of money would be better spent during the start up phase of your business on generating interest in your company.

Lloyd Burrell is the publisher of OfficeDeskReviews.com a specialist website which reviews all manner of office furniture desks. British by birth, Lloyd trained as an accountant and auditor in the city of London before putting his experience to good use on his office desk reviews website.

I agree with Lloyd on making sure you have the right office desk. It can make the difference between a pleasant or awful work environment. Make sure you pay a visit to his site and pick up your copy of his free report on How to Avoid the Five Most Common Mistakes Made When buying a Desk Online.

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Whether your business is totally online, part brick and mortar / part online, or totally brick and mortar, you could benefit from watching what some of the big brands are doing. And your business is much more nimble than they are so you can respond faster to changing trends. But it takes action to do it. Are you taking the right actions to make the most of internet marketing for your business?

Here are some ideas for you. When I checked out at the local CVS store recently, I noticed that they were collecting customer email addresses on their cash register receipt. The timing is a smart idea. You’re already in a buying mode, so why not take one more action? Here’s an example.

They have all the important stuff on this receipt. An enticing offer ($4 coupon) to get you to part with your email address along with a disclaimer that they will guard it for you. The method is a bit clunky, but why not. I bet they’re very successful.

You could use this approach on your store receipts (or on your invoices if you mail them out). If you don’t have room on the receipt, create a flyer to hand out to customers. The point is — do it. These people are already your customers and collecting an email address, plus following up with subsequent offers can really pump up your cash flow.

Another thing I thought was really cool about their receipt is the invitation to follow them on twitter. This piece below was left intact after you removed the piece above. Using these two methods gives CVS plenty of opportunities to continue to engage you as a customer.

You could use this in your business too. If you’re not yet on twitter, you could be missing a chance to connect and engage with your customer where they hang out.

And if you’re not sure how email marketing can help you in your business, sign up for my free email marketing tips. You’ll get one message a week for six months — absolutely free.

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Please enjoy this guest post by Wendy Lowe of Campaigner.

When small businesses are preparing to do email outreach to a list of customers and prospects, often it is very hard to decide what to highlight in the content. Is the special offer you have crafted really going to appeal to your customers? Does a new email template perform better than your existing layout? With all the options available, it’s often tough to determine ahead of time which one will deliver the best response. There’s nothing worse than sending an offer to your entire list only to find it resulted in few or no responses.

This is where small businesses can learn from the big brands. Before you send out that coupon or product offer to everyone on your list, consider using a technique called A/B or split testing. This can give you just enough information to select the content that will generate the best results.

If you have a good email marketing application or service, creating an A/B test is simple. Just follow these steps and you’ll find your email marketing campaigns will generate better and more consistent results.

1. Start by taking your mailing list and pulling a representative sample from it. If you have one main list with no divisions, that’s easy – just take 5 or 10 percent of it. If your list is already divided into sub-groups, such as by gender, age group, where they live, income, etc., take random names from each applicable segment until you reach about 10 percent of your total mailing list.

2. Take that 10 percent and divide it in half. Again, if the list is segmented take half from each segment and place them in group A. Then place the rest in group B. If there’s no segmenting involved, simply divide it in half.

3. Prepare your email using your email campaign service and include the first offer in it. Then perform a “save as” and substitute the second offer. It is very important that the only thing that changes is the offer. There should only be one variable. If you change the offer and the color, or the offer and the body copy, you won’t know for sure which change drove the better performance, which could lead to a misstep.

4. Once you have the mailers ready, send one to half of your pre-divided list, and the other to the other half. They should be sent around the same time on the same day.

5. After the email A/B test is sent, use your email campaign service’s reporting tools to see which was opened more quickly, which was opened most often, and what actions were taken (if any) for each. If you are asking customers and prospects to call instead of click, be sure to track how many calls you receive for each offer.

6. If you have a virtual phone service with unlimited extensions, consider tracking phone responses. Assign a different extension to each email marketing offer, and then track how many calls come to each extension using the service’s reporting tools. Just be sure to change extensions for each new test so your response numbers remain accurate.

Once you have this data, see which offer achieves the best results. You can then roll that email marketing offer out to your full list (except the people who have already received it, of course) with a high degree of confidence that it will be a success.

If both offers are effective, you can choose one for your current mailing and save the other for the next. On the other hand, if neither offer is effective you have learned something about your customers, and will need to work on different offers that will be more intriguing. If one offer is effective with a certain group in a segmented list, and the other offer is effective with a different group, you can adjust your marketing efforts accordingly while gaining insight for future mailings as well.

No matter what you discover, you will have real-world feedback that will help you maximize your responses while minimizing the risk of customers and prospects asking to be removed from your list (also known as opting out).

Building a habit of A/B testing can really help you improve the success of your email marketing campaigns. By investing a little more time up-front, you’ll gain that 20/20 hindsight everyone talks about – but you’ll have it before you launch your full campaign.

Wendy Lowe is Regional Development Director for Campaigner, an e-mail marketing solution that enables organizations to have personalized one-to-one e-mail dialogues with their customers, measure how they respond, and analyze those responses.

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photo credit: Alina Sofia

How many times have you heard, “Can I pick your brain for a minute?” or “Do you have time for a quick lunch so I can ask you some questions?” or (I love this one!) “It will be great exposure for you!” or some variation of these questions? I’ve heard it a lot over the last 10 years.

Don’t get me wrong. I love helping people. I give away free advice all the time here on my blog and through articles published across the web.

But it’s important to remember that any time you give comes at a cost. And if you are giving your time away for free, that won’t pay the bills. So you’ll need to figure out a balance. And for every request you get, make sure you figure out in advance what’s in it for you.

Here’s a really good video of Harlan Ellison, a popular but contrary Hollywood writer making this very point.

What do you think?

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Please enjoy this guest post by Chris Blanton, the Business Doctor.

In a negotiation some feel that the first person to name a figure loses. Information is valuable, and the one who possesses more of it is better positioned in a transaction.

In sales where the seller publishes the price, buyers know the seller’s figure but the seller is not similarly armed with the buyers’. Thus a seller who negotiates puts herself at a disadvantage.

Prospects sometimes push for discounts. But customers are rarely expecting a reduction. They are probing your confidence level. If you waver and start selling on price, they will interpret this as a lack of confidence in your product or service.

Guess what? Your clients would prefer you held firm.

Picture this: You’re at a car lot. You want to buy a car and you’ve got your eye on a ten thousand dollar beauty. To demonstrate you aren’t a pushover, you fire off to the salesperson “I like this car but I didn’t want to spend more than eight thousand dollars,” and the rep instantly replies “$8000? Sold!”

How confident are you in your new purchase? Worried you’ve just made a huge mistake?

Imagine the same scenario but instead the rep smiles at your figure and confidently explains the value of the vehicle.

Which experience would you rather have?

This is an extreme case just to demonstrate my point. But even in a typical transaction your customers similarly look to you and the rest of your company’s employees to demonstrate the value of your offerings. A customer who starts to haggle is usually questioning value. They will become unsettled if you show a lack of conviction.

If you encounter a price-focused customer, don’t react; seek to rebuild their trust by addressing the value. Quiet confidence always calms anxiety. Conviction is the secret to POWER negotiation! Until next time, profitable business All!

Chris Blanton is the former managing partner of Sterling Group, a consulting firm he co-founded that taught innovative business principles to ignite profitability to company executives around the world. A part-time consultant, entrepreneur, investor, and life long martial artist, he makes his home on the West Coast and blogs at the Business Doctor. Connect with Chris on twitter — @cmblanton.

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