Pure Gold
"Join my success tips blog and get a FREE copy of the late, great mail-order millionaire Joe Karbo's Pure Gold e-book."

Discover:

  • A 30-Day step-by-step plan for success
  • How to work smarter rather than harder
  • The best way to write effective goals
  • How to overcome your own self-imposed limits
  • How to achieve your wildest dreams and beyond
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Google + Hangouts: Video Chat Made Easy for All

by , under Business, Personal Development

How cool is it to be able to visit with people via online video from all over the world, whether friends, family or business associates, anytime you want? How about being able to see and hear as many as 7 or more at the same time? How much cooler if the service is FREE? I’ll show you how at the bottom of this post.

Google + is now open to everyone and it offers some great tools I know you’re going to love. One of my favorites is “Hangouts.” It’s a live video conference (video chat) program, similar to Skype. But Hangouts is open to anyone with a Google + account. I’ve had as many as 7 people chatting at one time, and I could see each and every one of them. I haven’t been able to find a limit on the number of visitors a hangout allows, but if 7 is it, how useful is that? (continue reading…)

 
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7 Steps to Getting Passwords Under Control and Secure

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How scary is it to think of one of the bad guys getting hold of your passwords to your most important accounts? How much damage could they do, and how much time would it take them? This is serious stuff.

Here’s a solution you can apply that will keep all of your accounts secure under their own unique password, while making it relatively easy for you to remember them all.

There are 7 steps to this. Take them one at a time. There’s a bonus below my signature at the bottom that might help.

1) Pick a word that has nothing to do with you and has 6 to 10 characters.

No anniversary dates or kid’s names. No “change me” or “12345.” If you are into football, pick the name of a baseball team. If you love Mexican food, pick an Italian dish. If you LOVE cats, pick a breed of dog. Pick the name of an appliance brand, a car maker, a city in Europe where you’ve never been and never want to go. As long as you’ve never had anything to do with it but will always remember it, it will be great.

2) Write the word down on a piece of paper. (continue reading…)

 
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Yeah, But What Will I Sell? Finding a Profitable Niche.

by , under Business

Want to start an on-line business but feeling stuck? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. “What do I sell?” is easily in the top 5 questions I hear and/or read in the arena of online marketing. In this post I’ll share some tips on the best areas to look for a profitable niche.

If you want to make a profit, competition is a GOOD thing. Look for niches that are highly competitive. I know that might seem counter-intuitive, but think of it this way; if you travel to a lake to go fishing and you want to actually catch some fish, are you going to look for the hot spots (by seeing where there are a lot of people fishing and catching fish), or try to blindly find your own?

Another way to think of it is to consider that a small percentage of a REALLY BIG NUMBER can still be a big number. If I offered you 1% ownership of a local hot dog stand you might yawn. But what if I offered you 1% of Apple or Micro Soft? You want to gain a small slice of a really big pie.

There are still markets that are small and tight where you can be the big frog in a small pond, but they’re getting fewer all the time. I WILL give you some ideas on how to find them later in this post.

For the BEST chance of success I’d go with the 1 of 5 key areas: (continue reading…)

 
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The #1 Most Important Law for Building an Internet Business

by , under Business, Marketing

Question: What’s the 1 thing you can work on today that will lead to the highest potential success for your business tomorrow?

Answer: Your email list. In fact, several. Below, I’ll give you some good tips how to get started.

Jeff Walker is among the most successful internet marketers of our day. He and his methods have been responsible for over $200,000,000 (Two Hundred Million DOLLARS) in sales. Today is the 15th anniversary of his start in this business. In celebration, what did he post in his blog, www.jeffwalker.com? He encouraged people to “…focus on building your list.”

Jeff points out an inevitable truth; “Your content can get knocked off, your technology can be bettered, your search engine rankings can go away. But no one can take your list away.”

He goes so far as to call it “The First Law of Internet Business Success.” He adds that it’s the RELATIONSHIP with that list that makes it valuable.

How are great lists with solid relationships built? Here’s a short list:

  1. Write great content that offers a solution to your client’s and customer’s needs and offer it for FREE in exchange for an email address. Repeat.
  2. If you aren’t yet good at developing content, there’s plenty on the net. Find it; categorize it; and make it easy to find. Give credit where it’s due. Don’t rip-off other’s work. But it is OK to properly promote it, and you can gain a following by doing just that.
  3. Be honest.
  4. Be yourself.
  5. If you aren’t comfortable writing, use video. In fact, use video anyway. It’s the up and coming thing.
  6. Don’t start selling until you’ve built a good solid relationship first.

 

To market that content: (continue reading…)

 
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What You Need to Know About Profit Margins BEFORE You Start an Ecom Biz

by , under Business

Are you considering starting an e-commerce business? Then this article is for you and could save you a huge amount of time, frustration and lost money. You’re going to learn some startling facts and hear some stern warnings. Some of it is a bit scary. Still, you need to know it BEFORE you start. But stick with me. It’s not all bad news.

In the modern era, with all of the economic woes, there are a lot of people jumping into e-commerce and online marketing with the hopes of more security, or perhaps shoring-up or maybe replacing their income. I think that’s great, and I know that many of them will become tomorrow’s great success stories.

Unfortunately, this type of market opens the door to the crooks and cons of the world, who are more than willing to take advantage of your lack of experience and “help” you get started by offering “easy” opportunities to get you set up with your own site, shopping cart AND products, all for the super low price of $X and a small monthly maintenance fee of $Y. The challenge with most of these “turn-key” businesses is that by the time you pay all the charges and fees, and consider the cost of the goods they offer, there’s little or nothing in the way of profit left for yourself. (continue reading…)

 
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A Lesson on the Need for Freedom Learned on the 4th of July

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July 4th, 2000 was anything but a typical Independence Day. It found me in a lonely U-Haul truck, driving across Iowa toward my new home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Sadly, this move was not for what might be a typical reason. I had a 45 year-old cousin who lived in Massachusetts and had been diagnosed with cancer. By the time of the diagnosis, it was already too late for her and only a matter of keeping things at bay for as long as possible, trying to delay the inevitable. She was an only child. Her parents were in their 80′s. Though there was a lot of extended family in the area for support, I felt compelled to go and do my best to help.

As the sun set, I was able to take in the dazzling fireworks displays of each town and county as far as the eye could see. I vividly remember finding myself pondering what I call the “Time/Distance Equation.” Simply put, it means that you can only be in one place at one time. In order to be with my cousin, aunt and uncle, I had to leave my mother, brothers, sisters and friends in California. It was far from a perfect scenario and I knew there had to be a better way. On this particular evening I found it not only challenging my psyche, but inspiring me to find the best potential solution. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to live life on your terms? To be able to go where you want, when you want, enjoy time with your friends and family wherever they live, and know that your finances and lifestyle are secure? Well, you can.

Living in the U.S. allows you the freedom to create your own life. You have the choice of finding the right career, or creating the right business. There are careers which offer a fair bit of independence and flexibility in one’s schedule, but they’re always going to require a certain level of commitment to being at a certain place for a certain time. And of course there are businesses that require as much commitment as a good marriage. To my mind, neither is a great solution. Then there are those rare businesses that allow true time freedom, location freedom and financial freedom as well as the potential of actually being achievable. It’s my opinion that online information marketing is exactly that kind of business, and helping people move along that path more quickly has become the focus of this blog. In the coming weeks, you’ll see an abundance of information that will help you create the business of your dreams and the life of your dreams, from scratch.

Do you desire the freedom and flexibility to live life on your terms? Do you have an image of that perfect solution in your mind? Then why not start? Take the actions that are necessary to carry you toward the achievement of your goals. Decide where you want to be in life on the 4th of July, 2012 and take the first steps TODAY.

A great way to start is to follow the 30 day, step-by-step action plan for success I offer for joining my blog. It’s called Pure Gold and was written by information-marketing millionaire Joe Karbo.  It’s absolutely FREE. If you have the vision, it will help you put your plans into action. If you’re still forming that vision, it will walk you through the steps of making the plan a reality. So please, go ahead and take a moment to enter your best e-mail address in the upper right corner of this page for your free copy right now.

Happy 4th of July. And may your next find you truly free.

Phil Ammendolia

 

 
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Nothing Succeeds Like Success.

by , under Business, Personal Development

There’s a simple fact in regard to a successful action; if you did it once, you can do it again.

Back in 1990, I was running a business as an independent sales rep selling motorcycle accessories to dealers. I was contracting for about 5 companies. Half of my income came from 1 business with the remainder spread among the other 4. One afternoon I got a letter from my #1 source of income telling me they had decided to change their business model and go through distributors rather than selling direct. In other words, I was fired. There was a little solace in the fact that it wasn’t based on performance, but on a fundamental change in the company’s direction. Still, how would you feel if you lost 1/2 your income in the blink of an eye? Probably a lot like I felt; stunned, shocked, pissed off and panicked.

As my friend and mentor Reg Kittrelle likes to say, “Fear can be a great motivator.” Though I had a small surplus, I couldn’t afford to run for long on 1/2 my income. I had to get busy. I reviewed my remaining lines and starting with what had been my 2nd best income producer, I thought about how I could dramatically increase sales in a very short amount of time. I decided I was going to make things work and set a minimum sales goal for each day. I went back to basics making sure I had plenty of samples and ALWAYS carried something in to the store to talk about. Calls were made to all of my sales managers asking what products were hot for other reps, and samples of those items were ordered immediately. I asked my dealers what trends they were seeing in the market, and what they felt were the hottest categories. And I sold like crazy.

At the end of that month, I was the #1 sales rep in the country for what had been my 2nd best income producer, AND I generated the same amount of total income as I had the month before. It was the first time I had ever accomplished anything like this.

The funny thing was that I had been so scared and so focused on survival, I had no idea where I stood compared to any other rep. When my sales manager called and told me I was the winner for that month, I was as stunned and shocked as I had been the day I opened that letter. I really wasn’t sure how it happened; but I was very happy.

Then I had a life changing realization; if I did it once, I could do it again. And I did. One month at a time for the remainder of the year, I set my goals and worked to be #1, winning 6 of the last 8 months of the year and earning Sales Rep of the Year honors and an offer to become the company’s national sales manager.

During those last 8 months, I also started getting calls from other companies offering me some of the best and most profitable lines in the industry. It was crazy. One panicked month’s effort had opened doors that I would have never thought possible just 30 days prior. That’s when it really hit me; nothing succeeds like success.

So how about you? Can you find that one thing that you can put all your effort into and pull of a win? It might be a sales contest, or ranking highest in 1 category, or beating your quota by the highest percentage, or producing more parts, delivering more packages, building more pieces of equipment, turning out more reports,  turning in more cost saving ideas, or whatever it is you do. Whatever it is, I promise you, it’s worth doing. Get 1 win and leverage it to your next; and then to your next. This realization is one giant step forward on the road to financial freedom.

Nothing succeeds like success.

If you like what you’re reading, please join my success blog. I’ll send you a FREE copy of the late, great millionaire, Joe Karbo’s eBook, Pure Gold – A 30-Day Step-by-Step Plan for Success. No obligation, no spam, and you can opt-out anytime you choose.

Phil Ammendolia

 
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You Go Where You Look. All the Time; Every Time.

by , under Business, Personal Development

One of the most amazing and observable laws in this universe is the law of “You Go Where You Look.”

Have you ever watched a parent teaching their child to ride a bike? You see the parent, the child, and a bicycle in a BIG OPEN parking lot. There’s only one thing in the entire surrounding area other than the parent, the child and the bike; the parent’s car. The parent pushes as the child starts cranking on the pedals. The child’s doing great, riding straight and true. A full and successful U-turn later and what comes into sight? The parent’s car, several hundred feet away. The expression suddenly changes from a look of supreme joy to one of sheer panic. The parent frantically gives chase in an effort to stop the inevitable, but it’s too late. BAM! Every time.

Though our eyes give us the physical ability to see, they are not the only things we look through. In fact, in the big picture eyes can’t hold a candle to the mind. Have you ever spilled coffee on a freshly cleaned shirt and then said, “I knew I was going to do that?” Where were you looking? Ever back your car into a pole you KNEW was there? Where were you looking? Don’t feel bad; I’ve done it too.

What’s this have to do with living the life of your dreams? Everything. It’s THE secret and THE MAIN INGREDIENT in setting and achieving goals. This is the most fundamental basic in the Law of Attraction. You go where you look; all the time; every time. It may take some time, but it will happen. You and your life are the sum of your thoughts.

One very positive note here is that with concentrated effort, you can develop new thoughts and make dramatic changes your life very quickly. We’ll share more about the “HOW” soon.

Want a different life? Start with different thoughts.

Phil Ammendolia

©Phil Ammendolia 2011

 
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It’s Your Life. It Starts When You Start.

by , under Business, Personal Development

Ever feel like you have it in you, but you just can’t quite tap into it? There’s a dream in there; a lifestyle that is the right one for you. You think about it as you drive, shower, fall asleep, or daydream at your desk. You can feel it. You can taste it. You just can’t quite get to it. Here’s the secret; START. Quit thinking. Quit daydreaming. Pick one thing that you know will get you closer to your dreams than you are right now and START.

The universe (or your own mind, or God, or whatever you feel most comfortable with) has an amazing way of assisting ACTION. When you actually start, other things start aligning to your cause. This occurs even when you’re not quite sure what it is you want to do. Often people have a vague idea or concept. If it isn’t crystal clear, they’ll let it steep, hoping it will develop. Sadly, there’s a very high likelihood that it never will. In fact, it’s more likely to dry up. That is, unless you START.

“What if I start on the wrong thing?” You won’t. There are very few things in life that are a straight line. It’s more like a sail boat. You START. You veer off course. You correct. You veer the other way. You correct. Over and over again, it’s the same process. You just keep adjusting your course heading back in the direction you want to go. Eventually, you arrive. The good news is that once you start, the world starts to hold up signs to tell you which direction to head. (continue reading…)

 
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Viral Marketing.

by , under Business

Sometimes, it’s best to leave it to the pros. If you’ve never read The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott, you really should. It’s among the absolute BEST of its genre on the market. He offers several really good freebies on his website. My favorite is an eBook on Viral Marketing. You can find all of his giveaways here: http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/products_ebooks.htm.

If you run any kind of business, social event, charitable organization; if you’re a writer, musician or poet, you need to know this information. When I can tell it better than he can, you’ll hear from me. In the meantime, I hope this is useful for you.

Phil Ammendolia

 
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    "Join my success tips blog and get a FREE copy of the late, great mail-order millionaire Joe Karbo's Pure Gold e-book."

    Discover:

    • A 30-Day step-by-step plan for success
    • How to work smarter rather than harder
    • The best way to write effective goals
    • How to overcome your own self-imposed limits
    • How to achieve your wildest dreams and beyond