Don't Forget to Plan

IN THIS ISSUE
1.  Plan, Plan, Plan
2 . There Oughta Be a Law!
3 . Quote of the Week
4 . Resources for Entrepreneurs and Marketers
5 . A Little Fun
6. Smell the Coffee


This ezine is for anyone who wants to attract more customers, close more sales, earn more revenue, boost their bottom line, and drive their competitors
crazy.

Don't forget to tell all your friends and business associates about this informative newsletter! You don't want to be the only smart one in your group, do you?

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SUCCESS SECRETS EZINE IS HERE

If you want the inside secrets of how women just like you propelled their businesses to levels they never dreamed possible, sign up for my new "Success Secrets of Women Business Owners" ezine, which started a couple weeks ago. Each issue profiles one successful woman business owner and includes her top five (or more) tips for creating a successful business.

When you subscribe to"Success Secrets of Women Business Owners Ezine," I'll give you a free special report, "Build Website Traffic by Writing Articles: Top 10 Sites to Publish Your Articles" ($9 Value)! Subscribe here by clicking on this link and sending me an email.

Read the first two profiles by clicking on this link.

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1. Plan, Plan, Plan

What if you were taking the dream vacation of your life? You were going to Paris, then London, on to Rome and then to Florence for a month of glorious food, culture and visiting the sights?

But you decided to go tomorrow and you didn't have a passport, plane ticket or hotel reservations. Would you have a good trip?

No, of course not. You'd be staying home because you didn't plan properly.

So if you want to "get someplace" in your business, don't you need a roadmap?

In today's business climate it's easy to go off on a tangent, trying to make money in a variety of ways. Maybe you learn about a new affiliate (commission) program to
promote a hot, new product. So you jump on the bandwagon and sign up.

Then a revolutionary marketing product is introduced and everyone's raving about it. So you buy it, even though it's $997. But it's so big you have a hard time getting through it and you move on to the next big wave.

The key to being successful is planning who you want to be and how you will market your company. Write it down. Stick to the plan.

What? You don't know how to do a marketing plan? You're in luck! Yesterday, I finished revising Marketing Plan Essentials: Online & Off, an ebook that can help you create your own marketing plan, step-by-step. It includes all the
basic information for doing a plan, tons of ideas for how to promote your business, sample marketing campaigns, and a very brief marketing plan example.

And from now until Thursday, Oct. 21, at 10 PM Eastern, you can get it for 25% off! Read more about it and download it today here.

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2. There Oughta Be a Law!

And in fact, there probably is. A law about what, you ask?
Spyware and computer hijackers!

I have been struggling with ridding my computer of spyware
for months now. With the SIX programs I have used to delete
and block these slimy characters, I have eliminated about
2,000 spyware culprits and cookies. Each program finds something new.

My computer was running as slow as molasses in January--in
Wisconsin! It's still not completely fixed, but it's much
better.

I figured some of you are probably having similar problems.

One of the articles in our Brainy Article Bank pointed me in
the right direction. It's called "Spyware Blocker 101" and
it's written by Dave Owen. You can read it here.

Dave went through a lot of the same problems I have. The
worst problem is the "ShopNav" program that hijacks your
browser and takes you to a list of search results instead of
the site you want. Then you can't even use the back button
to go to where you were before. LOTS of people are having
trouble with this one. You can read some of their irate
comments and find out how to remove it here.

This site also gave the name and address of the !?#@%*
person who is responsible for the ShopNav program, along
with the link to complain to the Attorney General of Calif.
(since the company is located in Calif.). Here's that link
in case you also want to complain.

The program that finally successfully removed it for me is
BPS-Spyware-Remover, which sells for $29. It seems to be the
most comprehensive spyware remover. It also comes with a
"Spy Watch" program that alerts you when spyware is trying
to download, and another program to watch for hackers,
"System Hack Scanner." You can find it here.

Other spy removal programs I've used with success are:

SpyHunter ($29.99):

SpyBot Search & Destroy (FREE):

Ad-Aware SE Personal (FREE, but there is an enhanced
version for $39.95):

To prevent spyware from even downloading, Spyware Blaster
was recommended to me. I got it FREE.

Here's an AdWare Report comparing several spy removal
programs:

I hope you don't have to go through all of this, but if you
do, at least you have some tools!

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3. Quote of the Week

"The ability to triumph begins with you. Always."
~Oprah Winfrey
(1954- )

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AND NOW, A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS...


What's your definition of success?
Email your comments to me.


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4. Resources for Entrepreneurs and Marketers

• Zabang.com is coming to town

  Move over Google and Yahoo. Zabang is here. It's an all-new
  search engine. For those of you who are subscribed to Brainy
  Flash, the short ezine I send out to subscribers each
  Thursday or Friday, I'll tell you all about it on Thursday.
  Find out more about Zabang by signing up for Brainy Flash.
  Simply send a blank email here.
  

• Add Your Website to ProfitPuzzle's Directory

  Looking for more inbound links? ProfitPuzzle.com is putting
  together a links directory and wants you to submit your link
  information. Go to http://www.profitpuzzle.com/links.html
  and submit your link.
  

• FREE Trade Publications

  There may be no f~ree lunch, but there are free magazines.
  Become a member of Idea Cafe and you can subscribe to lots
  of trade magazines, absolutely free. If you're already a
  member, go here.

  Being a member has lots of terrific benefits. The site is
  filled with useful info for business owners. If you're not a
  member, become one here.
  
  

• FREE Sales Course

  Subscribe to Marketing Idea Shop's 3-Day Sales Course...totally FREE. You'll get one email each day for 3 days in a row. It's quick, full of great ideas to help you become a better salesperson, and takes just 5 minutes to read. Click here.
  
  

• Do you need a venture capital?
  
  Need to grow? Not enough capital? No angels in your family? Find them with this 400-page downloadable ebook, where you'll have ALL THE CONTACT INFORMATION for 200 venture capital firms and investors who recently invested in companies that are women-owned or women-led. You'll also have access to all contact information for the 671 women-led companies that received funding. This is a wonderful tool for you. Click Here to: Read more about it or buy it here and begin your financial investment ride.
  
  
  
• Do you like these resources? There are plenty more like these in my ebook, BUSINESS SUCCESS SECRETS: HARD-WORKING TACTICS & RESOURCES. 37 pages, packed with ideas you can use immediately... to get more business, generate more traffic to your website and improve your bottom line. Over 135 hyperlinks that can take you directly to marketing resources or ideas you can use right now...so you can save time and money. Beginning and advanced tactics to really make a difference in your marketing results...and you can make more sales with much less effort. Learn to save money on your advertising. Get a list of websites that would LOVE to post your articles. Click here to: read more about it or buy it here.
  
  
• WE'RE LOOKING FOR PARTNERS
  You can also improve your ranking by cross-linking with Marketing Idea Shop. We have a Google page rank of 4/10, which is pretty good. Let me drive MY customers to YOUR SITE and improve your search engine ranking. Please send your request for cross-linking via email (click here)

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5. A Little Fun

Thanks to Web Marketing Ezine for this one:

It's all in the spin...

An interoffice softball game was held every year between the Marketing Department and support staff of one company.

The day of the game, as hard as the Marketers tried, the support staff whipped the Marketing Department soundly.

In their best tradition, the Marketing Department decided to find the best "spin" they could on the dismal result. They showed how they earn their keep by posting this memo on the bulletin board after the game:

"The Marketing Department is pleased to announce that for the recently-completed Softball Season, we came in 2nd place, having lost but one game all year.

The Support Department, however, had a rather dismal season, as they won only one game all year."

Here's a funny website sent to us by Kim Komando . This father loves to take pictures of his son with celebrities, and since they live in New York, it's easier than most places. Take a look:

Help keep the smiles coming ... please send me your marketing, PR or sales jokes. I'll be happy to give you credit and list your website! Email me.


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6 . Smell the Coffee...

Our oldest daughter, Abbi, turned 30 on Sunday. We couldn't be at her birthday party this time. She lives in Battle Creek, Mich. Abbi was feeling a little down about being "old," so I sent her an upbeat "count your blessings" email. Her husband asked everyone to bring upbeat messages to her, too. (What a sweetie.) She was happy for all the positive messages.

It's definitely fall here in the Virginia mountains. The trees are stunning--full of reds, yellows, browns and green. And my nose is itchy from whatever's blooming. :-(

Last weekend was spent splitting hostas and planting more flowers...this time, pansies. It's lovely living in Virginia where flowers bloom year round.

And here's some marvelous news! Roni pulled a 3.5 GPA and Nessa got a 4.0 GPA this six weeks at school. That's the best they have ever done!

Remember, if you have friends who you think will benefit from my messages and articles, please tell them to visit my website and subscribe to this newsletter.

To your success,
Lois

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Published by:
Lois Carter Fay, APR
Marketing Guru, Marketing Idea Shop, LLC
411 Rainier Road, Massanutten, VA USA 22840
Voice 540.289.3840 or 800.203.8660

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