Many successful marketers began their careers as children setting up a lemonade stand or selling newspapers. Years of experience and exposure to more mature and intricate marketing techniques change a lot of things, but there is one aspect that is no different between selling glasses of lemonade and Internet marketing… customers have the power to decide whether or not to buy your product.

Yeah, the products and marketing methods are changing constantly, but the driving force that motivates sales remains unchanged… so do the 4 things that steal sales right out from under your nose.

1. The “I don’t need it” attitude.
Let’s face it… need has little to do with what people buy or don’t buy in the American culture. Want has everything to do with whether they do or don’t buy. The most crucial aspect of getting a high number of sales is targeting the right market. It does little good to advertise to people who really aren’t interested.

What are you advertising? Where are you advertising? These two questions go hand in hand. If you’re trying to sell hunting gear, it would make little sense to target mothers with small children. Sure a FEW of them hunt, but your return for the cost of advertising is going to be pretty low. Pay attention to what your target audience reads, and invest your advertising bucks wisely.

2. The “I can’t afford it” attitude.
In a few rare cases, that may be true, but usually “I can’t afford it” can be interpreted as, It’s not high on my list of priorities.” We can usually find the money for the things we really want.

Go ahead and MAKE your product or service a priority. Dramatize the benefits they’ll experience, sweeten the deal until it’s irresistible, and put a deadline on it. Make it “too good to pass up!”

3. The “I’m in no hurry” attitude.
Procrastination is criminal in the marketing world. Yeah, procrastination steals money right out of our pockets! The customer comes… he sees… he wants… but when he puts it off, he never does get around to buying!

What happens in the short time after he walks out without the purchase? Time quietly fades the emotions that were driving the sale, and the desire to shell out the dinero for your product soon fades away entirely.

Don’t let them leave without making the purchase. Now you can’t put a gun to their head and force them to buy, but you can make a deadline on the special. A “take it or leave it” offer just might inspire the procrastinator to act now.

4. The “I don’t trust you” attitude.
Buying is risky business, and most people fear making a foolish investment more than they fear never getting the product. You can allay those fears simply by implementing a few tactics that evoke trust and confidence for the buyer.

Offer an unconditional money back guarantee. You’ll effectively eliminated the risk factor that holds many consumers back.

Use testimonials to let prospective customers know that you do deliver, and a satisfied customer can say it way better than you ever could.

Be open to communication. Hey, when they know someone is willing to answer any question they have, the uncertainty evaporates.

Don’t let these four thieves steal any more of your profits. Deal with them effectively… get them out of the way!

Warren Yarnall
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-marketing-articles/4-sale-thieves-you-need-to-be-on-the-lookout-for-751854.html

If you ever wondered about the most profitable investment avenue, real estate investment comes out tops. Did you know why? As population rises, demand for services and quality living space is bound to grow. Families would look for residences and business would want more offices. Naturally then, owning a piece of real estate would bring higher returns in the form of rental income and capital appreciation over time to beat inflation.

Before you jump at the friendly next-door real estate agent with dreams of cornering a property in the most glamorous district in the city, do your groundwork well. Here are three simple ways to success with real estate investment.

• Determine your time span and budgetary constraints.

• Do a thorough research on the investment.

• Stay motivated to make real estate investment an ongoing habit.

The first step in your attempt to invest in property consists of making a realistic estimate about your finances. You need not save up for the entire value of the property. Even if you decide to purchase a mortgage, the lender would first ask for your financial position. So, calculate your present and potential future earnings, deduct living expenses, payment for other debts and outflows for savings. You can find out the sum you would be ready to pay monthly towards home purchase.

You should calculate the probable number of years for which you could invest in real estate. This puts a dollar value on your capacity to invest and removes ambiguity.

The second step is the most crucial and time-consuming. You must perform a detailed study of the trends in the real estate market. A few rules of thumb are:

• Concentrate your search closer to your area or at least within your state.

• Look for growth potential in upcoming areas.

• Personally inspect the property and the area a couple of times before making the decision.

• Consider areas with good infrastructure as these bring higher rentals.

Investing in real estate should not be a one-off affair. You must imagine property as a component of your investment portfolio. Hence, you must remain an active investor. Keep watching the trend and move out of unprofitable areas to more lucrative ones. Do not be disheartened by the occasional losses. With time and experience, you would make better choices.

Real estate investment calls for careful planning and methodical execution. It is the best way to make your hard-earned money multiply faster and easier. If you did your preparation well, it would be impossible to go wrong.

Copyright © 2006 Joel Teo. All rights reserved.

Joel Teo
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/real-estate-investment-three-ways-to-success-59613.html

Shows depicting real estate investing strategies are extremely popular and make turning a profit look simple and guaranteed. What they do not show you, though, is that the world of real estate investing is fraught with danger and that losing money is very much a reality. Yes, there are investors who make a great deal of money because of their investments, but profit does not come easily to even the most experienced investors. They work hard and make sacrifices daily to make their dreams a reality. To find out if you have what it takes to be a serious investor, you should consider several things.

The first thing that you should consider involves time and how much of it you can devote to your real estate investing project. Many investors are still able to hold down full time jobs while dabbling in investments, but they still have to devote a good bit of time to make their investment successful. If you do not have the time to invest, maybe an investment that requires little or no involvement from you would suit you better.

Real estate deals are also very stressful. From the moment you start looking for a property until the moment that you sell it, you will be faced with numerous decisions regarding your property. You will have to deal with contractors, real estate agents, lawyers, and potential buyers. And not everything you do will go as planned. If you cannot handle stressful situations, real estate investing might not be for you.

Real estate investing also takes a great deal of initial investment capital. While you can finance part of your venture, you will need to supply at least part of the money needed to purchase the property and do any necessary repairs. If you are limited in this area, you will need to look for ways to raise the needed capital or look for investments that require less of a start up commitment.

In addition to making these considerations, you should also be prepared to research and study the real estate market in your area, the tax laws of your state, and numerous laws regarding real estate transactions. You will even need to research individual properties before you purchase them. Again, this takes a lot of effort and commitment on your part.

If you are willing to make the commitment to see each and every real estate investing venture through to its successful conclusion, there is a large reward for you at the end. But the reward does not come easily. You will have to invest your time, energy, and resources to make it happen. Are you up for the challenge?

James Klobasa
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/things-to-consider-before-investing-in-real-estate-110815.html

Foreclosures create opportunities for you to make good profits from real estate.

Even if you do not know a lot about real estate, you are probably aware of foreclosures.

If not, they are very easy to understand. A home is foreclosed on when the owner does not pay their mortgage on time. This forces the lender to take the home back, and then resell it to the public so that they can recover their losses.

Many people think that lenders and banks like to foreclose on home. But when it comes down to it nothing could be further from the truth. A foreclosure takes a lot of time, and with each occasion a lender ends up losing money. And of course if your house is the one being foreclosed on you will not be in the best of moods either.

Luckily, there are ways that you can avoid foreclosure. It may not be the easiest thing to do, but if you follow the steps you may be able to save your home before it is too late. In order to avoid foreclosure, the first thing that you must do is get in touch with your lender the second that you know there is a problem. If you think that you are going to miss a payment, you will want to tell your lender right away.

Many home owners make the mistake of waiting because they think that they will get the money; and in most cases this never ends up happening. If you tell your lender that you are experiencing some problems financially they may be able to help you out.

More times than not they will let you send in your payment late, and may even be able to make a few suggestions. But remember, if you keep your lender out in the dark for a few months they are not going to want to cut you any slack.

Obviously, when a home is foreclosed on the owner loses a lot. But even though somebody loses something in a foreclosure, there is also somebody who will gain.

Investors love to buy foreclosures, and then resell them for a profit. The fact of the matter is that foreclosures are often times sold for well below market value. If you can pick one up for a great price and then resell it at the market value, a large profit is in store.

Overall, avoiding foreclosure is possible if you do not delay. Even though foreclosures are not good for some people, for others they are a way of doing business. Just make sure that you are on the good side of things!

Gerald Mason
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/tips-for-profiting-from-foreclosures-77456.html

In the real estate business, a fixer-upper can be a smart way to get started in the business and earn good money at the same time. Fixer-upper buy and sell businesses, when done with discretion and with good buying judgment can prove to be a good way to earn money without having to invest heavily especially when done right.

When starting out in a fixer-upper business, you will first have to consider many things. It is never indicative to success to jump forlornly and without planning into any business venture. You will first have to learn as much as you can about the business before jumping on the bandwagon.

After learning what you can, then proceed to drawing realistic expectations and plans to put your business into action. From here, you can then set goals and work on plans to meet those goals. While fixer upper businesses are attractive and high-income ventures, if not done properly, they can drive one into the graveyard of debts.

What is a Fixer Upper?
For those unacquainted with the term, fixer uppers is real estate bought from distressed home owners, fixed up (hence the term fixer upper) and sold at premium prices. In a way it is like finding a jewel in the rough, polishing it, and sending it back to the market for a good price.

Many have gone on to be millionaires from this kind of venture. If you look at it, theoretically, it makes a lot of sense. However, no matter how attractive it may seem to be, this type of business isn’t without its risks.

Fixer Uppers involve a lot of money, assumptions and risks. You assume that the real estate you are buying can be fixed up and sold at a higher price. You also assume that the house can be brought up to a state where it is attractive to those seeking a home to move into.

If you put all these intangibles together, you will find that the risk may be a little too high for some people. In fact, this is the reason itself that these ventures are high-profit ones, they are also high risk.

You can, however, reduce this risk by doing good background studies, setting realistic goals, drawing up good plans, and making calculated risks. Here are some good tips on building a good fixer upper business venture.

1. Goals You will have to set realistic goals for your business. Fixer upper homes can earn a good deal of money, but it wouldn’t hurt to set a conservative figure as you learn the ropes. Sometimes conservative is good especially when you are just starting to get the hang of a venture.

Some people set unrealistic goals, like aiming for $100,000,000 at the onset, hoping against all hope they can make and sell at an incredible rate. However, it would be better to keep with a realistic figure. Most fixer uppers will agree that $100,000 is a good amount to expect per year in a fixer upper venture.

This figure is taken by considering the sale of 5 fixed up houses with a cut of $20,000 per house. This isn’t a bad figure to start with. And you will be able to adjust better figures as you learn more about the business.

You will also have to consider what this business will mean to your life. Will you give up your day job just to focus on this business? Will you do this on your own free time? Or will you try a little of both to see where you do best?

2. Properties Make sure you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. This could lead you to lose more than you are willing. Depending on your source of financing, you could handle one or more properties at a time. Again, it will be advisable to start slowly before gradually increasing the number of properties you handle at one time.

3. Sell or Keep Some fixer uppers will decide to fix and keep, instead of fix and sell. This is not folly, but shouldn’t be performed without prior thought. If with your research you learn that the property rates for a given land ameliorate pretty quickly per annum and that you stand to earn more if you hold the property for a while, and then do so.

If you see that you don’t stand to earn much by keeping it, then put it on the market as soon as you see fit. On the other hand if you notice that prime property is creeping towards the property you are fixing up, holding on for a while might not be such a bad idea.

Caroline Miller
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/what-is-your-goal-setting-up-a-realist-fixer-upper-venture-66091.html