Everywhere you look there is information on how individuals can protect themselves from credit card fraud. This information can be found at banking institutions, libraries, on TV, on the Internet, its everywhere. However, that isn’t the case for businesses. How can your business protect itself from these fraudulent individuals who make purchases for products or service online or over the phone? Like most business, you may ship the products before discovering that the credit card is stolen. In this case, your company suffers the bill and the true owner of the credit card cannot be held reliable. Nevertheless, these are the steps to protect your business from fraudulent individuals and avoid this terrifying situation. 1. It is important that you gather all the information associated with the credit card. This can be done by requesting all of the information exactly as it is shown on the card. This information includes: The cardholder’s name (Exactly as shown on the card, including middle name or middle name initial). Request all 16 digits on the credit card. Request the credit card verification number. This number is the last 3 or digits located on the back of the card after the account number. Request the expiration date on the card. Request the billing address for the card which in most cases should not be a P.O. Box. Requesting this information is very important. The fact is that most card thieves only have the card number. They will not have any other information associated with the card. By having all of this information you will be able to utilize address verification services. Address verification service compare the billing address given by the customer to the banks database and alerts the user if the addresses are different. 2. Pay particular attention to customers who list a different billing address and mailing address. In some cases, card thieves may also have the cardholders ID. In this case they will be able to supply the billing address; however, request for the product to be sent to a different address. You may opt to call the bank of the credit card and ask them to call the cardholder to verify the purchase. It is definitely advised not to ship orders internationally with a different billing and mailing address. 3. In most fraudulent cases, the card thief will request a next day delivery. They want to get the product fast and without being caught. This is a red flag and should be carefully observed. If the order is larger than your typical orders, most definitely question it. Remember, the card thief is not concerned about how much he/she is spending; it is not their money. Most likely, he/she needs a large quantity for resale. 4. As a business owner, you want to do everything it takes to protect your business from fraudulent activity. It may be resourceful to have all the information collected validated by the customer. Since you are not meeting with the customer directly, it is wise to request that the customer fax you a copy of the credit card and photo id. This may seem extreme, but not as extreme as been taken for thousands of dollars in products. This precaution should most definitely be exercised for large orders involving heavy sums of money. 5. If you do find yourself a victim of this fraudulent activity, take immediate action to reduce loss. a. Immediately inform your local police department. Make sure to answer all the questions the police may ask and give them all the information that you have. b. Contact the bank of the credit card. Request that the issuing bank calls the customer to inform them of the situation. Make sure to give the issuing bank all the information that you have. Including, the billing and mailing address the card thief submitted. When the cardholder calls your company, explain the importance of the situation and why it is vital that he or she also reports the incident to the police. By following these steps you are taking the necessary action to protect your business from credit card fraud.
More articles from this pro: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?William King
Friday, December 14, 2007
How to Protect Your Business from Credit Card Fraud
The One True Secret To A Guaranteed Internet Business Income
There are many people who claim they have the secret to guaranteed internet business income. They say it is a process or system. They charge larges amounts of money for the secret or they give it away because they want the people to whom they give it to become a part of their opportunity. What they are really offering is just a chance to join their opportunity so they can make more money. Not a great secret and definitely not the one true secret to guaranteed internet business income. The one true secret to guaranteed internet business income is attitude. Every person that has ever been successful in an online business has the same attitude. They are dedicated and passionate about their business. Without dedication and passion a person will not succeed at their business. It does not even matter how good the product is or how great the person is at selling and marketing, the bottom line is if they do not have the attitude they will not succeed. It may be hard to believe that attitude can have such an impact on business, but it does. A person who is not dedicated to their business will allow other things to push their business to the backburner. They will have no problem letting their business suffer in favor of doing something else. They will not be driven or determined to make their business the best that it can be. They will settle for anything. Their business will suffer from their lack of desire to make it successful. As with anything in life, if a person is not dedicated to the task they will likely not do much with it. Passion is something that any good salesperson will say is the key to selling. At the heart of every business is something to be sold. Every good business person can sell and are passionate about their product. The reason for this is that in order for a person to buy something they have to develop an interest in it. A salesperson that is passionate will talk about a product as if it is the most wonderful thing imaginable. They will convince people they cannot live without it, that they need it. People will then become interested and likely buy it. A business person that is not passionate about their product will find they do not end up with very customers who are passionate about it either. Determination and passion are two of the most simple concepts, but they truly are the key to guaranteed success in creating an internet business income. These character traits are not something a person can learn, but rather are part of their state of mind about a business concept or product. When a person finds an internet business income opportunity that fires up their dedication and passion then they have found the opportunity for guaranteed success.
More articles from this pro: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Michael Laleye
Secrets Revealed On How To Increase Traffic To Your Blog
Blogging is a necessity to any business. However, what do you do when you don’t get the traffic you want? Read on to discover some simple but effective ways to mix up your blog and increase your traffic flow.
1. What are you writing about? If your content is bland and uneventful, chances are, people won’t be returning to read your posts again. You have to spice up your content. Write about what you want, just take a stand, and even be controversial. When you have opinions or rouse some feathers, people will keep coming back to your site just to see what you will say in your next blog.
2. Find your target audience. Narrow your field of prospective clients so you can respond to their needs. If you know that you want to reach a certain age group with a certain need, you can limit all your thoughts to those individuals and give great detailed advice. Anything too vague and readers will look elsewhere to get their needs met.
3. Check your number of posts. If you are writing about one every month, you may want to spend more time on them. Some experts say an ideal number of posts per week is three to five. This keeps you fresh and new, and readers will refer back to you to see what you are up to next in your blog.
4. Add promotions. Feature your product of the day or week. Here is a fresh place to advertise your affiliates or your own products. Put them up on your blog and your trusted readers can come back to you to see the best product for their needs. This adds something extra to your blog and breaks up having to read only text.
5. Visit other blogs. Just by visiting other blogs and leaving comments, you are increasing your audience. Browsers will read your comment, especially if it is controversial or exciting, and are able to link back to your blog. Do this within your target audience as well You will be surprised how many people will return the favor.
Start blogging to help your business. Take these steps and apply them to your blog. The more traffic you have, the more potential clients you are attracting.
More articles from this pro: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Andrea Susan Glass
Making Money Online Without Getting Scammed!
Author: Gary Lamb
When I evaluate a company, I look for these key points. Keep in mind, when I join a company, my #1 goal is to make money and to do it legitimately. I do not want to hurt anyone or rip anyone off. This is what I've learned and these guidelines will help you determine what company is right for you.
1. If you are not making at least 75% of the upfront commission when you make a sale, forget it. This means that you are doing all the work and the company and/or the person above you is making all the money. Guess what that is called having....a JOB!
2. If you have to have 1000, 10,000 or 20,000 people in your organization before you make any real money, DO NOT Join. Most people will NEVER get there.
3. If they teach you to hold home parties and invite all your friends. Run away fast. Trust me I have been there done that. Now when my friends and family see me coming they scatter!
4. If they have a sales pitch 2-3 times a day and only 2-3 training classes per week.
This means that the company is more interested in selling you than training you how to make money long term
5. If you can't break even or get into profit with 3 sales, forget it.
6. If you can't speak with the owners or the corporate office via phone or web-in-ar,
Forget it. I like to know whom I'm doing business with before I will do business with them.
7. If it is a start up or in pre launch, forget. The chances of these companies becoming the next Amway are about as good as winning the lottery. At least with the lottery, you have a chance to win once or twice a week. You might as well go to Vegas and blow your money on a good time. At least you'll have some great memories, see a great show and have a great meal.
These are not all the rules for success on the internet, but this is a great guideline to follow when evaluating an internet company. Use these guidelines to help you narrow down your choices for choosing a company that best fits yours goals.
Gary Lamb Is a make it for free nut! Knowing that the way of the pay-per-click is losing its grip, Gary became obsessed with ways to drive large amounts of traffic to his websites for free! Now, he is passing these techniques to others. To check out he has to offer go to http://makeitforfree.com/
Seven Simple Steps To Making Money Online With Little Guy Network
Author: Ron Williams
Making money online with the Little Guy Network or any other home business opportunity sounds easy, but without first knowing these seven steps to success could prove to be devastating to thousands of new online business opportunity seekers. To ensure success with any home based business especially Little Guy Network, you must first build a firm foundation on these seven proven success principles.
1. Mindset and Thoughts!
The first step necessary to attain success with any home business opportunity and making money online is that you must prepare yourself mentally. Most people sabotage their efforts because they are not mentally programmed for success. By working on your personal development and constantly thinking about what you want to be, have, and do, you will be programming your mind for success. Only by being in the right place mentally will you allow yourself to have the necessary characteristics to succeed. It’s your mindset that ultimately determines weather you succeed or fail with any direct sales or new online business opportunity.
2. Understanding Your Why!
Ask yourself a couple of questions why are you’re looking for a new online business opportunity? Why have you decided to start a home based business? Why do you want to start making money online? Have you clarified that reason? Is it a burning desire? The fact is your “why”, the reason you started looking for a the Little Guy Network will play a vital role in weather you succeed or fail. Your “WHY” has to be BIGGER than the money because if the money is slow to come, you’re going to quit. Plain and Simple.
3. Find A Mentor!
If you had a desire to learn a particular skill, would you be better off seeking help and learning from someone who is already successful in that particular skill or would you be better off trying to figure it out on your own? Finding a quality mentor is absolutely essential if you want to have success in any home business opportunity. Finding a mentor to help with your personal development and provide you with the guidance, support, and direction is one of the wisest things you can do.
4. Understanding The Marketing Process!
You absolutely must begin to understand the marketing process and avoid all the top marketing mistakes to ensure you’ll start making money online. The objective of marketing a product or opportunity is to make a profit. The process is to drive targeted traffic (people specifically interested in what you have to offer) to a landing page (that’s telling something about YOU and not your mentor nor the company) in enough quantity to convert at a profitable rate. You’ll want to focus on specific lead generation techniques. Some examples are: pay per click (if you have to funds to support it), forum postings, placing classified ads, co-op programs, writing articles, writing press releases, web 2.0 and search engine optimization. The methods you will utilize to generate targeted traffic will depend on a number of factors such as your marketing budget, your time, and your experience. With all the internet software opportunities today, when it comes to lead generation you must avoid as many marketing mistakes as you can.
5. Must Have A Marketing Plan!
Having a clear and specific plan in place or a Little Guy Network outline for the activities and actions you’ll need to engage in, this will be crucial to your direct sales success. The truth is that if you start any home business opportunity and fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. By understanding the overall direct sales process and avoid the top marketing mistakes, you can begin to formulate your action plan. I’m talking about creating a plan that outlines specific income producing activities for any home based business. Income producing activities are those which contribute to the overall marketing process (driving qualified traffic to a site in enough quantity to convert at a profitable rate.) It is the successful execution of this process that allows people to start making money online.
6. Taking Action!
Lack of action is the number one reason so many people struggle making money online with any home based business. All successful people, especially in direct sales have the habit of taking action. This starts with finding a quality mentor, working on your personal development, avoiding all the marketing mistakes and constantly focusing on lead generating on a daily basis. Many people who are failing with all these new online business opportunities are doing so because they don’t take (AOMA) All Out Massive Action. You must have the persistence to continue to take daily action regardless of the obstacles, set backs, and/or anything else you may face. Developing the action habit and being persistent will link directly to the success of your new home business opportunity.
7. Optimizing Your Marketing Process
Now that you understand how to avoid the top marketing mistakes by developing a marketing plan and taking daily lead generation action steps to drive interested prospects to your website, you must track and measure all of your results. Your job now becomes making the marketing process as efficient and effective as possible. You essentially want to review what you are currently doing, determine if it is working, and figure out what you may be able to differently to get better results. Always ask, can I increase my opt-ins, can I increase my conversion rate and/or how can I create more value in my offer? All the great marketers and mentors that are making money online with any home business opportunity take the time to test to find the best possible marketing process. The purpose of all this testing and tweaking is to get the absolute most out of your campaign and lead generation process, thus making as much money as possible. Whether you’re pursuing the Little Guy Network or some other direct sales home based business, with the right mentor and adhering to these seven steps will guarantee that you’ll be making money online. Just remember that daily lead generation is the most overlooked component with all new online business opportunities.
To learn more about Ron Williams 404-797-2735 and Little Guy Network, you can visit him at http://www.workingwithron.info/lgn.html or http://www.littleguybigbucks.com
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
22 Tips To Use At A Networking Event
Networking events have been part of the business and social scene for as long as anyone can remember. For many people, they make a trip to the dentist seem fun. For others, networking events are enjoyable, but because of who they have to spend time with, they wish they had scheduled a visit to the dentist.
Regardless of your feelings on the subject, when attending an event, it's important to have the perspective that your goal should be to help others first. Unfortunately, it's an old cliché that is often left at the door. The next time you're headed to an event, keep in mind the following simple, helpful rule: after it's all said and done, you want to have earned the right, privilege, honor, and respect to be able to meet with them again. This is not a license to sell yourself, but an opportunity to build a relationship.
- When you arrive at a networking event, avoid gravitating to people you know. You should initially thank the host and then immediately find someone new to introduce yourself to. This will help keep you in the right frame of mind as to why you came.
- Stop selling and start listening! When you meet someone for the first time, use it as an opportunity to get to know them. Don't try to sell them anything. Rather, begin to establish a relationship.
- Keep your business cards in the breast pocket of your coat, a shirt pocket, or in an outside pocket of your purse so they are easy to access and in good condition.
- When giving a person your card, personalize it by hand writing your cell number on it. This will cause the recipient to feel that they are receiving something special.
- When giving or receiving a business card, be especially careful when dealing with people from outside the US as many cultures treat them with very high regard.
- When receiving a card from someone, take a moment to write yourself a note on it such as where you met. If you do this while you're still talking to the person, it will help convey your sense of personal connection.
- During the course of a conversation, use the other person's first name two or three times. People always like to hear their own name and it will help you to remember it when the discussion is over.
- Rather than telling a new contact all about yourself, spend your time asking them questions. It's amazing how much you'll learn!
- After you meet someone for the first time, use the back of their business card to jot a note about something you learned from the conversation and the date and place you met them. Recording the information will give you something to talk to them about the next time you see them.
- Connect with the person you're talking to by tilting your head as you listen to them. It is an effective body language technique which communicates that you're paying attention to what they're saying.
- When a person is talking to you, be sure to look directly at them. Giving a person full attention with your eyes will encourage them to share more.
- When giving someone eye contact, remember it's not a "stare-down" contest. Give the person 3 – 5 seconds of eye contact and then look away briefly before returning your focus to them again.
- The best location to network is by a high-traffic area such as a main door, the bar, or near the food.
- Never approach someone if they are walking towards the restroom or if they have a phone in their hand. Wait until they have returned to the networking area or put their phone away.
- After the person has shared something with you, ask them another question about what they just said. This shows that you're paying attention and that you care about what they're telling you.
- Always keep one hand free to allow yourself to shake hands with people. This means that you shouldn't eat and drink at the same time. Remember, you're there to network, not eat a full-course meal.
- As a way of demonstrating your networking skills, introduce each new person you meet to at least one other person.
- Never try to barge into a group of 4 or more people. Come along side of the group, but do not attempt to enter into the discussion until you've made eye contact with everyone and a minimum of two other people in the group have said something.
- Do not approach two people who are talking, as you may be interrupting an important discussion.
- Initiate conversation with someone who is standing by themselves. They'll be happy to have someone to talk to them and, as a result, will many times open up with valuable information.
- When you meet someone for the first time, you have 48 hours to follow up with them before they will completely forget about meeting you.
- A networking event is not a time to see how many business cards you can acquire. Rather, it is a time to develop a few relationships that have potential.
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Mark Hunter, "The Sales Hunter", is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com
Saturday, December 1, 2007
List Building—Does Size Really Matter
Author: T.R. Thomas
Having your own quality e-mail list is very important to being a success with Internet Marketing. But how important is size when it comes to building your list? Some marketers have lists of tens of thousands of people and others have lists maybe several hundred strong. Which one has the advantage?
Having a huge list is great for a persons ego but it does not always translate into big money. The key to a profitable list is it’s responsiveness, and a small e-mail list many times can be more responsive than a large e-mail list. Case in point one internet marketer has a list of well over 50,000 subscribers but he does not cultivate this list on a regular basis but another marketer has a list of a little over 6,000 people. In one campaign that they competed together the marketer with the smaller list won by 30% in profit. On a regular basis the person with the smaller list outperformed the person with the larger list in conversion and sales every month.
So as you can see size of ones list really doesn’t matter at all what is important is the Responsiveness of that list, that is the key to any profitable list building campaign. So how do you build a responsive list? By cultivating a relationship with your subscribers. Let them get to know that you want more for them then just to sell them something. As an internet marketer I belong to a lot of individuals marketing lists and it gets kind of old, every time I see some of their names in my email box I know they want to sell me something. No Hello, here is a tip for you or thank you for all your support. But on the other hand the few in my opinion that do it right cultivate their list, they don’t always sell but give you free information of value and tips as well.
Those who cultivate their list in a way that leaves their subscribers thinking that, this marketer really cares about my success and is very helpful will always out perform those that are only about the money. If this is the pattern you set for yourself you will find that your subscribers will soon get tired of your constant sales and asking for money that they will soon unsubscribe from your list.
We all know the type. The person that every time we see them they ask for money. What do you normally do with them? You avoid them. And that is the same with marketers that always sell, sell, sell. You will eventually start to avoid them by not reading their mail.
So when it comes to the size of an e-mail list, you will find that it doesn’t matter if you have a list of 500 subscribers or 50,000 subscribers, your money will be made in proportion to how your list is cultivated and the relationship you build with your subscribers.
If you give your subscribers value they will keep coming back for more.