Promotions and Sales

What are some of the things you learned about having your website up during the holiday season? Did you have a good run? One of the things I learned was that people love getting something for free. The promotion that I ran last holiday season was such a success that I tried it again this year and was extremely happy with the results. I ran a "Free Gift" giveaway for everyone who purchased over $50 in merchandise. On my websites that is so easy to do it almost goes without saying.

What was the "free gift?" I gave away custom printed calendars along with a few other things depending on which website they patronized. These calendars have our company information along with a "thank you" and I believe that goes a long way to getting some word of mouth advertising in the near future, if not for next year.

So, I did give away some of our profit in running this campaign, but I gained so many more customers that it was well worth it. On that note, what promotions or sales did you run? And what were the benefits to your business?

I'd love to hear from you. Comment Below or Email Me Using the Sidebar Link. Thank You. :-)

Three and Half More Days Left of 2007

I don't know if you are of the same mind as I am on starting your diet, but I'm looking at the last three days of 2007 as the end of my eating craze. On January 1st, I'm going to try my utmost to become a better eater, better drinker (more water, less juice) and more healthy person all around. How about you? Yes, yes! I know! This is a promise we make to ourselves every New Year. Well, so what! Why not try to stick to your guns this year?

On that note, as you must know, there are a whole bunch of dieting methods from the Atkins diet to the South Beach diet, to taking diet pills, hydroxycut, etc. etc. etc. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to visit your doctor. It is even recommended that you see your doctor before exercising too. The whole point is to stay healthy or become healthier. Don't kill yourself!

Happy dieting and before January 1st, happy eating! :-)

I'd love to hear from you. Comment Below or Email Me Using the Sidebar Link. Thank You. :-)

New Year - New Hobby

Now that the Christmas rush is pretty much over, I have had a little time to think on some of the things I'd like to do this coming year. It's nice to think of the new year as a way to start off fresh and to become a better person, wife, husband, lover, environmentalist, etc. What have you, you can start as if yesterday is definitely the past and tomorrow is what you will make of it now.

For example, the other day I was walking around a store and came upon a whole bunch of bird feeders. I thought, hmmm...that might be a nice hobby, bird feeding, even taking out a moment or two to watch the birds. I don't have a really big place, so I don't know how appropriate a hobby like bird watching/feeding is, but where there's a will, there's a way, right?

So, on that note, what will you be focusing on this coming year, besides business, making money and the like?

I'd love to hear from you. Comment Below or Email Me Using the Sidebar Link. Thank You. :-)

Take a Break! Holiday Rush Almost Over!

So the holiday rush is just about over. It's Thursday, December 20th and if a person is not willing to pay for expedited shipping, then they won't be able to buy online unless the product they are looking for is being shipped from the State they live in or there abouts. WOW! That was a full sentence. It's been one hectic month and I am ready to just lounge! Aren't you?

So, on the note of lounging, I have this great lay back recliner that, to me is better than the best of home theater chairs. It's almost like laying down in a bed while watching t.v. Now I know that doesn't help towards the lose weight goals I have in mind, but I think I deserve to just sit and veg out, if you will, while sitting in my favorite chair. My son and daughter call it the "thinking chair" since it reminds them of the chair in Blues Clues. It's better than the thinking chair though. Anyway, what are you going to be doing over the next two weeks? Are you taking a break?

I'd love to hear from you. Comment Below or Email Me Using the Sidebar Link. Thank You. :-)

Exercise Equipment

How many of you are thinking about buying new exercise equipment to follow up on one of your New Year's Resolutions? I've done it too many times over and end up having more equipment and more fat at the end of the year. What do you say we make a pact. You and I will actually use the equipment we already have, the diet books we've already purchased and the running shoes we never wear starting January 1st...o.k. January 2nd. Is it a deal? I'm so ready to lose weight.

I get disgusted with having more than one chin and it seems like more than one belly. I know what I want to look like. I just gotta get up off of my lazy butt and do something about it. Remember to visit your doctor to get a complete physical before you start any exercise program. You don't want to become sick or anything. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors!

I'd love to hear from you. Comment Below or Email Me Using the Sidebar Link. Thank You. :-)

Last Shipping Day Coming Up.

Well, we're at the mid-mark of December and at the absolute peak of the online shopping season. I say peak since shipping determines peoples' willingness to buy in order to receive purchases by Christmas. UPS, Fedex and DHL all seem to be open on Christmas Eve, so Monday might be the last day for shipping via ground shipping. If you have been busy up to this point this month and this entire holiday buying season, then you are sure to be busy this coming Monday, December 17th. Shipments from West to East Coast are still possible by Christmas Eve.

That being said, if you have a real estate franchise or other type of service oriented business, then that's a different story. So, have you been busy? I certainly have and I'm actually looking to slowing down a little. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I don't welcome the business. It's just that I'm basically the only one running my little home business. My husband helps, but I do all the ordering, shipping, organizing, bookkeeping, communicating with customers. I'm a one-woman show and I've just about worn my candle out on both ends. On the other hand, I expected business to pick up at this time of year, so I am grateful it's been good thanks to online shopping!

Until next time....

I'd love to hear from you. Comment Below or Email Me Using the Sidebar Link. Thank You. :-)

Dealing with Fraud

There are always fraudsters around looking for a weak spot or someone to take advantage of. In fact, at this time of the year, fraudsters are out in full swing. I should know since I have been hoodwinked. I can't say that I wasn't warned, but it had never happened to me before, so I wasn't watching for the signs. I was so upset about it that I actually considered closing up shop and moving somewhere, like maybe buying some Wilmington NC real estate or maybe going to Mars. Speaking of signs, what are they?

One of the things I have learned in having a merchant account is that if your customer is shipping to a different address other than the billing address on their credit card, you are not protected as a merchant if they decide to do a charge back. That in itself is a bummer since practically 60-70% of online purchases are sent as a gift to someone other than the purchaser. What I have been trying to find out is whether merchants can get some type of insurance for credit card fraud, something to protect the merchant.

So, speaking of different billing/shipping addresses, it has been suggested that three things match when verifying a credit card. You should make sure the address matches, the zip code matches and the 3-digit verification code on the back of Visa, Master Card and Discover cards match. For American Express, the CVV code is the four digits on the front of the card above the actual credit card number.

If any of these three qualifiers does not match, then it is time to find out why. It may be something as small as the customer putting in a typo, but it could also be fraud. One thing a small business, especially a small business that is just getting off the ground, wants to avoid is having to take a loss for fraudulent transactions. It is a real bummer. Not only are you losing out on the charge back, you will more than likely be charged a fee from the merchant company that provides you the privilege of processing credit cards. You will also have lost out on the actual product. It will have been sent to the shipping address and the person on the receiving end may or may not be a part of the scam.

In my case, the receiver seems to be part of the scam, but there is no proof. The police are still investigating and the verdict is not in yet. In the meantime, I have a black mark on my merchant account now.

So, keep these few things in mind when accepting credit cards. There is a lot of education on the internet about this. Look before you leap. Get to know your rights as a merchant and protect yourself, sometimes even at the cost of losing a sale. In the long run, it's better to make money than to have fraudsters use you and your website as their playground.

I'd love to hear from you. Comment Below or Email Me Using the Sidebar Link. Thank You. :-)

Cell Phones and Business Lines

I have been using my cell phone as a business line for my websites since it seems to be the most cost effective. However, I've been wondering whether there is a better solution to the need for a phone number for my business calls. For example, one of the things that I notice happens all the time with my cell phone is that if I'm sitting next to my computer, the call will just disconnect right in the middle of taking an order. That's a total bummer. Sometimes I can get away with it since the customer was using their cell phone and they think it's their line that was disconnected. Other times, I have to call them right back on my land line, but that just interrupts the whole flow of the order taking.

So, I've been thinking of looking into getting a phone number through the phone company, just for business calls. What have you done? Now that the business has picked up, I think we can afford a business phone number, but I hate thinking that I could just as well go on using the cell phone. In fact, I get many business calls when I'm out of the office, so having the cell phone is a good thing. Maybe my issue is more related to fiber optic cables and their relation to having smooth phone service. Anyway, now that we're at the peak of the holiday buying season, I'm thinking of next year and some of the ways that I can improve my way of doing business.

What would you recommend?

I'd love to hear from you. Comment Below or Email Me Using the Sidebar Link. Thank You. :-)

Crazy Week!

I've been extremely busy over the last few days and weeks and I'm happy for it. On the other hand, I think I'm getting addicted to getting as many sales as I have been getting these past few months. When January comes around and sales go down, I think I'm going to need addiction treatment. Last year at this time, I wasn't prepared for the amount of sales I generated, but this year I'm ready!

So, how have you been doing? How did you prepare for the holiday season crunch? What would you do differently next time around?

I'd love to hear from you. Comment Below or Email Me Using the Sidebar Link. Thank You. :-)