Donnette

No matter type of business you operate you've got to know how to keep your business alive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship."

Pause Before Paying

Some of the things you can and should do include protecting yourself from impulse expenditures. We've all bought merchandise or services we really didn't need simply because we were in the mood, then we sort of "wake up" a couple of days later and find that we've committed hundreds of dollars of business funds for an item or service that's not essential to the success of our own business, when really pressing items had been waiting for those dollars.

Using Professionals

While you may think you cannot afford it, be sure that you don't "short-change" your self on professional services. This would apply especially during a time of emergency. Anytime you commit yourself and move ahead without completely investigating all the angles, and preparing yourself for all the contingencies that may arise, you're skating on thin ice. Regardless of the costs involved, it always pays off in the long run to seek out the advice of experienced professionals before embarking on a plan that could ruin you.

Your Financials

Your company's books should reflect your way of thinking, and whoever maintains them should generate information according to your policies. Thus, you should hire an outside accountant or accounting firm to figure your return on your investment, as well as the turnover on your accounts receivable and inventory. Such an audit or survey should focus in depth on any or every item within your financial statement that merits special attention. In this way, you'll probably uncover any potential financial problems before they become readily apparent, and certainly before they could get out of hand.

Advisory Boards

Many smaller companies set up advisory boards of outside professional people. These are sometimes known as Power Circles and once in place, the business always benefits, especially in times of short operating capital. Such an advisory board or power circle should include a lawyer, a certified public accountant, civic club leaders, owners or managers of businesses similar to yours, and retired executives. Setting up such an advisory board of directors is really quite easy, because most people you ask will be honoured to serve.

Once your board is set up, you should meet about once a month and present material for review. Each meeting should be a discussion of your business problems and an input from your advisors relative to possible solutions. These members of your board of advisors should offer you advice as well as alternatives, and provide you with objectivity. No formal decisions need to be made either at your board meeting, or as a result of them, but you should be able to gain a great deal from the suggestions you hear.

Joining Associations

By all means, join your industry's local and national trade associations. Most of these organizations have a wealth of information available on everything from details on your competitors to average industry sales figures, new products, services, and trends. If you are given a membership certificate or wall plaque, you should display these conspicuously on you office wall. Customers like to see such "seals of approval" and feel additional confidence in your business when they see them.

Free Advice

Whenever you can, and as often as you need it, take advantage of whatever free business counselling is available. Your local chamber of commerce or small business advisory will likely have numerous free publications. Most local universities, and many private organizations hold seminars at minimal cost, and often without charge. Take advantage of the service s offered by your bank and local library.

Direction Is Everything

The important thing about running a small business is to know the direction in which you're heading; to know on a day-to-day basis your progress in that very direction; to be aware of what your competitors are doing and to practice good money management at all times. All this will prepare you to recognize potential problems before they arise.

In order to survive with a small business, regardless of the economic climate, it is essential to surround yourself with smart people, and practice sound business management at all times.

Author: http://www.JamesBurchill.com

There are lots of things youve got to work through before you can sell your stuff online: inventory, prices, marketing, site design, sales copy, traffic techniques, domain names, bandwidth quotas, and more, but there is one essential thing that you have to get done first, and its the most simple step of all - set yourself up with Clickbank account.

Choose Clickbank as your primary payment processor. That's my advice. Whether youre selling your own stuff or youre looking to sell somebody elses, do it through Clickbank! Why? Do I have shares in Clickbank? No. Because they are a simple one-stop ecommerce solution with zero monthly fees and a built in affiliate program.

When I put my first product online back in 2000, I tried to be responsible, and took all the steps that I had been told were necessary. I made sure I had the right sort of bank account. I subscribed to a payment processor. I got myself set up to receive the right variety of credit cards. As a result, I was paying three different companies significant monthly fees before I sold a thing.

And it's not just the cost that made it a pain. A three-part system means three companies to deal with, three times the paperwork, and three times the number of things that can go wrong.

Don't underestimate the significance of this last factor. From time to time Clickbank does go down (and it pays to have a backup solution), but I'd sooner be relying on one system rather than three, as a glitch at any one point in the process will mean your whole system fails.

Anyway, it took me two years before I was able to swallow my pride and drop the entire clunky commerce system I had created and switch to Clickbank, and Ive never had an issue since.

Now every product I sell (whether mine or as an affiliate) goes through Clickbank. Now I have an entirely reliable system that has:

No monthly fees, and the amount deducted from each transaction is frankly negligible. An affiliate program that allows me to get paid for recommending other peoples products and/or to pay others a percentage of the sale price when they sell my product. An ecommerce processor that sends me cheques like clockwork, every two weeks. There is one major problem with Clickbank. They dont allow you to sell physical products. You can only sell electronic downloads through Clickbank - music, ebooks, software, etc. If youre trying to sell your audio sermon collection, this wont be a problem. But if youre trying sell your church pews, youll need to use Paypal - the second greatest payment processor in the world.

At any rate, theres nothing to stop you signing up with both, and indeed you should. Both systems cost nothing to join and the sign-up process is dead easy in both cases. But in order to make it even easier, click the link below to watch a video that takes you by the hand through the sign-up process.

Youll be amazed how easy it all is. And youll be even more amazed when you discover just how valuable your Clickbank affiliate link can be to you.

Rev. David B. Smith
(the 'Fighting Father')

Parish priest, community worker,martial arts master, pro boxer, author, father of three
http://www.fatherdave.org/Gallery/Videos/clickbank

Get a free preview copy of Dave's book,Sex, the Ring & the Eucharist
when you sign up for his free newsletter at www.fatherdave.org

There have often been debates over whether successful businesses most need good managers or good leaders. However, the discussion is superfluous since the answer is both. However, knowing the key differences between the two roles is important.

To understand the role of a manager consider athletes who run the 100-meter hurdles. They have a goal for which they are personally responsible -- that of reaching the finish line at a specified distance in the shortest possible time. However, there are milestones (hurdles) that must be accomplished, a process (set, start, run, jump, ...) to be used, and physical and behavioral boundaries within which they must remain (e.g., going around hurdles is not acceptable, nor is interfering with competitors). During their run they monitor their performance (did they touch the last hurdle?) and try to make adjustments when possible.

Better performers also take personal responsibility for other key issues that impact their outcomes their skills and the rewards they gain. In order to remain competitive, they must continually maintain and improve their athletic ability, and, regardless of whether they win or whether promoters provide recognition for their contribution, they recognize and celebrate a good performance.

This metaphor then describes the important role of management. A manager in an organization is someone who takes responsibility for a process that, in combination with other processes, helps achieve the organization's mission (winning the track meet in the above metaphor). Good managers have an ability to focus on the task at hand, and sufficient knowledge of themselves to know the strengths and weaknesses they bring to a particular situation.

Note that this definition of management is not limited to someone having the title of manager, nor solely to a work environment. This role is really one of managing oneself -- whether at home, in an orchestra, or wherever else where others are affected. An important distinction, however, is that they don't, and really can't, manage other people. That's leadership.

A metaphor for leadership can be envisioned by thinking of two individuals in a lifeboat who have been drifting at sea for several days. Suppose one of them spots land off in a hazy distance, but the other person is unable to see it. It is then up to the "visionary" to convince the other they need to paddle in a particular direction. In addition, critical skills of leadership may be called for in order for the two to coordinate their efforts (e.g., taking turns paddling, allocating food rations, bailing water that comes over the side) if they are to accomplish their goal.

This, then, describes the role of a leader -- an individual who looks for new possibilities. It is a person who clarifies goals, defines principles that can guide actions, and communicates in ways that result in relationships with a high level of mutual trust.

Must a leader be someone at the top of a hierarchy? Well certainly the higher one is, the farther out on the horizon they should be able to see. However, regardless of one's formal position in the organization there is always the opportunity to positively influence others by communicating new ideas, methods, and beliefs -- again, a leadership role.

Leadership is needed at all levels of an organization, and does not depend on titles, academic background, or other traditional indicators of status or power. However, the ability to be a leader is often connected to one's commitment to improving that with which one comes into contact, and in inspiring others to do the same. In this sense the metaphor above is inadequate, as it describes a situation where the goal is primarily one of survival. Although leadership is obviously crucial during those times, what is needed more is people willing to lead even when things are going well. That is, would the lifeboat situation have occurred had the helm of the mother ship had better leadership?

A leader, of course, must also be a manager. That is, even when in a leadership role, either formally or informally, one must effectively manage one's own processes. And, although the leadership role is more highly visible and inspirational, both are equally important in accomplishing the mission of an organization.

Regardless of whether one is a leader or a manager, there is another highly important function that is also being carried out -- that of demonstrating behaviors and processes important to the organization. Since human beings are known to often mimic others, it is useful to understand that both managers and leaders contribute to organizational learning. They need to make sure they're teaching the right things.

Copyright 2006 Duke Okes

Duke Okes is a knowledge architect who consults, teaches, writes and speaks on management topics. He can be reached at http://www.aplomet.com

The ergonomic computer chair offers you comfort and support, while providing overall support to every area of the body that can become irritated from long periods of sitting in an office chair for work. You can take steps to avoid pain and discomfort with an ergonomic computer chair.

Why Buy An Ergonomic Computer Chair

The number one reason is the benefits you receive from the chair as far as comfort and support of areas that need proper support when sitting for periods. The six reasons why the ergonomic computer chair is beneficial are:

You have the ability to adjust the seat height.

The armrests adjust up and down as well as swivel in and out for easy movement.

The contour of the chair back conforms to the contour of your back.

The lumbar support gives you extra support to the lower back.

Duel caster carpet wheels for easy movement.

Enough room in the seat area to move freely with difficulty.

With all these great features, the ergonomic computer chair fits the needs of any office personal or home worker that sits in front of a computer or any other office equipment for hours at a time.

You Get What You Pay For

If you go out and buy a regular office chair, you will pay anywhere from fifty dollars and up. If you go to buy an ergonomic computer chair, you can expect to pay more, but then you can expect to have a comfortable and supportive chair. The price is well worth the investment.

When you go to an office furniture store, you see the price and are skeptical when you see a price tag with two hundred or more dollars. If you start comparing prices and what features you receive, you then do the test sit; you have a better understanding as to why the chairs have the price tag on them.

You will be able to pick a mid back task chair or a high back for anywhere from two the four hundred dollars. If you need the support and comfort, then the ergonomic computer chair is what you need. Cost of the chair verses medical bills and prescriptions could cost you even more money in the end. You will never need another chair once you find that perfect computer chair with an ergonomic computer chair.

You can also find more info on BestErgonomic Office Chair and Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair. Knowergonomic.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Ergonomic chairs.

Just as our bodies need food to fuel us everyday your website needs fuel to feed the search engines for placement and inclusion.

There are many different factors to consider when trying to optimize your website but one of the easiest and most successful ways is to feed the search engine with content.

The engines thrive on seeing that you are adding new content to your website very often. As a webmaster, I have seen the results of many of my customers' sites climbing to the top by adding good industry related content to their site. You may feel you neither have the time or the content to add to your site but in today's competitive web world how can you not justify taking the time or creating content. There are many different ways to add content to your site that may take as little as 10 or 15 minutes a week to do so.

Here are a few ideas, and if you can apply one or all of these to your site you will be feeding the hunger the search engines are craving for ...Good Quality Content:

Industry Related Articles - There is no better way to earn creditability with your customers then writing articles about your industry. Your article does not have to be long it just has to give good quality information about your industry. Once you write an article, not only do you want to upload it to your website but you need to submit it to one of the many article submission websites. Don't forget to add your name and URL to the bottom of every article you submit to build your link popularity.

Products Reviews - This is one of the easiest things to add to your website. No one knows your products like you do. Give your visitors a complete detail of how to use, what to do or how your specific product or service can help them.

Blogs- Blogs can greatly increase your visibly but they have to be created and used properly. Blogs do require a commitment from you but remember this; the search engines just love them. Your blog needs to have a specific reason, a draw for your visitors, a reason that they would bookmark it and come back and read it time and time again. Whatever you decide to blog about it needs to be updated on a daily or every other day to make it work for you.

Customer Testimonials - What a great way to show your potential clients the confidence your past customers have in your products or services. Ask all your clients to provide you a short testimonial. It is an easy way to add current content to you site often.

Industry Tips & Ideas - You are the true expert in your industry and your customers want to hear what you have to say. Everyone likes to get something for free, so share a bit of your knowledge with them by providing free tips and ideas on how to better use your products or services.

Newsletters - E-Newsletters are a great way to keep your name in front of your customers, but what many website owners fail to do is to add those newsletters to their websites. With the over abundance of junk email we get many people opt out to receive e-newsletters on a regular basis. In this case it would benefit you by adding those weekly or monthly newsletters to your site so they can be read there.

A couple things to remember when adding new content (pages) to your site:

Don't forget to make your title tags captivating.

Keep your keywords toward the front of your title, description and keyword tags. (Even though very few search engines take into account the description or keyword tags anymore it is always best to still add them.)

If writing an article take one of your keyword phrases and write a specific article about that, keeping in mind keyword density.

Which ever of the above ideas you choose to use keep in mind your target market and create your new pages with it in mind... Remember industry related content!

Don't forget to update your site map with your new pages.

Update your Yahoo urllist.txt and your sitemap.xml file with Google as well.

Lastly...add a new page to your site every week better yet every day!

Author - Tracy Fredrychowski - SEO Instructor Search Engine Academy of SC http://www.searchengineacademysc.com Learn the latest principles and strategies of search engine optimization and become a Certified SEO Professional. The Search Engine Academy of SC holds SEO workshops in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina.

Professional SEO Instructor with the Searh Engine Academy of SC

Osteoporosis is a silent disease. You normally don't know it until something like a fracture occurs. In reality, your bones have been loosing strength for years.

There are millions of people with osteoporosis, and the vast majority of them are women. Bone is a living tissue that consistently breaks down and rebuilds. As we enter our 40's and 50's, the rebuilding is having a hard time keeping up with the breaking down...thus a net loss.

While some of the risk factors cannot be modified (family history, small body frame size, racial/ethnic makeup, surgery (removal of ovaries) and menopause), other factors can be modified, and thus prevent or delay the onset of osteoporosis.

So what can you do?

• Eating a diet rich in calcium throughout life is important. What does that mean? Low fat dairy food, canned fish with soft bones such as salmon, dark green leafy vegetables and calcium fortified foods.
• If you need a supplement, the current recommendations are for people over 50 to have about 1200mg per day between diet and supplementation. Studies on women with osteoporosis in nursing homes have been shown to have a reduction of fractures just from calcium and vitamin D without other interventions.
• Vitamin D is necessary for your body to absorb the calcium. Being out in the sun for 20 minutes every day is usually sufficient. Foods that are high in vitamin D include eggs, fatty fish, cereals and fortified milk. Many calcium supplements and multivitamins have vitamin D as well. Recommendations include 400 IU of Vitamin D per day if you are less than 70 years of age, and 600 IU if you are over 70.
• Exercise! Once again the "E" word presents itself. Weight bearing exercise actually prevents the loss of bone. The stress on bone when you walk, play tennis, jog or dance actually stimulates your bone to increase its density. Not only that, but your improved muscle strength will protect you if you should fall. Once again, the current recommendation for exercise is 30 minutes of activity daily.
• Some medications can increase your risk for developing osteoporosis. For example steroids, some anti-seizure medications, some cancer medications, and long term use of Depo-Provera (birth control). If you take too much thyroid medication, or your thyroid glad is overactive your bone could be stimulated to break down faster. Talk with your provider to see if any modifications can be made.
• What else? Smoking, carbonated beverages and excessive alcohol have all been implicated in increasing you risk for osteoporosis. Consider eliminating, or at least reducing these habits from your life.

Recommendations:

• Get a gone density scan (DEXA). They are non-invasive and give an accurate measurement of your bone density. The heel test will only give you a ball park figure, and are not always accurate. The DEXA scan will give you a T-score which will tell you and your provider if your density is normal, if you have osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis), or osteoporosis. With that information you and your provider can decide on the best plan of action for you.
• If you have osteoporosis, follow the treatment recommendation of your provider, incorporate the dietary and activity recommendation made here, and work to reduce your risk of falls in your home.
• Good health practices will go a long way in preventing and treating any problems. Once again, diet and exercise play a major role in this largely preventable disease.

For over 26 years, Barbara C. Phillips, MN, NP has been involved in health care. Now, as the founder of OlderWiserWomen, LLC, that experience and passion is focused on Women who want to experience the freedom, magic and wisdom of successful aging. She can be reached through http://www.OlderWiserWomen.com

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a mineral fibre that is known for its heat resistance and strength. It is also very resistant to acid. Asbestos can only positively be identified under a microscope, however, asbestos in the home and workplace is very easy to identify. As asbestos ages it starts to crumble and break, the fibres which are deadly are then released into the air and breathed in.

What Illnesses are caused by Asbestos?

The tiny fibres that are released by the asbestos penetrate deeply into the lungs and remain in the individuals lungs for the rest of their lives. Constant or regular exposure to high does of asbestos fibres can cause scarring of the lung tissue and respiratory disease asbestosis. Exposures to low amounts of asbestos are still highly dangerous and can cause lung cancer. Direct contact with asbestos can also cause Mesothelioma a form of cancer exclusively linked to asbestos exposure. Symptoms of asbestos exposure usually take 20 40 years to develop and 100% of cases are fatal. All types of asbestos cause cancer and all types of asbestos cancers can kill. Children are especially prone to developing cancer after exposure to asbestos.

What Products Contain Asbestos?

-Floor Tiles

-Ceiling Tiles

-Sprayed on Textures Ceilings

-Wrapping For Pipes

-Boiler Insulation

-Fire Proofing Surfaces and Similar

-Roof Tiles

-Roof Tar

-Heaters Gas & Electric

What To Do If You Suspect You Are In Contact With Asbestos

Should you discover or suspect that you have asbestos in any part of your home or business you need to make a decision based on the amount of exposure and the condition of the asbestos. The most important factor is the general condition of the asbestos. If it is crumbling or broken it must be removed immediately as it will be releasing deadly asbestos fibres into the surrounding area. You must not remove the asbestos yourself. The asbestos needs to be removed and disposed by a properly qualified and protected individual. Call your local government office or council immediately and seek advice on recognised companies that can remove the asbestos safely.

If you are a home owner or a tenant you must make arrangements immediately to have the asbestos encapsulated or removed. You are liable for any person who develops cancer as a result of exposure in your home.

Asbestos Awareness Training
oxford conservatory
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Anthony Gregory is research writer and website promoter, he is available for hire. please contact him at sales(at)brilliantseo(dot)com

I have a friend who has enjoyed a long successful career as a published novelist. More than once we took part in the same panel at a writer's conference. Whenever it came time to field questions from the audience I came to expect -- actually anticipate -- that some bright-eyed, eager novice would direct a particular question at my friend. It wasn't so much the question that I anticipated as her answer.

The question would always be some variation of "What is the secret to your success?" We all knew it would happen and we would always sit back and let my friend handle it. Not only because she was the most successful among us, but because she had the best answer.

My friend would always play to the audience. She'd lean forward conspiratorially, check to make sure the doors were closed, and swear the audience to secrecy. Then she'd repeat the question and pause for a few dramatic heartbeats and answer: "The BIC Method!"

Those of us in on the secret would begin to grin at this point, but it wasn't until she explained the BIC method that the other writers would get the joke. You see BIC stands very simply for Butt In Chair.

Yes, her writing success is that simple. Placing her bottom on the chair in front of her computer and writing every day -- whether or not she was in the mood, whether or not she was motivated, whether or not she was inspired, and whether or not she had a paid writing gig.

Regular writing improves the quality of your writing by giving you the chance to hone your skills and experiment with new methods. Writing regularly also generates greater quantity -- in two ways. First, obviously simply disciplining yourself to generate two or four or ten pages a day will quickly add up in quantity, but the more disciplined you become about this regular production the easier it will be to achieve your minimum and you can keep step up your daily goal accordingly.

Improving the quality of your writing and generating more writing projects gives you that much more to market to the reading and publishing public and therefore increases your chances of writing success.

It really is that simple and it really isn't a secret. Most successful writers know the BIC method is key to their success.

Of course some of those eager-beaver beginners don't want to believe in the BIC method because it actually involves work and discipline. They'd rather believe it was as simple as dreaming up a catchy pseudonym. But if you have become a writer because you love it then the BIC method is the best possible news. Simply keep on doing what you love and you can make your dreams come true.

Deanna Mascle publishes the writing newsletter Word Craft Online and writing site Answers About Writing where you can also find her free "Challenge Your Muse" writing prompts and exercises. She has published three novels; written and edited numerous newspapers, magazines, books, and online publications; and teaches writing. You can read more writing advice in her blog.

EDM in an engineering term referring to electrical discharge machining. Wire electrical discharge machining or EDM is a metalworking process with help of which a material is separated from a conductive work piece, by means of electrical erosion. In this process, the wire never comes in contact with the conductive work piece. The wire electrode leaves a path on the work piece, which is slightly larger than the wire. Most often a 0.010' wire is used, which creates a 0.013' to 0.014' gap. The wire electrode once passed through the work piece cannot be reused.

Wire electrical discharge machining is a complicated assembly, but efforts have been made to build this system at home. While building a wire electrical discharge machining system at home the biggest problem is breaking the wire. Often engineers use the full power of 70 volts, which the wire cannot withstand. If a VARIAC is used, it can vary the alternate current output, producing varying voltages. It can also control and vary the direct current out put. If the voltage is maintained at 55Volts, a spark is produced without breaking the wire electrodes.

In the home made wire electrical discharge machining system, the reducing gear doubles as an encoder and drills 50 holes of equal space. Mainly a - 20 threaded rod acts like a feed screw. The counts go to a PLC, which is outfitted with starts, reverse and stop functions. It is equipped with an appropriate motor, which enables easy rectangular movement. The homemade wire electrical discharge machining system is also supplemented with manual switches for free burning.

The homemade systems can only be used for working on small work pieces. However, the developments have been encouraging and ensure an ongoing process that will definitely create a market for the home built systems.

Wire EDM provides detailed information on Wire EDM, Wire EDM Machining, Wire EDM Machines, Used Wire EDM and more. Wire EDM is affiliated with Shock And Vibration Testing.

How is your energy level? Do you jump out of bed in the morning early full of energy and are excited about getting your day started in "high gear"? Are you one of those individuals who has your day already planned and can hardly wait to get started on all the activities you've scheduled for the day? Is this you "Mr. or Mrs. Motivated Person. I hope you fall into this category because if you do, life will be more pleasant and you are apt to be a more healthy person, too.

If, on the other hand, you awake tired, feel rundown and try to go back asleep again you could be experiencing a serious problem that probably needs to be addressed immediately. This type of condition can not only cause chronic fatigue and exhaustion but other related conditions as well such as: insomnia, stress, anxiety and depression.

I don't claim to be an expert on this subject but I do know that creating some kind of excitement in your life can be very helpful in remedying this condition. Having a daily goal plan and taking the necessary action to implement your goals can surely make your life more upbeat. It could ultimately be just the thing to improve and/or manage this condition.

Now if this condition becomes more serious then it's probably needs to be addressed immediately. In my research on the internet I learn about information that addresses all kinds of situations and conditions. I just learned about a site that seems to be just the one for curing this condition perfectly.

The site states that something can be done about chronic fatigue and tiredness and fatigue. The good news is it's simple. The treatment is based on an easy to follow program, which includes the use of homeopathy, vitamins and herbs, as well as some simple lifestyle and nutritional steps to restore vitality. It has been developed by naturopath Nick Dale and is successfully treating thousands today.

Why not check his site now at http://www.beatingtiredness.com/

Copyright 2004 All Rights Reserved AbsolutelySenior.com

Sonny Julius is a retired sales supervisor. Prior to this he spent 29 years in the family florist business. Becoming dissatisfied he decided to enter the sales profession. After 18 months with the first sales company he left and joined another one and eventually spent 20 years with them. During this time he became a sales supervisor with a sales staff of eight salesmen with territories from the midwest to the west. His interest in the Internet eventually led him to search for a home-based business he felt worthy to promote. After being dissatisfied with a few he joined he eventually found the ideal one and now spends a few hours a day promoting it. http://www.sonnyj.com

You're a seller on eBay and you've decided to open an eBay store. That's simple enough to accomplish. Then, suddenly, you realize that your store items don't show up in eBay searches. At this point the $64,000 question seems to be, "What do I do so that people will find my eBay store items?"

The first piece of advice it seems everyone gives when that question comes up is to be sure to run eBay auctions regularly and mention in your auction listings that you have an eBay store so people will go there to see what else you have. That's good advice, but the problem is that too many times people just stop there. Next thing you know they've closed their store because so few people seem to be finding it. That's too bad because there are numerous methods they could have used to market their store more effectively. Here are a few.

1. EBay Express, assuming you and your listings qualify. EBay provides this check list to help you grow your business on eBay Express. Read it to learn about seller and listing criteria for this eBay venue. If you qualify as an eBay Express seller and want your listings to show there, make sure you follow the specific guidelines.

2. Make sure your items show on Google search and other search engines. Always enable your store listing feed and export your store items regularly to Google Base (go to the google website to find out more). Your items will show up when people search and look at the results on Google Products (formerly called Froogle). You don't have to understand the technical aspect of how this works, but know that it does work and it is an important marketing method that should not be overlooked. Make sure that you are optimizing your items for search engines by using excellent keywords in your store description and in your listing titles.

3. Blogs or other web posts. If you have a blog, or if you ever leave a comment on a blog or if you post on an online forum, put your store link in your signature line if that's allowed. People really do click through on those. The nice thing about having a store is that you have a specific web address. I also recommend that you consider purchasing a domain name that you can use to forward to your store link, something easy for people to remember. In my case, my52cents.com is much easier to remember than http://stores.ebay.com/my52cents. Make yours an appropriate and memorable name. Include it with every blog comment or forum post. Post often, but don't spam post; that's just tacky.

Those are just a few examples. Marketing your eBay store is an important part of having an eBay store. You can depend on the store being found via your auctions, of course, but why not take a few minutes and notch it up a level? All of the methods I mentioned, aside from purchasing the domain name ($10 or less at godaddy.com) are free and easy to accomplish.

By the way, you can track how people find your store by looking at your traffic reports on your "manage my store" page. If you haven't looked at that, you may be very surprised to see where your store traffic is coming from.

These are just a few suggestions and you can find more on eBay, who actually wants your store to succeed, so don't overlook the eBay help section when you're seeking good eBay store marketing advice.

About the Author:
Susan Deppner is a writer and editor, as well as a businessperson with perhaps too many exciting ventures online and off, most notably those involving eBay and Squidoo. You can find her My52cents on eBay - Auction Tips blog at http://my52cents.blogspot.com and her Squidoo lenses at http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Susan52

Copyright 2007 - Susan B. Deppner - All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author name credit and follow all of the EzineArticles terms of service for Publishers.