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The 18 Core Beliefs Of Financially Independent Investors & Businesspeople

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

NLP uses modeling of peoples beliefs, behaviours and
strategies in order to achieve the same results as the role model. This has helped many people achieve the seemingly impossible.

A belief is simply a feeling of certainty of something being true. It has been ascertained by NLP practitioners that the extraordinarily wealthy, the financial independent adopt the following beliefs BEFORE they met their goals.

So, just suppose, you believe the following and wear these beliefs each day:

1) They believe that they are responsible for their own financial destiny.
2) They believe they will become rich and financially
independent in their lifetime.
3) They believe they can achieve virtually anything they put their mind to.
4) They believe money and investing opportunities attract themselves to them.
5) They believe the more they learn about investing and finance, the more they can earn.
6) They believe making money and investing is child’s play when you know how.
7) They believe saving money is easy once you’e made it a habit.
8) They believe that for things to get better, you need to
get better.
9) They believe failure is part of success.
10) They believe they will always need help and support
from a team of experts
to get them to their goals, instead of trying to do it all
on their own.
11) They believe happiness comes from within, but money
does help.
12) They believe most people in the world are honest.
13) They believe money can help give you freedom,
adventure, confidence,
courage, choices and excitement.
14) They believe money can help you contribute more to the
world.
15) They believe money is for the greater good.
16) They believe the stock market is only risky for people who don’t understand how it works.
17) They believe becoming financially independent,
starting with nothing is easy if you use time, a proven winning strategy and most importantly, a
winning attitude.
18) They believe in clear written goals backed by
deadlines.

Highly successful people seem to know that by adopting these beliefs and similar ones, they will become financially independent.

You may wish to write them down and reflect on them. Also, you can ask yourself what actions you’re going to need to take in order to be living these beliefs in full force. For example do you need to learn a new skill, or take a new course? Do you need to change your habits of saving/spending, budgeting/planning etc.

Working out how each of these beliefs could benefit you personally (if you decide to believe them), use your imagination to get motivated and excited about how the results in your life would change if you “wore” these beliefs, even for just a while to test out their “ecology”.

You could also use them as an affirmation or mantra to really get them in to your brain - to get you thinking about them and beginning to adopt them for yourself. The quote “You become what you think about most of the time” is therefore directly applied practically in a straightforward and measurable way. The key is don’t give up until you’ve got positive results…even if it takes longer than expected:

Here they are again in the first person for you to “affirm” to yourself. They are also written in the present tense where appropriate, and in positive language your subconscious mind can instantly understand as being “your own”..

1) I believe that I am responsible for my own financial destiny.
2) I believe I will become rich and financially
independent in my lifetime.
3) I believe I can achieve virtually anything I put their mind to.
4) I believe money and investing opportunities attract themselves to me.
5) I believe the more I learn about investing and finance, the more I can earn.
6) I believe making money and investing is child’s play when one knows how.
7) I believe saving money is easy once I’ve made it a habit.
8) I believe that for things to get better, I need to
get better.
9) I believe failure is part of success.
10) I believe I will always need help and support
from a team of experts to get me to my goals, instead of trying to do it all on my own.
11) I believe happiness comes from within, but money
does help.
12) I believe most people in the world are honest.
13) I believe money can help give me freedom, adventure, confidence, courage, choices and excitement.
14) I believe money can help me contribute more to the world.
15) I believe money is for the greater good.
16) I believe the stock market is only risky for people who don’t understand how it works.
17) I believe becoming financially independent,
starting with nothing is easy if I use time, a proven winning strategy and most importantly, a
winning attitude.
18) I believe in clear written goals backed by
deadlines.

Use and apply these 18 core beliefs of highly successful, influential and more importantly for the purposes of this article, financially independent people. They too were at some point at the stage you may be at now, and remarkably, as mentioned before, found that their success came AFTER applying these kinds of fundamental principles, rather than the beliefs came after the financial independence. Therefore, you too will become financially independent by taking certain steps. Make using the information in this article one of them!

Sam Beatson lives in Sheffield countryside, UK and owns FastTrackForex.com the Forex training crash course and coaching program via FastTrackForex.com Coaching He is dubbed “THE Master Forex Trainer”. Visit the above sites for training details.

Controlling Debt - The Best Way to Improve Your Finances

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Debt management is not just a term that financial advisors use when their clients are in trouble. Controlling debt is the best way to stay away from costly mistakes spending and borrowing money without keeping in mind factors such as, buying with cash or credit, loan terms, interest rates, refinancing and so on.

On the other hand, there is good debt and bad debt. Borrowing money to pay for a college education, or buying a home, is considered good debt because you are investing in personal assets that over time are worth the extra expenses and can have life long benefits. However, bad debt comes mostly from indiscriminate credit card usage, particularly among teenagers, but nobody is exempt here.

It is never is too late to learn how to budget, save and avoid costly financial mistakes. I realize that most everyone hates the word, Budget, however, it really is what brings financial success. It is a compass, a guiding light, a path towards where you need to go to achieve what you want in life. If you were going on a trip by car to somewhere you had never been before, would you bring a map ? Of course you would. Otherwise, you would get lost and end up in frustration and wasted money and time. A budget is a map that leads you to where you want to go financially in your life. If you do not have one, you will surely regret it sooner or later.

Financial planning is one of the best things you could ever teach your children as they are growing up. Remember, that vacations, consumable items, and similar things are considered bad debt, especially if you are charging your credit card instead of applying for a loan, or getting money from the equity built into your home to pay for the things you need.

But when it comes to necessary outlays, everything depends on your approach to managing your finances adequately to repay the money you owe. Checking success histories of wealthy people you will find out that many of them borrowed money to reach the status that they actually have, but controlling their expenses instead of sinking into bad credit situations was one of their secrets.

Determining whether you can pay for goods over the next few months or year or not, makes sense in controlling your debts. If you borrow money or buy items with the idea that credit is for acquiring what you cannot afford with cash, you are digging your own road towards ruin. The larger your ogligations with no solid logical basis, the greater your chances are for financial disasters in the future.

You can use this to your advantage, managing amounts owed over time. If you have not set up a budget for your household expenses or your office operation, begin tracking your spending for the next few weeks. Knowing where your money goes makes it easier to manage.

Most people know where their money comes from, but very few know where it goes after receiving their paycheck. Subtracting taxes and all your monthly fixed and variable expenditures, you can have a better idea on how much money is available for paying off your creditors. Consider fixed expenses and all the payments that you have on a regular basis, such as food, utilities, transportation, insurance, housing, and so on. Take your income and subtract these amounts and that leaves you with the cash you have to pay off your indebtedness.

No matter how important entertainment is for you, this and other things such as restaurants, trips, or shopping, must be watched closely to control spending efficiently. Once you determine the amount of money available for paying off your liabilities, then you will know if you can afford to borrow money for getting assets that increase in value, or in other words, good debt.

Always keep in mind the real cost of credit cards, and avoid purchasing items that depreciate in value. If they are absolutely necessary, get them, but use cash instead of credit if possible. The same holds true for consumable items - buy with cash, or if you have to use plastic, be sure to pay off the balance each month. Controlling debt is easily achieved by controlling your expenses, and following a personal budget, which in the long run helps you to keep or improve your Credit Score and your prospects in life.

Ken Black is the owner of DebtReorg.com, a site with helpful information about Controlling Debt.

Who is the Forex Market?

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

The forex market, “Spot FX market” or foreign exchange market is made up of two main groups.

The one is the interbank market which consists of banks and other institutions who trade with one another on a daily basis.

The total turnover is estimated at 1.5 trillion US dollars per day and the banks trade with each other in the millions and multimillions.

As for the other portion making up the forex market, we are talking about the retail investor. This is any person who trades with their own capital either through the technology of the internet or via some other way, such as by telephone with a broker.

Retail investors tend not to move markets because the trades they place are insignificant in size to those of the banks.

Until fairly recently, it was very difficult for the retail investor to trade with the banks, especially intraday and with similar spreads as those offered within bank trading floors.

However, with the advent of the internet and technology, brokerage firms have cropped up all over the place providing a middle-man who allows the retail investor to trade with very similar spreads to the banks themselves, in realtime.

The advantage of this to the trader is that the broker, because most trades occur only in his books in reality, requires only a “margin deposit” to allow the home-trader to be able to control vast sums of real currency and hence make big profits with small capital.

For example, if a broker offers 100:1 leverage, the investor need only give the security of $1000 (in other words have at least $1000 free capital to place on the trade as security) to the broker in order to control $100,000 - or 1 lot - of currency.

This allows for losses and would mean each 4th decimal place movement of the currency pair price (eg - GBP/USD = 1.7689 - 1/7690) which may occur within seconds of placing the trade will be worth $10.
It would only take a change of 20 points (ie 1.7689 - 1.7709) to make a profit of $200 in a long.

The price would have to move considerably for the trader to actually lose that $1000 although it is possible for the market to move more than 100 points. Risk management such as setting a “stop loss” of 20 points would ensure a maximum loss of 20 points could be set as protection from further losses in the case of unexpected market movement.

So, in order to trade, we must trade through the environment of the margin broker. This is advantageous to us, in that we need a lot less capital to control fairly vast amounts of currency easily, legally and with real high profit potential on a daily basis.

What is required is an understanding of fundamental analysis and a sound technical strategy in the author’s opinion. The rest is abitrary. Most importantly, though, it must be said, trade only what you can afford to lose. Becoming a winner takes persistence and time in front of the charts.

Sam Beatson is “THE Master Forex Trainer”. He owns http://www.fasttrackforex.com the Forex training crash course. His mentoring program is via http://www.fasttrackforex.com/special

Build Your Internet Identity

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Notice how the top earners online, be it a Super Affiliate, Ad Sense Master or Internet Passive Income Guru, all seem to have their names secured in a niche industry on the internet. When you think of the Coca Cola brand, what comes to mind? Does an image of a red can with words Coca Cola written in white display in your mind’s eye, or perhaps a coke bottle? Likewise we must pick our niche on the internet and brand our name accordingly. Be known for doing good in 1 area before moving on to the next project.

Here are the things we need:

1) A website that belongs to you. Even though an affiliate can utilize the merchants affiliate page, it is still preferred to have your own website. This allows you to present the sales/business opportunity in your own words and pre sell the product, before sending your visitor to the merchants sales page.

2) Auto Responder and Opt In box. Your visitors will most likely not make a purchase on the 1st attempt and when they leave your site, you will not see them again. Don’t forget, there are also other competing sites that want a share of the sale too. So do capture your visitors details with an auto responder opt in box and follow up with a series of emails. For ideas on what to write, you can use information found on the merchants site and re-express them in your own words. Follow up emails reinforces your brand name in the mind of your readers. Respectful persistence wins sales.

3) Photograph & Signature. A picture paints a thousand words. Scan a groomed, smiling photo of yourself and your a penned signature. This adds that personal touch to let your audience know you are a real person. When your readers establish a connection with you on a personal note, they will make a purchase based on your recommendation.

4) Audio. Do you have a nice speaking voice? If so, combine this with your photograph and signature to humanize your website and establish rapport with your audience. You’ll need a recording software and a microphone. Internet audio streaming software you can use are BYOAudio and Audio Generator.

5) Blog. A blog can be an addon to your main website or be used as a free alternative to a website, at least until you are generating profits. You can combine every aspect of name branding mentioned in the above points into your free blog. Update your blog at regular consistent intervals with content specific to your vision. If you’re into internet passive income programs, then write about that topic and do not deviate. It is ok to write about other matters that lead to the finalization of the end goal. Refrain from writing about off topic content so as to keep your message and theme consistent. One way to keep your readers posted about your content is to use RSS feeds. Check out Feed Burner for their free service.

6) A Domain name. You can register a domain name and forward it to point at your Blog. Use the domain masking feature that allows your website to have a professional look. This will allow www.yourdomain.blogspot.com to appear as www.yourdomain.com

For more ideas on effective Internet Marketing, visit http://www.FundedSponsoring.WS and subscribe to our Home Business Newsletter.

Sherman Choo is an Internet Marketer helping people all over the globe achieve Financial Freedom. To discover the perfect Internet Network Marketing business model that has helped thousands make money online and find out if this Internet Home Business is right for you. Visit==>http://www.success-university.us

Forex Using Moving Averages

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

What follows is the basis of a system for forex trading based on using moving averages in order to find “price gaps” in the market.

A moving average takes the average price at some stage in an individual time period, such as the close of the candle. In essence the effect of plotting a moving average is a “smoothing” of price information over time.

Traders can take moving averages over different time periods. In fact, moving averages can prove to be accurate lines of support and resistance. So for example, using moving averages set at exponential and for example only, 15, 30, 60, 90, 150, 230 as time periods, we have half of a technical system in place.

How? The answer to that is if we look over 4 timeframes - take for example the 1 minute, 5 minute, 15 minute and 1 hour charts, you will notice there are times where the price moves outside all of these moving averages.

It is at these times we can look to trade. When the price is above all the moving averages, we will be thinking to go long and when below, to go short.

The shortest term moving averages may provide the first lines of support or resistance in the opposite direction of the trade. Knowing that the price is above or below the moving averages is not enough however.

We need to factor in other elements. In this case, keep it simple, but not stupid. Find out where the news is coming from. You can get this information from a good finance site with times of major and minor announcements.

Simply don’t trade at these times due to the impossible nature of predicting economic figures.
With the fundamentals almost out of the way with the above solution, we can build on our technicals.

You may wish to join a service which provides daily charts with analytics on them (in terms of potentially strong buy or sell levels) - see resources at the end of this article.

With regard to the technical side of our system here, we now need some idea of support and resistance which is more dynamic and preferable updating on your charts.

A good fibonacci indicator or pivot calculator is required for these purposes. Fibonacci is a mathematical formula for calculating key areas of support and resistance based on a market move and potential areas for retracement after correction.

We also, most importantly need to know the current momentum and trend direction. This could be more of a challenge. Very basic indicators that could do this for us would be a MACD and an RSI to name a couple.

However, either a subscribed service or more recent indicator would be recommended. You therefore would only take the trade if the price is above or below, if, and it’s a big if, the following factors are also on your side:

= there is no news coming out in the vicinity of placing the trade

= the trend is is the same direction as you want to trade, whether that’s using 4 hourly, daily or short term charts, that’s up to you and your appetite and descretion

= there is still enough momentum and strength for the move to continue in the same direction & there is not overbought or oversold signalled

Can you see how this system has been put together? We start with a basic idea - the use of moving averages to bring out key areas of support and resistance around the price.

We use fundamental knowledge (ie news announcements) to stay out at news time. We have some further idea on our chart where support levels and resistance levels may be using Fibonacci.

Off the chart proper, but still indicators, we need some kind of way to determine trend and momentum. We can then base our decision, not on a blind gamble, but on the reflection shown by our indicators and system as to the direction and likelihood the price action is going to take place in our favour.

Sam Beatson lives with his wife and 2 daughters in Sheffield, UK and enjoys daytrading, running, walking and swimming. He owns www.fasttrackforex.com the Forex training crash course. Click here to visit.

Why is my Dog Scratching?

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Scratching is a common symptom in dogs, and a whole range of underlying causes can be responsible. If your dog is scratching, it is advisable to seek treatment as soon as possible, as self trauma can cause secondary injuries that may extend the duration, and cost, of treatment. So, if you have noticed your dog scratching, what should you do about it?

Firstly, ask yourself when was the last time I put anti-flea medication on him/her? Most spot-on flea products only provide protection for a month, so if it has been longer than this then you should re-apply the medication. Be aware that anti-flea products that are on sale in supermarkets and pet shops are general sales list products, and are not as effective as the products available from your veterinarian. However, Frontline

The Itchy Dog: is it an Allergy?

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Scratching is a very common symptom in dogs, and you as an owner should aim to nip it in the bud early before self trauma causes secondary injuries to your dog. However, before wondering whether your dog could have an allergy, you must rule out the common parasitic (fleas and mites), bacterial (hot spots) and fungal (ringworm and yeast) infections. See my article Is your Dog Scratching to explore these in greater detail.

Just as allergies have become more common in children these days compared to several generations ago, veterinarians are seeing far more allergies in pets too. It is difficult to explain this phenomenon, theories range from alterations in the content of pet foods to the use of modern day household cleaning products or simply genetic evolution. One thing is certain, whatever the cause, allergic dogs benefit hugely from avoiding the offending allergen or, if that is impossible, appropriate treatment to minimize the itchiness.

Lets start with the presenting signs of an allergy in dogs. Itchiness can manifest itself not only as obvious scratching at the neck and flanks, but also as face rubbing, foot licking or chewing and over grooming. Foot licking, for example, is often perceived by owners as normal, when in fact the dog is responding to itchy feet in the only way it can, by licking them. The skin between the toes may turn red and sore due to the compulsive licking, and in white dogs such as West Highland White Terriers and Bichon Frises, the fur is stained brown by saliva.

Ear infections are another common sign of an underlying allergy. Though general waxiness, hair in the ear canals, lack of ventilation, bacteria and yeast may trigger the infection, an underlying allergy is often the root cause of the itchiness. If your dog gets recurrent ear infections, by eliminating an underlying allergy you may prevent your dog from going over the itchiness threshold and developing full blown ear infections.

So, what are the common allergies in dogs?

For convenience they are best separated into 4 categories.

1) Flea bite hypersensitivity
2) Adverse food reaction
3) Atopic dermatitis
4) Contact dermatitis

Flea bite hypersensitivity is relatively straight forward to cure. It is a simple case of eliminating every single flea on the dog and, crucially, in his/her environment. The itchiness is caused by an allergic reaction to the flea saliva, and so even a solitary flea can trigger a scratching frenzy. To rule out flea bite hypersensitivity, all animals in the house (dogs and cats) should be treated with a reputable veterinary spot on medication monthly without fail, and the house should be thoroughly sprayed with an insecticidal spray.

Adverse food reactions are more difficult to treat as it can be difficult to isolate the precise ingredient responsible for causing itchiness in your dog. Not only that, treating adverse food reactions requires owners to be exceptionally disciplined and motivated in preventing their pet having even a single treat unless the exact ingredients are known to be safe.

There are two ways of diagnosing an adverse food reaction (also known as a food allergy). For those readers for whom cost is not an issue, a blood test can be done to measure for ingredient specific antibodies in the bloodstream. The blood test is quite costly, and if combined with a blood test for environmental allergens is usually upwards of $400 (

Website Advertising Ideas To Boost Your Internet Profits

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Write about a niche area that you are interested in and create an Ecourse on it. Then start a marketing campaign to build a subscriber list. If the list grows quickly and people opt in to learn more about the niche, you are creating a ready pool of customers to sell to once the actual product is launched. Evidence will show if there is a strong need for the product.

Toward the end of your ad copy, use a “P.S.” to remind your readers some last minute thoughts that will sway their decision in your favour. This is where you either want to repeat a strong benefit or a possible loss should the reader not purchase your product by taking quick action.

Create a free ebook that has valuable content, make it viral by allowing your readers to encode their own links into the ebook and allow them to give it away. This will increase your traffic and brand your internet identity.

Create multiple streams of income with your web site. The products offered should be focused around specific markets. Your own products and affiliate products should tie in with one another. Adding some adsense advertising to your website can also bring in some revenue.

Thank your visitors in your ad copy, for spending time to visit your website. Being respectful to the reader earns their trust, puts them in a good mood, and brands you as someone thoughtful about others. People are more likely to buy from someone they feel is likeable and a pleasure doing business with.

When a customer purchases your product, take them to a “Thank You” page which leads to backend products that compliment the first purchase.

Focus on a few products on your web site instead of selling a large amount of products. Too many choices can overwhelm your visitors and they will feel that you are not catering to their needs. Never introduce Offer A to your customer at the “Opt-In” page, then a different product B at your “Confirm Subscription” page and a different product C at your “Thank You” page. Remember that you have not made the sale yet and need to expose the same product ad to your potential customer multiple times in order to achieve maximum impact and close a sale.

Include content and free stuff on your web site that promote the products you’re selling. If they don’t read your ads, they may read your offerings.

Allow your visitors to identify with you. Use an audio generator, photograph and signature to publish information about yourself. Once people connect with you because of the efforts you put in to reach out to your readers, you will find it easier to close sales.

Provide a support@yourdomain.com email address so that visitors know that they can have support when they need it. Some customers may send you an email to see how quick you respond, so its important to reply within 24 hours. Doing so will leave a good impression, connect you with your online customer and increase the likelihood of a sale. It also adds credibility to your business.

Sherman Choo is an Internet Marketer helping people all over the globe achieve Financial Freedom. To discover the perfect Internet Network Marketing business model that has helped thousands make money online and find out if this Internet Home Business is right for you. Visit==>http://www.success-university.us

Changing Your Career Path

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

When I was a young thing - you were considered to be a poor employee if you were not able to ‘hang on’ to your job for your working life. Now you are considered to be somewhat of a dinosaur if you do!

The fact that you are likely to change your job and even the type of business you are in, three to eight times in your working life, means that you should consider this when undertaking your initial training for a career.

This does not mean that you should not train for and begin in an area of your first choice - but it does mean that you need a mind set that will enable you to change direction mid stride and that you are prepared to continue training throughout your life.

However there is another problem that is engulfing many of us these days and that is that the type of jobs we want (especially at the dollar level we are used to) just may not be available. This is one of the reasons for the mass exodus from being an employee to being an entrepreneur and running your own business.

Currently over 67% of all small business in Australia is run from home. And why is that? In many cases it is because people are trialling a business idea they have and want to see if it would be successful before taking it to the next level. When they are sure that their business idea will work, something they might not have expected occurs. They find they actually like working from home. They can be with their loved ones and enjoy the flexibility of time allocation; they also reduce travel time and continue reduced overheads, by staying at home.

This phenomenon opens up another door of opportunity for many ‘would be’ business operators. This new age entrepreneur needs further training in the area of business and they want it quickly and at a time that suits them. Consequently formal classroom training over a number of weeks (or years) is not for them. So where do we find the trainers for this emerging sector?

There are a number of careers that would have the skills set to enable training to take place e.g. teachers, nurses, sociologists, counsellors etc. So this group could change career path and train the start up businesses - but even though they have the skills to do the training they also need knowledge in the small and micro business sector.

What often happens is those with good training skills have no real knowledge (only theory - when this new group want practical support and advice) and those with some knowledge do not have the training skills e.g. local government employees making a change.

Consequently there is a massive growth in Business and Lifestyle Coaching where the coach may be formally trained or just decide to call themselves a coach! It is because of this diversity of skill sets of existing coaches and the great disparity of costs they charge, that makes the micro and home based business operators sceptical and very wary.

So, what is the solution? It would seem logical that those with training skills (even trained coaches) need to access content that is relevant, cost effective and above all, contains vital, practical information for them to provide to the start up business operator.

There are experts in the field of micro and home based businesses who have designed presentations for this sector that fulfil all the essential requirements mentioned above. The good news is that some of these experts are prepared to license their value packed information sessions so that you, the trainers, can ensure that you have the essential information required. Coaches can also add to their portfolio by licensing some of the Presentations.

So if you are looking for a career change - consider becoming a trainer and help the thousands who are also changing direction and need speedy, relevant and practical support.

Barbara Gabogrecan is a renowned artist and author, winning many awards. You can see an example using the techniques discussed above, at:- http://www.mbnsolutions.com.au/index.php?module=Website&action=Text&content=1133081509671-8917

Finding the Right Marketing Services Provider for Your Business

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

If you’re a small business owner, medium-sized business, or marketing professional who realizes that you can’t be an expert in everything, then finding a Marketing Services Provider to meet your growing needs is essential. However, not all marketing service providers are the same. In fact, there are thousands of providers who promise everything from Advertising to Tradeshow Management. But how can you tell who will deliver for your business and who will not? There are a few things to look for before choosing the right Marketing Services provider who cares as much about your business as you do.

1. Screening Questions. Depending on what type of marketing service provider you’re looking for, take time to organize some basic questions that will help you evaluate whether or note the marketing service provider can meet your needs. You should customize these questions based on your specific marketing needs. Here are a few to get your started: a. How long have you been in business? b. What happens if I am not satisfied with the result of the project? c. Please explain the process your will follow for this project? d. Can you provide me with a list of client references for which you’ve done similar projects? e. What is your fee structure? f. On average, how long do these types of projects take to complete?

Getting answers to these very basic questions will give you’re a firm expectation of time, expense, and proposed outcomes. If they are not what you’re looking for, you can always negotiate, but keep in mind that the first answers given are usually closest to what you can expect. Don’t settle. Keep asking these questions as many times as you need to. Eventually you will find the right vendor who answers these questions to your satisfaction.

2. References. The only legitimate way to know whether or not a service provider has a solid reputation is to call references provided. Often times, individuals ask a vendor for references and never receive them. Even worse is the buyer who receives a list of references and never calls or speaks to them. Don’t feel awkward calling a vendor’s references. These individuals have agreed to be contacted by future clients. If a vendor is unable to give you a list of references, then you must question why no one is willing to vouch for the vendor’s previous work. Finding satisfied clients is one of the most important cues to selecting a vendor that you’ll be satisfied with.

3. Shop Around. Be sure to acquire at least three quotes (one each from 3 separate vendors) before making a final selection. You’ll be surprised how much money you can save by getting multiple quotes for the same project. Even if you prefer a certain vendor over another, multiple quotes allow you to negotiate and make sure that each vendor is offering the same type of service. If prices vary greatly, ask your vendors why their pricing is so much higher - what are they including that the others aren’t?

4. Ask for a Detailed Project Outline. It’s very easy for projects to get started and quickly become sidetracked. Before beginning any project, make sure that your vendor provides you with a detailed outline of project dates and deliverables. This will not only set your expectations correctly, it will also detail what’s included in the proposed work. Ask your vendor, what happens if he/she misses a deliverable? How often do they complete their projects on time? The point here is to communicate with your marketing services vendor that you have expectations that must be met. This will allow for better project management throughout your marketing services engagement and ensure that all deliverables are achieved on or close to target.

5. Provide Partial Payment. Most marketing service vendors ask for part of the project payment up front. They realize that the fees you pay are partially based on satisfaction and completion of the work. If your marketing service vendor asks for the whole fee up front, tell the vendor that you will only agree to structured payments. This ensures project completion and gives you ability to manage deliverables throughout the project timeline.

If you’re going to be selecting a marketing services provider for your business, be sure to follow the steps outlined above. By shopping around and asking the right question, you can find a marketing services provider that is affordable, meets your needs, and does excellent work. If you don’t take the time to find the right vendor, don’t expect the outcome you’re looking for.

Michael Fleischner is the founder and President of MarketingScoop.com. He has appeared on major media including the TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and more. Visit http://www.MarketingScoop.com.