A F*REE electronic magazine... December 18, 2002
============================================================
A F*REE electronic magazine... January 1, 2003
============================================================
B I G B U C K S I N A B A T H R O B E
Make More Money & Have More Fun With Your Small Business!
============================================================
Publisher: Dave Balch, "The Stay-at-Home CEO"(tm)
"David made over $5 million at home and wants to help you
do the same or more"
Mark Victor Hanson, co-creator of the #1 best
selling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series
============================================================
I n T h i s I s s u e . . .
============================================================
H A P P Y N E W Y E A R ! ! !
I can't thank you enough for all of your messages of support
during this difficult year. I feel like I have found a new
family!
1. *New Feature* The Stay-at-Home CEO Recommends
2. A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
3. Feature: Article
"Communicate!"
4. Feature: "Ask Dave" - My take on your business problems
Using your laptop and desktop together
5. Feature: "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."
Horses' hammering
6. About "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe" Newsletter
7. Who the heck am I, anyway?
8. How to get on or get off of this list
You are on our list as <$email$>
(To be added/deleted from this list scroll to end for link.)
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
PLEASE FORWARD THIS issue to each of your friends who have
small or home-based businesses; they'll LOVE you for it!
(Be sure they know it's from you, or they'll think I sent
it without asking, which is a big no-no!) Thanks!
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
(c) Copyright 2003, A Few Good People, Inc. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11111 The Stay-at-Home CEO recommends:
*New Feature*
According to my recent subscriber survey, many of
you wanted my recommendations on various books
and products.
(While it is true that I may make small amounts of
money on some of these recommendations, my integrity
is NOT for sale: I would never recommend something I
didn't believe in 100%, just to make a buck.)
"How to Pick a Shopping Cart System that Makes You Money"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you think of a shopping cart system as an expense?
It doesn't have to be.
The right shopping cart can actually GENERATE more sales
from your online buyers, and increase sales to existing
customers, automatically!
So instead of a "cost of doing business", a shopping cart
can be a source of revenue!
Here is an incredible eBook that explains the powerful
shopping cart tools now available to online business owners.
I have always been an advocate of getting the right tools to
do the job; when all is said and done they pay for
themselves many times over. A shopping cart system is no
exception!
Don't settle for a piece of junk shopping cart that some
high school kid tells you about, or that comes free with
your web hosting service. I guarantee you'll be sorry if
you do.
"How to Pick a Shopping Cart System That Makes You Money"
gives you the real inside scoop on how to pick the right
system for you.
If you are serious about selling on the Internet, this will
be the best $9.95 you ever spent!
For more info: http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/cart/nl1.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
22222 A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few issues back I mentioned that I saw a truck on the
freeway with a business name on the side that didn't tell me
anything about that business. Here's the flip side:
This time the company name was "Air Bag Specialists, Inc."
Now THAT's a company name that says it all.
But wait, there's more!
Beneath the company name were the words "Sales,
Installation, Parts, and Service" Apparently they didn't
think that the company name DID say it all, so they made it
crystal clear.
A good example to follow, don't you think?
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MIN-E-SEMINAR:
"Secrets of an Actual $5 Million Home Business"
Eight e-mails in eight days that will change the way you run your
small business!
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/secrets/mine1.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
33333 A r t i c l e "Communicate!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Dave Balch, "The Stay-at-Home CEO(tm)"
Have you ever walked into a business and, just looking
around, didn't have very high hopes for the experience that
was about to come? It could be for a variety of reasons:
the physical appearance of the premises or fixtures, the
lighting, the body language of the employees, the smell in
the air, etc. Like it or not, we form these impressions on
superficial things and those impressions, in turn, mould our
expectations. The sad part is that things tend to happen
the way we expect them to happen (but that's another
column!).
I confess. That happened to me just a few minutes ago when
I walked into this pizza place for lunch. I am killing some
time between appointments and I came to this mall figuring I
could have lunch and write an article on my notebook
computer, which I just happened to have with me. The mall
is, uh, old, small, and almost vacant, with only a couple of
recognizable brand-name stores. The pizza place is one of
them, however, and that's why I'm here (not to mention that
it is the only eatery with a place to work).
The restaurant is clean, although a little run-down. The
lighting isn't very good, giving a somewhat dingy
appearance, and some of the customers look like vagabonds.
Shame on me, but I was prepared for a less than wonderful
experience.
I ordered some pizza slices and went to the drink-dispensing
counter. The man there looked up at me with a genuine,
cheery smile. I asked him for iced tea and he said, "Sure!
You get free refills and, before you leave, I'll fill it up
again and put it in a to-go container for you."
His enthusiasm caught me by surprise and his offer left me
feeling like I was well taken-care-of, even though I never
really needed anything from anyone for the rest of my meal.
I didn't need a refill, and I didn't take him up on his
to-go offer, but that small gesture made a huge difference
in my overall experience.
Think about it: if you can give your customers the feeling
that they are well taken care of they will be happy even if
something happens and they aren't!
They didn't offer me anything special, they simply made me
aware of the service they normally provide so I could take
advantage of it if I needed or wanted to. Let me repeat
that: "They simply made me aware of the service they
normally provide so I could take advantage of it if I needed
or wanted to".
It all boils down to communication. What is the point of
providing exceptional customer service if the customer only
sees it if they need it? Tell them up front and they will
feel good about you whether they end up taking advantage of
the service or not.
I'm not talking about selling points, such as an electronics
store that offers to replace any unit that has to be
repaired more than once. I'm talking about mentioning the
free gift-wrap, free delivery, or "free refill in a to-go
container" in the normal process of providing your product
or service.
How can you apply this concept? How can you better
communicate with your customers so that they'll feel good
about doing business with you?
Feel free to re-read this article as often as you like, with
my compliments...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
44444 "A s k D a v e"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Can I help you with a business problem? I will field
business questions in every issue. Send them to
mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com )
Ask whatever you'd like... all letters will remain anonymous.
Maybe my 2-cents'-worth will help you make "Big Bucks"!
(Maybe not!)
Today's question:
----------------
Dear Dave:
If possible and I thank you in advance very much, I'd like
to use both my notebook and desktop and reading your article
I found that it's possible....please how can I do this?
Tiziano, Italy
Hi Tiziano
Here is how to share files between your laptop and your
desktop:
First, you must be able to connect them on a network in
order to share files.
Next, set up a "Briefcase" on your laptop. You can do
this in Windows Explorer (to start Windows Explorer,
right-click the Start button and then click Explorer):
navigate to your C: drive and click File, New, Briefcase.
This will create the Briefcase, then you can rename it if
you want.
Then connect to your laptop using Windows Explorer, Map
Drive
Drag the files that you want on your laptop from your
desktop to the Briefcase that you set up on your laptop.
This will establish "Sync Copies" of those files in the
Briefcase.
Now you have copies on your laptop of the files that you
want to use. Once you have updated those files on either
computer, you must "Synchronize" the two computers so that
they both have the most recent version of the files.
Here's how to synchronize the two computers:
1. Both computers must be on your network.
2. On the laptop, use Windows Explorer to navigate to your
Briefcase. Double-click the briefcase to display the
files in the Briefcase. The laptop and desktop versions
of each file will be compared to see if they have been
changed. If so, the display will show you which files
need to be updated
3.Click Update All and the two computers will be
synchronized for the files in the Briefcase.
Here is how you would use this. Let's say you are going
on a trip and you want to work on some documents while you
are gone. Put those documents in the Briefcase on your
laptop. On your trip, you update the files in the
Briefcase. When you return, synchronize the files BEFORE
YOU UPDATE THOSE DOCUMENTS ON YOUR DESKTOP. This will
copy the updated versions of the file to your desktop.
The key to doing all of this is the Briefcase feature of
Windows. If you need more information, you can research
"Briefcase" in Windows Help or on the Internet in Windows
News Groups.
Good luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
55555 "M e a n w h i l e, b a c k at the r a n c h..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A glimpse into the life of this "Stay-at-Home CEO"
(Photos and short bios of the complete "cast of characters"
are posted at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/theranch.htm )
I am trying to think of something to write and I can hear
the horses in the barn, banging on the walls.
They do this because they have automatic feeders that
deliver feed pellets in the morning and they have learned
that if they can shake them a little by banging the walls, a
few extra pellets may fall out.
Based on the way it sounds, we think that they are secretly
building something down there; after all, we can hear them
"hammering" at all hours of the day and night. We can't
wait to see what it is. Maybe it's a new saddle rack!
-------------------- CHRIS' CANCER UPDATE
As of today Chris has had 20 of her 30 radiation treatments.
She continues to do very well; her skin is getting very red
and it burns a little, but she doesn't complain. Assuming
she doesn't miss any, her last one will be January 15. Then
it's just regular follow-ups with the Oncologist to see if
the cancer appears anywhere else in her body. It's a wait-
and-see game. For 10 years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
66666 A b o u t "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome! You are receiving this because either:
-You requested it on my website or after seeing me at a
speaking engagement
-I know you personally and thought you'd like it
-I asked you if I could send it and you said "Yes"
-Someone forwarded it to you because they thought you'd
like it.
If you don't want to receive future issues, scroll to the
bottom for instructions on how to be removed from the list.
No harm, no foul, no hurt feelings!
My goal is a bi-weekly newsletter that will:
-help you with your small or home-based business
-share articles of interest
-be informal and informative
-answer specific questions asked by readers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
77777 W h o t h e H e c k a m I, A n y w a y ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've generated over $5 million (so far!) from my own
home-based software business and I have a lot to share with
you about how I did it and what I learned along the way.
Now, as a professional speaker, I offer programs that will
help you and your employees "Make More Money and Have More
Fun" with your small or home-based business!
Visit me at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com for descriptions
of the programs and educational resources that I offer.
The "Big Bucks Boutique" offers resources and materials that
will help you "Make More Money and Have More Fun" with your
business. Take a look at
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/boutique.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
88888 H o w to S u b s c r i b e / U n s u b s c r i b e
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please note:
- This newsletter is sent every other week.
- Comments and suggestions are always welcome!
- Your information is NEVER intentionally shared with
ANYone for ANY reason. PERIOD.
- Contact me at mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com
- HOW TO GET ON OUR LIST: If this issue was forwarded to
you and you would like to receive your own copy (and OF
COURSE you DO!), you can sign-up at
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com
A Few Good People, Inc.
P.O. Box 824
Twin Peaks, CA 92391
1-800-366-2347
|
