Robert Contreras

The winter blahs are starting to set in, leaving many a cubicle dweller staring longingly beyond the gray half walls that surround them on three sides, wondering what else is out there.

In fact, there are quite a few cool and in-demand jobs outside the cubicle. Some capitalize on the demand for health care as Baby Boomers come of age, while others capitalize on the trends in technology and social media. Whatever the reason, these jobs aren’t bound by Dilbert-onian rules.

“I think many people secretly fantasize about the freedom that working outside the office provides,” said Jeremy Redleaf, a filmmaker and creator of the job site Odd Job Nation. ”Jobs outside the cubicle allow you the freedom to construct the life that you want.”

Here are a dozen of the coolest jobs outside the cubicle:

Virtual Question Answerer

The economy may be improving but companies are still trying to cut costs — and one of the ways they do that is by reducing the number of full-time employees physically in the office, and taking advantage of the push to move more business online.

“We’ve seen a proliferation of e-businesses looking for ‘virtual field agents’ to answer basic questions in real-time or write articles about simple tasks,” Redleaf said. “While it’s a great way to make money wherever you are, this one’s not for slow typists or the easily fatigued — it’s a volume game when they’re paying per answer.”

One ad for a virtual question answerer on Craigslist appealed to job seekers’ interest in getting paid for things they’re already doing: “Do you spend your day looking up random things online?? Might as well get paid for it!! We are searching for people to reply to questions received by the most popular mobile service in the country. We get thousands of questions every hour and need people to get online and find the answers. You must be at least eighteen years of age and extremely proficient at using various search engines. Pays per question,” the ad read.

Mobile App Developer

Sick of your cubicle? Yeah, there’s an app for that.

Developers who make mobile apps are in demand — and they don’t always need to be in the office or even employed full-time as an app developer.

“That’s really a rare skill,” Paul Forster, CEO of Indeed.com, said of mobile app developers. “People who have those skills can dictate their working conditions, he said. “If you want to get the best app developer you may not be able to say come and work from our office here … you may have to fit in with their working priorities.”

There are over 3,000 job listings for mobile-app developers on Indeed.com, paying $50,000 and up — some over $100,000, and it’s the No. 2 trending topic on the site right now. One ad for a mobile-app developer read “Rockstars Only,” while another from Nokia sought a “User Interface Evangelist.”

Videogame Tester

It’s every kid’s dream: To be a professional videogame tester.

There are a couple hundred listings for game testers on Indeed.com, with pay ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 or more.

The cool thing is that you get to test the games before they’re released. The downside is you have to keep playing the same games over and over and over again until you break them, find a glitch, etc.

Hey, that’s the price you pay to play!

Recreational Therapist

As the Baby Boomer generation ages, demand for health-care workers is surging. But not all of those jobs require you to be in a doctor’s office or hospital, which, let’s face it, is the medical equivalent of a cubicle.

Recreational therapists help patients who were injured recover using all kinds recreational activities, from sports and games to arts, music and dance.

The average wage is about $40,000, according to the Labor Department.

The Labor Department projects demand for recreational therapists will outpace the average for all occupations in the next decade due to the aging Boomer population.

Concierge Doctor

Most doctors are feeling the crush of having to see several thousand patients a year, and patients are feeling rushed. And, with health-care reform threatening to flood waiting rooms with even more patients, an increasing number of patients are choosing to pay extra for the privilege of having a personal physician.

“Concierge doctors,” as they’re known, are private doctors that charge patients an annual fee of anywhere from $1,000 to $25,000 per year for more personalized service. Patients can call or email them anytime of the day or night, don’t have to wait for appointments and get longer appointments. Plus, they’ll make house calls if you want them to.

Doctors appreciate having 50 to 500 patients instead of a couple thousand and the patients appreciate the quality of care they get.

Professional Twitter-er

Social media hasn’t just changed the way we live, it’s changed the way companies operate — and advertise.

“Every business can benefit from some tender Twitter care … and they’re often willing to pay an impressive hourly rate if you can turn those 140 characters into 100 percent brand loyalty,” Redleaf said. “We highly recommend building up your individual following before going after these juicy virtual positions.”

It’s still a growing field, so a good chunk of these jobs are on a consulting or part-time basis. On an hourly basis, it’s about $10 to $50 an hour, Redleaf says.

There are over 40,000 jobs on Indeed.com that in some way involve Twitter, ranging from $30,000 to $100,000 or more. It’s so hot, it’s the No. 4 trending topic on Indeed.com right now.

Brand Ambassador

It’s not just Twitter, companies are increasingly hiring people to be their “brand ambassadors,” really working the interactivity of their marketing.

“It’s been clear that there are conversations about products taking place on the web and companies need to engage in those conversations,” Forster said. “They’re becoming less unidirectional, where companies broadcast their brand messages and more interactive.”

It’s not just the Internet, either. With growing markets in Spanish-speaking countries and emerging markets like China, companies are increasingly hiring bi-lingual brand ambassadors.

There are more than 4,000 listings on Indeed.com for brand ambassadors, paying $20,000 to $100,000 or more. Plus, there are companies emerging like Jason Sadler’s IWearYourShirt.com, where companies pay for Sadler, a professional T-shirt wearer (pictured left), and others to wear their shirt and then engage their fans in discussions about the products, from Twitter to Facebook and YouTube.

Geologist

Hiring in the field of geology is expected to increase by 22 percent over the next few years, according to a recent survey by CareerCast.

The field is benefiting from concerns about the environment, with demand rising for everything from petroleum geologists, who study ocean or land terrain for oil and gas deposits to engineering geologists, who are used for everything from land development and construction to environmental remediation.

The typical starting salary is around $42,000 but can triple to $155,000 or more, according to CareerCast. Indeed.com has about 2,000 listings for geologists.

It’s great for the cubicle-averse — much of your time is spent in the field, though you’re still going to need to be able to use a computer as many jobs still involve computer modeling and data analysis.

Pilot

This one is for those who seek the thrill of the open skies.

(Cue the “Top Gun” music.)

The top 10 percent of commercial pilots earn an average of $120 an hour, according to PayScale.com. Though, most pilots aren’t in the air 40 hours a week as the FAA limits flying time to a max of 100 hours a month.

The best opportunities are still with commercial airlines, but as aviation requirements get stricter and stricter, private planes are becoming more popular.

Indeed.com has nearly 20,000 listings for pilot-related jobs, paying anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 or more.

Tutor

Spending cuts for public schools and escalating competitiveness driven by a tighter economy mean tutors will increasingly be in demand as students seek to get an edge.

Tutoring jobs pay anywhere from $10 to $80 an hour, depending on location and subject.

Indeed.com currently has nearly 16,000 listings for tutors, from pre-K to pre-calculus.

Focus Group Participant

Here’s one that you don’t think of as a job but if you need the extra money, it can be a good gig.

Companies are always looking for focus group participants to give them real feedback on their products. In this tight economy, companies can’t afford any missteps with products that bomb.

Focus groups can pay upward of $200 an hour for your time, according to Redleaf. “The focus group consistently supplies the best time-to-money ratio,” he says.

The key, he says, is to sign up with several focus group facilities as many have limits on how much of your opinion they’re willing to take!

Indeed.com has about 80,000 job listings involving focus groups, including focus group designers and focus group moderators — two roles you probably didn’t think of!

Cable Box Recovery Technician

This one is a sign of the times: As Internet-connected TVs proliferate, and cable companies increasingly tighten the screws on customers to squeeze more money out of them, an increasing number of customers are cutting ties with their old cable companies and keeping the set-top boxes.

These are pretty pricey little items, so Redleaf reports that companies will pay you $500 to $1,000 per week to recover those boxes.

A recent ad on Craigslist for one of these jobs called the technicians “road warriors” and counted “street smarts” among the skills required.

Road warriors? Paying handsomely to recover a precious box? Sounds like the plot to the next “Indiana Jones” movie!

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There is no hiding from it anymore now, if you are running a business today, no matter how small or large it is, you need to be online and have a website for a business.

Why is it important for any business to have a web site? No one needed web site in past and many businesses today are still run successfully and profitable without having or needing a web site? So what is the big talk all about?

While the above statement still stands true for majority of it and having the web site is not a life or death matter when it comes to any business, times are changing and having the web site is pretty much becoming the essential component of any business just as same as having the phone or fax number where customers can reach you.

Web site operates and is visible 24 hours a day 365 days a year. A web site does not need to close off at the end of the business day, take a weekend off, ask for vacation or take a sick day. So to be to the point, a web site is an advertising tool that will bring your business in front of potential customer’s eyes regardless if your store is open or not.

The major aim of small and medium size businesses today is to convert their website to a revenue generating tool that increases their visibility while delivering insight into possible prospects for the business. Every business small or big is looking to develop an effective web presence altogether or to up-grade their existing website to make it more compelling and captivating for visitors while making use to modern day web tools like web to lead, social bookmarking and forums to enhance user experience and generate the all important business leads which is the ultimate aim of any web presence.

It is very important to find the right web design firm that can create a good website with all functionality at decent cost. Even more important is the quality of website maintenance services that the firm offers. The decision to select the appropriate web design firm should be taken with a lot of care.

We would want to introduce a few web design agencies to our readers that we have found worth recommending. The first is LogoVertical.com. They are a full services logo, website and marketing material design agency that offer you high quality services at a decent cost.

Website design services offered by LogoVertical.com start at $337 however the package we would recommend would be the $525 one is which you can get a custom website of up to 15 pages designed with numerous amount of revisions. This package would include modern day features like a contact us form, forum, SEO submissions, social bookmarking extension, up to 20 email accounts and most impressive a 1 year free hosting which would usually cost you around $50/year. You can also view other packages offered on their website LogoVertical.com.

We would recommend our readers to take a look at the web design services offered by them. You can also fill a short form on their Website LogoVertical.com to request free consultation and a web design professional will get back to you and give you advice about your project. LogoVertical.com also offers logo design and brochure design services along with printing at great rates. Make sure to ask your consultant if they can offer you any deals if you take more than one services from them.

We will review more web design agencies in the coming weeks. Please send us feedback about your experiences with LogoVertical.com.

Want to build some wealth in 2011? Revisit those New Year’s resolutions.

You probably haven’t thought about your pledges in more than a month. But odds are at least one of them involves getting rid of debt, increasing your income or building some financial security.

To help you out, nine experts in the fields of money, debt, real estate and consumer affairs have shared their best wealth-building tips for 2011.

1. Funnel That FICA Cut Into a Retirement Windfall

David Bendix, CPA/PFS, CFP, president of The Bendix Financial Group:

Take the money you won’t pay in FICA, or Federal Insurance Contributions Act, taxes this year and redirect it to your 401(k). “It’s a great concept that you’re taking that 2 percent and using it to fund your retirement,” he says. “It’s one great technique for the coming year.”

Tip for success: For the maximum impact, talk with human resources ASAP and change your deductions, Bendix says. One hopes the habit of saving a little more will stick with you through next year, too, he says.

2. Look For Low-Cost Mutual Funds and Watch Those Fees

Jill Gianola, CFP, owner of Gianola Financial Planning, LLC, and author of “The Young Couple’s Guide to Growing Rich Together”:

“One of my favorite ways to build wealth is to pay close attention to the cost of investing and stick to low-cost, no-load mutual funds,” she says.

One example: “If you invested $10,000 in small-cap, value funds with a commission and higher-than-average operating expenses and earned 7 percent a year for 10 years, your balance would be $16,005 and you would have paid a sales charge of $575 and $1,890 in operating expenses,” she says.

“Compare that to investing the same amount for the same time period earning the same return in a no-load, small-cap, value fund with low operating expenses,” she says. “Your balance would be $19,128 and you would have paid $408 in operating expenses.” The difference: $3,123.

Tip for success: Calculate cost and differences with Bankrate’s mutual fund fees calculator.

3. No Shortcuts: Year After Year of Consistent Savings

Ric Edelman, chairman and CEO of Edelman Financial Services LLC, and author of “The Truth About Money”:

“The best way to build wealth remains unchanged: Invest as much money as you can (which is usually more than you think you can) into a diversified set of low-cost mutual funds and exchange-traded funds — and keep doing this for many years, no matter what.”

4. Get Rid of High-Interest Card Debt

David Jones, president of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies:

“For most people, building wealth is not about what to do with excess disposable income,” he says, but “how to keep more of the money that they earn.”

“The best way to do that: Reduce the amount of money spent on interest payments — especially high-interest payments attached to credit card purchases,” Jones says. “If a consumer can work to pay off just one high-interest credit card and not overcharge it again, then the money saved after it is paid off can go to a building-wealth plan. This may not be easy, and it may take time, but it’s a realistic goal for just about every consumer.”

Tip for success: Find a certified credit counselor to help you draft your own personal spending plan for free. To find one, visit either the AICCCA or the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

“If the consumer sticks to that plan, it will be their best chance to begin a systematic process for building wealth,” Jones says. “It may be modest at first, but with diligence, everyone can have a chance to improve their financial circumstances.”

5. Buy a Home

Ron Phipps, president of the National Association of Realtors and principal broker for Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I.:

Want to build wealth in 2011? Buy a home, Phipps says. Mortgage rates are low, selection is great, prices are about one-third lower than five years ago, “and, by the way, you can live in the investment,” he says.

Homeownership remains a long-term vehicle to financial independence and wealth, Phipps says.

Tip for success: Even though it sounds “pretty elementary,” it’s especially vital to “use common sense when buying and selling,” Phipps says. “Price at the market to sell. Buy what you need and can afford.”

6. Balanced, Diversified Portfolio Plus Education

Karen Altfest, CFP, principal adviser and executive vice president of client relations at Altfest Personal Wealth Management, a fee-only financial planning firm based in New York:

“Have a balanced portfolio,” Altfest says. “So many people think that as they get older, money will come from interest. The secret is (keeping) a well-balanced, diversified portfolio and learning what it all means.”

Too many times, people take the “set it and forget it” approach with their retirement accounts, she says. But you shouldn’t “let it get cobwebs because you can’t deal with it,” Altfest says. “Get help.” Your goal for the year: Get educated about what’s in your retirement accounts and why.

Tip for success: You don’t solely want only fixed-rate instruments such as bonds and CDs, she says, because it takes more than compounding interest to build a retirement fund.

7. If You Have an HSA, Max It Out

Eric Tyson, author of “Investing for Dummies” and “Personal Finance for Dummies”:

“I’m a very big fan of (health savings accounts) because they offer better potential tax benefits than a traditional retirement fund,” Tyson says. With HSAs, investors receive an upfront tax break, compounding investment earning, and pay no tax on the money that is withdrawn “as long as its use is for health expenses,” he says.

But the device might not work for everyone. “Obviously, you have to have a high-deductible health plan,” he says.

Before 65, if you pull money from your HSA for nonhealth expenses, you’ll pay income tax and a 20 percent penalty on the withdrawal. After 65 (or in cases of death or disability), such withdrawals are taxed as income — without the 20 percent penalty.

The maximum you can put into an HSA in 2011 is $3,050 for an individual account (plus an extra $1,000 if you’re 55 or older), and $6,150 for a family account, he says.

8. Do Your Due Diligence

John Breyault, director of the National Consumer League’s Fraud Center:

To build wealth that you can rely on, vet the adviser and the investment thoroughly, Breyault recommends. Some red flags:

• Guaranteed returns. “There’s no such thing as a guaranteed return,” he says.

• Pressure. “If it’s a good investment opportunity today, it will be a good investment opportunity tomorrow.”

• Nothing in writing or a reluctance to share information you could present to a third-party. “If it’s a significant sum of money, I wouldn’t hesitate to run it by an attorney,” Breyault says.

• A significant upfront sum. “You shouldn’t have to invest more than you’re comfortable with,” he says.

Also, “you should be able to get your money out easily,” Breyault says.

Tip for success: Run investments and their representatives past state protection agencies such as the office of consumer protection and the state attorney general’s office, he says. Also check with business sources such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau.

Check with regulating authorities such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, BrokerCheck, the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. And verify any degrees and accreditations directly with the bodies that offer them.

And run a Google search on the company name, principals and basics of the investment.

9. Start Your Own Side Business

Robert Pagliarini, CFP, president of Pacifica Wealth Advisors and author of “The Other 8 Hours: Maximize Your Free Time to Create New Wealth and Purpose”:

“Start a business in your free time,” he says. “I’m a big proponent of having a side venture, something you are passionate about that you can work on after your ‘day job.’

“I think this is the best advice to give someone now — especially for those who are unemployed,” Pagliarini says. “And starting a business doesn’t have to cost much, if any, money.”

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by Dana Dratch

Business ideas from home requires hard work and learning new skills. The global economy makes more people are turning to the Internet and get their livelihood from it. This business idea will show some ways how to make extra money from home online and erases what you need to run it. You should know, the construction of a home business takes time and days to complete. Do not listen to these exaggerations, intended to be a millionaire or make overnight.

Some people are so emotional that the acquisition of goods, which claims to wealth and over, but the application time is another exaggeration. Sure, you can earn money working from home, but we need more knowledge. If you do not use this knowledge in your business, online business is not for you.

A great way to earn more extra money is a freelance writer. There are sites where many freelance writing work are necessary and marketing subsidiary of the other in search of quality content to implement in your blog or website. Some retailers may offer keywords, what they want in the contents and it would be much easier to write the article or information retrieval. You will receive your payment, then your article writing is accepted by the customer. If you like writing and doing research, so maybe an independent writing might be for you.

virtual call centers are another way to earn extra money from home .. Get call center companies to hire people to work for them and help with appeals, it is true during the holidays when a call is increased. This work is carried out to make gifts online sites, pharmacies and distributors of clothing. You must be comfortable with schedules and deadlines, so you can succeed and be able to work with customers and independent unpleasant. What skills do you need this? A good knowledge of English, spend hours on the phone. The work can take up to a maximum average of 30 hours per week, but sometimes more than 50 hours.

The best way to make a quick and easy money online is affiliate marketing. Need to sell other peoples products or services on the web developer or company has a product or some type of software, to help people to current problems. Marketing reach of others to help sell the service or product. Some companies that have affiliate marketing in your business plan sorted for your system. Just sign up with a subsidiary of affiliate marketing is more popular and choose CLICKBANK, what you want to promote. Well, is not just participate and you are successful, the system is still little information about yourself. Not covered by these requirements on the Internet. You will be disappointed and become a deserter and discouraged before you can make money. Acquire research skills and to succeed in your home business and grow.

Hat Tip: Thanks

It is normal for everyone to strive for career growth. It makes them feel that their hard work has borne fruit and that the promotion is really the best reward they can get.

However, for some whose luck seems to be illusory, who must find their own growth somewhere else. That’s why most of them opted for executive job search, where they hope one day they would be happy to find work direction, they have long dreamed of.

But it’s really a coincidence? Or there are some factors to be considered in seeking the high office of your dreams?

Landing a good executive job is not dependent on luck. People who want to learn some tips for job search business executives, here are some pointers on how to get that dream job:

1. Killer looks

The saying, “Looks Could Kill” is an understatement. Despite the killing word only used the card and look up the word is sometimes associated with sight. But what is emphasized is that it seems definitely can kill a person’s chances at landing the use of the address where the applicant had lost an important factor: appearance.

As the saying goes, first impressions last, so it would be better to make that first impression by just looking for work. After all, a person whose desire to occupy a position of leadership, then you should wear appropriate clothing for the job. Thus, the work of leadership, had been looking for could well become a reality.

2. Restraint

For a managerial position, most employers want to hire already an expert in their own territory. This means that candidates must be versed in the areas relevant to their careers. This will show that the applicant has already started a coherent career and is already knowledgeable in this area.

You’ll do no good to a candidate who claims to be a “jack of all trades, but master of none.” Six of the 10 candidates who are hired for their expertise in a particular area. It only means that employers are more concerned about people who have already mastered their careers and have established continuous career.

Finding a job available in the leadership may be one thing but actually getting that dream executive job is another story. Looking and acting the part of the landing that dream job!

Hat Tip: Thanks

As you launch your new  business or wish to elevate it to the next level of success, it will be critical to have an efficient and cost effective marketing strategy. Having a great product, deal, or service will not bear any fruits of your labor if you are not reaching the proper audience. The following information will highlight many concepts and recommendations you may want to consider as part of your marketing plan. Because of the general nature of this material, all information may not apply to your specific business model.

Marketing and Advertising Concepts

• Recommendations Go a Long Way

Perhaps one of the most powerful tools you can ever have in your marketing arsenal that you can’t buy for any price is to have people who have done business with you, or are familiar with your business ethics and professionalism to provide positive recommendations. You need to capitalize on all of the hard work and service you have provided in the past to instill confidence among your new relationships that you will continue to provide the same premier performance. We have all been exposed to testimonials and recommendations throughout many aspects of our life. Clearly, most people don’t need any further convincing beyond a sincere recommendation from someone not benefiting from the referral.

• Use Referrals And Recommendations As A Marketing Tool

As you establish your history of past success stories, you should compile this information and share it with people you are trying to influence with regards to your ability to perform. An example of this could be a presentation folder that could include a summary of past projects as well as copies of any written letters of recommendations. In addition, you should have readily available a list of past clients that have given you permission to give out their contact information as a reference. You will have far more credibility if you provide this information in advance as part of your presentation material instead of your new potential client having to request this information; proactively providing this information will demonstrate your confidence in your services.

• Know Where Your Leads Are Coming From

To have an effective marketing program, it will be critical for you to know what strategies are making the phone ring. When you fully understand what approaches are producing results, you can shift marketing efforts and capital away from the methods that are not producing the desired results and apply them to the methods that are successful. During your day to day activities when making inquiries on services and products you need, I’m sure you have been asked “Where did you see our ad” or “How did you hear about us”. This is their attempt to do their own marketing research on what is working for them.There are a number of techniques you may want to consider that will help you to understand where your leads are coming from. Of course you can just come out and ask them. Alternatively, you could use the following methods:

- The use of different color stock on forms can help you establish what “color area” is responding.
- Have each different ad have a unique “offer number” and ask for his number during your conversations.
- Have a different response phone number for each ad or location.

• Keeping Your Marketing Plan Going

There is one mistake that is common to new smaller businesses, once they get busy with the business that is coming from their marketing efforts, they become distracted and lose focus on keeping the marketing plan going. An example of this is getting wrapped up in a flip you are directly involved with that is taking away from your time to send out direct mail letters. Remember, with most of the common business models, once you’re done with the current deal, you need to get another one in the pipeline; otherwise, the flow of income may stop or be reduced. As another example, have you ever tried to get an estimate for a repair on your house? It seems they are all too busy on the job they are currently on to stop and work on new business.

• Delegate Or Outsource Your Marketing Activities

As you are developing or expanding your business, the day to day challenges of running your business along with everything else going on in your life can stand in the way of you working your marketing plan. If you feel this is occurring and is affecting your potential business success, it may be to your advantage to either delegate or outsource some or all of your marketing activities. Using this technique will allow you to free up some time that could be used to work on items that will help you grow the company. Some examples of the marketing tasks that could be delegated or outsourced are highlighted below:- Preparing and mailing marketing materials and direct mail letters
- Distribution of flyers
- E-mail support
- Covering phone calls

Keep in mind that before you let other people get involved with your marketing and speaking with potential clients and customers, make sure they have been adequately trained and the process has been documented in your company procedures (see “How to Write Your Business Plan” for information on the development of standard work modules).

• Dealing with Rejection

As you develop your marketing strategy and “hitting the streets”, you should be prepared to face some level of rejection. The level of rejection you will experience will be determined based upon your approach, persistence, and what is the current situation and state of mind of the person you are dealing with. If for example your marketing model is focusing on homeowners in foreclosure, there will be a very high rate of rejection. In some cases they may be in denial regarding their current situation and also because they have been overwhelmed with the interest in their property from all of the investors who saw the Lis Pendens filed. You must recognize that this type of marketing is a numbers game and the more people you have an opportunity to make contact with, the higher the probability to secure business.

• Even Rejection Can Make You Money

As you work through your targeted marketing area and encounter rejection, remember that each door closed in your face or phone call hang-up will get you closer to a completed transaction. If for example it takes 100 calls to close a deal worth $5,000 than each rejection is worth $50.00! Although difficult at first to imagine that rejection makes you money, it could help motivate you to move on to the next door slamming or phone-hang-up opportunity.

• Your Marketing Should Have A Look

As part of your marketing efforts to “brand” your company, you may want to consider the use of logo’s, slogans, and trademarks in all of your ads and promotional merchandise. In addition, the use of “company colors” that is used exclusively in all of your marketing will also help to create a unique look that will help to set you apart from your competition.

• Marketing and Advertising Techniques

The following section will provide you with some specific recommendations on marketing techniques you may want to consider. Since this information is generic in nature, all recommendations may not apply to your particular business model.
Due to the significant impact on operating budgets to fund marketing and advertising activities, you should be very critical on what methods become part of your Business Plan.

• Buy A Ton Of Business Cards

One of the most inexpensive and effective ways for you to market yourself and your business is through the distribution of your business cards. During networking and casual meeting opportunities, the exchange of business cards will be a critical tool for you to assemble your contact list. Even if you are just starting out and don’t even have a company or services to offer, the small investment in business cards will allow others to have your contact information. At a minimum, the card should contain the following information:- Your name
- Title or company name
- Fax number
- Phones number(s)
- E-mail address
- Websites

In addition, you can add information with regards to the specific business models you are involved with, for example:

- Foreclosures
- Short Sales
- Property Management
- Rehabs

• Business Cards Design Suggestions

- Make your business cards stand out with bright colors or interesting artwork or graphics.
- Avoid the glossy type of paper because it is difficult to write on (in the event the person you are giving them to would like to make some comments on meeting you or your services).
- Use the back of the card as well to provide additional information on your business; why waste valuable marketing space?
- Have a powerful hook on the cards to include statements like:
- “We will close in 7 days”
- “We buy all houses in any condition”
- “We buy with all cash”
- “Get a $250 referral Fee”

• Bandit Signs

Bandit signs are a great way to attract attention from people on foot or in vehicles. These signs are usually 2′ X 3′ or smaller and are designed to either stick in the ground or mounted to a pole. This method of advertising is very economical and when using the plastic version will allow for repeated use. It is suggested that you get them printed on both sides if you plan or placing them in areas where people will be coming from both directions.

• Displaying Ads and Signs

Proper utilization of the various types of ads and signs will help support your efforts in establishing high visibility and presence in your targeted marketing area. The number of ways to display your company name, logo, and services you provide is limited only by your imagination. The following section will highlight the most common locations and methods you may want to consider for posting your ads:- On billboards (very popular in rural and city areas)
- Sponsor or adopt a community bench, garden, or road clean-up.
- On buses
- On railroad cars and stations
- Local community and church newsletters
- Placemats in diners and restaurants (I always read these things while I’m waiting for my food)
- Place signs on your property while you are working on it and marketing it.
- Advertising lettering or magnetic signs for your vehicles.

When using lettering or magnetic signs for your vehicle make sure to check local ordinances; by placing a sign on your vehicle could make it be considered a commercial vehicle. Also when using magnetic signs, make sure they are secured properly. I have heard instances of these signs flying off during high speed travel and when exposed to rain. If you can also have a sign on your trunk, it will make it easy for people to read it as they follow behind you or at stop signs and traffic lights. Make sure to use large text size on your contact number.

• Marketing Flyers

When designing flyers, it will be important for you to use bright colors to attract the eye. When placing them in stores, your flyer may be among dozens of other items that are posted so it must have some punch. To help minimize the chances of someone just taking the entire flyer, design it to have tear-off tabs at the bottom that contains minimal information on your services and a contact number.

• Check Local Ordinances

When using signs and flyers as part of your marketing program, make sure you check with your local town regulations to ensure you are not in violation. Most towns have laws on the books that prohibit the display of signs and may come with substantial fines.

• People Love Giveaways

Another marketing tool that will help you with your company exposure is to give out small gifts that promote your business and services. The possibilities are endless on the type of give-a-ways you can come up with and is limited only by your imagination and budget. The following list will provide some recommendations that are typically used for this purpose:- Shirts and jackets
- Calendars
- Recipe cards
- Hats
- Letter openers
- Golf balls, tees, or towels
- Refrigerator magnets
- Stationary items (pens, pads, binders, etc.)
- Cups
- Totes and bags

When selecting the product give-a ways, you want to pick items that are designed to encourage use (nobody will wear an ugly tee shirt; it will be probably used as a rag). Avoid one time use products like candy, cookies, etc. Many companies offer these types of products at various price point budgets. Do a web search on “marketing merchandise” and you will get some great ideas. To reiterate, you may want to keep a consistent look to all of your marketing gifts.

• Be An Exhibitor Or Sponsor

Another outstanding marketing method you may want to consider is to participate as an exhibitor or sponsor at conventions and investment organization meetings. These events can be very effective in reaching people that may benefit from your services. Sponsorship and exhibitor costs can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands depending on the venue and size of the organizations. With many organizations, you may have an opportunity to set up a display table as well as a speaking slot to highlight your services. One comment with regards to this marketing option is that people typically feel more comfortable doing business with you when they see you as a “regular” sponsor and not a one shot deal because it adds more credibility that you will be around. This type of marketing could be a significant drain on your allocated budget and it will be critical for you to determine if the appropriate level of business is being derived from this approach to justify the expense. By doing a web search for Investment Clubs and organizations you can select particular groups you would like to focus on.

• Advertise In Hard Papers

Running ads in hard papers such as newspapers and trade magazines can be a great way for you to keep your company’s products and services in the eyes of the readers. Although this method of advertising can consume a majority or your marketing budget, it can represent a tremendous opportunity to reach a large mass of people. When considering using this advertising method, you may want to implement some of the following recommendations:- Have a “hook” to your ad like “We will close with cash in 72 hours”.
- Advertise constantly
I’m sure you have observed ads that always seem to be displayed. This constant exposure although costly, will help to develop your company’s long term credibility.
- If your ad is listed in column form, consider adding a blank space above and below the text, this will make the ad stand out.
- If possible, use a contrasting or reverse color or text from the standard format.

• Out of State Newspapers

Based upon the particular business model you are involved with, it may be necessary to either advertise or receive copies of out of state newspapers.Using Public Records
Depending on your particular marketing areas or contact group, you may have good success accessing the public records that are available on-line. The information available will vary from state to state and also based on local township on-line capabilities.

The Use of Purchased Lists
An effective method to locate a particular group of people or businesses is to purchase a list from companies that specialize in generating and selling information about specific groups of people. An example of these types of lists includes the following:

- Recent graduates
- Recently relocated
- Recently sold their home
- Recently turned a milestone age (example:18,21,50,62,65)
- Recent Lis Pendens filings

The lists of possibilities are endless. Companies that generate and/or sell these lists are marketed by “List Brokers”. Try a Google search on this and you will see how big this information industry really is.

• Be Prepared to Get Responses to Your Marketing Champaign

There is one area that many people fear when launching their marketing strategy and you need to get properly prepared for this and that is getting responses to your marketing efforts. The last thing you want to exhibit to people who are reaching out to you is your lack of confidence in being able to help them. In addition to having a strong foundation of knowledge in the particular business model you are marketing, you will need to develop a standard process on what you will do when they start calling you or responding to your calls. It is suggested that you put together a scripted dialog or bullet list that you will use when speaking with potential clients. The dialog or bullet list should be used as a guide as you are speaking with them to ensure you are gathering the appropriate data from them and presenting all of the critical highlights of why they should consider working with you.

• Practice Makes Perfect

It will be absolutely critical to make sure you are projecting confidence when speaking to potential clients. I have spoken to many people who have left the leads hanging because of their fear in making contact with them; one way to mitigate this fear is by practicing and learning from your good and bad experiences. It is suggested that you conduct role playing to practice your approach. Another strategy that works well is to record your conversations and listen back to them. It will be critical to extract lessons learned from the calls and to apply these lessons to future calls. Keep in mind that the more you do this, the more effective and successful your “close rate” will be.

• Don’t Touch That Mailbox

Keep in mind that you are prohibited from placing anything in a mailbox that does not have the appropriate postage. If you practice this technique, there is a very good chance you will be contacted by a representative from the postal service.

• Creating Your Buyers and Clients List

Whether your real estate business model is wholesaling, rehabbing, selling notes, or any other model that requires you to rely on someone “taking your deal” will require you to understand the investment goals of your potential clients. To achieve the highest degree of project turn-over efficiency and to minimize your risk exposure, you will need to have investors and clients in a stand-by mode waiting for you to hand them your next investment opportunity they will consider. It will be very important that as you begin to launch your marketing and networking activities, you have a method to compile the investment criteria of your buyers or clients. It would be very efficient to have this information as part of a spreadsheet database. To help gather this information, you could create a form that can be filled out that will highlight the investment goals of your buyers or clients.Having a comprehensive buyers list that includes the specific criteria of your buyer will help you to align available investment opportunities to the appropriate investors. In addition, understanding these criteria in advance will allow you to go out and seek new investments that you know will fit into the investment strategy of your buyers and clients that will be willing to pull the trigger if you bring them a good deal. The following list will provide examples of common criteria you would want from your investors (let’s assume for this example we are involved in the flipping business model)

- Specific locations
- Price point
- Age of property
- Class of property (A,B, C, D)
- Type of property (single-family, multi-family, commercial)
- Financial expectations
- Cash flow
- Cash on Cash returns
- Minimum percent of equity position
- Capitalization Rate
- Condition of property
- Creative Financing

Also keep in mind the relationship you develop from your Buyer’s List may also be a source for deals they bring to you. Perhaps a deal is too big or too small for a particular investor or they are too busy to get involved in another project at this time. The fact that you have presented them with investment opportunities in the past can set the stage for them to feed you a deal.

• Qualify Your Buyer’s List

It will be critical for you to establish if the contacts on your Buyer’s List are able and willing to take deals that meet their investment criteria. The last thing you need when you are trying to wholesale a deal is to find out your buyer’s are just tire-kickers. One way to help avoid this situation is to get to know your buyer’s and become familiar with their past success. Through your networking and relationship building with these buyers’s, you should be able to feel them out with regards to their ability to pull the trigger.I’m sure you’ve heard before, “If I find a great deal, I know the buyers will follow.” Although there is some logic to this statement, if you have buyer’s queued up in advance knowing their investment criteria, it will help to minimize your risk of not being able to close the deal; this can be a real concern when you are in a stale or decreasing market.

• Your Extended Marketing Team

In addition to your planned direct marketing efforts, there could be past clients, family, friends or business associates that may provide additional sources of leads and business for you. This circle of contacts if properly utilized could be another informal arm of your comprehensive marketing plan. Although most people would normally pass along any services or products you provide to someone they know in need with no compensation; one sure way to motivate them to help bring in additional business is for you to offer a referral program. Depending upon the business model you are involved with, you could compensate them on a per deal basis. It is suggested that you provide these contacts with some of your marketing material.

• Using Bird-Dogs To Augment Your Marketing

To bring the concept of an extended informal marketing team to the next level, you may want to enlist the help from people whose specialty is to locate deals for clients and present them for consideration. These people are called Bird-Dogs and they do this work as part of their business model. When using Bird-Dogs, it will be critical that they understand your criteria so they will not waste your time or theirs. Usually Bird-Dogs will only get compensated if a deal closes. A Bird-Dog fee is usually paid at closing.

• Using Technology To Market More Efficiently

Have Your Own Website
Having a website can be a powerful tool to provide current and potential clients information on the products and services your company offers. The use of websites is so common that omitting it from your marketing campaign could certainly lead towards lost business. Remember, there is a very good chance that your competitors will have a website.

The subscription or development cost of your website can have a very large range depending upon the features. You should expect to pay $30-50 per month for a web design service provider that uses pre-designed templates you can edit. On the other extreme, you can pay thousands for a custom designed site.

When selecting a domain name, it is suggested that you use a name that reflects your business and is also easy to remember

Although having a website can be instrumental to the success of your business model, it will be useless unless you can attract visitors to your site to see what you offer. There are many strategies you can consider to help direct visitors to your site, some of techniques are listed below:

- Have a reference to your website on all of your printed material and e-mails you generate as well as marketing giveaways you hand out like coffee mugs or pens.
- Write on-line articles for websites like e-zine.com where you contribute articles for free in exchange for an opportunity to discuss your expertise as well as what you have to offer. In addition, you will be able to provide a link to your website.
- Have your website listed on other websites as a link, you can have an agreement with the website owner to mutually display links to each other.
- Pay to advertise on other sites that have the type of traffic you are trying to attract. Usually, there is a monthly fee for this service or in some cases will be a “Pay Per Click” where you will be charged a predetermined fee when anyone clicks on the link to your website.
- There are many options to consider when developing your website from do it yourself templates where you just fill in the blanks to a full blown custom site. It is suggested that you speak with an experienced website designer to see what option is best suited for your needs and budget.

• Tele-Conferences

A very popular marketing method is to utilize teleconferences to highlight the services and products that you offer to a large audience by speaking with them via a phone line. This marketing technique will allow your company to provide another vehicle for your potential clients to get to know who you are. The process of setting up a teleconference is very easy; there are many third party providers that offer teleconference services for either a flat monthly rate or on an as-needed basis. Once set up, you just need to provide the attendees with a dial in number and access code (given to you by the service provider) and they will call in at the appropriate time.

• Webinars

To bring the benefits of a teleconference to the next level, you can consider reaching out to your audience using a webinar. A webinar is an opportunity for you to provide a presentation to your audience by accessing a web site on their computer. Two-way communication is also possible using a dial in phone number. Like the teleconferencing, a webinar can be arranged by a third party. The cost of this service will be determined by how many “seats” are required.

• E-Mail Blast

An e-mail blast can be a very effective way to contact a large group of people on your mailing list. Depending upon how many people you are trying to reach, you can either send the mail through your own mail service like Outlook or if a very large list of people need to be contacted, you may need to consider the services of a third party provider. As you compile your contact list, it is recommended that you create “groups” within your mail program. By using groups when sending e-mail, you can easily fill out the “to” field by selecting the appropriate group you are trying to make contact with. It is recommended that you sort your address book into categories that make sense for your business model. Examples are as follows:- Bankers and private money lenders
- Past clients you are trying to stay in touch with
- New prospective clients you are trying to conduct business with
- Tenants occupying your properties

• Mail Merge

Mail merge will allow you to take your contact information from your Outlook (or equivalent) address book and add these contacts to envelop and form letters you generate. Although mail merge can save you a considerable amount of time in preparing mailed letters, it is not encouraged when preparing envelops for initial contact letters. Computer generated envelops look too much like junk mail and not even be opened.

• Newsletters

Newsletters are a great way to keep your contact list up to date on what is going on in your company and to help attract new business. All of the popular word processor programs have templates that you can use to generate your own custom newsletter. When considering the use of newsletters in your marketing campaign, you may want to implement some of the following recommendations:- Make your newsletter releases monthly or quarterly; you want to periodically remind them who you are.
- Add both business development information as well as education and public interest sections. Don’t make every issue overflowing with sales hype. You will turn off your audience.
- Give each newsletter a release number or volume
- Format the pages so they can be added to a three ring binder
- Publish articles that continue in a future newsletter
- Add photos and charts to help illustrate text
- Have featured segments that are part of each newsletter release. The following are some examples:
- Rehab trick of the month
- Bloopers sent in from audience
- Deal of the month
- Success story of the month

• Using An Internet Video Site

A very popular tool that can be added to your marketing plan is to utilize internet sites that allow you to download videos. On these sites, you can download your video that will be part of the site database of searchable videos. It is suggested that you add in your title a “hook” that specifically identifies the scope of the video so when someone searches the site for your topic, you may get a “hit”. An example of this would be “Learn Short Sales from John Doe.”

• Sales Lead Software

As your marketing and networking strategies start to generate leads, it will become an increasing challenge to manage the large volume of leads effectively. Without managing leads appropriately, you run the risk of losing the ability to “convert” them to a deal or sale. Although there are many manual methods that you could use to manage your leads, you may want to consider purchasing lead generation and management software. There are a number of companies that provide this product. Perform an internet search for available products.