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If your members, parents or donors wear clothes, watch t.v. or read books you have the beginning ingredients to a sweet recipe for a great year-round school fundraiser.

How so?

By taking advantage of what's known as an affiliate program or in more common lingo - partnering.

How would you like to partner your school with the bohemoth Amazon.com? Blockbuster? Disney? or even the giant Wal-mart? Your school would receive a commission or fee for every paying customer you sent their way. No products to deliver, cakes to bake or cars to wash. In short none of the headaches of traditional school fundraisers.

It's easy to do, it's free, and is earning a lot of private individuals in the know a mountain of money.

Here's how it might work for your school: You partner with Amazon.com by filling out a simple form and setting up an account where your checks will be sent. And then let's put a link up on your school website to Amazon.com that is linked to your affiliate account.

Now what if you told your donors, church members or other friends of your cause that they could get great books, gifts, cd's and videos through your site and help your school with its funding needs at the same time? Do you think you'd have any takers? I think you might have a lot!

Now Amazon.com may or may not be a match for you. But...the good news is there are literally thousands of affiliate programs, many of which are bound to fit your school like a glove and make a smashingly successful school fundraiser.

Maybe you would like to get involved with something to do with pets...you could partner with PetSmart or PetMeds. Would you like to do something related to kids?...lots of great programs, like Ident-A-Kid, to keep kids safe. Of course try to match your affiliate programs to interests that many of your donors share.

Here are a some places that will get your creative juices going. One of the biggest managers in the affiliate programs is Commission Junction, you can find them at www.cj.com, you will find hundreds of partnering opportunities from brand names you know and trust. Another great resource to checkout is www.clickbank.com, known as Clickbank, they specialize in electronic books and software with thousands of titles to choose from. Also many companies, such as Wal-mart manage their own affiliate program which means you can partner up directly from their site. It's great fun and can be highly profitable to look for the words 'affiliate program' on a web page. Commission Junction is a smorgasboard of school fundraiser ideas
you should definitely check out.

How much can your school earn? Earnings vary widely with commission ranging from 2 o 75?Some pay flat fees, for example some satellite companies pay up to $100 for giving away free installations of their system. Wow! Print some flyers give away free satellite and your school receives $100 for each installation--very easy school fundraiser!

Now a word to the wise is play it safe. Stick with the companies you know. You will have better success at raising funds with well known and respected companies and you won't have to worry about your funds reaching your school.

So the secret to school fundraisers is out. Find a great partner, let folks know they can get great products and services they were going to purchase anyway, and help a school at the same time.

Want more fundraiser tips or help? Click over to www.MyUltimateFundraiser.com

About the author:
Article by Travis Sago a veteran fundraiser for several non-profits including The Special Olympics, Battered Women's Shelter and Arkansas Fraternal Order of Police. Contact Info. travis@myultimatefundraiser.com

When resources are scarce it’s important to maximize results and stretch every dollar. As home business entrepreneurs, we don’t have the ad budgets of Coca-Cola and Disney, we can’t afford to throw money away.

There are a number of free resources that make building and promoting your website a whole lot easier.

Web Site Design - page layout (http://www.steves-templates.com)
Steve provides free web page templates which are nice looking, professional and can be used free for personal and business websites. Check out all the variations and pick a template for your site. Another way to use this is as a springboard for your own creativity. Perhaps you like an element on template 1 and the navigation of template 7. Get some ideas for creating your own site from scratch. There are also designs you can buy for under $100 and you gain access to a number of images, clipart, sounds, fonts etc.

Web Site Design - graphics (http://www.cooltext.com)
Cool Text is a wonderful tool for creating great looking buttons and logos. It’s free and the combinations of shape/color/texture/font are virtually endless. You can create professional buttons and logos with just a few mouse clicks. I use this site any time I want to 'freshen up' my site or create buttons/logos for my customers.

Web Site Performance - images (http://www.gifworks.com)
Nothing slows down your page like heavy graphics. Did you know that you can dramatically reduce the file size of your graphics without compromising the look and feel of your site? That’s where gifworks.com comes in. Run their free “optimization” tool on your gif images and watch as they get more and more streamlined. Your web pages will load faster. Gifworks has a paid service as well, allowing you to buy images, get custom work, etc.

Web Site Performance – code (http://validator.w3.org/)
Is your website correctly coded? This free validator from the W3 examines your html and reports missing tags, missing attributes and other errors that make your code non-standard and therefore difficult for some web browsers to serve up. With line-by-line validation, you can easily find the places in your code that will cause errors. I love this validator, it makes sure my pages work across all browsers and platforms. No more trying pages in every browser/OS configuration. When it validates here, you can be sure that it’s up to W3 standards.

Web Site Promotion - blogging (http://www.blogger.com)
Blogger is Google’s blogging tool. It’s free, easy to set up, and gets your site indexed by search engines (all of them, not just Google) faster than you can believe. If you want to increase your search engine positioning, forget all that SEO stuff, start blogging today. In a world where “Content is King!”, a blog provides you a platform to provide constantly changing, completely interesting and relevant content to your web visitors. It gives them a reason to come back, you form a relationship with them by providing good quality information, and you increase your conversion rate, resulting in more subscribers and more sales.

Web Site Promotion – marketing (http://www.articlemarketer.com)
I’m not the first person to tell you that article marketing is the number one method of driving targeted traffic to your website. Writing articles for others to publish is free advertising and you should do as much of it as you can. The problem is the dreadfully tedious process of article submission. Article Marketer took that off my plate. Their free service sends articles to over 2000 people to be published in ezines and newsletters, and they have a paid version that gets to over 50,000 people. It works – after all, you’re reading this article, aren’t you?

These tools are free for the asking. You can't beat the price, and your results will skyrocket as you improve the look and feel of your website and spread the word about your business.

About the author:
Chris Ellington gives effective and easy to implement marketing strategies to small business owners and home business entrepreneurs. His Simplified Selling System has been a favorite of salespeople around the world. Get your free marketing strategies at www.simplifiedselling.com

In today’s world of direct writers, internet quotes and discount insurance companies, it is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of being an insurance agent. We insurance agents, while not quite threatened by extinction, are becoming nothing more than glorified order takers.

Warren Buffet says that insurance is a commodity and price is the main factor in the market place. It seems that nowadays, lowest price wins, regardless of the other factors. More and more people are turning to direct writers because they believe that 15 minutes and a catchy commercial with a dancing lizard can save them some money. Forget the relationship, forget being able to actually see your insurance agent and forget you if you are $0.01 higher than the 'other' guy.

So how do we as insurance agents take a stand and be able take back some of our customers? How do we improve our close ratio? How do we change our customers’ attitudes about price to the point that leaving you for a few dollars will never cross their mind? I can answer that question with one word: rapport. Rapport is a funny thing, it makes you memorable, it makes you likable and most importantly it makes you human. So how do we build rapport with potential or existing clients? In this article we will discuss how to hit the ground running with rapport, how to build it from the word go. I will show you how to make more sales, improve your close ratio, learn more about your clients and have fun while doing it.

Next time you get the chance call around to some of the competition in your area and ask for a quote. Listen and learn to how they interact with you. Do you like the person you talk to? Would you buy from them? What made them good or bad at making a connection with you? Take notes about what you liked and what you didn't. Incorporate these ideas into your sales strategy and watch your sales increase.

Below I have three examples of how I have heard insurance agents talk to potential customers on their initial phone call. Keep in mind that I have not written any responses from the client since, in this example, only what the agents say is important. I will use the following scenario for an example:

Jill, a single mother of two, believes she is paying too much for her insurance and goes online to HometownQuotes.com and requests a free quote. She gets a call from three agents that are near her home.

Agent 1: Hi Jill. This is Tom from Big Insurance Company calling about your request for insurance. I wanted to follow up with you to verify some of this information with you and ask you a few additional questions. I will get this worked up and give you a call back.

Tom has done a nice job of being polite if he has the best price in town he might be the agent that Jill ends up using.

Agent 2: Hi, Jill, This is Nancy with Gigantic Insurance Company. I saw where you wanted a home insurance quote. Do you have a second? What is going on with you current insurance company? What are some things you like about your current company? What are some things that you don't like? Alright, thanks for your time, I will call you back shortly.

Nancy was also polite but she took the time to ask some important questions about her current insurance company that she will be able to use to her advantage when comparing companies. If Nancy has the exact same price as Tom she would most likely have the advantage.


Agent 3: Hi Jill. This is Joe from Huge Insurance Company. Is this a good time for you? How is life treating you? Jill, I see that you live on Vine St. Do you know Bo Neighbor? He is one of my clients. It says on the paperwork from HometownQuotes.com that you are a writer? What type of writer are you? You know my wife was trying to break into that business, what sort of tips could you give to help her out? Anyway, sorry about my rambling there, I just find it important to get to know each of my clients on a more personal level than what kind of car they drive. It is also important for me to know that you feel the same way. I know you could call 1-800-555-Quote and get a price but I want you to know me and my family the same way I want to know yours. So, what is going on over at your current company? Oh yea? Well tell me Jill, what are some of the things you really like about your current company? I think we will be able to offer you some solutions that will be comparable to your current company in some ways and exceed them in others. I will take some time to prepare a proposal for you, when is a good time for us to get together so I can present that to you? Great I will talk to you then.

What has Joe done? He was polite, learned about what was going on with her current company and most importantly in the short amount of time he had with her he became her friend. He knows personal stuff about Jill and Jill knows the same about Joe. Sure he may or may not have the best price in town but as long as he is in the ball park he has a chance at the business. This is a chance that he probably would not have had if he had been even $5 more than the first two agents.

I can promise you this: There is no better felling than closing the deal on a new client than when you cost them more money that what they were currently paying and they came to your company because of you. Take a chance on this one and try to be way different that your competition for one week. All you have to lose is some time. If you are selling on price alone now you will still have the same price, you will just deliver it in a different manner. After all, my Dad tells me all the time that 'if you put it in one end of the pipe, it will fall out the other.' In other words if you quote enough people you will eventually write business. I guess I just want more of my 'it' to get to the other end of the pipe.

About the author:
www.agents.hometownquotes.com

In today’s world of direct writers, internet quotes and discount insurance companies, it is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of being an insurance agent. We insurance agents, while not quite threatened by extinction, are becoming nothing more than glorified order takers.

Warren Buffet says that insurance is a commodity and price is the main factor in the market place. It seems that nowadays, lowest price wins, regardless of the other factors. More and more people are turning to direct writers because they believe that 15 minutes and a catchy commercial with a dancing lizard can save them some money. Forget the relationship, forget being able to actually see your insurance agent and forget you if you are $0.01 higher than the 'other' guy.

So how do we as insurance agents take a stand and be able take back some of our customers? How do we improve our close ratio? How do we change our customers’ attitudes about price to the point that leaving you for a few dollars will never cross their mind? I can answer that question with one word: rapport. Rapport is a funny thing, it makes you memorable, it makes you likable and most importantly it makes you human. So how do we build rapport with potential or existing clients? In this article we will discuss how to hit the ground running with rapport, how to build it from the word go. I will show you how to make more sales, improve your close ratio, learn more about your clients and have fun while doing it.

Next time you get the chance call around to some of the competition in your area and ask for a quote. Listen and learn to how they interact with you. Do you like the person you talk to? Would you buy from them? What made them good or bad at making a connection with you? Take notes about what you liked and what you didn't. Incorporate these ideas into your sales strategy and watch your sales increase.

Below I have three examples of how I have heard insurance agents talk to potential customers on their initial phone call. Keep in mind that I have not written any responses from the client since, in this example, only what the agents say is important. I will use the following scenario for an example:

Jill, a single mother of two, believes she is paying too much for her insurance and goes online to HometownQuotes.com and requests a free quote. She gets a call from three agents that are near her home.

Agent 1: Hi Jill. This is Tom from Big Insurance Company calling about your request for insurance. I wanted to follow up with you to verify some of this information with you and ask you a few additional questions. I will get this worked up and give you a call back.

Tom has done a nice job of being polite if he has the best price in town he might be the agent that Jill ends up using.

Agent 2: Hi, Jill, This is Nancy with Gigantic Insurance Company. I saw where you wanted a home insurance quote. Do you have a second? What is going on with you current insurance company? What are some things you like about your current company? What are some things that you don't like? Alright, thanks for your time, I will call you back shortly.

Nancy was also polite but she took the time to ask some important questions about her current insurance company that she will be able to use to her advantage when comparing companies. If Nancy has the exact same price as Tom she would most likely have the advantage.


Agent 3: Hi Jill. This is Joe from Huge Insurance Company. Is this a good time for you? How is life treating you? Jill, I see that you live on Vine St. Do you know Bo Neighbor? He is one of my clients. It says on the paperwork from HometownQuotes.com that you are a writer? What type of writer are you? You know my wife was trying to break into that business, what sort of tips could you give to help her out? Anyway, sorry about my rambling there, I just find it important to get to know each of my clients on a more personal level than what kind of car they drive. It is also important for me to know that you feel the same way. I know you could call 1-800-555-Quote and get a price but I want you to know me and my family the same way I want to know yours. So, what is going on over at your current company? Oh yea? Well tell me Jill, what are some of the things you really like about your current company? I think we will be able to offer you some solutions that will be comparable to your current company in some ways and exceed them in others. I will take some time to prepare a proposal for you, when is a good time for us to get together so I can present that to you? Great I will talk to you then.

What has Joe done? He was polite, learned about what was going on with her current company and most importantly in the short amount of time he had with her he became her friend. He knows personal stuff about Jill and Jill knows the same about Joe. Sure he may or may not have the best price in town but as long as he is in the ball park he has a chance at the business. This is a chance that he probably would not have had if he had been even $5 more than the first two agents.

I can promise you this: There is no better felling than closing the deal on a new client than when you cost them more money that what they were currently paying and they came to your company because of you. Take a chance on this one and try to be way different that your competition for one week. All you have to lose is some time. If you are selling on price alone now you will still have the same price, you will just deliver it in a different manner. After all, my Dad tells me all the time that 'if you put it in one end of the pipe, it will fall out the other.' In other words if you quote enough people you will eventually write business. I guess I just want more of my 'it' to get to the other end of the pipe.

About the author:
www.agents.hometownquotes.com

Copyright 2005 Cavyl Stewart

The format of a Business Plan is something that has been developed and refined over the years and is something that should not be changed. Like a good recipe, a business plan needs to include certain ingredients to make it work.

When you create a business plan, don’t attempt to recreate its format. Those reviewing this type of document have expectations you must meet. If they do not see those crucial decision-making components, they’ll see no reason to proceed with their review of your business plan, no matter how great your business idea.

Executive Summary Section

Every business plan must begin with an Executive Summary section. A well-written Executive Summary is critical to the success of the rest of the document. Here is where you need to capture the attention of your audience so that they will be compelled to read on. Remember, it’s a summary, so each and every word must be carefully selected and presented.

Use the Executive Summary section of your business plan to accurately describe the nature of your business venture including the need that you plan to fill. Show the reasons why people need your product or service. Show this by including a brief analysis of the characteristics of your potential market.

Describe the organization of your business including your management team. Also, briefly describe your sales and marketing plan or approach. Finally include the numbers that those reviewing your business plan want to see – the amount of capital you seek, the carefully calculated sales projections and your plan to repay the loan.

If you’ve captured your audience so far they’ll read on. Otherwise, they’ll close the document and add your business plan to the heap of other rejected ideas.

Devote the balance of your business plan to providing details of the items outlined in the Executive Summary.

The Business Section

Be sure to include the legal name, physical address and detailed description of the nature of your business. It’s important to keep the description easy to read using common terminology. Never assume that those reading your business plan have the same level of technical knowledge that you do. Describe how you plan to better serve your market than your competition is currently doing.

Market Analysis Section

An analysis of the market shows that you have done your homework. This section is basically a summary of your Marketing Plan. It needs to show the demand for your product or service, the proposed market, trends within the industry, a description of your pricing plan and packaging and a description of your company policies.

Financing Section

The Financing section must show that you are as committed to your business venture as you expect those reading your business plan to be. Show the amount of personal funds you are contributing and their source. Also include the amount of capital you need and your plan to repay this debt. Include all pertinent financial worksheets in this section: annual income projections, a break-even worksheet, projected cash flow statements and a balance sheet.

Management Section

Outline your organizational structure and management team here. Include the legal structure of your business whether it is a partnership, corporation or limited liability corporation. Include resumes and biographies of key players on your management team. Show staffing projection data for the next few years.

By now you’re probably thinking that you don’t need Business Plan just yet. Well you do, and there is business plan building software that can help you through this immense project. These software packages are easy to use and affordable. Use one today and produce a professional-quality Business Plan – including all critical components – tomorrow!


About the author:
Copyright ? 2005 Cavyl Stewart. Get more software tips, strategies and recommendations to help you create your business plan by signing up for my Exclusive 100% free, 100% original content ecourse: 'How To Failure-Proof Your Business Instantly.' To sign up please visit: http://www.find-small-business-software.com/ec_failure_proof_your_business.php

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