How to Protect Yourself from Home Based Business Scams
While there are many lucrative home based opportunities on the Internet, there are also many scams that one must be aware of in their quest for a home business. Scam artists are in abundance, and just waiting for someone who is hopeful - and inexperienced - to happen by. Don't let it be you!
| Of course, there are scam artists who target those who want to start their own home based business, but there are also scam artists who target average computer users around the world. These scam artists are adept at creating web sites that look and feel just like the web sites that you commonly use. For example, they can make an exact duplicate site of your banks web site, in an attempt to trick you into providing them with your username and password, or other sensitive data, such as your account number or credit card number. |
In home based business scams, however, things work a bit differently. In this case, the scammer simply wants you to give him your money, in exchange for a load of lies and unfulfilled promises. He doesn't need your bankaccount information, he just needs payment, which inexperienced hopeful people will happily give him. He will take your money knowing that he is crushing your dreams and draining your bank account - and he won't care.
Protecting Yourself from Business Opportunity Scams
So, how can you protect yourself from these scammers? The first step is to use good, sound common sense. As always, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Learn to recognize hype, and to avoid offers that are 'hyped.' Hype means that outlandish promises are being made. For example, a scammer might promise you that you can make tens of thousands of dollars in just a few short days, with little or no work. That is a common ploy used in scammy home based business advertisements.
Research the Company
Before you invest your hard earned money in any business opportunity, you need to fully research the company. Check with the Better Business Bureau first to see if there are any negative reports. You can also pay for a basic background check, which generally costs less than twenty bucks. A great deal can be learned from such basic information.
Personal Information |
Use a post office box, instead of your home address, and never give out personal details if you can avoid it. However, when doing business online, many times you will need to provide personal information. When doing so over the Internet, make sure that the site is secure by ensuring that the web site address in your address bar begins with https://, instead of just http://.
Read the Fine Print
Read everything, including the fine print, and make sure that you don't pay for anything until you have read all agreements and such. You should know exactly what you are paying for, before you send that payment. If possible, ask to talk directly with other people who have invested in the business opportunity, and verify who they are. Note that a scammer can put people up to telling you anything that they think that you want to hear, but often, when asked for references and such, a scammer will move on.
Common Sense
Once again, use good common sense in all transactions, and trust your instincts. If it feels wrong, it probably is. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you are unsure, do not move forward until you are sure. The right business opportunity will come along, but by paying attention, and knowing what to be on the lookout for, you won't spend a great deal of time or money investing in business scams.
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is a successful well-known Internet Marketer and the owner of www.Web-Source.net. Join Shelley in the most exciting business opportunity in Internet history. Make up to $5000 or more weekly with a proven automated residual income system that is making many members wealthy in a very short period of time. http://www.BoardYourShip.com/workathome/
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is a successful well-known Internet Marketer and the owner of www.Web-Source.net. Join Shelley in the most exciting business opportunity in Internet history. Make up to $5000 or more weekly with a proven automated residual income system that is making many members wealthy in a very short period of time. http://www.BoardYourShip.com/workathome/
Increase Your Internet Sales with Free Trials
If you're selling a product or service on the Internet, one of the best ways to increase your sales is by offering a free trial, also know as a teaser, demo or limited version. By enabling your potential customers to review your
product and providing them with an easy ordering process, you can increase your sales considerably.
Free trials are not exclusive to software programs. There are many ways you can offer a free trial no matter what product or service you're offering. For example, if you've written a book, consider offering it in an electronic version, better know as an eBook. You can include your entire book
within the eBook and choose to lock out certain chapters.
In order for your potential customer to gain access to these chapters they will be required to purchase the full version. You can include an order form and instantly take orders, right through your free trial eBook. When you receive an order, you simply send your customer a predefined user ID and password that you set up when you create it.
To learn more about publishing an ebook, click on the following link to download a very informative ebook titled, 'eBooks: A Complete Guide to Publishing.' This powerful ebook will take you step by step through the entire publishing process: http://www.ebookstarter.com/download/es_ebook.zip.
This ebook requires that you have a Windows operating system and Internet Explorer installed on your system.
You will also need an unzipping program. If you don't have one, you can download a trial version fromhttp://www.winzip.com
If you're not familiar with ZIP files, you can find a tutorial here:
http://www.web-source.net/zip_basics.htm
The key to increasing your sales by using a free trial version is to offer your product for download from your website and allow it to be freely distributed. Provide some valuable free information, but save your most important information for the unlocked version. Make your locked chapters sound very intriguing and create curiosity. Tell your potential customers what they will receive by purchasing the full version, provide a complete list of all the benefits, and provide them with an easy ordering process.
To further increase your sales, provide your potential customers with instant gratification. You can completely automate your entire ordering process simply by using a CGI script. There are scripts online that will allow you to make your product available for download, take the customers order, approve it right online, send your customer a password and send you a confirmation of the order, all completely automatic.
CGI Resource Index - http://cgi.resourceindex.com/
After you've created your product, consider setting up an affiliate program for massive distribution. There are many affiliate scripts available to assist you in running your own affiliate program.
The Affiliate Program - http://theaffiliateprogram.com/
ProTrack - http://www.affiliatesoftware.net/
If you're selling a service on the Internet, you can offer your potential customers a free trial as well. For example, if you offer a search engine submission service, you can provide your customers with a limited free submission to the search engines.
To increase your sales and entice your customers to purchase your full service, in addition to submitting their site to your full list of search engines, you could also ensure their pages are optimized for the search engines, provide a resubmission service every month for a year and provide your clients with a free report of each submission process.
Prior to doing your customers last submission, contact them and inform them that their submission contract will expire soon. Tell them how they can renew their submission process and provide another enticing offer, such as "If you renew your submission contract before (date) you will receive a 30% discount."
This type of free trial will not only increase your current sales, but it will promote future sales as well.
The possibilities are endless. By offering your potential customers something of value for free, providing instant gratification, and an easy ordering process, you can dramatically increase your sales.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery.http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies."http://www.web-source.net
Free trials are not exclusive to software programs. There are many ways you can offer a free trial no matter what product or service you're offering. For example, if you've written a book, consider offering it in an electronic version, better know as an eBook. You can include your entire book
within the eBook and choose to lock out certain chapters.
In order for your potential customer to gain access to these chapters they will be required to purchase the full version. You can include an order form and instantly take orders, right through your free trial eBook. When you receive an order, you simply send your customer a predefined user ID and password that you set up when you create it.
To learn more about publishing an ebook, click on the following link to download a very informative ebook titled, 'eBooks: A Complete Guide to Publishing.' This powerful ebook will take you step by step through the entire publishing process: http://www.ebookstarter.com/download/es_ebook.zip.
This ebook requires that you have a Windows operating system and Internet Explorer installed on your system.
You will also need an unzipping program. If you don't have one, you can download a trial version fromhttp://www.winzip.com
If you're not familiar with ZIP files, you can find a tutorial here:
http://www.web-source.net/zip_basics.htm
The key to increasing your sales by using a free trial version is to offer your product for download from your website and allow it to be freely distributed. Provide some valuable free information, but save your most important information for the unlocked version. Make your locked chapters sound very intriguing and create curiosity. Tell your potential customers what they will receive by purchasing the full version, provide a complete list of all the benefits, and provide them with an easy ordering process.
CGI Resource Index - http://cgi.resourceindex.com/
After you've created your product, consider setting up an affiliate program for massive distribution. There are many affiliate scripts available to assist you in running your own affiliate program.
The Affiliate Program - http://theaffiliateprogram.com/
ProTrack - http://www.affiliatesoftware.net/
If you're selling a service on the Internet, you can offer your potential customers a free trial as well. For example, if you offer a search engine submission service, you can provide your customers with a limited free submission to the search engines.
To increase your sales and entice your customers to purchase your full service, in addition to submitting their site to your full list of search engines, you could also ensure their pages are optimized for the search engines, provide a resubmission service every month for a year and provide your clients with a free report of each submission process.
Prior to doing your customers last submission, contact them and inform them that their submission contract will expire soon. Tell them how they can renew their submission process and provide another enticing offer, such as "If you renew your submission contract before (date) you will receive a 30% discount."
This type of free trial will not only increase your current sales, but it will promote future sales as well.
The possibilities are endless. By offering your potential customers something of value for free, providing instant gratification, and an easy ordering process, you can dramatically increase your sales.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery.http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies."http://www.web-source.net
