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One of the key factors in a successful business is to know what your customers or clients are thinking - about your business, your products, your services. As a business owner, you’ll get feedback from your current customers just in the course of day-to-day business. But the results can be skewed by the interaction itself, and so most business owners find it useful to allow their customers to answer questions anonymously. And that’s where surveys come in.

Some businesses hire market research firms to survey their customers or target customers. For new or smaller businesses, this can be an expensive proposition, and it’s helpful to have a set of resources in your tool box that offer the option of conducting your own surveys. Here are some great online resources you can use for surveys.

They range from the simplest polls which you can create and place on your web site to much more elaborate options. Many of them allow the survey respondents to see the results from themselves and others as soon as they complete the survey. Some of these companies offer a set of services for free as well as more powerful paid services; others offer free 30-day trials of their most robust services. Some are geared towards smaller businesses, other towards large enterprises with thousands of employees. There’s also a wide range of continuum between letting you design and add your own surveys to your web site, versus having them create a survey, find your target market, query them, and report back the results.

1. SurveyMonkey - If you have a large mailing list or want to send a lot of surveys, the best deal here is the professional subscription. For $19.95 month, you can send an unlimited number of surveys and receive up to 1000 responses per month.

2. Zoomerang - I love their slogan, “Easiest way to ask, fastest way to know.” Offers a basic product (free) plus paid packages geared to education, non-profit, and a professional version, which can send surveys in several languages, and has no limit on the number of responses you can receive.

3. SnapPoll - Simple site which offers you an easy way to put a one-question survey on your web site and receive results. Requires no sign-up, allows you to customize colors for the form, and prevent multiple “votes” from the same person. Free - supported by what they call “non-obtrusive advertising.”

4. PHP Form Generator - This is a free survey generator that is written as open source code. You can choose as many questions as you’d like - in any format - check, text, drop-downs, etc.) You do have to create your own stats, but it’s a fairly simple procedure for small surveys.

5. OneMinutePoll - Software - available at a yearly subscription price - that teaches you how to write surveys correctly to find out what your customers want, so you can provide it to them! Software automates your polls, generates code for your web page, and allows you to see results in real-time.

6. Advanced Survey - Free and paid services that offer both web page surveys and email surveys (where you invite participants - via email - to take a survey). You can ask multiple questions in one survey, and can ask yes/no questions, open-ended text questions, customizable number scales (Pick a number from 1 to 10 with 10 being best, for example), and multiple choice.

7. Question Pro - Very sophisticated system for surveying customers. Has predesigned templates for common surveys: Customer Satisfaction, New Product/Concept Testing, Product Surveys, Conference Feedback, and more. These surveys can also be designed with “branching,” where the answer to one question is used in a subsequent question. No free options here, but there is a 30-day free trial.

8. Relevant Tools - This company offers custom web forms with automatic email response for as little as $10/month for a basic membership, which includes up to 500 database records and up to 500 email messages/month.

9. HotScripts - A great resource for programmers and webmasters. It has a host of scripts in various programming languages and is constantly being updated by programmers from around the world. If you search on “surveys,” you’ll find lots of scripts in lots of programming languages you can use.

10.NetReflector - Offers a very sophisticated self-serve solution for the do-it-yourselfer, and assisted and automated solutions for companies who need to survey customers and/or employees worldwide on a regular basis. Offers webinars, articles, and other resources on creating the invitation, the importance of regular surveys, and using online technologies for surveys.

So whether you’re querying current clients and customers, a potential target market, vendors, or employees, these online surveys can provide valuable tools for smart business owners. You can set up and monitor your surveys or pay someone to do it for you, but online surveys are a great way for you to gain information. The results may surprise you, or send you in a new direction you hadn’t thought of. But one thing’s for sure; if you don’t ask your customers, clients, or employees, they probably won’t tell!

For all of the new webmasters out there that have recently established a business and are looking to accept credit card payments online, here’s a little Merchant Accounts 101 course for you! In understanding how merchant accounts work, you will be better able to operate your online business smoothly and effectively. What’s more, by understanding the ins and outs of merchant accounts, you will be able to avoid the pitfalls many web-based merchants encounter.

First, you must locate a merchant account supplier and find one that meets the needs of your business. An Internet search can help you locate a merchant account supplier in most cases. Actually, by simply entering a search in any search engine, you will be led to a number of links that will direct you to merchant account suppliers.

Once you have located a merchant account supplier, it is imperative that you read all of the terms and conditions set forth by the merchant account supplier, before you sign up for a merchant account. Will you be required to pay a set up fee? Are there other fees that you will be responsible for like discount and annual fees? If you plan to have your web-based business run smoothly, you are far better off if you understand the regulations set forth by your merchant account supplier!

Bear in mind that when you attempt to sign up for a merchant account, you might be required to fulfill a number of obligations before you are accepted for account enrollment. For instance, you might be required to have a checking account and you may be required to provide the merchant account supplier with proof of identification. Finally, you might also be required to show a merchant account your business licenses and certificates.

Additionally, requirements may be demanded by the merchant account supplier. For example, a merchant, if they possess a corporation will require a federal tax identification number, and if the merchant is a sole proprietor, will require a social security number. Also, if a merchant has ever claimed bankruptcy, the claim must be at least 90 days old before a merchant will be accepted for some merchant accounts. Finally, any and all merchants must be at least eighteen years of age.

If you are getting a merchant account for an online business, you will want to get a credit card processing solution that is suitable for handling web-based transactions. For instance, a terminal solution is for a physical store where a card can be swipe through a terminal by a clerk, while a real-time processing solution is the best solution for web-based businesses. With a real-time processing solution, all sales are done automatically through the computer and the merchant solution company, and a web-based business owner should see the funds appear in their business account within a few days from the initial transaction.

Most merchant accounts allow merchants to accept various credit cards; such credit cards usually include MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and Diners Club. On the other hand, if a merchant wants to accept American Express Credit Cards, then they will be required to fill out a separate application with American Express.

Once you get a merchants account, you might be required to work with various software applications, depending upon the merchant supplier. Such software applications are used in conjunction with a merchant’s already existing website and come with instructions for their use. What’s more, many merchant account suppliers offer live technical support, so if a merchant runs into any difficulties with installation or in creating the proper links necessary to utilize their merchant account someone is always ready and willing to assist the merchant.

Do you have a business? Were you told you needed an ecommerce solution to help your business? Do you need to know how and where to get an ecommerce solution? Perhaps you are not even sure what an ecommerce solution is. For those of you who have asked these questions, an answer has been found.

First off, you need to know what an ecommerce solution is. An ecommerce solution can be defined in many ways. An ecommerce solution is a way to define electronic shopping carts. An ecommerce solution is used for businesses that sell things on the web. An ecommerce solution makes it possible for any sale or transaction to be made. They enable the use of credit cards and other forms of payment to be used right on your website. It is used for large companies like Ebay or Amazon. But now an ecommerce solution is for small companies and businesses as well.

There are other aspects and definitions of this subject. An ecommerce solution can also be defined as software that allows you to do business on the web. It is also software that designs websites that are used just for selling products or services on the web. An ecommerce solution can also be defined as a company that hosts websites. Either way you look at it, an ecommerce solution is for anyone doing business on the web.

An ecommerce solution does many things, as you can now tell. Finding a good ecommerce solution can be a tedious task. The best thing to do is to go online and use a search engine. Type in ecommerce solution and look at the top websites listed that offer this. There are many ecommerce solution stores that offer free trials. Many often guarantee ease of set up, customizable solutions, and guaranteed results with powerful marketing tools and affiliate programs. All of this is included in a set price.

When looking for an ecommerce solution, shop around and see which one offers you the best deal. Most offer a set yearly fee. This can be anywhere from $300 to $800 a year. There are some ecommerce solution stores that offer a month to month contract, however. These are usually $55 to $100 a month. Many offer a 30 day money back guarantee if you are not happy with the results of the ecommerce solution and it’s software.

With all of this in mind, you are that much closer to finding a great ecommerce solution. There are many options out there, so do your research. For anyone who wants to do business on the web, it is an absolute necessity. Soon you will be on your way to a profitable and successful web based business!

One of the ways you - as an owner of service businesses - can increase your profits is to create muliple streams of small business income. And the place to start is by designing informational products. The products could be based your knowledge - things like CDs, e-books, booklets, teleseminars, and articles. You know — these are the very things you’ve been watching me develop over the years. And if you’re a US resident who has taken one of my TeleSeminars, you may have received one of my “test” CDs in the mail! They include an ebook and audio of the class. And you can create such products, too.

Another way to boost your income is to develop products that will help your ideal clients. And it’s easier then you think IF you really, really, really listen to your clients. For example, my clients complained that they had lots of ideas and that I was also giving them even more terrific marketing ideas, some of which could be used “later.” Many of the ideas they’d been keeping were written on many bit of paper. (Can you relate?)

What I heard was that they wanted a SIMPLE way to organize their ideas for future use that did not include rewriting (or retyping them) in a software program. So, I created SIMPLE IDEAS Folders.

What are other ways to create a variety of packages and products for your service business?

– Take a service you offer and package it with different products, different services, different lengths of time (if applicable).

– Many business owners place a pricing structure on their websites. Using the industry name, plus the word “rate” or “fees” or “quote,” you can find those sites on the Internet.

– Always consider the client and customer service when pricing your services, too. If what you sell requires training for your customers, you can offer a block of training hours included in the initial price, with additional training charged separately at an hourly rate of ___. The training hours can be in person, over the phone, or via email.

– Some people do advertise their prices; others don’t. Some people charge by the hour; others charge by the project (which is perceived to be more professional).

– If you list your prices - be specific. List what is included, for how many hours and/or for how many people. You might want to include a form for potential clients to complete so prices can be calculated.

– Consider charging a licensing fee. When you create a document for use by your clients, it might be a product they want to share with their clients. If so, create a licensing fee policy for that document, ebook, ereport, program, etc.

No matter what you decide to sell online, you will most likely need shopping cart software to make your site user friendly and easy to purchase from. Allowing your customers to add the items that they’d like to purchase and check out right from your site makes purchasing much easier for the internet consumer and will help increase your sales. Ensuring the safety of your customer’s information and giving them piece of mind will make them want to return to your web store. Choosing the right shopping cart software can be a chore, however.

There are many different shopping cart software packages available, ranging from reasonable to extremely expensive in price. They all do the same thing, though, and this can make it hard to choose between products. There are many pre-packaged applications on the market today, so spare yourself the time and frustration of having one created, or trying to write one yourself.

Prepackaged shopping carts also have the advantage of having all of the kinks worked out by earlier customers. Most are ready to be added to your website and will function perfectly right away. No ironing out the “bugs” and no mistakes with your customer’s orders!

First, determine what capacity you’ll need. How many orders per day or per hour do you hope to achieve. Plan for expansion and growth, but don’t invest in a ridiculously large cart for a small website. There are reasonable applications that can handle your sales volume just as well.

Will you need to calculate sales tax and shipping charges? Make sure that the software you choose can accommodate these needs. Also, make sure that the shopping cart software you choose offers a wide variety of payment options. Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Paypal and e-checks are all available. Decide which you want to use and look for appropriate software. Remember, the goal is to make it as easy as possible for your customer to buy from you. Offer whatever payment methods you are comfortable with, but give your customer choices.

Make sure that the payments are processed in real time. This is where the credit card or account is authorized immediately. This will reduce the chances of you shipping items to a customer whose card is later declined. With today’s payment processing systems, this is easy to afford and an absolute must.

Finally, consider a shopping cart with some added features. Some can be programmed to offer additional items that may be of interest to your customer during checkout. For example, a customer who has just purchased a new set of cookware from your site may be offered a matching utensil set designed for use with the cookware’s coating. Or, the customer may receive a coupon for their next purchase.

You may even want to have an auto responder that asks the customer if they want to join your newsletter and be notified of specials. This can bring repeat business to your site and increase sales.

Whatever shopping cart software you choose, investigate the customer service record of the company you’re buying from. Any downtime translates directly into lost revenue, so you’ll want them to be ready to help you 24/7 if your cart software stops working.

Consider a prepackaged shopping cart software program for your online site or web store. You’ll be surprised how the convenience an safety of your new software improves your sales, and your online image.