Well it’s no secret that we at Chick Magnate recommend Site Build It! to just about anyone who wants to build or grow an online business. In a sense, whenever we write about our success with using SBI!, it’s kind of like we are providing a mini testimonial, right? So what’s the difference between ours and other testimonials, beside the fact that we’re writing about it on our own blog and others are on product sites?

Well first of all, we are the real deal. We’ve been blogging here for a while now and many of you are return visitors (thanks by the way!). Second, you can check out our SBI! sites which allows you to see first hand just what we are up to on our various SBI! Web sites.

Jen’s gotten pretty advanced with what she does with SBI! which shows those of you who are more technically savvy, that even advanced users can benefit from using SBI!. She’s currently changing over her favorite-puppy-names.com site to CSS and a three column look. Yep, you can do that using SBI! Just don’t ask ME how. You’ll have to ask Jen.

She’s also done some pretty fancy stuff on marketing-magnate.com, although the direction of this site will be changing do to us being a tad over-committed right now.

For those of you who are less techie like me, you can check out my homeorganizeit.com site or niche-build-it.com site. Both are a continuous work in progress using SBI!

All of our sites are effective. They get traffic, make sales and they are growing.

Taking this testimonial thing one step further, I just read the most amazing story about another person who has used SBI! to build a portal of sites. He’s featured as one of SiteSell’s Case Studies and every so often he sends in an update. If you’re like me and tend to be skeptical about testimonials and Case Studies, this one will probably erase all doubts.

The guy’s name is Elad Shiponny. He resides in Israel and has built a birthday party empire online using SBI!. You can read his Case Study and updates but here’s what really makes this one stand out. He recently built a new site and it’s not about birthday parties. It’s about his SBI! journey.

Get this. Elad, now highly successful (mega visitors and rapidly increasing income), recently took a vacation to Canada. But he didn’t go there to see relatives. He went there to meet Ken Evoy, President of SiteSell and his family. He also spent time meeting as many SBI! owners as he could as well as people who work for SiteSell, the company who makes SBI!.

Amazing.

Upon return from his SBI! journey, Elad built a Web site where he showcases his travels, the people he met, photos, videos, experiences, etc.

Double amazing.

Think about it… who would make a trip like this? I’m thinking that only a person whose life has been truly changed. I mean seriously, how many companies do you know that have customers who spend their vacations traveling half way around the world to meet them?

So testimonial/case-study doubting aside, this one takes the cake. This is not your typical case study. Check out Elad’s site and see for yourself. Go to…

Elad’s Case Study and click on “Ultimate 2008″.

Maybe it’s time to start your own journey.

We use words every day and choosing the right words when communicating can make or break a conversation… or a sale.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your writing, check out “Make Your Words Sell”. It’s an exceptional book which I bought several years ago for $30 but it’s now available for free! The book will teach you how to be an effective writer, communicator and/or persuader… even if writing has never been your strength.

Writing for the Web is different than writing for print. While writing for online purposes tends to be more casual and “in your own voice”, you still need to be able to communicate and get your readers to make your most wanted response. In order to do this, the book explains that there are basically four different visitor types and it shows you how to talk to each kind.

You’ll discover powerful words and phrases that convey to your visitors what they want to hear and in the way they want to hear it. One section that helped me tremendously was the headline and subheadline section. Let’s face it, it’s tough to grab someone’s attention in just a few short words.

Another thing that challenges a lot of us is coming right out and asking “for the order”. Why is this? Everyone knows that when they are on a Web site, things are being sold. Well not to worry, “Make Your Words Sell” shows you clever ways to get your visitors to take action.

Reading this book helped give my online business a much needed boost. It can do the same for you too. If you learn to write with action words and the right words, you’re bound to have higher conversions which of course means earning more per visitor. When you learn to write TO your visitors and they feel that they are being understood, they will come back more often and will begin to trust you as a credible source. Isn’t that exactly what you want?

If you want to learn to write great content for your Web site, blog, newsletter or simply for posting to forums and social networking sites, “Make Your Words Sell” which is now free, is an outstanding resource. One caveat, it’s quite lengthy so set aside some time, grab your favorite beverage, find a comfortable place and dig in. Enjoy!

I was just thinking that it’s almost as if e-mail marketers need to go to some type of e-mail graduate school, when I saw that Alice Seba is offering a new course called Email Marketing Reform School. How ironic!

Her plan is over a four week to offer an intensive (Jen can attest to this having taken one of her other courses) session which she has designed to help students grow their lists, better understand their subscribers needs (including the products they want to buy), and maximize profits through email marketing.

Marketing lessons will be delivered by… well, e-mail. But, for those of you who might be concerned about unreliable e-mail delivery, she’ll give access to a private online membership area too.

Each week, students will receive a printable training guide, accompanied by audio… great for those who prefer to listen (or learn both ways). Warning though. There will be homework. Well after all, it IS called “Reform School” And, like any homework, it’s intended to teach you how to apply what you learn to your own business. The best part is that Alice will give you her experienced feedback on each assignment. Jen and I receive several of Alice’s marketing newsletters (e-mails) and we can attest to the fact that she has an uncanny ability to catch your attention. Read: Qualified.

Alice says she also intends to make herself available during the course to answer questions through the special private membership area where students will be allowed one question per day.

To help you decide if this course is right for you, check out these free resources…

24 Ideas for Endless Email Topics

Selling Confidently to Your List (Audio, with transcripts included)

Then of course subscribe to our newsletter and see if we passed the e-mail marketing reform school

There are other things too. My kids love the fact that when they are off school, I can adjust my hours to fit their social life. When they are in school, I can attend their assemblies, after school sports and activities, etc. I was a “stay at home mom” when they were little and I definitely did not want to give up being able to do all those things once I started working full time again. Working from home has been a great solution for my family.

I’m sure there are lots of people who like their outsidejobs/careers, etc. Some people may even love their jobs, but I personally don’t know too many people who like their work more than I do. I can’t even imagine ever working outside the home anymore. There are just too many pros about working from home…

• I can leave at the drop of a hat
• No travel/gas expenses (love that esp. at $4/Gal lately)
• No wardrobe expense
• No childcare expense
• I can take a break and exercise
• I’m always (well, almost) available for my kids
• And the list goes on

To be fair, I’ll mention the cons too…

• My home can become a mess even though I am there all day
• I have to be disciplined to stay focused
• “Real” social interaction is missing, although virtual helps
• Hmmm… I’m having a hard time coming up with more cons!

Sure, it takes some adjustment on both yours and your family’s part but my guess is that the majority of folks who work entirely from home would never want to go back to an outside job.

If you’ve spent any time on the Internet, you’ve probably seen tons of promotions telling you how easy it is to work from home. While it’s important to be careful of get rich quick schemes, it is indeed possible. There a caveat, however. It’s NOT easy starting out. It takes a huge amount of motivation and hard work. But once you get over the hump, it’s all worth it.

So where do you find legitimate work from home jobs? Thankfully, there are an increasing number of honest, ethical work from home sites popping up all the time. But the question is, do you want to work for someone else? Or do you want to own your own business?

Owning and developing your own home based business gives you maximum control but it’s not for everyone. It IS what the majority of people want according to several famous studies (Harris Poll, etc.). Since my experience is with owning my own business, that’s what I know. I’ll do some research and address working from home for someone else in a separate post. Fair enough?

I built my online business with Site Build It! (SBI!). Like I mentioned this was an unexpected journey… still is. I knew nothing about the Internet when I started out and I actually didn’t intend to build an online business. I was looking to grow my offline business! The reasons I went with Site Build It! to build my Web site (which was going to help me market my small business) are many. But most importantly, it was because there was a sense of honesty and straight forwardness on their Web pages. These pages actually give you nearly all the information you need to know in order to build an online presence. But it was the tools all in one place with a proven process that interested me more because I was not tech savvy at all.

This week I noticed that Site Build It! is running a Mother’s Day Special and it got me thinking. I’ve had a passion for helping moms in my community find ways to work from home since I started doing so. They don’t all build Web sites and have their own businesses but I’ve helped many moms find work they enjoy doing while allowing them to be able to work primarily from home.

When I saw the Mother’s Day Special, I thought wow, what a great gift SBI! would be for moms! I mean personally (as a mom) I’d much rather receive an “opportunity” to change the course of my family’s financial future than go to Sunday Brunch in a crowded, noisy restaurant.

Flowers, jewelry, etc., are all nice to receive too, but I’m just too practical to want for much of those types of gifts. I’d rather have a chance at financial independence any day.

Also consider this, here in the United States, our country is experiencing some challenging times. It’s always hard to discern how much is media hype and how much is reality. However, I can tell you that there are some serious business sectors that are really struggling. Real Estate, the Building Industry, Banks, Major Airlines and so on. These problems are not to be glossed over either as they could literally spiral downward before changing direction. This leaves millions of people in a precarious state when it comes to business and job security.

So what a great opportunity it is for those who build online businesses to be able to reach a global audience. One where you are not limited to your own town or area. My online business receives visitors from over 30 countries. I am no longer dependent on the economy of the country I reside in. That to me is priceless.

SBI! is a complete software program that anyone can use to take their hobby or interest or existing business and build income through a Web site. It’s ideal for moms, and if you go for the bonus, you can build your own online business too.

SBI! works for nearly all small business models, including…

Existing Small Businesses
Network Marketers/MLMers
Family Businesses Looking To Diversify
Auction Sellers
Service Business Owners
Students
Retirees

There’s a whole cottage industry emerging of people building income-earning Web sites in the comfort of their own home… or kitchen.. or the corner office at the local shop.

Everyone knows a mom. And almost everyone also knows either a student, a retiree or local small business owner who would like to bring in more dollars. And some of these folks we know are the hardest to find the right gift for! The Mother’s Day Special is a great opportunity for not only moms, but for anyone interested in having their own business.

I hope you think about it.

On the weekend, I was browsing one of my favorite forums and ran across a great thread titled something like “13 Things I’ve Learned After Submitting 1500 Articles.” Posted by Tim Gorman over at the Warrior Forum, Tim went on to share a lot more than 13 things he’d learned from posting 1500 articles at EzineArticles.com. The thread was a great read, but unfortunately, for reasons unknown, was completely deleted by the powers that be over at Warrior Forum.

Now here’s the kicker: Tim is Major Tim in the US Army, working 12 hour days before he comes home and puts in a few hours on his sites and article marketing. And he’s making six figures a year from his internet ventures alone.

This guy who’s out there saving our country and training our soldiers can do 1500 articles but I can’t pull together a measly 10? Ouch.

Needless to say, I’m humbled.

And am upping my article marketing campaign pronto. After doing some Googling, I found Tim’s method for marketing his articles. It’s intensive and at first glance, exhausts me already. But even if I take just a small piece of it, I’ll be doing better than before.

To read Tim’s 30 Day Article Marketing Plan, you can download his free report from NicheBot. It’s well worth the read, even if you think his plan is overkill. What’s most interesting is how he submits certain articles to EzineArticles.com only, while doing a blast to 100s of directories with other articles.

I may not be dropping 1500 articles on the WWW any time soon, but between my ability to write one or two a day, hiring a ghostwriter to do more and (maybe) hiring someone to completely rework PLR content I have, I’ve got a plan. In the meantime, I’ve hit my initial 10 article limit with EzineArticles and already been boosted to Platinum Author! Woot!

What’s your article marketing plan?

We often hear how the affiliate “Club” that you receive access to with this program is huge or overwhelming or has too much information. When I hear comments like this it perplexes me. Why wouldn’t you want a resource that offers “too much information”? What’s wrong with their program being “huge”? And if it’s “overwhelming” is it because they are in a hurry or don’t want to take the time to learn? Perhaps these folks are just looking to grab a quick image, some generic promotional content and slap it up on their sites hoping to make some easy money. I’m not sure.

If you, however, are serious about earning income with this popular business model, all the affiliate marketing help you would likely ever need is in the Club of SiteSell’s affiliate program.. Their resources are not just geared toward promoting their products (which all other programs are) but so that you can become a successful affiliate marketer. If you think about it, they really offer an affiliate education. Pretty smart I think.

But… You knew there would be a but didn’t you? But, you’ll need to take the time to learn in order to earn. Sigh. Just lost half our readers with that. For the rest of you who do want to do well, that should your affiliate mantra…

Learn in Order to Earn

Taking the time to learn is the element that is frequently missing from those who are struggling with affiliate marketing. That’s what it takes though. If you study, listen, research, test, and observe, etc. what happens? You learn! It’s just like being in school. Do your assignments and you learn. Don’t do your assignments and you fail.

Take the time to study the affiliate marketing model and you’ll learn how to continuously increase the income you earn from it. Learning should be a daily part of your affiliate business.

Okay, where was I? Oh yes. The 5 Pillar Program. I’m going to give you a challenge. Read the sign up page for this program and sign up…

http://affiliates.sitesell.com

SiteSell’s SBI! system is an excellent fit for just about any target market and you can earn generous commissions promoting it. They also offer numerous other Internet business guides which you can both learn from and promote to earn more commissions. When you become one of their affiliates, you are given access to the Club I mentioned above.

Now here’s the challenge…

Schedule several hours on your calendar to spend learning in this Club. Doesn’t matter if it’s an hour each day for a while or an afternoon all at once. The important thing is that you schedule and do this.

I won’t kid you, there is a ton of information in the Club but don’t let that bother you. You’re smart. Think of it as being just like going to the library. You actively seek out only what you are interested in and want to know more about. Same thing here. Actively seek out the affiliate marketing help you need. Believe me, it’s all there.

Take the challenge to become more knowledgeable about affiliate marketing and income rewards will follow… a tough mission in the hurry up, get rich quick Internet world. But be assured that those who are doing well with affiliate marketing are those who constantly schedule time to learn more about it.