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Recommended: Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad books
Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2003 by johndilbeck
I've been hearing the buzz about Richard Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad series of books for several months and I finally got around to reading a couple of them and visiting his website.
While these books will not tell you step-by-step how to achieve financial freedom, they do give great insights and examples of how it's possible. Of course, there are many pathways in life and not everyone would want to follow these recommendations, and you're free to travel the path you choose.
That said, these books will help you open your mind to the possibilities of achieving wealth. He has a very different way of looking at cashflow management, finance, assets vs liabilities, increasing income, reducing expenses, and protecting the assets you manage to accumulate.
If you're telling yourself that you can't do it, take some time and read Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Highly recommended.
Searching for local businesses on Google
Posted Tuesday, July 29, 2003 by johndilbeck
I just thought of something I'd never tried before.
It should have been obvious. Perhaps you've been doing it for months or years, but I never tried it until a few minutes ago.
I frequently search for local businesses on Google.com. In the past, I'd type "murphy nc restaurant" and I'd get more-or-less good results. However, some websites would list the address as "murphy, north carolina", "Murphy, North Carolina", "Murphy, NC" or whatever.
This morning, I realized what the Post Office realized years ago when they invented the Zip Code. I may be slow, but I slug away at it.
This morning, I searched for "28906 restaurant" and several other search topics and I got better results than I'd ever gotten by using a variation of a city and state name.
It's like when I discovered a few months ago that I could search by any phone number on Google and get good results.
Now, I have one more tool in my arsenal for finding and promoting local businesses. If you have a website and you want local folks to find your business, be sure to include your city, state, and zip code on every page of your site. I'll be modifying some of my sites over time to make use of this.
When looking for a local business, why don't you try searching for the Zip Code and a generic term, such as "28906 builder", "28906 real estate" or whatever you're interested in finding.
I know that I'll always (try to remember to) list my businesses with geographical information from now on. Instead of just referring to Dilbeck Marketing, I'll mention Dilbeck Marketing in Murphy, NC 28906. And, not only that, I'll be sure to put 28906 in my keywords on the page, too.
In the directory I'm building for North Carolina Businesses over on DilbeckMarketing.com, I'm going to redo all the pages and add the Zip Code to the keywords for each page.
If you're bidding on keywords on PPC search engines, you might want to try adding your Zip Code to your list of bids. I noticed that several companies that rate high on Google AdWords when searching for "Murphy, NC" don't show up at all when searching for topics like "28906 real estate".
Try it and see how it works for you.
Recovered from a major server meltdown
Posted Saturday, July 26, 2003 by johndilbeck
Earlier this week, we had a major server meltdown and it seriously affected several of our websites, including JohnDilbeck.com.
It looks like we've solved the problems and everything seems to be operating correctly. We're now on a new server with new hardware and new systems software, and we're hoping for a long smooth ride on this one.
My email was out for several days. If you tried to email me between Tuesday and Saturday and the email bounced, please resend it.
(Of course, this doesn't apply to all that spam I receive every day!)
We're sorry for the disruption, but we're back on track again, now.
Thanks for your patience.
JD
First Smart Customer Card Discount Merchant in North Carolina
Posted Saturday, July 19, 2003 by johndilbeck
ShoeBooties Café is now officially the first Smart Customer Card discount merchant in North Carolina.
George and Muffy Kerber recognize the potential of the Smart Customer loyalty program and have decided to offer a 10% discount to any diner who presents a Smart Customer card. This offer is subject to modification, so be sure to check with them for the current offer.
The Smart Customer card is being introduced nationally this summer. Currently, there are over 200 merchants in 17 states that have decided to participate in the program. More are joining every week.
Unlike some discount cards which are only good at one store or at a few stores in a single town, the Smart Customer Card is valid at all participating merchants nationwide. It will be expanded to an International program in 2004. Additionally, you can use the card for shopping online when the brand new SmartCustomerMall.com opens in the near future. There are dozens of merchants online who will offer a discount and/or rebate on any purchases you make.
I am working to sign up more local merchants in Andrews, Murphy, Brasstown and Hayesville in July and August and I'll be expanding my efforts into the surrounding area thereafter.
If you are a local merchant and would like more information, or if you would like to purchase a Smart Customer Card, you can learn more at DilbeckMarketing.com.
If you are a local non-profit organization and you're looking for a fundraising project that has the potential to generate significant funds with a very low risk, please contact me for further information. You don't have to be a 501(c)3 organization to qualify for this. Athletic organizations, school boosters, community clubs, professional organizations, civic organizations, and other groups are invited to participate.
Companies may want to consider offering Smart Customer Cards to your employees as an additional benefit. Or, give one to your prospects or new customers to show your appreciation for their business. Contact me and I'll tell you how to purchase the cards. If you want to give many of the cards, ask me about purchasing them at wholesale.
Smart Customer Cards are available from me for $19.95, and during our introductory period, this card is good for two years, instead of one year. Additional essential benefits are also available for an additional fee. See SmartCustomer.com for further details.
I'm looking for agents who would like to introduce the Smart Customer Card into their home towns and counties. Contact me if you're interested. This is a straight commission business opportunity with residual income potential. Only self-motivated individuals who enjoy direct selling should apply.
Welcome, ShoeBooties Café, to the list of participating Smart Customer merchants.
Are you a Smart Customer?
CogniPhone Long Distance Service
Posted Saturday, July 19, 2003 by johndilbeck
On July 7, I announced the availability of the new CogniWorld long distance phone service. This long distance carrier can save you significant money if you make lots of international calls, and if you live in an area where your local phone service is provided by a Tier A provider.
I happen to live in an area where local service is provided by Verizon and this is a Tier B area. That means, as I've noted previously, that my rates are higher than they would be for my brother, for instance.
In searching further for the best deal on long distance service for myself, I used the BillZilla site to compare several carriers. I found that, for my usage (lots of out-of-state, a few in-state, and no international calls), that CogniPhone provides the best deal for me.
Since this service isn't based on tiered service, I can get the low 3.89 cents per minute rate 24/7 and it's available for both business and residential service!
CogniPhone Long Distance -- 3.89 ˘ per minute anytime.
If you or your business make a high number of out-of-state calls, this is the plan for you! Features 6-second billing, 18-second minimum and NO monthly fees!. Credit card billing and state of the art online account management! Low-rate 6.9˘ calling card and 6.9˘ dial-around plan (great for avoiding high in-state rates) are included. No one beats this bundle of Long Distance services.
Features include:
Online sales are up.
Posted Wednesday, July 9, 2003 by johndilbeck
In the second quarter, consumers spent $11.61 billion online, up 15% from $10.11 billion in Q2 last year, says the latest spending report from BizRate. Consumers placed 104.86 million orders, up 31% from 80.06 million in Q2 last year.
CogniWorld Long Distance Service
Posted Monday, July 7, 2003 by johndilbeck
COGNIWORLD is a high-quality long distance telephone service at discount rate, provided by Cognigen Networks, Inc. Qualified customers will receive the following features at no additional cost:
It's never too early to order personalized holiday cards!
Posted Thursday, July 3, 2003 by johndilbeck
It's July already, and that means that it's time to start thinking about personalized holiday cards and calendars for your friends, clients and customers.
You can order Personalized Holiday Cards online from now until early December.
If you don't find what you want, let me know. I have several catalogs full of beautiful cards. Order early, avoid the rush, and get your cards before they are out of stock.
It's also time to order your new calendars for 2004.
In addition to the calendars on that site, I have several catalogs and dozens of samples of next year's calendars from several suppliers.
Contact me to place an order or get more information.
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