Saturday, June 30, 2007

Use Invoice Factoring to Succeed

Factoring is an accounts receivable financing strategy for businesses to sell accounts receivable at a discount to get cash needed for business growth and development. By factoring the value of the accounts receivable, the business is able to increase the speed of cash flow.

The business can use a factoring company to obtain cash equal to the value of the accounts receivable minus a factor's fee. This process can also be referred to as invoice factoring.

When factoring an invoice, three parties are affected by the process, the seller who owns the invoice, the debtor who owes the balance on the invoice and the factor or factoring company who will buy the invoice.

There are several types of factoring.

Full service factoring involves notifying the debtors who owe the balance. The factoring company controls the credit as they collect the outstanding debts.

Invoice finance allows the seller to keep the credit control function so the factoring company is undisclosed to the debtor.

Recourse factoring is the most common type of factoring. In this case the seller continues to be at risk as the seller must buy back the invoice if the debtor does not pay within a specified time frame. This is the lowest cost option for the seller because of the risk involved.

Non recourse factoring puts the risk of non-payment completely on the factor who purchases the invoice. If the debtor fails to pay, the factor cannot attempt to receive payment from the seller. As a result the factor will often turn away customers with only average quality of credit. The cost of this type factoring is higher since all the risk is on the factor.

New company factoring.

Factoring is ideal for a new company to get financing since often when new, banks are more resistant to making loans to a company. By selling accounts to a factor (or finance company) the company can gain immediate cash based on what its customers owe. In this case the company would send the bills to the factoring company for payment rather than to the customers themselves, eliminating the wait for the billing cycle to complete.

Caution regarding factoring.

Factoring is an expensive source of funds and is only recommended when a company is growing faster than their current funds can handle. It should be used more as a last resort than as a first solution. Factoring can be a huge benefit during rapid growth or difficulty so focus can be on solutions and processes rather than on concerns for keeping bills and payroll paid in a timely manner.

To offset the cost of factoring, have customers pay higher percentage points to receive flexible terms. Give a large cash discount to customers or clients who make cash payments at the time of purchase. This way covering the cost of factoring can be turned into a benefit for both the customer and the supplying company.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Corporate Values - An Example From an Investment Company

A Corporate Values statement can be assessed by using a few criteria. One such a criteria is the way in which these values match the characteristics of the company. It makes sense when different types of companies value other behavior. Therefore to understand the meaning of a corporate values statement you should first look at the type of company. In this case we are dealing with an investment company.

The first value is especially important to evaluate such a match and in case of the investment company we are dealing with: Meritocracy:
"The recognition and rewarding of people based on the contributions and achievements they make." This seems more than logical. An investment company is all about return and performance, and each and every employee is reminded of this relation.

Most other values in this example seem to match the type of the company:


  • Excellence: we are passionate about delivering results ...

  • Respect: we believe that people are our most valuable assets ...

  • Integrity: we apply the highest ethical, moral and professional standards in our conduct ...

  • Innovation: we constantly look for ways to do things better ...

  • Teamwork: we are a community with diverse strengths working together to achieve a common goal.

Excellence, respect, integrity (often used for financials in general), innovation and teamwork. Teamwork is important to stress when an organization is structured around specialists, in this case no single investor will know it all. (If you invest on the stock exchange yourself you will recognize this).

Balance is also an important criteria. Sometimes there are too many values mentioned which make it hard to focus on all of them. Six values like in this case seems reasonable.

Focus is an other criteria. Some companies define values from a company-viewpoint. Than it is hard to feel the value on a personal level, nor is it easy to make the value operational. In the end, values are to communicate to (individual) employees not for an abstract concept as the organization. In this case the individual is addressed by: "we are passionate… We reward on contribution…" these have an individual focus, but: "we believe that people are our most valuable assets," and "we apply the highest ethical, moral and professional standards" are group statement and hard to make operational.

Credibility as a criteria summarizes much of the other criteria and shows whether the values are really used in the company or that they are only a set of written rules.

In this example the credibility seems alright, although the values could be more addressed from an individual viewpoint. Finally, the definition of innovation is more to do with "… to do things differently," than "to do things better."

© 2007 Hans Bool

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

10 Part Time Business Ideas

Ever dream of running a part-time business while keeping your day job? Want to operate a sideline business along with your current business? Whatever your reason, here are 10 ideas to get started today with your own part-time business.

Antiques

How would you feel about making money from old treasures and have fun doing it? Why not scout the garage sales, estate auctions and flea markets for great buys on antique furniture, toys, clothing and other treasures from the past. Rent space and set up booths at weekend fairs to sell your wares.

Computer Tutoring

You can help anyone enhance their computer skills be it in Windows or Linux, desktop publishing or web research. You can start promoting your computer-training services by teaching classes through organizations in your community that offer adult education courses.

Custom made Jewelries and Accessories

Put your creative talents to work designing custom made jewelries and accessories. Whether you are working on sterling silver or recycled metals, clay or paper-mache, there's a market for your custom earrings, pins, bracelets, necklaces and belt buckles.

Garage and Attic Cleaning/Hauling Service

No one likes to spend a whole weekend cleaning out the garage or garden shed. Its both dirty and time consuming. But if you don't mind putting in the physical labor, a cleaning and hauling service can be a lot of fun. You can usually find a few treasures among the trash which most people are delighted to give away, and you can add to your income by recycling bottles, newspapers and metal castoffs.

Handyman

Your phone will ring off the hook with calls from homeowners, senior citizens and others who don't want to fix it themselves. Advertise in shopper publications and on bulletin boards, and drop off fliers at real estate offices. If it's broke, you can fix it.

Mobile Home-Entertainment Service

You'll save the day for homeowners who want their stereo, compact-disc player or videocassette recorder in working order. Brush up on your electrical and wiring know-how. Door-to-door fliers and calls to retail-store managers about your services will get your business off to a great start.

Personal Chef

Great home-cooked meals for working parents and busy professionals who hire you as a personal chef. There's plenty of demand for this specialized service. So plan your menu, make out your shopping list, and go to work to satisfy your hungry clientele.

Personal Trainer

People of all ages, sizes and shapes want to keep fit, trim and healthy, and they're willing to hire their own personal coach to exercise correctly. Spread the word about your physical-fitness expertise at health spas, running, swimming and biking clubs, and other athletic outlets.

Records Search

You'll search public records on your computer to help your clients find lost loves, check out questionable suitors, track down debtors, verify a contractor's track record, or dig up facts on a business opportunity. Clients can include attorneys, business owners and individuals.

T-Shirt Design

If you're an artist in search of a medium, why not make T-shirts your canvas? Paint, draw or bead your designs on plain T-shirts, You can spend your weekends showcasing your art-to-wear at farmers' markets and crafts fairs.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Sale Of Real Estate Property By Owner

Real estate property, everybody knows that the word denotes about the immovable and real property. Real estate property fetches a good demand among the buyers and sellers for reasonable price consideration. Nowadays, more number of real estate properties is listed in the real market and they are sold immediately for varying prices. During the past days, more people invest their money other than real estate property and the percentage was very less. But now, more number of people started investing in the real estate property to obtain more price consideration in the future. Real estate property can be sold by the seller or by the realtor or by the real estate agent. The seller can sell his real estate property by his own without seeking the help of the realtor or real estate agent. More numbers of seller are coming forward to sell their real estate property on their own. For sale by owner of the real estate property saves the money and time of the seller. When the seller sells the property by himself, the he hire the following benefits.

Price consideration


For sale by owner of the real estate property contains more privileges and facilities which offered to the buyer at the time of sale. When the seller sells his property by its own to the buyer, then he can meet the buyer directly and ask for the prices. This way, the seller can able to know the needs and requirements of the customers directly and tries to improve the property. Price consideration plays the essential role in every real property and nowadays, the real estate properties realize good prices. The prices fixed for the property should be moderate and it should not be less or more. When the price fixed for the property is not good, and then the seller has to face the problem. Therefore, the seller has to fix the price after proper evaluation of the real estate property.

Knowledge and experience


When the real estate property is sold by the seller, the seller should posses some knowledge and experience in field of real estate. Without possessing adequate experience and knowledge, the seller finds difficult to sell real estate property in the market. When the sells more number of properties to the buyers and obtain required information needed to sell the property, then the seller can easily sell the property for a good price consideration. Therefore, the seller is to analyze properly and take decision for sale of real estate property.

Commission


When the real estate property is listed either with the real estate agent or with the realtor, the seller is required to give real estate commission. This way, the seller has to give some part of benefit to the realtor or the agent. While the seller sells the property by himself, then real estate commission can be avoided. It is a benefit to the seller at the time of sale of real estate property. Therefore, the seller obtains more benefits when he sells the property by himself.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Moving Aspects And The Full Service Moving Companies

Every one is familiar with the horror stories of moving. If the people have the sizable amount to work for moving, it would very wise decision to hire the full service moving companies. Moving is considered as the full of stress and hassle incident of life. Relocate to a different state and settle over there are even more stressful as people hardly think of. People have to do lots of home works on the things. What to take? What to leave? How to get it there? How to get it there unharmed? One way to answer all these questions is to research the different types of moving companies and then decide which type will best suit your needs. The relocation industry has become more specialized and there are now more choices.

Find a reliable moving company is bit daunting task for the people, as moving stuff does not happen too often in life. People have to borrow the ideas of the satisfied friend, relatives and even from the neighbors. Another most convincing way to hire the service of the moving companies is to brows on the internet and find the Moving Companies where the supply their service details.

Full-service moving companies are the most traditional of the different types of moving companies. They are also the most inclusive choice. Full-service movers handle every phase of relocation. They pack, load, drive, unload, and move furniture around. These types of movers are licensed and will be able to offer you insurance for accidental breakage or damage. This is the most expensive option of the different types of moving companies, but it is also the most convenient. The movers make all the decisions for you according to your moving checklist which reflects the things to do and take with moving possession, from the mundane, like what size box to use, to the technical, like how to get the grand piano up to the second floor.

This last example, the grand piano, is an example of what might be charged as an extra service along with packing and unpacking a particular type of the house hold things or furniture reassembling, availability of escalator facilities or not. Consumers should ask questions about possible up charges during the quoting stage which they provide online some of the time for free to the people wish to move.

Interstate moving is not that hazardous like the moving internationally. The Interstate or the local moving aspect is regulated by the Department Of Transport of United States. They provide the moving companies with the license number. The people must enquire of the license number of the moving companies in order to claim the compensation for the damage and liabilities.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

9 Compelling Reasons For Having A Website

While promoting my website design business I contact many small and medium size enterprises who don't have a website. Sometimes it is the perceived cost of a website that puts them off, but more often it is the belief that no one will want to contact them via the internet. The same companies would be horrified at the thought of not being in the telephone directory, but they don't appreciate how pervasive the internet has become and how important it is to have a presence.

Here are my 9 compelling reasons for having a website.

Customer Expectations

Customers expect to see you on the Internet. Many people (that's customers and potential customers) prefer to search for a company on the Internet rather than search their local Yellow Pages or newspaper.

To many, a business that is not on the Internet, for all intents and purposes, simply doesn't exist. If you cannot meet this expectation then they will go to someone else. If you have no web site you have no chance to compete.

Open 24 hours a day

Anytime a customer wants to know about your company, it's products, opening hours or location they can get it with ease.

Your business or organisation will be promoted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to the whole world. Nothing else offers this flexibility. Your web site won't take holidays, have time off sick or ask for a pay rise.

You can even save on your time or your employees time by adding a "Frequently Asked Questions" page. This way customers can get answers before calling you.

Improve Communications

A Web site is an highly available, high-quality, interactive, full-color brochure listing all the goods and services you offer. It is a very effective and efficient way to communicate not only with potential customers, but also with employees and suppliers.

It can be easily updated, keeping your product listings and prices always accurate. Changes take effect as soon as they're posted online and everyone can see updated information without having to wait .

Improve your Businesses' Profile

You can build reputation, credibility and trust with potential customers. Web sites offer an ideal way of showcasing your previous work and accomplishments to potential customers.

There is also a large amount of prestige to having a website. It gives people the impression that you are savvy and smart enough to take your business up a level. Since a website is such a major convenience it also tells people that you are interested in sharing information with them.

Expand Your Business

The Internet takes away traditional business boundaries. When you go online people from all over the country, or even from around the world, will show up. Somebody always wants your product or service. Promoting through the internet and drawing them in will help you expand.

If you are a not-for-profit organisation then a website will raise awareness and attract more donors. You can replace the distribution of costly printed materials and cold calling for support. You can attract a willing audience to your website and impress them with your message once they arrive.

Improve you Competitive Advantage

On a computer screen all companies play by the same rules. No matter what your size, a website offers your business the same advantage as your biggest competitors. A well designed website for even a one man operation can have the same presence as a multi-national corporation.

Cost Effective

A web site is very cost effective. While it cannot replace your existing sales, advertising, retailing, customer support and public relations efforts, it makes all these business functions more effective. And though web site development is not without cost, the cost is limited. However the reach of your web site is worldwide and 24 hours per day. Publishing on the web is very inexpensive. Changing the information on your web site is also fast and efficient, whereas changing printed material can be costly and time consuming.

Compare the cost of a small ad in a magazine (which is only available for a limited time) or the cost of printing and mailing catalogues versus the cost of having a Web site, which is available 24 hours a day. Your customers can have the current information or price list for your goods or services at any time, just by looking at the relevant page on your website.

In addition your site can include features that no printed brochure or newspaper ad can offer, such as video and sound.

Sell

An interactive online catalogue makes your company's products accessible everywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Selling online is a cost-effective ways to sell anything. It comes without the customary overhead of a physical store, like building leases, employees who need to get paid whether or not the register is ringing, and the myriad of costs associated with keeping the store running (utilities, supplies, maintenance, etc.).

While there are certainly costs for hosting your site, keeping it secure, sales transactions, hiring a Web developer, and more, the costs of running an online store are predictably lower than having a physical store.

Specialised Markets

If you have a specialty product or service and working within a limited geographic area then you may be wasting a lot of money promoting your business to an audience that is largely uninterested. Move to online advertising and promoting and, apart from removing those geographic boundaries, you have access to the special interest groups that are on the Internet for virtually any subject.

By advertising exactly where your audience is, every penny you spend immediately becomes more valuable. So when an enthusiast sees your advertisement or reads about you on a message board, they go straight to your website. Never before has attracting a specialised audience been so direct and efficient.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Proposition 65 and Promotional Products

The Proposition 65 ballot initiative, created and approved in California, has far reaching effects. Also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, Prop. 65 affects more businesses than those based in California. Any business that ships to this state must meet the requirements of this proposition.

Proposition 65 was overwhelmingly approved by the voters in California in order to decrease their exposure to toxic chemicals. Each year since 1986, the Governor of California has published a list of chemicals that are known, by the State of California, to cause cancer, birth defects, and harm to the reproductive system. Proposition 65 safeguards the citizens of California from these carcinogens and reproductive toxicants by ensuring that they will not come in contact with any drinks. The only way that any of the designated chemicals can be present in a mug or any other drink ware is if the item is labeled. The label gives the consumer the necessary information and protects them from unknowingly coming into contact with these chemicals.

The promotional products industry has had to address this issue by becoming largely Proposition 65 compliant. Many vendors have changed their processes to ensure that their custom printed promotional items comply with this Californian measure. Any failure to label promotional drink ware that does not meet these guidelines can be met with a civil lawsuit and heavy fines. Those companies who have not yet been able to make the necessary adjustments will label their items when shipping to California.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Look Cool - Lean Back with Bistro Tables and Chairs

If brown is the new black, then bistro table and chairs are the new furniture. Well, they would be, except that they have been around for almost two centuries now. Ask most people what a bistro table and chair set actually is and, chances are, they will shrug their shoulders and say they don't know. But, really, we've all seen them, especially those of us who live in cities or countries that exhibit continental sophistication. Yes, you have that right. The bistro table and chairs set is that easy-looking trio of small, inauspicious dining furniture that crowds the sidewalks, providing perching, posing, or lounging space to any city's latté or mocha-drinking population.

Bistro in a Hurry
Bistro tables and chairs take their name from the famous and characteristically Parisian style of dining known as bistro. Bistros are cafes that sprang up everywhere around Paris towards the end of the 19th century. They served small but very tasty meals, often to soldiers who are in a hurry. This explains the name "bistro," which comes from the Russian or Slovak derivative "Bystrá," literally meaning "hurry." Bistro tables and chairs were developed and patented by the Frenchman Edouard Lecler, circa 1889. He developed the original bistro tables and chairs from steel, making it suitable for outdoor dining while still being small and portable enough to be folded up or stacked away with minimum storage space needed.

The Metamorphosis
You are probably familiar with the original bistro table and chair designs, where the chair's back and seat are made of steel slats that are one to two inches wide. The small folding steel table has a round or square top. These days however, as the world becomes smaller and people become more and more obsessed with cultivating the appearance of continental sophistication, sidewalk cafés have entered into an unprecedented phase of "uber-coolness." In fact, it's common culture especially among the young to take up smoking, order ridiculously expensive espressos in thimble-sized cups, and lounge around all day in a bistro table and chair set at some hip sidewalk. The good old bistro table and chairs have been sucked into the slipstream of this urbanism. No longer is the design confined to heavy steel slats. Designers use almost every imaginable material available: wood, stainless steel, plastic, aluminum, and even wrought iron. What's more, you don't have to go out to enjoy the style of bistro table and chairs. You can buy them from practically any outdoor furniture outlet, hardware store, or even department stores like K-mart, Walmart, or Tesco's.

Bistro tables and chairs have come a long way from their humble beginnings as obscure little restaurant fixtures. Today, they're more than just furniture; they're chic accessories to the yuppy lifestyle.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

The One Best Step to Mazimize Your Disaster Plan

There are as many ways to write an after action report as there are hospitals that are now required to perform disaster drills and write after action reports analyzing the performance of the institution following a disaster or a disaster exercise. Since there are 5,756 licensed hospitals in the United States, there are 5,756 different ways that are currently employed to write the after action review. At most institutions, after action reviews are written by a committee between 12 and 18 individuals, managers and supervisors who in addition to their regular duties, have been charged with analyzing the performance of their departments during an adverse event or disaster exercise.

When these individuals meet, they review the disaster plan and the performance of each division of the organization seeking to identify those areas where they enjoyed success. This list of successes will represent what the committee will keep as part of all future plans.

The committee will then review performance to determine where the plan failed. From this list of failures, they will perform a "root cause analysis" seeking to determine why the failure occurred at each of these critical locations. This list of failures, along with the list of root causes, will become the list of those items to be changed in the next plan.

In the last year, however, a new recommendation for a more effective after action review process has come to light. The recommendation does involve spending a small amount of money. The one best technique for maximizing your disaster plan is to buy index cards.

During a disaster or a disaster exercise, every individual involved in the operation of the hospital, regardless of their role or job, receives an index card. On the front of the index card, these employees will write the one thing that they saw that went extremely well during the disaster or disaster drill. On the back of the card, these employees will write the one key failure that they saw during the course of the disaster operation or disaster exercise.

Following the disaster or disaster drill, when it is time to perform the after action review the index cards will be collected and taken to the review committee. The hospital now has thousands of eyes that have critiqued hospital operations.

When the committee meets, they will perform their usual analysis of those things that went well and those areas of failure. They will still perform their usual root cause analysis attempting to identify the reasons for all failures. Then they will turn to the index cards.

If the committee is very, very lucky, on the front of the index cards, they will find that the employees saw the same successes as the committee identified. The committee now knows, with certainty, what items to keep as part of the disaster plan.

In review, those areas where the employees saw the plan fail; they will find that the committee's list of critical failures matches the observations of those who worked during the disaster or disaster drill. The committee now knows that their analysis is valid. They identified the same failures as the employees.

If the committee is very, very, very lucky, there will be one index card that identifies the early critical failure that started the domino-like cascade that ultimately led to the failure of the hospital's disaster plan. When the committee fixes this early failure, the hospital's disaster plan will be that much closer to a perfect plan.

Unfortunately, there are no absolutely perfect disaster plans. However, a "near perfect" plan can be achieved. The "near perfect" is that disaster plan that continues to function until one second after the last emergency room patient resulting from the disaster is moved from the emergency room gurney into a regular hospital bed. Because, if a plan can last until one second after the last emergency room patient resulting from that disaster leaves the emergency room, then the plan has lasted until recovery has begun.

Take this one best step and maximize your disaster plan.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Donald Trump Called Me a Loser

Add my name to the burgeoning list of people that Donald Trump has categorized as a loser. Where's Rosie O'Donnell's shoulder when you need it? Trump's comment "Show me someone with no ego and I will show you a big loser" seems like a direct attack. After all, I have been raised to be humble, soft-spoken and overly conscious of other's feelings. Spiritual writer, Louise Hay, reminded me, too, that I would rather be happy than right. All my life, or so it seems, I have yielded to the wants and demands of my super-ego counterparts.

Sheepishly I have to admit that I thought the Higher Power would reward my unpretentious, almost apologetic manner. Mahatma Gandhi and his ilk would smile upon my meek and modest ways, and advocate for the blessings of the universe to fall in my direction. I would be rewarded for my conscious decision to refrain from the following ego-driven actions: Controlling, if not devaluing others, living with an air of superiority because of job or accomplishments, speaking or treating others in an arrogant or haughty manner, especially to those who are deemed unsuccessful, or boasting about The Car, The House, the Stock Dividends or anything that elevates one's status in others' eyes.

It is not difficult for me to recognize individuals who possess an over abundance of ego. From the time that I was a little boy, for example, my uncle seemed very fond of his own voice. A much better speaker than listener, he offered opinions about any subject, definitive this his views and judgments were always right. He consistently acted in a condescending and patronizing manner, seemingly bolstered by the success and concomitant wealth he attained in business. His humor was not good-natured but rather caustic and acerbic, offered to take others down a peg. After all, he HAD to assume the highest position in any pecking order – the equivalent of renting (no buying) the Penthouse because it is considered the best.

It seemed counterintuitive to me that my uncle achieved such success in the workplace. Didn't his personality grate others? Could I be the only one perceptive enough to notice all his shortcomings stemming from an ego gone wild? As I consider the matter from my perspective now, maybe his ego served him well in Corporate America.

Perhaps his ego galvanized his sense of purpose. Desperate to be a "winner" – one that even Donald Trump would be impressed by – meant that he would make the necessary sacrifices to attain business success. My uncle did work long hours, took work home and assumed great responsibility.

But many of us (myself included) make a myriad of similar sacrifices and are still not on the "fast track," climbing up the proverbial corporate ladder. But my uncle expected success and many of us only hope that our efforts will be rewarded. His "Trumpesque ego" led him to the belief that no one could do his job better and that his employer was fortunate to have him in their employ. He approached his job with unabashed confidence and it is likely that his employer felt a large of measure of reassurance stemming from it.

Executives running a basketball team enjoy the brashness and confidence of a superstar, exclaiming that he wants to take the last shot in a ball game. Similarly, CEOs and CFOs hire and keep employees who are convinced that they can run with a project – faster and farther than anyone else. Of course, confidence without competence is meaningless.

Another consideration regarding my uncle's success: Perhaps he did check his ego at the front of his employer's door, containing his swagger and pompous demeanor. (He certainly compensated for this restraint at home.) In his book, How to Get Rich, Trump writes: "The ego works to keep our conscious and unconscious aspects in balance. Too much either way can be detrimental. No ego means very little life force, and too much means a dictatorial personality." At work, perhaps my uncle controlled his ego rather than letting his ego control him. I'm sure his co-workers and underlings saw and witnessed my uncle's unrestrained ego at times but I'm sure the frequency was a lot less than what I observed.

Where my uncle has an overabundance of ego, perhaps I need to infuse and build my own. I want to believe and conceive my success through feelings of empowerment and a healthy ego – not one that is unbridled. Mr. Trump, due to your influence, I declare the following affirmation: "I will not be a loser much longer. My ego is in the gestation process." How can it not be so? I'm reading your book!

Friday, June 8, 2007

Avoiding Medical Billing Business Opportunity Scams

Making money on a part time or full time basis is possible in the medical billing field.

However, there are plenty of scams to watch out for. These scams are perpetrated in two ways. Sometimes marketers entice people looking for a work-at-home opportunity by running ads online and offline that look like "help wanted" ads. When you call the toll-free number you are either asked to leave your contact information for someone to call you back… or… you get a live person on the phone.

In either case, the sales representative you end up speaking with does their best to sell you a "home study course" about the medical billing field. These courses are not accredited in any way. They cost several hundred to several thousand dollars. And you're typically asked to make an immediate decision or some feature of the program may not be available to you later on.

So can you really make up to $40,000 or more as a medical biller?

The answer to that question is yes. But not necessarily by purchasing an over-priced course with out-dated information that does not pertain to the current medical billing industry. What you need to do is protect yourself from bogus medical billing business opportunities and find legitimate sources of education. The best ways to protect your hard earned money from these scammers is as follows:

Choose programs where the marketing company lets you speak with previous customers. Granted, not all companies in any industry collect this data. You should ask anyway and then follow through by calling those people. The main reason for calling these people is to find out if they are making money as promised in the ad.

Do a little homework and contact the various associations and organizations in the medical billing industry. In fact, these should be your first (and maybe only) source to discuss your desire to become a medical biller. These organizations have the programs that are recognized and updated to help you learn and start a medical billing business.

Go online and search out others who are promoting their business. You'll find that successful medical billers have websites. Contact them and find out how they got started. Through your discussions with several successful medical billers you may get advice to get you started on the right foot. After all, these people have been where you are and discovered how to make the business work.

The main point to get is this: Don't buy a medical billing course on a whim. Instead, investigate the industry a little before making a final decision on which educational source you'll buy from. As you do this simple research, you will probably find the right information and steer clear of the scams and bogus programs sold by unethical companies and individuals who are just looking to make a quick buck off of you.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Why You Shouldnt Waste Your Time Selling Low Ticket Items

Ok if youre reading this article most likely you are out searching on the Internet for away to make some type of extra income. You may or may not have seen these little programs that claim you can make all this money working from the comfort of your home and they only cost $49.95.

Sounds great right? You can make all this money online for only $49.95. Wrong! Those are just cheap little mind games and tactics people put on their websites so you buy the junky program they offer, but then in the end you wish you never had bought it.

Why, because they dont live up to what they say, and its not as easy as these little programs make it out to be. Ive purchased my fair share of little $39.95 e-books, and programs. Never in my entire life has one made me money. Sure they all offered information about how to make money online, but that was it. In the end each program I purchased said the same thing as the last one. They would just keep repeating the same information over and over again.

What good is that? Why do you want to learn something you already know? Another thing was that the only real way to make any money was to run around and resell their little junky e-book or program. Which buy the way you would only make about $25 or so. Im not sure about you but I would rather earn $1,000 rather then $25. The old saying goes that it is just as hard to resell at $25 product, as it is a $1,000 product. So why work so hard for so little? Because these little programs make you believe that it really is easy as 1-2-3, when really it isnt, because if it was that easy everyone in the world would be working at home, and everyone would have a job.

So the next time you come by a website that offers a cheap program for $45 or something stay away from it. I know the price sounds great, but that is just a trick to get you to buy trust me. The saying is correct and that is you get what you pay for, and in this case youre paying for JUNK.

So this my friend is why you shouldnt waste your time or your hard earned money on these little programs that make false and unrealistic claims.

Visit EDC Gold for more information on marketing and selling online.