Shares can only be purchased through a stockbroker and that means that the first thing you need to do is prior to investing in shares is to decide on the type of broker you want. You may also have to figure out a style of dealing, this could be through the phone or via the internet as most investors currently do.

If you’re the busy type with no time to trade, then you can decide to go for stockbroking service offering full advisory services. With stockbroking service, a broker will analyze your individual situation and develop a plan to march your investment needs.

The broker will also watch over your investments and offer suggestions on how and where to buy shares and selling too. There is a variation of this, commonly referred to as “discretionary service” here your stockbroker may purchase and sell shares on your behalf without your consent. It’s a highly customized service and sometimes very costly.

If you decide to buy shares on your own, then an online stockbroker account could be a convenient option. Share trading over the internet is often quick and cheaper than phone dealing, besides involving less paperwork. If you decide to trade shares over the internet, selecting the right account is a matter of utmost importance. Trading with the right account could save you hundreds of dollars on trading costs. Active traders making regular trades will often require different accounts from small infrequent traders. Below is an example to illustrate the above points.

If you’re an irregular trader, dealing in small amounts of stocks, then buying shares in batches is highly advised; in this case your online broker will collect your order and purchase the shares at specified time rather than buy them in real time. The drawback with this method is that the fluctuating nature of share prices may affect the price you get, it’s probably the most affordable method.

If you’re a frequent trader dealing large amounts, then pay attention to your stockbroker’s fine print to stay informed about the fees charged. Frequent traders are better off looking for companies with lower, flat fees. Note that larger transactions could be expensive since they involve takeovers and mergers levy in addition to the stamp duty.

Love life, not just the weekends. You only have one life, Live It! @ www.NicciAndLee.com

Some say we are in a recession. Others say we haven’t had any negative growth yet through the 2nd quarter of 2008 and you need 2 consecutive quarters of negative GDP for a textbook recession. The financial and credit markets are predictors of the future and they are telling us that, any way you want to measure it, 2009 will be a year of recession

Does this mean to go and hideout in a bunker until the weather clears? If you do, this will be a mistake which you will regret for a very long time. Tough times call for action, not passivity. It calls for greater precision and targeting for the most efficient and ROI-driven strategies to maintain and improve your sales and profits. Yes, I said improve … even in a recession.

The following from Emarketer was just released showing the estimates of online advertising spending growth:

The doom and gloom crowd don’t believe these numbers and therefore won’t share them with you as we are here. However, according to a June McKinsey & Co. survey of 340 senior marketing executives worldwide, 91% are using online advertising, and over one-half indicate that their companies plan to maintain or exceed current levels where possible. Even more telling, 55% of marketers said they’re cutting expenditures on traditional media, precisely in order to increase funding for online efforts.

Why is this? Why do marketing experts believe that shifting precious marketing dollars online and taking away from the traditional media is the way to go? It all comes down to results.

Here are the key reasons for the phenomenon:

1. The buyer is finding your website as a result of their personal initiative; all at a time and place of their choosing. Traditional media reach less than .05% of their target market at enormous cost; this is the quintessential example of inefficiency and waste and cannot be tolerated by all those on a tight marketing budget.
2. The web is, more than anything else, an instrument of measurement. Therefore it is vastly more measurable and accountable than traditional methods.
3. The web is clearly more targeted and provides us much granularity as the buyer or the seller desires. The information is all there and always available.
4. The web is just simply gaining viewer time. Traditional media commercials are ignored or “fast-forwarded” using new technology. When online, viewers are in buyer mode when searching for a product or service; they have the confidence that the web / Google et al will lead them to the right information and the right purchase.
5. Traditional media provide you only the information they want you to know in the time or space they are allowed. The web provides no barrier; buyers can check out products, prices, terms and conditions. They can use the social media and other supportive tools to gain the confidence and peace of mind they need before making a buying decision.

So here is what you need to do to overcome the challenge of recession:

1. Improve your Internet Marketing Strategy. This includes many factors:

a. Hire an Internet Marketing Company
b. Generate a game plan to generate targeted traffic through SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Sponsored Search or PPC (Pay per Click).
c. Make a major commitment to content with the company you select. Content is life-blood of quality SEO results.
d. Improve your website to optimize conversions as well. The right SEO Company will actually include this service as an integral part of Search Engine Marketing and Website Design.

2. Start e-publishing a monthly newsletter for your existing clientèle. Keep your name in front of your customers and new prospects that sign up through the sign-up on your website.

3. Consider Affiliate Marketing - depending on your business, you can take advantage of thousands of online sales agents that only earn a commission after the sale is made or the lead is generated … a true meritocracy.

Do all of these things and more and you will be found by precisely those people who are seeking your products and services.

Love life, not just the weekends. You only have one life, Live It! @ www.NicciAndLee.com

People buy from those they know and trust. Nowhere is this more true than on the Internet, where you may never even meet anyone in person. Establishing a trust relationship with your potential online clients takes time, but it is well worth the effort! You have to have the relationship online first before you sell.
Think about the last time you bought a product or service online, that had a substantial positive impact on your work or life in some way. If you were spending a good chunk of change (and perhaps investing a good bit of your time) on that purchase, chances are you did some research first: reading online forums and reviews to see what others had to say about them; contacting them directly with questions and observing how quick and helpful (and polite) their response was; maybe even buying a smaller product or service from them first. All to determine if you could trust this online business to deliver what they promise.
Your potential online clients are no different! They are going to want to know if they can trust you to deliver, too. Here are three specific ways you can work on building a trusting relationship online, and how each will help your business:

1. Get to know your customers. This helps you more deeply understand what it is they need — making it a lot easier to tell them how what you are selling is going to meet their needs. Find out where they “hang” out, on discussion forums, social networks, etc., and get involved. Don’t just schmooze or try to sell your product right then and there — instead, add value to the conversation. If you are doing it right, you’ll be doing a whole lot more listening than talking.

2. Connect with your customer on a personal level. Let them see you as a person, one who has some things in common with them. People will trust you, and ultimately buy from you, if they feel you are like them. This means being sincere and transparent — not pretending or making something up. If you can’t make that trust connection with one particular person, don’t force it — move on to someone else.

3. Keep up the trust relationship. The relationship doesn’t stop after the sale! Clients who know and like you, and have benefitted from what you have sold them, will tell others about you! It will be easy for them to recommend you because they are recommending a trusted vendor, not an impersonal business or product. If you’ve done a good job of providing them with something that makes their job or life easier, they won’t be able to wait to tell someone else!

Once you have your relationship online wth your audience you will turn them from browsers to buyers.

Love life, not just the weekends. You only have one life, Live It! @ www.NicciAndLee.com