Some Crazy Shit

Author: Ron Ianieri

Like most trades, time spreads have a maximum loss for the buyer. As a buyer, you can only lose what you have spent. If you paid $1.00 for the spread then your maximum potential loss is that $1.00. If you bought the spread for $2.00, then $2.00 is the maximum potential loss.
 
The buyer of a time spread will be purchasing the out-month option while selling the nearer month option of the same strike in a one-to-one ratio. Since the out-month option will have more time until expiration than the nearer month option, the out-month option will cost more. This means the buyer will be putting out money (debit spread) which makes sense. The buyer can only lose the amount of money they spent to purchase the spread. Thus the buyer’s maximum risk is the cost of the spread.
 
The buyer can profit in several ways. First and foremost, being a time spread, the buyer can profit by the passage of time. Options are wasting assets. So as the nearer month option decays away more quickly than the outer-month option, the spread widens (increases in value) and the buyer sees a profit.
 
Second, implied volatility can increase. As implied volatility increases, the out-month option, which the buyer is long, increases in value more quickly (due to its higher vega) than the nearer month option which the buyer is short. This will force the spread to widen or increase in value, which again is profitable for the buyer.
 
Third, the buyer can make money due to stock price movement. As stated before, a time spread’s value is at its maximum when the stock price and the spreads strike price are identical (at-the-money). You could have an increase in value if you owned an out-of-the-money or in-the-money time spread, and the stock moved either up or down toward your strike. As the stock moves closer to your strike, the spread will expand and increase in value creating a profit for you, the buyer.
 
The buyer’s risks are obviously the opposite of the rewards. You can not stop or reverse time so the buyer of the spread can never be hurt by time.
 
Implied volatility, however, can decrease as easily as it can increase. A decrease in implied volatility will decrease the value of the out-month option (which the buyer is long) faster than it will decrease the value of the nearer month option (which the buyer is short) due to the higher vega of the out-month option. This will narrow the spread thereby creating a loss for the buyer.
 
In the same way that stock movement in the right direction can be profitable for the buyer of a time spread, stock movement in the wrong direction can be costly. As the stock moves away from the spread’s strike, the spread decreases in value. That will create a loss for the buyer of the spread.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/investing-articles/options-buyer-risk-reward-278722.html

About the Author:
Ron Ianieri is currently Chief Options Strategist at The Options University, an educational company that teaches investors how to make consistent profits using options while limiting risk. For more information please contact The Options University at  http://www.optionsuniversity.com  or 866-561-8227

Author: Hudson Hawk

Many people overlook trying to make money with bum marketing. This is a potentially tragic blow to your income potential. Bum Marketing is perhaps one of the easiest, not to mention, cheapest methods to get traffic to your site. Not only will you increase your traffic, you will also create valuable backlinks.

The first thing you need to do is determine what your objectives are. Are you trying to draw attention to your website to sell your own products? Are you trying to make money with bum marketing by selling someone else’s products via clickbank? Determining your objectives will determine what you need to do next.

In this article, I am going to focus on selling someone else’s product. The first thing you should do, is log into   Clickbank  and find a nice product to sell. This product should be something you feel strongly about or have used in the past. After you have found a product, log into  UsFreeAds  and write a short, but hopefully effective, ad. UsFreeAds has a few membership options to choose from. The premium option allows you to write an unlimited number of ads with their cool HTML enhanced tools. The basic option allows you to write classified ads for free, but limits the number you can have going at any one time.

After you have written an ad or two, sit down and write a short article on that product. The article should be between 400-600 words and should offer tips and tricks that actually help your reader. Using optimized keywords is the key to your success when trying to make money with bum marketing. The title should contain the most important keywords in your article. You should try and repeat those keywords in the first, as well as the last, paragraph of your article.

Many article directories do not allow affiliate links within the body of your article. If you are submitting to one of these sites, the author’s resource box is a critical piece of your promotion machine. You cannot make money with bum marketing if you do not get as many articles out on the internet as possible. The resource box allows you to talk about yourself and your business. Keep it short and make sure you include a little information about yourself and a link to your website.

So you may be asking yourself how can you make money if you are not allowed to promote your product within the article. To make money with bum marketing you have to decide how much work you want to do. You can either create a small landing page, via some free blog site such as blogger.com, or you can just submit your articles to directories that allow affiliate links. The choice is really yours. 

Submitting to directories that allow affiliate links is the easiest of the methods. I prefer to submit articles to directories that do not allow affiliate links. These sites appear to have fewer fluff articles that you can tell are just trying to sell you something and these sites draw traffic to your site like crazy. How?

Well, to start with, you can allow other webmasters to use your articles on their sites provided that they keep the entire article, including the resource box, intact. Every time someone uses your article on their site, blog, ezine, etc, you get free publicity. Become proficient at writing short targeted articles and you can produce traffic, backlinks, and sales for years to come.

If you can write one article a day, and each article produces $5 a month in sales, staring in year two, you would be making $22,000 a year. Not bad for a few minutes of work.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/how-to-make-money-with-bum-marketing-for-free-281091.html

About the Author:
Hudson Hawk writes for  DustinMason.com  and   . Please visit these sites, expand your horizons, and have fun.

Author: Shane Turner

When creating a marketing plan for a business, many people rely heavily on paid advertising and promotions to get their messages across to their target market.   While paid advertising and promotions are a critical part of the marketing mix and can be extremely effective, they can also be very expensive.  Often overlooked, a regular cycle of newsworthy press releases distributed by a business can be a powerful addition to a company’s marketing efforts.  Additionally, there are few things that stretch a marketing budget farther than a press release.  A well-planned press release campaign can produce great dividends, and it starts with a well-written release.

 Is your news “newsworthy? 

This is where press releases get a bad name. Using a press release just to try to make a sale is not an appropriate use of the medium.  A press release is not an advertisement, but an opportunity to share something that is newsworthy about your business.  That said, there are many opportunities that go overlooked when it comes to developing newsworthy content. Developing a new product or service, partnering with another company, sponsoring a charity event, receiving an award or other recognition, and sharing the results of research that you’ve carried out are all appropriate topics for a press release.

 Start Strong 

Using an attention getting headline is important to catch the attention of editors who are bombarded with information each day.  The headline and first paragraph should tell the whole story.  If someone has to read further than that to understand the purpose of the release, they’re likely to lose interest.  Using an active voice instead of a passive voice is critical as well.  An example would be using the word “partnered” instead of “entered into a partnership”.  

 Remember the four W’s 

First and foremost, a press release should answer the who, what, where, and when.  In presenting your information, be sure to avoid jargon and hype.  Don’t use all capital letters, exclamation points, or other detractors.  Also remember that you’re writing for busy people so word economy is important. Don’t use 500 words to say something that you could have said in 250 words.  Building credibility is extremely important, especially if press releases become an on-going part of your public relations efforts. Stick to the facts.

 What’s next? 

After you’ve written the release, you’ve got to get it into the hands of the news media.  Submitting your release to the right media contacts is extremely important.  Find out who the right person is for the media outlet(s) you are pursuing.  Also find out how they prefer to receive the information whether it is by e-mail, fax or some other means.    If you intend to distribute your release more widely, there are also PR services that have well developed distribution networks and can get the word out effectively for relatively little cost.

The last step in this process is to evaluate the effectiveness of the release. By monitoring the outlets where the release was submitted to, you can gauge how newsworthy the release was and make adjustments for the next one. Also, developing a mechanism to measure customer awareness of the release will help you to calculate the return on your investment and zero in on issues that are important to your customers.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/the-power-of-the-press-release-278994.html

About the Author:
Shane Turner is currently Professor of Entrepreneurship at Arizona Western College. His interests include  welding education ,  nursing education , and helping you succeed with  your new venture .

Author: Yukitee

Are you stuck for a money-making idea? 

Have you been racking your brains out for a part time lucrative business venture that you can build on?

Then, these 10 brilliant business ideas could just be what you are looking for.

1. Produce Christmas cards which are printed on the front with, for example, “Happy Christmas from the Smith Family”. Or, instead of the name ‘Smith’, pick one of the dozens of  other popular surnames. Sell packs of these cards by direct mail to people listed in telephone directories.

2. Establish a directory of products no longer made. This directory might include sections on toys, novelties and household goods. Design the directory for business people and inventors who want to know both what has been made before and what ideas might be revived and/or modified.

3. Make cotton glove especially designed for coin collectors. The gloves prevent the grease and moisture from fingers getting onto coins. Package the gloves and sell them from ads in coin collecting magazines or distribute to shops which sell collectible coins. 

4. Begin a business which rents out large and expensive astronomical telescopes to householders who want to develop their interest in astronomy. Publicise your service at the local astronomy society and use local advertising to attract clients.

5. Start a venture which promotes the art and hobby of window painting. On coloured acetate paper have outlines printed for painting pictures by numbers. These acetate sheets are stuck to one side of a window and anyone can paint a picture on the other side of the glass. 

6. Make an income by selling lucky charms at car boot sales or door-to-door. Sell, for example: Rabbits feet, horseshoes and four-leaf clovers. Start by tracking down trade sources of lucky charms.

7. Decorate everyday objects with pressed flowers. Add an inlaid design of pressed flowers to trays, coasters, jewellery boxes, paperweights, picture frames, wall-hangings, desk sets and table tops.

8. Make money from renting out expensive children’s toys. The toys you rent out will include remote controlled models and computerised games. Use a little van to deliver the toys to customers. Paint in toy town colour scheme. Call the van a toy mobile or similar suitable name.

9. Bring out a regular publication for ambitious amateur musicians. This publication might include ads from : 1) Employers seeking musicians. 2) Retailers selling equipment accessories and supplies. 3) People selling used equipment. 4) Musicians seeking to make contact with other musicians. Also publish interesting editorials and letters.

10. Design and manufacture kits for making models with cocktail sticks, for example: model churches, castles, windmills, houses, etc. Buy the cocktail sticks in their unpacked state from the manufacturer. Sell your kits by mail order from ads in craft magazines or distribute to model shops.

The world economy is under-going a time of uncertainties. There is no such thing as job security anymore nowadays. It gets even tougher for those reaching 40 and having school-going kids and many bills to pay.

With the knowledge of some feasible business ideas that can be operated from home in your spare time, give you a back-up plan in case you lose your job, it’s like having an insurance against career disaster.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/buisness-ideas-articles/kick-ass-with-these-business-ideas-277585.html

About the Author:
Yukitee is a staunch believer in the power of positive thinking. As an avid reader of self-improvement books since young, she has successfully practised many of the principles employed by mental warriors - constantly fighting off negative thoughts. More Money-Making Ideas at   http://beyourownboss.discover2earn.com

Author: Leo Blanco

If you suppose a professional logo design is not needed to small businesses, think again. In these very cutthroat days, it does not matter what industry you’re on. The important thing is you must cut through the clutter and be remembered by your target market segment. It’s time to pay attention to your logo design. 

A logo is any name, letters, graphics, or symbol combined together to produce a unique personality. Even if anybody can create his or her own logo, it is a lot better to consult first with an experienced logo designer to guide you. 

 Why a Professional Logo Design Matters? 

1. It all about your business reflection. Your logo captures the essence of your business – what you stand for, your objectives, goals, and nature of business. It is a great marketing tool to help your key customers distinguish your small business or products. Good examples of powerful logo designs are Adidas, Motorola, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and BMW. 

2. Consistency. Your logo is universal, meaning it will be used in all communication channels related with your business. It will be on your online site, business cards, stationery designs, receipts, invoices, or even your mascot if you have one. 

3. Creates a professional image. No matter how small your business is you can’t afford to look cheap, unreliable, or confused. Your customers might interpret this as lack of concern or expertise in your industry. 

4. It represents stability. Using clipart pictures and lousy do-it-yourself logos can hurt your business very awfully. A high quality logo design shows you are sincere about your small business and will possibly operate over the long run. 

Characteristics of a Good Logo Design 

A professional logo design is not all about being artistic. It must have the following key attributes

1. It must be brilliant enough to create trust and help out customers to identify your company or brand easily. 

2. It must be basic yet very visually charming

3. It must be flexible or adaptable enough to be used in different media like the Internet, TV, and print advertisement. 

 How about cost? 

A professional logo design costs money and varies from one firm to another. While many entrepreneurs are easily put off with its price tag, they merely failed to understand its impact to the overall performance of their company.  

What are you waiting for? Get in touch with a professional   logo design company  now and create the right professional logo for your company.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/graphic-design-articles/the-importance-of-a-good-logo-design-249783.html

About the Author:
Leo Blanco is one of the bloggers at   Logo Design Works , a cost-effective and very experienced branding company focused on designing logos, Websites, stationery, business cards, caricatures, mascots, and flash templates.

Author: Tracy Hildreth

The problem with a lot of advertising is that it is often being shown to people who have no interest at that time of using your products and services, only a very small percent of those who you market to are going to be compelled to pick up the phone or email you. 

There is a lot of wastage with traditional advertising methods. Now think of this. 

Let’s say you place an advert in the business directory but don’t pay for it immediately, so instead of paying £500 per year you pay zilch – now imagine that you only pay the business directory each time someone rings you up – say 50 pence per call. Wouldn’t that be great? 

You only pay for the leads that come through to you, not for space on a page that may not be generating you business.

Well this is pretty much how  Pay Per Click advertising works on the internet. 

So what is an  adwords campaign ? Well simply put an adwords advert is a way of paying to get a high result in a search engine. Try this - perform a search on Google for ‘Property in Spain’. The results at the top of the page with the light blue background and all of the results on the right side of the page are adwords - paid for adverts. The owners of these ads have bid to have the adverts displayed on the page when a certain search phrase is entered into the search box – they only pay for the advert when someone clicks on it, which will take them to a page on their website 

In your campaign settings you choose what keywords and phrases you want your advert to display, and you choose what price you are willing to pay to get your ad displayed. The price you pay will go some way to dictating where in the list you will appear – generally the more you pay the higher you go. You can also set a maximum daily budget so you have complete control on your spend. Benefits of Adwords are –

•    Instant results

•    Easy to measure its success

•    Manage the budget you want to spend

•    Change settings and see the results almost straight away

•    Get the right visitors coming to your website

You are also targeting the people who are actively looking for your products or services.

Give it a try with a budget of £5 per day and run it for a couple of weeks and you will see enquiries coming through – that will cost you £70 to try it out, far less than most newspaper advertising.

Adword Campaigns  are now becoming recognised as the most effective form of marketing bar none and if you are not taking advantage of this form of marketing then you should seriously consider it. The sooner you get started the sooner this will be generating business for you. In order for you to find out who can help you with this, you should search for a Google adwords professional.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ppc-advertising-articles/what-is-pay-per-click-ppc-279844.html

About the Author:
Mancala Technology are specialist in   Search Engine Optimisation  and  Adwords Campaign Management .

WHAT IS LEAD GENERATION?

Lead generation is the opportunity to capture a new customer and generate new business. The lead is the customer details and an indication that they have a possible interest in your product or service. Once you have the lead it’s up to you to turn it into a positive sale with effective marketing.

Lead generation can come from many sources including; networking, word of mouth, recommendation, advertising, enquiries and data collection.

Why Does Lead Generation Work?

• It gives businesses a basis on which to target customers and entice them to a sale.

• It provides a database of names that can become a business’s target market.

• The larger the list of leads the higher the percentage will be of potential customers that convert to actual customers.

• It’s more effective than cold calling as you know the lead already has an interest in your business.

How Does Lead Generation Work?

Lead generation takes you straight to the key people in the business, which will save time and costs. If you’ve got the right contact name and can set up an appointment you’ve got your foot in the door – it’s then up to the sales person to secure the sale.

Once you start to build a database of potential leads you can start to formulate a marketing strategy. Your leads should go through three stages:

1. target as potential customer

2. convert to customer

3. maintain as long term customer

Lead generation should be done methodically so customer contact isn’t repeated. Ever received more than one catalogue in your household from the same company because you’re on their database twice? This is impersonal and can put off a potential customer as we all like to feel needed and not just a number on a computer system (although the reality is that’s all we are to the big businesses!)

Market research is a key factor in lead generation. Businesses should understand their target market, who and where they are and who their competition is. Surveys are invaluable and a great way to obtain potential leads. Use every opportunity to get potential leads to fill in surveys so you can capture their details, find out what led them to you and what they’re looking for.

Collection of information can be sorted by demographic and geographical areas, depending on a business’s target market.

There are companies that can undertake lead generation for businesses. They will provide databases of names and addresses and some will even set up appointments for sales teams. Be cautious about using these companies and check they are reputable as they may just be selling you lists which you could purchase directly and cheaper yourself. Also, they may be supplying exactly the same list to your competitors.

Don’t miss any trade shows relevant to your business as they can be a valuable source of new leads.

Be prepared to travel to attend trade shows both in the UK and abroad. Make sure you’re aware of all the trade shows for the coming year and register as soon as possible.

If you’re supplying a product or service you should have a trade stand to promote your business. Book your stand early to get a good location. Sometimes you have to pay more for a good site, but being tucked away in a corner that no one walks past won’t bring you any new leads.

Ensure your stand is attractive and offers something that potential leads will want. Display a large sign saying who you are and use products to show what you do. Make your stand interesting and inviting with demonstrations and free gifts. A trade show is not the place to be boring as there’s too much competition. Have music, lights, singing and dancing – whatever it takes to get potential leads to stop and give you their details.

Staff your stand with knowledgeable and friendly staff. They should be fully briefed on how to approach potential customers and obtain their details. Staff who see trade shows as a day out from the office and just sit on the stand looking bored should stay in the office.

Staff should chat to passers by without pressurising them. They should stand at the front of the stand rather than waiting for leads to approach them. A trick is to look busy but be prepared to stop what you’re doing to chat and involve the lead.

Invite potential customers to sit down and have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Free refreshments at trade shows are a welcome source of energy as pacing up and down a large hall can be exhausting. If your business is food orientated give away samples and do demonstrations at frequent intervals. For other types of business free samples are always a winner: sweets, pens, desk toys, hats, key rings and bags – all with your company name on of course.

One crucial factor to remember as you’re meeting and greeting all these potential customers is that YOU NEED THEIR DETAILS. Don’t loose sight of this and make sure you have a form to hand so you can follow up any enquiries. Have a plentiful supply of forms and ensure the completed ones are kept in a safe place for analysis once you return to the office.

When at a trade show take the time to visit other stands and see what the competition is doing. This is also a good time to generate more leads in terms of new customers. Other stands may be potential future customers so network and distribute your business card. If you see businesses that could be potential customers take their promotional material and add them to your list of leads.

Whether you’re a retailer, educational institution, supplier or service provider trade shows relevant to your product area are a valuable source of lead generation.

Lead generation relies heavily on PR. Potential leads need to be promoted to and informed of how your business can benefit them. Depending on your type of business there are some events not to be missed as they’ll be full of potential leads.

Business Networking Meetings

Most large towns will have a business networking group. To find yours look in the local press, on local websites or contact the nearest Business Link office. Some groups require you to be invited as a guest before you can become a member – find out who’s in the group and contact the chairman.

When you attend a business network group meeting use the opportunity to promote your business to obtain leads. Collect as well as give out business cards. These groups exist for businesses to help each other. They usually don’t have competitors in the group, which the chairman will advise you on.

If there isn’t a group in your area why not organise your own? This is an ideal opportunity to generate new leads as you will be in control and can invite potential leads that will hopefully help grow your business. You could set up a breakfast meeting or dinner once a month in a local hotel. The room will need to be hired and if you wish to supply food you will need to consider costs. You could sell tickets, seek a sponsor or use the funds from group membership.

This type of lead generation takes time, so don’t expect an instant list of contacts. However, over time, as people get to know you leads and business should grow.

For the ladies amongst you a good idea is a ‘women in business’ group. This gives the group a unique slant and many leads can be generated through women’s contacts such as schools, parents and friends.

Open Days

Does your business lend itself to holding an open day? If you’re an educational institution trying to attract more students or a hotel or conference centre wanting to attract potential customers this is the type of event for you. Show off your premises and tell people what you can do for them. Advertise in the local press and with posters to promote the event.

Make sure you register every visitor, either before the event if you sell admission tickets or on entry on the day – then you automatically have your list of potential leads.

Trade Shows

An ideal way to promote potential customer interest and obtain a list of contacts to target. For more details on trade show lead generation see our web page www.

Launch Parties

If you’ve got a new business or product to promote a launch party is the ideal way to generate leads. An evening launch held at your premises or in a hotel, with demonstrations of the product or what your business does will reap rewards in terms of lead generation. Serve drinks and canapés and allow guests to mingle and network. As people enter ask them to drop their business card into a box to wine a bottle of champagne in a prize draw at the end of the evening – there you have your list of leads!

The main benefit of networking to generate sales and new customer leads is that it’s free. Word of mouth is one of the strongest forms of marketing. Do a good job and people will recommend you, avoiding the need for expensive advertising.

Self Promotion

Don’t be shy; be proud of what you do. Whether you work as a salesperson for a large company or are a small independent business lead generation will help grow your sales and profits. Tell everyone about your business and always have a supply of business cards to hand. Talking about what you do will get people thinking and if they’re not a potential customer they might know someone who is.

Don’t wait for a potential lead to ask for your business card – give it to them. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression so be polite, not pushy. If you have a website make sure its address is printed clearly on your business card so people can find out more about you.

Where to Network

Networking starts the minute you leave the house and meet people, from the postman to school teachers to the guy you sit next to on the train. Don’t assume someone won’t be interested in what you’re offering – turn things around and see every encounter as a potential lead.

Social networking is fun as well as work orientated. Join sports clubs where you think potential leads will go (golf/tennis/rugby/swimming), it’s during the social time after a game that the networking starts.

You could also join any other type of club or society that your target market may frequent, such as writers’ clubs, gardening clubs, art classes or cookery clubs. Consider where potential customers will be and be there too! If you don’t want to join the club as a paid-up member you could ask to give a talk on your business; a great way to generate new leads.

Network with friends and family and make use of any contacts they have. Think about what your friends do and the number of people they come in contact with each day. Ask them to give out one of your business cards when appropriate and your network of potential leads will soon start to grow.

Network at work by ensuring your current customers know about everything you do. If you offer a wide range of services a customer is likely to use you rather than a new supplier if they’re happy with you.

Follow Up

Once you’ve made a potential contact don’t loose them. If someone has given you their business card and expressed an interest in what you do follow up the lead with a polite email the next day. This ensures they don’t forget you. Don’t wait for people to contact you if you’ve got their contact details.

If you’ve made a large number of potential leads keep them securely on a database and note when you contacted each. Put in place a plan to make contact on a regular basis (without inundating them), and plan to build business.