Scammers Use “Obamacare” Inquiries to Steal ID Info

Misunderstandings and ignorance about the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare as it’s often known) has opened the door for scammers selling phony health insurance.

Regardless of your views about the Act and even what might happen to its key provisions in the future, ACA is a reality that many people are still grappling with today, more than a year after it was introduced.

Just a few months ago, the Federal Trade Commission announced charges against a company for tricking people, especially Spanish speakers, who had been seeking affordable health insurance, into buying medical discount cards that turned out to be worthless.

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Identity Theft Holds Pole Position in Top Scams List

Nothing’s going to shake identity theft from the Number 1 slot in our annual list of top scams, but the huge growth in what we call hit-and-run scams is changing the shape of our Top 10 chart as we move into 2015.

We compile our charts each year based on our own research findings and the flow of news from law enforcement and consumer agencies.

Now, we’re picking up more and more reports of hit-and-runs scams in which victims are tricked into handing over money they don’t owe for everything from bogus fines and unpaid taxes to supposedly unpaid utility bills.

 Click here to read the full article.



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Shame and Nerve in the Worst Scams of the Year

For the past couple of years, we’ve produced a list of some of the worst scams we encountered in the prior 12 months.

These issues proved popular with many subscribers, not just because some of these cons were truly mind-blowing but also because the scams underline just how easy it can be to fall victim to these tricks.

So, we’re taking another look at our files and have picked out another dozen of what we consider to be among the most outrageous scams reported in the past year or so.

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Degree Forgers Switch to Fake High School Diplomas

High schools students who failed to graduate are being offered a sneaky and dishonest way out the chance to buy a fake high school diploma.

This is the latest trick in the booming diploma mills business, where all sorts of dubious accreditations are offered, usually for a couple hundred dollars.

We’ve previously explained in a past issue, Old School Standards – How To Spot a Distance Learning Scam, how some of these shady “colleges” and “universities” work, often with respectable sounding names and promoting themselves in respected publications.

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NEED MORE CLIENTS? REBOOT YOUR MARKETING

In the press of day-to-day business, it's easy to fall into a pattern of reaction about marketing and sales. Email and phone calls arrive and you answer them. Opportunities are presented to you, and you act on them. A marketing project occurs to you, and you begin working on it. Does this sound familiar? Is operating in this reactive way producing the results you want in your business?

If not, it's time to stop and intentionally break the pattern. Set aside half a day, or at least a couple of hours first thing in the morning, to review how your marketing and sales are going. Because we typically spend more time looking at what's wrong than at what's right, break that pattern, too. Start by looking at what is working for you in marketing.

Ask yourself questions like these:

• Where are most of my clients coming from?
• What marketing activities do I enjoy engaging in?
• Which of my clients or client projects are my favorites?
• Where in marketing and sales am I using my personal strengths?
• When my sales or marketing is successful, what makes that possible?

When you have a list of eight to ten items that seem to be working for you, use them as a guide to diagnose what isn't working as well as it could. Here are some of the discoveries you might make:

• Where clients come from — Many of my clients discover that the majority of their business comes from personal referrals. Meanwhile, they are putting a great deal of effort into social media, tweaking their website, or attending large networking events with minimal follow-up. When they change how they use their marketing time to better match what brings the most clients, business improves.
• What you enjoy — A colleague of mine loves producing events. It gives her a feeling of affinity and connection when people show up at her invitation and she can provide them with knowledge and inspiration. Before she realized how much she enjoyed this, she struggled with marketing. Now her entire marketing plan is based on hosting events, and her business is thriving.
• Which clients/projects are favorites — We all have a certain type of client or a specific sort of project that makes us feel good about ourselves and our business. Changing the direction of our marketing to attract only more clients and projects like those can motivate us to new levels of energy while simultaneously streamlining our marketing.
• Where you're using strengths — Tactics like writing, public speaking, and one-to-one conversations make use of my own strengths and talents. When doing these things to market my business, I can shine. I'm much more effective when engaged in these activities than when pushing myself to attend networking mixers or make cold calls, areas where I'm not as strong.
• What helps you succeed — One of my clients learned that she can be much more successful at marketing when she has a three-item to-do list in front of her each day. It keeps her focused on the most important tasks, and brings her back to her own agenda when she gets distracted.

Use what you discover from this exploration to make a new, proactive, focused marketing plan. (My books Get Clients Now! and The One-Person Marketing Plan Workbook can help.) Then restart your marketing with your mind cleared and resources refreshed, just like your computer after you reboot.

You've no doubt heard people say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. So... don't keep following the same marketing and sales pattern if it isn't producing the results you want.
Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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Identity Theft: How to Freeze Your Credit

2014 has turned out to be a disastrous year for identity theft, especially with the theft of credit card details and numerous security breaches at retailers and card companies.

In fact, most of us will probably be lucky if at least one of our credit card details failed to end up in the hands of crooks.

The only consolation is that, in many cases, these data thieves end up with incomplete information. For example, they may have your card number but not the three-digit security code on the back. Or they may be short of other critical identifying information.

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7 Long-Term Care Insurance Scams

The cost of increased longevity is a growing need for long-term care (LTC) for our aging population.

Insurance coverage may be one solution but the LTC marketplace is peppered with crooks selling dud policies or charging victims for protection they either don’t need or will never get.

In this week’s issue, we explain the main LTC scams and how you can avoid being duped — plus we have a warning about a new and unusual lottery scam.

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Bogus Casting Calls Lead Straight to Your Wallet

The surge in popularity of TV and local talent shows is feeding the dreams of many performers into carefully choreographed casting call scams.

The unprecedented number of amateur talent shows that just might lead participants to the big time has given this particular scam a major boost, often with dubious organizations describing themselves as “casting agencies.”

Local auditions for genuine shows are now held across the country, followed by regional and, finally, national selection processes — a huge scope for the tricksters.

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GET CLIENTS FROM SPEAKING: BE THE GUEST, NOT THE HOST

"I don't recommend you host your own teleclass," I told my client.

"Why not?" she asked. "I thought public speaking was a great way to get clients."

"It is," I replied. "But hosting your own free teleclass isn't public speaking; it's a promotional event."

Yep, there's a big difference between a self-employed professional putting on his/her own show, and being invited as a guest presenter for someone else's. When you consider the level of effort to make it happen, the cost of putting it together, and the amount of new business you can expect to get, public speaking — live or virtual — wins out over a promotional event almost every time. Here's why.

1. Who's on the invitation list — The reason you see high-profile professionals offering free teleclasses, webinars, and free or low cost local workshops is that they have a substantial number of prospects already in their database. With 10,000 targeted prospects on your email list, you might get 100 to register for a free teleclass or webinar, especially if you also promote it on social media. But if your list has 500 people on it, you'll be lucky to get 5.
   
   When you speak for an established organization, they use THEIR list of members, students, customers, or employees to promote your event. And it's not just the size of their list that can be significant. When you speak for a regular gathering, as opposed to offering a one-time event, a higher percentage of the invitation list will register. That's because they will have the gathering already on their calendars, and will have often paid a fee to even be invited.
   
   If you offer the event audience a free gift or door prize, most of them will happily give you their contact information. Then you can add them to YOUR list (with appropriate permission, of course), allowing you to follow up with them.
   
   
2. Time and money to promote — Promoting an event requires a considerable amount of effort over a substantial period of time. To do it well, you'll need to invite people in multiple ways, and do so multiple times. You may have to send emails, post on social media, mail postcards, make phone calls, ask colleagues to invite friends, and more, just to fill the room.
   
   But hosts for your speaking events do all this work for you. They have a mailing list, social media channels, a budget, and a promotion plan already in place, because they host speakers like you all the time. When you show up to speak, the room is already full.
   
   
3. Impact on your credibility — When an organization hosts you as a speaker, you get an implied endorsement from that group. The audience automatically thinks of you as an expert, which colors everything you say, including your offer to do business with those who attend. Hosting your own event doesn't carry that level of credibility. It can even detract from how credible you are if your event attracts only a few people.
   
   
4. Potential of new business — In the Get Clients Now! hierarchy of marketing strategies, public speaking is rated the third most effective, while promotional events are rated as only fifth of six. The reasoning behind this includes all the factors stated above. Being a guest speaker makes you instantly credible, takes considerably less effort to achieve, and provides you with a new, larger, and more responsive potential audience, compared to producing your own speaking event.

If this is so, why do so many self-employed professionals try to host their own events? Here's my guess:

• They're copying what they think they see modeled by higher-profile professionals, not considering that those folks may have much larger followings, experience with filling events, and probably some paid staff.
• It seems easier to set up a bridge line, webinar platform, or conference room and invite some folks than it does to position themselves as experts so organizations will find them desirable as speakers.
• Landing speaking engagements requires making requests that may be denied or ignored, exposing them to rejection. This brings up fear, resistance, and the inner critic.

"Ah hah!" said my client, when I explained this to her. "It's the same as when you advised me not to buy a booth at that expo. I wanted to take the easy way out and just write a check instead of working on building my referral network."

Smart client. You can be this smart, too. Design an attractive speaking topic, write a credible bio, and start reaching out to some potential hosts. Getting booked as a no-fee speaker can be easier than you think. Hosting your own free speaking events may seem like a shortcut to getting clients, but for too many professionals, it has instead been a dead end.
Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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Protect Yourself from Latest Job Scams

Any day of the week, you can do a quick Google news search on the term “Craigslist jobs scam” and you’ll see scores of reports from just the recent past.

Over the course of a year, they multiply into the hundreds or even thousands of phony employment ads as scammers cast their nets to haul in their job-hunting victims.

Craigslist, probably the biggest and best-known online classified ad service, goes to quite a bit of trouble itself to spot fake job ads as well as issuing a warning to its users about the risks of scams.

Click here to read the full article.


©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Beware of Latest Auto Accident and ID Theft Scams

Have you ever witnessed an auto accident? If so — or maybe if it happens in the future — you probably won’t be surprised to be asked to provide your contact details in case your evidence is needed for an insurance claim or even a court case.

But if that happens, beware! You may be being lined up for a new type of ID theft.

In this trick, scammers turn up at accident scenes claiming to be police accident investigators.

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8 Money Wiring Fraud Prevention Tips

Money wiring services and reloadable debit cards are still criminals’ payment method of choice when it comes to raking in their ill-gotten gains from scam victims.

So much so, in fact, that a couple of the big money wiring companies themselves have agreed to pay compensation of $200 million to reimburse victims, and one of the leading debit card firms has announced that it will abandon its main reloadable card in 2015.

The attraction to the crooks is simple: Both payment methods are untraceable. Law enforcement is usually unable to track down where the money went.

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How Crooks Trick You Into a Virus Download

If you ever get malware on your PC, the most likely cause will be that you performed the virus download yourself.

Despite everything we hear it’s not that easy for crooks to plant malicious programs on your PC without your help.

They use lots of cunning tricks to fool you into downloading their viruses, some of which even the best security software may not detect, especially if they’re newly crafted.

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5 Must Have Tools For Your Online Business

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Jon Olson

 

Every now and again, we get information overload…

It’s important to bring it back to why we are here and what we are trying to do with our online business. If you want to create a lifelong residual income business ClickTrackProfit is a fantastic place to be….But how about a little refresher? This could be the most important blog post you read all year…

Here are the 5 must have tools you need to build your lifelong internet business;

1. RocketResponder – Point. Blank. Period. You need a list. Programs come and go all the time, the relationship you build with your lists is paramount. Start building your list…..Yesterday!

2. Trck.me – Without a doubt, the best tool you have at your disposal is your tracking service. Know what works, what converts, where it converts and how long it takes before it converts. The ROI is measurable, you just need to look at the metrics.

3. AdKreator – Your image is everything online. Remember that people judge your ‘brand’ on what it looks like. Make your ads POP and SIZZLE with the best designing tool on the planet!

4. Kore4 – Putting it all together! Instead of looking at online business like a crap shoot, why not build something that pays you for life and focuses on long term growth rather than ‘get rich quick’. Kore4 is the ultimate LONG TERM online opportunity!

5. The Right Attitude – It’s simple! All these tools are useless if you don’t have the right mind set for long term growth, sustained effort and the vision to last more than 99% of the people online. The right attitude is what will make you. The wrong attitude is what will break you. Think long term. Think community. Think how to be the best affiliate you can be!

I know this is a bit of a refresher for most of you reading this, but it can’t be stressed enough….Opportunities come and go all the time, these tools are proven long term strategies that WORK if you put in the effort. Keep +1’ing everyday and you will see awesome results. Do you have any other must have tools you would like to share? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback…

“Credit Mules” Lined Up for Latest Phone Scam

Cash-strapped people, including students, other financially disadvantaged and homeless people, are falling victim to a new cell phone scam known as credit muling.

A few weeks back, in New Student Scams Exploit Need for Cash, we wrote about how students were being lured into selling their debit or credit cards to crooks and then reporting them as stolen so they don’t get lumbered with the bill when the cards are used for fraud.

The latest variation uses cell phones as the fraudulent cash generator.

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STAY INTERESTED IN YOUR OWN MARKETING

"I'd like to launch a Facebook page," my client said.

"What's changed?" I asked her. "We discussed that option before, and you thought it wasn't a good fit for you."

"I still don't think it's a great fit," she told me. "My best clients have always come to me from personal referrals. But I've been focused on building my referral network for a while now, and I feel like it's time to do something new."

Whoa! Did I hear correctly? My client says she doesn't think a Facebook page is a good idea for her business, but she's going to create one anyway, because... why?

I've seen this happen many times with professionals who do their own marketing. They'll be rolling along following a simple, effective marketing plan, and then -- pow! -- they blow it off the tracks and start doing something entirely different.

Here are some of the common reasons professionals change their marketing plan while it's still in progress, and what you can do to stop this from happening to you.

1. Bored with doing the same old thing.

Keep your interest alive by adding variety to marketing tasks. If you've been going to the same networking meetings all the time, choose a new one to attend occasionally. (But don't stop going altogether or switch to networking exclusively online.) If you've been faithfully posting to your blog weekly, change it up with a series of short daily posts. (But don't stop posting completely, or start posting to Twitter instead.)

Follow the "just enough" principle. Change just enough of what you're doing for it to become interesting again, but don't throw it out and start anew with something else.

2. Losing faith in what you're doing.

Take steps to create a good plan to begin with, then get a reality check from someone you trust. If your plan was created by essentially throwing darts at a list of possibilities, you won't have much faith in it. Spend the time up front to design a plan that makes sense for your business, current situation, and personality. Consider using Get Clients Now! or The One-Person Marketing Plan Workbook to help you.

When you're unsure whether your plan is on the right track, consult with a friend, colleague, or expert who truly knows your business and how to succeed at it. Remember that most marketing tactics take time to pay off. Getting some outside perspective from a trustworthy source can help you stick with a winning plan that hasn't shown many results yet.

3. Attracted by a Bright Shiny Object.

We entrepreneurs tend to be creative, energetic, and willing to take risks. These qualities often go hand-in-hand with Bright Shiny Object Syndrome -- the attraction to new ideas, a preference for starting as opposed to finishing, and a strong dose of wishful thinking.

Work with a buddy, group, or coach who knows your plan and will remind you why you chose it. Having regular check-ins with a person or group to whom you are accountable is one of the best antidotes to an affinity for shiny distractions.

4. Convinced by someone else you're on the wrong path.

When marketing isn't your specialty, it's easy to be swayed by the opinions of others about what you should and shouldn't be doing. I've seen professionals throw out a perfectly good marketing plan because a friend said it wouldn't work, they read some blog posts from an expert in a whole different industry, or they were sold an expensive program or campaign by a guru or vendor whose only interest was making a sale.

Follow the steps above to create a plan that makes sense, check it out with someone you can trust, keep your interest high, and gain the support of a person or group who will help you stick with it. Then you'll have the confidence to deflect opinions that might send your carefully-designed plan into a tailspin.

Finally, remember that you may think your marketing needs changing long before your prospective clients do. In fact, they may not even be AWARE of your marketing yet -- or of your business. Don't walk away too soon, and miss the payoff from all the hard work you've already done.
Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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Why Regular Bill Checking is Essential for Your Safety

Bill checking is definitely not much fun. But failing to scrutinize the detail of your bills can lead to untold misery.

That’s because monthly bills and account statements are often the first indication you’ve been scammed or of other problems that could turn out to be costly.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Technology Delivers New Hacking and Key Copying Threats

Hacking, a word few of us encountered until fairly recently, unless you’re a jungle explorer or horse-rider - has suddenly become part of our everyday language.

A few weeks ago, we were reading about how a Russian gang had stolen more than a billion email addresses by hacking individual and organizational computer systems.

(By the way, change all your important passwords because of this.)

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Which Card is Safest? Debit or Credit?

Which card is safest to use?   Debit or credit - in a world where personal financial information seems less secure than ever?

Barely a week seems to pass without news of a hack attack on retailers and other companies that access the records of customers, including card details.

And then there are the everyday risks of card number theft we all face, from stolen wallets through skimming devices to spyware-infested PCs.

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SUCCESSFUL MARKETING RECIPES NEED GOOD INGREDIENTS

Many of the marketing struggles I see self-employed professionals experience have one thing in common. The professional is trying to copy a marketing recipe they've seen others use, but they are missing a key ingredient. The result is like trying to make a sandwich without bread.

Let's look at three different examples of marketing recipes gone wrong. In each case, an essential ingredient for success was missing or inadequate.

Recipe #1: Attract Clients Online

Sonia wanted to build her accounting business by bringing small business clients to her website. She created an attractive site with some useful content, started a blog, and used Facebook ads and Google AdWords to attract more traffic.

The number of people visiting Sonia's website increased, and she did land some new clients, but none of them had found her online. She was still getting clients the same way she always had -- by referral. Meanwhile, she was spending more than she could afford on ads, and still didn't have enough business.

Missing Ingredient? 

In Sonia's case, what was missing was a mailing list. She had no mechanism to capture the people who visited her site and follow up with them over time. What Sonia needed was to give her blog readers and site visitors a way to become subscribers. Then she could mail them periodically, and build their awareness of her services and their trust in her expertise.

Recipe #2: Cold Calling

Brian was trying to find clients who needing his technical writing skills by cold calling. He had identified a number of companies that were likely to need the type of instructional materials he specialized in. He was calling each one to introduce himself and tell them about his capabilities. But no one wanted to have a conversation with him.

Missing Ingredient? 

Brian was lacking an effective telemarketing script. He was selling himself as a solution without finding out anything about what his prospects actually needed. Instead, Brian needed to develop a series of questions he could ask his prospects to determine what their needs were so that he could propose specific solutions. He also needed to research his prospects more, so that he could customize his script for each call.

Recipe #3: Networking at Events

Maureen was attending local networking events to get clients for her web design business. She had tried all sorts of events, from Chamber of Commerce mixers to women's professional groups to industry association meetings. She was meeting lots of people, but producing almost nothing in the way of business.

Missing Ingredient? 

Maureen had neglected to define a market niche for herself. She was visiting dozens of different groups because she didn't know where her clients were likely to be. When she introduced herself, nothing made her stand out from any other web designer. Without a defined target market or clear specialty, Maureen didn't know where she fit, and neither did the people she met. When they needed a web designer, they had no reason to remember Maureen.

Do you suspect your marketing might be missing a crucial ingredient? Start by asking yourself the question "why aren't I..." or "why can't I..." and fill in the blank with whatever you're trying to accomplish with your marketing.

Sonia asked herself "why aren't my website visitors turning into clients?" Brian asked "why aren't the people I'm calling interested in speaking to me?" Maureen asked "why can't I find clients at the events I'm attending?" Their answers led each one of them to discover what their marketing was missing.

For your marketing recipes to be successful, the right ingredients are essential. Don't keep trying to make a sandwich without bread.

Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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New Wave of ATM Scams Heads for U.S.

A new wave of ATM scams is on its way to the U.S. from Europe, while our own home-grown criminals also have a new set of cash-machine tricks up their sleeves.

As we’ve previously reported in ATM Theft: 8 Tips to Protect Yourself From the 5 Most Common ATM Scams, by far the most common scam is the use of skimming devices, which are placed over ATM card slots.

These can read data on the card’s magnetic stripe, while a carefully concealed camera records the user’s Personal Identification Number (PIN).

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Urban Legends from Mississippi, Missouri and Montana

A three-legged woman, a Robin Hood-style hold-up by Jesse James and the supposed arrest of Ronald McDonald — we’ve got them all in our latest collection of urban legends.

This week, we continue our alphabetical state-by-state tour of the U.S. with visits to Mississippi, Missouri and Montana.

As usual, we encountered a whole stack of hauntings and UFO sightings, several of which — like Bigfoot — we’ve seen elsewhere. But there were also some unique legends to investigate, some of which, surprisingly, turned out to be true.

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MARKETING: YOU GOTTA HAVE A SYSTEM

Being successful at marketing does not result from one brilliant idea. Nor does it follow from stringing together a random series of marketing activities, no matter how many different approaches you manage to use. To bring in a sustainable flow of business on a consistent basis, you gotta have a system.

With no system for marketing and sales, you have no priorities for where to focus. "What should I do first?" a new coaching client will often ask me. "I need to update my website, arrange speaking engagements, launch a Facebook page, follow up on leads I already have... I don't even know where to begin."

When you lack guidelines for managing your time and money, you can quickly overspend those precious resources. "I thought I would update just one thing on my LinkedIn profile," a colleague recently posted. "Three hours later, I was still working on it."

Without a system, you also have no framework for making choices. Does it make sense for you to hire the search engine optimization expert you just met? Or should you take that class on how to launch a blog? Or maybe you should join the networking group you were recently invited to.

One more missing element in system-less marketing is consistency, a crucial factor in successful marketing. When you don't have a blueprint to guide you, it's too easy to neglect what should be ongoing tasks, like following up on your unreturned phone calls or emails, posting to your blog or social media page, or sending broadcasts to your mailing list.

Here's what should be included in a marketing and sales system:

1. What result you wish to see. Name a number of clients, prospects, appointments, dollars, or some other quantifiable target.
2. What approaches you will use to achieve that result. Choose a spot in the marketing/sales cycle where you will focus your efforts, and identify specific strategies to employ.
3. Exactly what you will do to implement those approaches. Make a list of tasks to perform and tools you need to create or acquire.
4. When you will do those things. Specify when you will begin and when you will have projects or tools completed.
5. How often you will do those things. With activities that need to happen repeatedly -- phone calls, social media posts, or coffee dates, for example -- assign them a frequency or quantity. This could be once per week or ten times per day.
6. What you did, and what results you achieved. Be sure to track what really happened, not just what you planned for. It's the only way you'll know whether your plan is working, and if you're working the plan.

If you're already familiar with my Get Clients Now! system, you'll recognize these six components. Have you fallen off the gotta-have-a-system wagon? Perhaps it's time to climb back on.

If you're not acquainted with my system yet, I'd love it if you gave it a try. But my real point is that you need to have SOME system in order for your marketing to succeed.

We entrepreneurs can be an unruly bunch. We often resist systems and structures. After all, many of us went into business to have more independence and control over our destiny. But making use of an effective system can actually be freeing. "Once I complete the marketing tasks I've chosen," a grateful student told me, "I can stop worrying about marketing and spend the rest of my time as I like. What a relief!"

Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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New Tricks Target Small Businesses

Small businesses are a fantastic target for scammers.

Owners and employees are often too busy to check things out carefully, sometimes inexperienced in the world of commerce, and there’s a lot for crooks to go after — 28 million small firms at the last count.

So, if you own one, run one or know somebody who does, here’s a quick checklist of the latest small business scams currently doing the rounds.

Click here to read the full article. 



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Why Your Name is on the Cybercrime Hit List

Around 40 million Americans are now falling victim to identity theft every year and the total global annual cost of cybercrime could now be as high as almost $600 billion – yes, “billion."

These are just a couple of the shock statistics from security firm McAfee in a recent report on worldwide cybercrime.

And, just for the record, $600 billion is more than the value of the economies of most countries in the world — and the total number of ID records stolen worldwide could be around 800 million a year!

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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New Student Scams Exploit Need for Cash

Making ends meet is not easy for college-goers, which makes them a sure target for a student scam.

Sometimes the offer of easy cash can be too tempting, or what seems to be a legitimate IT message is so convincing that they walk straight into a trap.

But if you’re wise to the latest tricks, as we report in this week’s issue, you can avoid these scams and get on with the work-and-fun side of college life.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Bogus Contractors, Funeral Notice Virus & Safe Harbor for Kids

More people are wising up to bogus contractors who offer to do roof repairs or repave a driveway -- and then never return or do a shoddy job after being paid up-front.

And they're not so easily fooled either by people who claim to be from the local utility company and say they need to inspect an installation inside their home -- while planning to distract and steal from their victims.

So, inevitably, these crooks have come up with a new trick, as we explain in this week's Snippets issue.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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THE WORLD'S SIMPLEST MARKETING PLAN

A client once told me she was a "marketing idiot." What she really needed, she said, was the "world's simplest marketing plan." So we set out to create one for her. Here's what it looked like:

1. Make a list of everyone you know.
2. Tell those people about your business.
3. Ask if they'd like to find out more about it.
4. Tell the interested people more.
5. When you get to the end of the list, contact everyone again.
6. With anyone who fits your client profile, ask if they'd like to work with you.
7. With anyone who doesn't fit, tell them what the profile is, and ask if they know anyone who fits.
8. Add any new people to your list and repeat steps 2-4.
9. When you get to the end of the list, contact everyone again. Update them on your latest work or provide them with useful information.
10. With anyone who fits your client profile, ask if they are ready to work with you yet.
11. With anyone who doesn't fit, remind them what the profile is, and ask if they know anyone ELSE who knows people that fit.
12. Add any new people to your list and repeat steps 2-8.

We never got any further than step 12 in her plan, because by the time she got there, several things had happened:

• With a plan in front of her, she knew what to do, so she set aside time for it, and took action.
• Because she was taking consistent action, she was also following up with her contacts on a regular basis.
• By telling another person about her plan (me, in this case), she created accountability for herself.
• Because she was setting aside marketing time regularly, following up with contacts consistently, and reinforcing her commitments with outside accountability, she began to produce results. Enough results in the form of new clients that we never needed to continue her plan to step 13.

If you're skeptical that a marketing plan as simple as this one might work for you, consider the following:

• You may be able to add to the list of "everyone you know" from more sources than you think. Consider all your former co-workers, people you went to school with, members of your professional associations, people in your social media networks, neighbors near your office and/or home, members of clubs and activity groups you belong to, and your personal friends and relatives.
• As your list grows, you can refine it by eliminating people who are neither appropriate prospects nor likely referral sources. Just don't do this too soon, as some of your contacts may surprise you with their interest.
• Telling people about your business and asking them questions can take many different forms. You can call them, email them, write them a letter, send them a postcard, or interact with them on social media.
• Updating contacts about your latest work or providing them with useful information can take many different forms also. You can call them, email them a note, mail them a newsletter or postcard, email them an ezine (if they've agreed to subscribe), share a social media update with them, or let them know about an article, case study, blog post, podcast, video, or event.

As you can see, a simple marketing plan can become quite sophisticated, especially over time. You can begin with phone calls and emails to your inner circle, then both expand your list to include more people, and expand your range of tools for contacting and updating them.
Why not give this simple marketing plan a try? Adapt it to the size of your list and the tools you already have. Make sure you follow all the steps faithfully. For example, don't leave out the step where you "ask if they'd like to work with you."

Be sure also to set aside time to work your plan, and create some accountability for yourself. Share your plan with a friend, colleague, coach, or action group, success team, support group, or mastermind group.

As you have time, resources, and the need, add new tools for contacting and updating your contacts, such as a newsletter, blog, podcasts, videos, events, or social media channels. Just don't let the time and effort it takes to create those tools detract from faithfully working your plan with the tools you already have.

You may just find, like my client did, that this simple marketing plan is the only one you'll ever need.
Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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One Ring Phone Scam Cashes in on Curiosity

It goes by several different names -- the missed calls scam, the one ring scam, the ring and run scam, and the dial-and-disconnect scam -- but the aim is always the same: to steal 20 or more dollars from you.

Your cell phone rings once then stops and you're left with a sense of curiosity that will only be satisfied by finding out who phoned you by calling them back.

That's what the crooks know and that's why they use this trick.

You won't recognize the number or even the area code, which is often something like 268, which is used for the Caribbean island of Antigua.

Click here to read the full article. 


©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Fake Cosmetics Could Pose Risks to Your Health

Counterfeit cosmetics, designed to look like top-name brands, trick thousands of shoppers into buying what seems like a great bargain.

But as well as being fooled into paying money for rubbish, buyers could also be placing themselves at risk. It turns out that some of these fakes are downright dangerous.

Just to make things worse, some of these bogus products that are sold online, at flea markets and even mall kiosks, are actually priced near the level of the genuine item, making it less likely that buyers will get suspicious.

The fakes include not only makeup but also hair-styling products and accessories like makeup brushes.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Beware of Sky-High Interest Workplace Loans

Are workplace loans going to take the place of payday loans, charging outrageous rates of interest to the very people who can least afford them?

That's a fear some observers are expressing after publication of several online reports about the growth in this "shadow lending" market.

We've already covered payday advances in one of our earlier issues about predatory lending, How to Avoid Predatory Lending Scams.

And we told you about another recent worrying development -- short-term advances on pension payments, charging up to 100% annual interest rates, in Alerts Sounded on Pension Loans, eBay Scams and TV Casting. 

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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WHAT DO YOU SAY AFTER HELLO?

In the Get Clients Now! approach to marketing and sales, I put considerable emphasis on talking to people. But for many self-employed professionals, this poses a problem. 

What, exactly, do you SAY when you speak to prospects and networking contacts? How do you get a conversation going that leads to ultimately closing a sale? Here are some suggestions for where to begin a productive marketing conversation.

Cold Call to a Prospective Client

Do say: "I'm calling you because Jane Jones suggested you," or "I admire your work (book, article, interview, speaking topic, etc.)," or "We're both members of the ABC organization," or "We both went to (or taught at) the XYZ school," or "I'm going to be in your area next month," or "What I've read (or heard) about you suggests you may be interested in what I offer."

Tell the prospect why you chose to call him or her in particular. Don't let prospects think you simply looked them up on a list (even if you did).

Don't say: "I'm just calling to introduce myself." Why should they care?

Warm Call to a Prospective Client

Do say: "I'm calling to talk about your interest in my services," or "I've been thinking about your problem and I have some ideas for you," or "I'll have some open hours on my calendar next month. Would this be a good time to start your project?" or "I ran across an event (person, organization, book, article, etc.) I thought would interest you."

Give a straightforward reason for contacting a prospect that feels authentic to you. Don't dissemble. It's absolutely fine to tell a prospect you're calling to see if he or she is ready to work with you.

Don't say: "I'm calling just to see how you're doing." That's not really why, and your prospect knows it.

Networking at an Event

Do say: "Hi, I haven't met you yet," or "Are you a member of this group?" or "Have you heard this speaker before?" You can approach any stranger at the event with a simple opening line like this. Then introduce yourself by name and profession, and ask the other person what they do.

Don't say: "Isn't it hot today?" or "How about those Giants?" Networking time is precious, don't waste it with unrelated chit-chat.

Networking Cold Call

Do say: One of the why-I-chose-you openings suggested for cold calls to prospective clients, followed by "I'd like to talk to you about how we could help each other get more business."

Don't say: "I'd like to pick your brain," or "I'm wondering if you could refer me some clients," or "I'd like to talk to you about a business opportunity."

Networking Warm Call

Do say: "We met at the ABC event," or "We're both members of the XYZ group," or "Sam Smith introduced us," followed by "I'd like to get to know you better. Perhaps we could be of benefit to each other."

Don't say: "I'd like a few minutes of your time," or any of the don'ts listed for networking cold calls.

Face-to-Face Meeting with Prospect

Do say: "I'd like to find out more about what you need, tell you what I offer, and see if there's a possible match between us." Get to the point. Your prospects are busy and so are you.

Don't say: "I'd like to tell you about my services," or "I'm here just to find out what your needs are." Neither of those objectives are of much benefit to your prospect. 

Face-to-Face Networking Meeting

Do say: "I'd like us to take some time today to learn about each other's work. Perhaps we could serve as referral sources for each other."

Don't say: A whole bunch of small talk without ever getting to the point of the meeting. Don't let the other person do this either.

Talking to people isn't as difficult as we sometimes think. Use some of these pointers for getting past that awkward hello, and you'll soon be conversing your way to more business.

Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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Just How Green Are Those "Green" Products?

We're all used to seeing "biodegradable" on labels these days and it makes us feel good to buy green products.

But, as we sometimes find in the scambusting world, all is often not what it seems.

Along with other green tags, like "organic" and "recyclable," a declaration that a product is biodegradable may conceal all kinds of qualifications or may even be untrue.

For instance, consumer trading standards officials recently discovered an Oregon producer of disposal diaper liners and baby wipes that was making allegedly deceptive claims about its products' environmentally friendly credentials.

Click here to read the full article. 

Let me know if you are looking for truly green products I can direct you where to shop for them.  I have been using them for years.  Just email me at: barb2birds@gmail.com 
Subject line:  Where can I shop for Truly Green Products?



©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Stolen Goods Online: 8 Red Flag Warning Signs

You might have seen news reports a few weeks ago about Federal authorities charging three people in connection with the sale of more than $7 million of stolen goods on eBay.

The scale of the alleged crime might have been surprising -- it was said to have run for 10 years and netted around $4 million -- but there's certainly nothing unusual about the sale of stolen items online.

Online shoppers find themselves victims of this crime every day and police have specially trained squads who constantly scrutinize sales sites looking for the proceeds of burglary and theft.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Warnings on Fake Home Inspections, Home Working Scams and Baby Photo Tricksters

If you've had some property improvement work done recently, you won't be surprised if someone from your contractor or city planning department turns up to do a home inspection to check that the work has been done properly.

But you will be surprised if a bill arrives a few days later for the follow-up work. And you'll be furious when you later discover it was a scam and the inspector had nothing to do either with the contractor or the city.

Or, imagine being duped into letting crooks use your credit card to buy goods and then getting you to ship the items to them.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Why That Great Credit Card Offer Could Be a Scam

It's a pretty safe bet that at some time in the past year -- and lots of times before -- an enticing credit card offer has dropped into your mailbox, either online or at the end of your driveway.

And you've probably had your share of telesales calls offering you similarly "great deals."

Some offers, especially the snail-mail variety, come from genuine card companies -- and mostly they end up in the trash (after being shredded of course -- you do shred them, don't you?).

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WHERE DOES YOUR MARKETING TIME GO?

The typical self-employed professional spends much more time on marketing than he or she ever spends in money. But yet, most professionals are considerably more careful with how they spend their money on marketing than how they spend their time!

Your marketing time is one of the most precious commodities your business has to work with. It's critical for you to know where it goes, know where it SHOULD go, and take steps to stay on track with how your time is spent.

Here's my recipe for taking control of your marketing time:

1. Track where you're spending your time now. For the next two weeks, track every minute you spend on marketing and sales. Whether you are talking to a prospective client on the phone, going to a networking meeting, or posting on social media, record how much time you spent and what you were doing. One easy way to track the time spent on any task is to use Toggl, a free, simple timekeeping system with both desktop and mobile apps.
2. Determine where the most effective places to spend your marketing time truly are. Look back at all the new clients and repeat client business you've landed over the past year. How did that business come to you? Were the clients referred? Did you meet them somewhere? Did they find your website and contact you? Are they members of your social media network? Have you been following up with them with calls or emails? If you haven't been in the habit of tracking where your clients come from, start now. It's the only way you'll know which marketing approaches are working for you, and which ones are a waste of time.
3. Set aside time for marketing in your calendar. The best way to make sure you always have enough time for marketing is to block it out in your schedule just like you would a client appointment. Do this at the beginning of each month, and then schedule other commitments around it. When other urgent needs threaten your marketing time slots, don't cancel them; reschedule them, just like you would a client. It's surprisingly common for self-employed professionals to discover that they haven't been spending as much time on marketing as they thought. You may be thinking about marketing -- or worrying about it -- much more often than you are actually taking action on it.
4. Continue tracking both your time and your results. Tracking your marketing time will have a positive impact all by itself, like writing down what you eat when you're dieting. It will sharpen your awareness of your marketing and sales activities, which will cause you to begin changing your behavior for the better. Tracking your results will give you the essential data you need to make smart decisions about where your marketing time goes. You can use my free Get Your Marketing Unstuck Journal to record both time and results in one place, along with your notes about what you might need to do differently. (If you already subscribe to my newsletter, you can scroll to the bottom of the page to download the Journal without subscribing.)

Start today to take control of where your marketing time goes. Lost time can never be recovered. While in most cases, it's possible to make more money, I don't know a single person who has succeeded at making more time.
Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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6 Worrying Health Myths

Health myths have been with us for centuries, maybe even for thousands of years, and some of them may even contain elements of truth.

But the age of the Internet has given new life, not only to popular and common beliefs about causes, cures and treatments, but it has also spawned a new generation of reports that at best can be unproven or misleading, at worst downright dangerous.

In this area, there's often a narrow line between fact, conjecture and falsehood. The "jury is still out" on some claims.

This jumble of opinions is particularly the case in the debate about prevention and treatment of serious diseases.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Millions Lost in Latest Romance Scams

Online romance scams are costing lovelorn Americans a fortune -- and wrecking lives in the process.

In some cases, victims have lost their entire savings, and even their homes.

Despite the fact that these scams get widespread publicity, they're on the rise.

According to IC3, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, dating scams, or sweetheart scams as they're sometimes called, account for more than 10% of all online financial frauds.

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WHEN YOUR MARKETING NEEDS HELP

Everyone needs a little help from time to time, and that's certainly true about marketing and sales. Most self-employed professionals are not experts at marketing, and when they are, it's often difficult to be an expert on your own behalf. Here are five signs that maybe your marketing and selling needs some help.

1. You don't know what to do. Maybe you have too many options in front of you, and don't know which one to pick. Or perhaps you feel like you don't know enough to make the right choices. Or you're new in business, and don't have a clue where to start.
   
2. You don't know how to do something (or don't want to do it). You may not be an expert at building websites or writing copy or having sales conversations. Or you may know exactly how to set up a blog or lay out a postcard, but you'd rather not spend your time that way.
   
3. What you're doing isn't working. You've been marketing or selling in a particular way for some time, but you're not seeing the results you want. Or it seems like something has changed, and your old ways of marketing aren't working like they used to.
   
4. You're not getting it done. You may know exactly what to do and how to do it. But it's just not happening, or not happening fast enough. Perhaps you have challenges with time management or your inner critic. Or you just need another pair of hands.
   
5. It feels like a struggle. No matter what your situation is, if marketing and selling always feels like you're struggling, you could probably benefit from some advice, perspective, or hands-on assistance.
   

If it seems like it might be time for you to find some marketing help, here are five ways to get the help you need.

1. Hire a pro. Professionals exist for any area of marketing and selling you might need help with. They can advise you, coach you, or do work on your behalf. If you fear you can't afford professional help, consider this. If a few hours of help could bring you more business quickly, wouldn't that be worth paying for? Professional help might not be as expensive as you think. Check out services like oDesk, Fiverr, or Google Helpouts to find affordable experts. (And see our special Google Helpouts offer.)
2. Take a class. It's easier than ever to learn any skills you might need to get better at selling or marketing. If you can't find the type of class you need in your local area (or don't have the time to get to one), you can take a class on your phone or computer. For local classes, look at Meetup, a nearby university, or local entrepreneurship center (like the U.S. Small Business Administration). For virtual classes, see Marketing Profs University, or UniversalClass, and by all means consider the Get Clients Now! program.
3. Ask a friend. You may already know people who have all the answers you need, or can provide you with the perspective and support to overcome obstacles. Don't be afraid to ask friends and colleagues for help. If you feel you're imposing, offer something in return. Barter arrangements can often make qualified help affordable for both parties. Consider joining a mastermind group, success team, or action group where you can get ongoing help from your peers. Find a group via The Success Alliance, a local entrepreneurship center, or the Get Clients Now! Reader Community.
4. Watch a video. You can learn an amazing number of skills and techniques at your own pace by watching YouTube videos. Just search for any area of marketing or sales where you're having trouble, and set aside an hour or so to watch. Start with the recent Get Clients Now! video on How to Manage Your Sales Pipeline.
   
5. Read a book. Of course, I hope you'll start your learning about marketing and sales by reading my book Get Clients Now! But there are many other great titles available to help you, including David Newman's Do It! Marketing, Jill Konrath's SNAP Selling, and Bob Burg's Endless Referrals.

So don't put off for another minute getting the marketing and sales help you need. The success of your business may depend on it.
Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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When a Robocall is Not (Quite) a Robocall

Despite the outlawing of automated telesales "robocalls," many of us continue to receive them for one simple reason -- crooks don't care about the law.

Fortunately, even if we answer the call, most of us realize what's happening and are wise enough to hang up.

Now an interesting variation has cropped up: pre-recorded statements and answers to questions, apparently controlled by a real human.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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HOW TO TALK ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

To get clients, you need to talk about your business -- online, in writing, in groups, and one-to-one. But for many self employed professionals, there's a missing piece to acting on this advice. How, exactly, do you talk about it?

What do you say to make clients want to hire you? What words do you use? Who are the people you say these things to? Read on for some answers to these questions.

1. Speak directly to your ideal client.

Whether you are conversing with someone you meet or writing copy for your website, one of the biggest mistakes you can make in marketing is to address too broad an audience. When you try to please everyone with your marketing message, instead of attracting more people, you're likely to attract less.

Look at this through the client's eyes. If you're a psychotherapist who needs a website, would you rather work with a web designer who specializes in designing sites for therapists, counselors, and coaches, or a designer who says she builds sites for any small business?

Targeting your message to the type of client you MOST want to attract allows you to use language specific to their unique problems and goals. You'll be more likely to land exactly those clients you prefer to work with. And, you'll be able to screen out clients who aren't a good fit. Don't be afraid you'll scare off people who don't want what you're offering. That's a good thing.

2. Talk about benefits and results.

Instead of beginning by telling prospective clients about your skills, background, and the technical details of how you do your work, start by explaining what specific benefits they will get from working with you, and what results you can produce for them.

Let's say you are a management consultant who helps teams communicate better. The majority of clients are not so interested in hearing that you are a Certified Management Consultant who has been trained in Nonviolent Communication, and that you use an approach of deepening consciousness to spark transformation. These are factors you might discuss once you are engaged in a sales conversation.

But to gain a prospect's interest in the first place, you must tell them you can help their employees work more productively, reduce workplace conflicts, and build more cohesive teams. These are concrete benefits and results that will get a client's attention.

3. Describe problems you can solve.

One of the best ways to express exactly how you can help a client is to describe some of the problems you solve for them. If you're a landscape architect in California, you could talk about how you help clients choose plants that will do well under both drought and high rainfall conditions. Or as a speaking coach, explain how you assist clients to lose their fear of speaking in public.

A powerful way to accomplish this is to describe the work you did for a similar client with a brief story. What problems did that client come to you with? What did you do for the client to help solve those problems? And as a result of your work, what did the client obtain or achieve?

4. Talk to referral sources as well as prospects.

Yes, you should interact with people in your target market, but also with potential referral sources. In some cases, your prospective client and a referral source may see a problem from different perspectives, so they may need slightly different messages.

For example, as a professional organizer, you might tell a realtor, "Your clients need me as soon as they start thinking about selling their home, so I can help them clear their clutter. This will remove an obstacle to them deciding to work with you, and get their house ready to be put on the market more quickly."

5. Position yourself as a unique solution, not a generic commodity.

Your clients may encounter dozens of professionals in your field to choose from. They might find hundreds of websites in your category, many of which may have a higher rank than yours. To get potential clients to find and choose you instead of the competition, you must be special.

You can declare your specialness in a variety of ways. Define a specialized target market so your audience knows you understand their problems and goals. Or focus on a particular set of issues you have the unique expertise to address. Or develop a proprietary approach that makes you stand out. Any of these avenues (or all of them at once) will lead clients to select you instead of others in your profession.

In my book Get Clients Now!, I define marketing as "telling people what you do, over and over." True enough, but you also need to tell them effectively. Otherwise, your words may just fall on deaf ears.

Copyright © 2014, C.J. Hayden

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