Paypal is a simple and complicated solution all at once for anyone accepting credit card payments on their website.

Forget implementing it, it was tough just getting started and purchasing the service.

It took nearly 3 weeks to get Payflow PRO working correctly but still the errors do NOT spit back correctly from the API. Sometimes, if somethings wrong in the code, it won’t even send the API string to paypal.

Finally, it works. We receive payments and everyone is happy. New business if OFF the ground!

Ever receive this lovely error: An error has occured: Field format error: Invalid or missing START/NEXTPAYMENTDATE Field [7]?

For more than a week, we’ve been taking calls from companies telling us “we keep getting this strange error!!” and lost thousands in sales.

Paypal merchant customer service is unreal. We find techs (needle in a haystack) that are very helpful and work through the technical aspects of the site such as looking at code and really trying to fix the problems we have. Then, we find those techs who read from the handbook and say “Sorry sir, we cannot support your code. You will need to hire a programmer to look at it”.

Thats great! They won’t support our code that is receiving an API error from their system or BECAUSE of their system.

Anyway, we finally got someone on the phone who followed-up via email and solved the problem.

For anyone have ANY similar issues, try the following:

A) Try running their information through the system yourself to reproduce the error they receive. It could be their machine, not your system.

B) Take the credit card and run a manual authorization transaction through your paypal manager

C) If B) works, try to create a profile using the EXACT profile information the API string sends to the paypal manager from your website

If C) fails, you’re in luck. If it works, you’ve got more problems! If it fails, you most likely have the same problem we had:

You must limit the # of characters for each field being sent in the API string. Paypal has all sorts of string/character limitations for their profiles. For example, the “profile name” can’t be more than 46 or 47 characters. The reason the signups failed and we potentially lost $1000’s is because the profile name being sent in the API string to create the profile was over 47 characters!

Information provided by QI: Search Engine Placement Company

Small growing, startups and even home-based businesses have been underserved by the telecommunications industry. Yet, there are telephone systems that fit these businesses if you know where to look. Like for phone systems in Fort Worth.

This is phone systems in Dallas have become very sophisticated in recent years, but for the most part, very small businesses have been on the outside looking in. The gap between what small business needs and what the market is offering is only getting wider with the recent evolution in Voice over IP telephony (VoIP).

While advancing technology has ushered in amazing new features and inversely lower prices for most office equipment, full-featured phone systems have remained largely out of reach for small businesses. You can afford a photo-realistic slimline desktop color printer now for a fraction of what it cost just a few years ago. You can beam your appointment book back and forth from your wristwatch to your laptop for under a hundred bucks, but the prices of telephone systems have not decreased at the same rate. Most small companies are forced to put together following solutions with a combination of multi-line telephones, answering machines and costly monthly phone company services.

Those that offer flexible automated call answering features, call messaging, call routing that can improve a business’s professional image, control communication costs, and increase connectivity and responsiveness are signs of a far more powerful phone system.

It is well established that small business is the engine of job creation and economic health today. Small business needs advanced phone systems as much as its larger counterparts do to achieve a sophisticated, mobile workforce and limited resources for dedicated phone answering staff. Yet according to one study, 60% of small businesses in the US do not have a phone system at all. The leaders in the phone industry have never been able to produce products to fit with small businesses even though there are 5 million small businesses with fewer than 20 employees and no phone systems.

It is simply because of the size. Small business is too small for the big traditional phone systems and the scaled-down solutions still have price tags that are too big for small business budgets. It is difficult to fit a phone system when are you users in a business. Big phone systems just do not work for very small businesses.

Not all of the news is bad, though. A select few companies have realized that the very small business is underserved, and they have been producing small business systems that make sense.

Small business CRM solutions are necessary for every business to know more about the needs of their customers. The correct business CRM solution will definitely produce a big difference in your overall business. A proper customer service management solution can put you in the driving seat and your customers in first class.

It is not an easy task to build a sustainable and successful relationship with all customers. It can only be achieved by having a good customer service or contact management system. Proper interaction between the customers and the entire business can manage and keep track the improvements in your business processes. For this you need a good small business CRM solution that can help you in coordinating, measuring, generating proper planning and managing of your marketing relationships.

A good CRM for small business solutions can give you a clear idea about what is going on in your business. It can also ensure that you are using the right techniques and strategies in business processes. CRM solutions contain rigorous processes and procedures for incorporating all program components into a perfectly consistent and coherent operation that meets your objectives.

A high quality contractor software package can solve all your customer relationship management problems. These benefits include;

• Increased productivity and reduced working costs.
• Increased profitability of your enterprise.
• Ability to spot your weaknesses instantly, so that you can overcome them.
• Exploitation of strengths and making the organization competitive.
• An understandable on-screen report, which will help you avoid mistakes.
• Complete control in making efforts in the business.
• Shortened time to deployment, utilizes complete customer data, and leverage comprehensive functionality.
• Real-time business analysis and interpretations.
• Ability to work with limited capital to work like large sized businesses.

By implementing enhanced software for contractors, you can encourage customer loyalty as well as increase retention of customers and. You can provide maximum customer satisfaction by introducing the better communication channels. Your customer database will also be in an organized manner, which in turn helps you to manage your customer relationships effectively.

More than 3 million people in the US stutter. Chances are you who stutters, since there are more than 3 million people in the US who stutter.

Stuttering is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repeating or dragging on sounds or syllables and by involuntarily pausing between words. A person who stutters might say “H-how’s it g-g-going?” instead of “How’s it going?” Stuttering makes it difficult to speak smoothly and feeling nervous or self-conscious about stuttering can make talking even harder. And contrary to popular belief, stuttering is not a disease or a nervous tic and it has nothing to do with a person’s intelligence. They are just as smart as everyone else!

No one knows for sure why people stutter, but it could be caused by genetics, it runs in some family. Developmental problems or a delay in learning to walk or talk, neurophysiological problems, problems in the brain and nervous system, or stress may cause scattering.

There is no cure for stuttering, but stuttering therapy can help make talking a lot easier. A speech and language therapist can help you with your speech by having you talk, read out loud and pronounce different words. With time and practice, the frequency of your stuttering can be reduced to the point where people may not be able to tell you had a stutter to begin with!

Some people are able to use a small device that is placed in the ear that is produced by Speech Easy. It has been discovered that some people when they saying or are in a large group of people will not stutter. This device simulates this very thing.

Did you know?

• About 1 in 20 kids stutter.
• Stuttering affects guys four times more than girls.
• Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets, Tiger Woods and Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke all have a stutter.

The next step in choosing a small business CRM solution for your business would be web-based, client side/ hosted or in-house. In-house or hosted solutions each offer advantages. Hosted CRM solutions are typically thought of as easy to implement, secure and accessible. However, if your employees will not have regular internet access, online CRM software may not be feasible.

You might consider an in-house solution if you are looking for a solution that easily integrates with your back-office and third party applications as part of a strategy to integrate your applications across the organization. A small but fast-growing organization may choose a hosted CRM solution that allows it to gain quick access to market-leading CRM features and functionality without having to invest up front in hardware or software. Where a large business that already has an in-house CRM solution may decide that a hosted solution is the perfect way to rapidly extend their CRM capabilities to a remote division.

An in-house solution allows for customized features and other advantages with an internal IT department that can give support. The benefits each of these alternatives brings to the company should map to your business goals and strategy.

If the business goals have been defined accurately, another consideration is in the budget for the solution. The lowest initial cost or TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) should not be the only factor in a decision as the upfront costs only make up a portion of the overall investment. Only an estimated 30% of a CRM solution’s costs can be attributed to the initial software purchase; the remaining 70% goes to:

• Customization
• Integration
• Maintenance
• Deployment
• Training
• Upgrades

If your business is looking for a “bargain” application then you are likely to be shocked with the higher than anticipated cost of ownership. You may fail in your endeavor if you do not take into account your budget and the TCO.

Planning for future growth with a scalable product can be critical depending on your growth strategy. SMB’s (server message block) do not want to spend time developing and deploying software for their customers. They want to use it. Your choice of vendors should also factor into your decision will make the enhancement process painless. The vendor can help while selecting a system with a consistent and readily upgradeable architecture. A well-defined, well-documented and proven roadmap to accommodate growth is a minimum requirement. Vendors that stand by their products never abandon their customers.

It may take up to a height 3-6 months to develop the average in-house CRM solution. Although, hosted CRM solutions only take a few weeks and in some cases users can start using the service in real-time as soon as they sign up. A CRM for a small business may prefer the quick fix to get up and running quickly. Mainly because the speed of deployment of a hosted CRM solution often speaks to the midmarket company, which is concerned with keeping costs down, while making the best technological investments for its business needs, but the solution they get will most likely not be “robust”. Deployment may halt the company’s direction for time and for a smaller business this could be critical. Determining if the length of deployment will impact the business can determine if a solution is right for you.

Many businesses industries have solutions that are customized for a specific product or service, and then some are able to be easily adapted further at minimal cost. If you have a specific need that is critical to the overall company objectives, a tailored solution might be the answer.

Choosing a system that works with your existing infrastructure can be critical. This would avoid pulling out existing systems requiring employees to adapt to multiple new technologies the same time and threatening the success of your CRM implementation. Choosing a CRM tool that pulls data from older programs or allows back office information to be used to better service the customer are something else to consider in your choice.

Choosing a reputable vendor with a reliable product is a factor for consideration as well. Choosing a vendor that will continue to be reliable and viable years from now and provide continued service can impact your decision as well.

Any contractor software vendor who really wants your business will offer a free trial evaluation. This lets you test the software, its features and determine if it will be used. It will also allow you to evaluate how much training, if any, your employees may need to learn the software and be patient with. The functionality of the program and its extra features may help you make your final choice.

Many of the choices that typically comprise a CRM solution can be solved when you have determined your business goals. There are so many software products available, it cannot be doubted that shopping around will help you make the best decision. Without a clearly defined business goals not even the top selling CRM solution can guarantee success you. The CRM solution must fit all your business goals, now and for the future. In order for the solution to be effective, employees must use it, it must increase productivity, and it must map to what it is that drives the company. The satisfaction of your customers and the health of your business depend upon it.

Every search marketing company has a unique way of reporting analytics. Some pull screenshots, some create powerpoint visuals, and some pull straight from Google Analytics or Omniture. Whatever method of reporting and strategy, there are only a few KPI’s or Key Performance Indicators that will lead to action items:

• Traffic Trends (increase/decrease/or flat traffic)
• Conversion % / Conversion Rate (how many people converted to a customer)
• Customer Loyalty % (returning visitors) although this may not be as important for certain businesses that do not require return visitors

So it seems the two most important KPI’s are traffic and conversion rate %’s.

After reviewing the reports of several large search marketing companies, here are the things I feel are the most important items to address each and every month, and the things that are most readily accessible:

1. Traffic Trends vs Keyword Positions: is traffic up? down? has it spiked? is it flat? Traffic may go down but positions stay consistent. This is an indication that search volume in your particular business has declined. You may want to consider reoptimizing and link building for underperforming keywords.
2. Top Exit Pages: looking at the top exit pages every month is great. Your objective should be to decrease the exit rate from those pages (unless this is a page clearly meant for an exit). Increase the call to action. Offer something new on these pages. Even on the thank you pages within your website after a purchase, lead, or any conversion is triggered, why not take them through an entirely new goal? If they converted once, they are more likely to convert again compared to visitors who came and left.
3. Top Entry Pages: top entry pages may also be your top exit pages. However, this is most likely not the case. Analyzing your entry pages is critical. Look at the 3 top entry pages. A) What keywords/referrals are bringing visitors into this page? B) What is the desired action once they reach this page? Write both answers down and consider the things you are doing vs. not doing that would take a visitor from landing on your site to their desired goal/action through the path of least resistance.
4. Fallouts & Conversion Paths: if you have multiple steps involved in a conversion (typically for ecommerce or long form lead generation) it is recommended that you split test and vary conversion pages. Look for the pages that have the highest fallout, tweak that page or consider building an entirely new page, shorten it, make it simple for the end user and review in 30 days. If the fall-out % does not improve, continue tweaking.
5. Demographic & Location: location and demographic matter depending on the robustness of the data. If you can tell mostly women visit your website, adjust the colors, the tone of content, the call to action accordingly. Same goes for men. Tailor your content and call to action based on gender, age, race, etc . . . I’ve yet to see a company reporting on such data. Make sure you capture as much data as possible in your forms. Add gender, age, location (if your demographic is one that would be willing to divulge such information) to your online forms and that data can be used to significantly improve your website.

In the end, there is no trick or magic that will make visitors convert more. It’s using the data and common sense, giving the professional look and feel, keeping the call to action simple, short, and sweet, and engaging the visitor immediately to take an action toward the desired conversion goal.

Pay Per Click Adwords Dynamic Keyword Insertion is a great example of giving visitors what they want. There are studies that prove using dynamic keyword insertion (which inserts the keyword the searcher USED to look for a specific product/service/information into the title of the advertisement) will improve click-through rates dramatically.

Clickmaps and heatmaps are a great tool but more than 85% of websites are not properly setup to utilize them. Google Analytics, for example, (we will go into more detail in a separate article) requires that you tag each individual link with a custom URL ?= syle in order to track each and every link. That may take some time if you have 30 links on every single page. Some of these techniques even apply to visitor engagement, newsletter marketing, email marketing, pay per click, etc . . . so look out for more information from us in the coming months.

On a final note, when launching any major SEO marketing campaign, make sure you have focus. Do not try to rank for every keyword all at once. Pick 3 and work as hard as you can to achieve and sustain top 10 positioning for those 3. Think about it. Tracking performance becomes simple. You work on 3, you track the performance of those 3, while analyzing your traffic, entry, exit, and fallout accordingly.

Article provided by SEO Company, Qualified Impressions, LLC

1. Site Overlays

The site overlay feature allows us to see where people click and how many times they click a specific area on your website. This feature is critical to improving the conversion process and improving the # of conversions. If you do not have custom URL’s on every single button/link of your website, each repeated link will be tracked as one link. In other words, lets say you have a “SHOP” button at the very top of your page… and you also have another “SHOP” button at the bottom of your page. If the link attached to this shop button is http://www.site.com/shop, you won’t be able to track both buttons separately. Instead, the collective # of clicks between both buttons will be displayed. If you update your website to be GA site overlay compliant, you will be able to see how many people clicked the “SHOP” button at the very top of your page and the “SHOP” button at the very bottom of the page. This is a very important feature when it comes to driving visitors through the conversion path of least resistance.

2. Shopping Carts

Shopping carts can be very tricky. We are just scratching the surface with product level and cost conversion tracking. One major shopping cart tracking issue we’ve recently come across was subdomains and referring URLs. If you have your shopping cart on a subdomain or another domain completely separate from your main domain, tracking the conversions/orders to a referral level may be difficult. For example, if our main website is www.site.com and the shopping cart is installed on http://shop.site.com, GA will treat this as 2 domains. If visitors from www.site.com click “SHOP” and are referred to http://shop.site.com the conversion will be tracked as a referral from www.site.com [not the original referral of www.site.com].

If someone searches for a keyword that www.site.com ranks for on Google, finds your website, clicks to your main site, then clicks SHOP and is referred to a completely different domain … the conversion referral will be lost unless you take very specific steps and modify the GA code on both websites. Let us know if you need any assistance with the modifications.

3. Tracking Conversions as a number, not a percentage

We’ve followed up with Google about this several times. Currently, GA tracks conversions with a percentage [%]. If you have 10 visitors and one converts, they show you a 10% conversion rate. However, we’ve yet to resolve this to a real number as we are more interested in seeing 1 conversion happened per 10 visitors [instead of translating the % into a real # our self, which takes time].

Information provided by SEO Company, Qualified Impressions, LLC

You know, I can remember times before the computer. An entrepreneur could only dream about having a computer for his business. I remember when the PC first came out and you had to have 2 floppy disks (you remember those, they were 4″ square). One was used to start the computer and the other was your program. And the Internet that was an even bigger dream. Back then only the government and rich people had access to the Internet.

Then before you knew it the PC started improving. It had hard drives that held the operating system so you did not have to put in a floppy disk; but, you had to use a floppy disk to save all your information on. Now, the hard drives are not in megs they are in gigs! You do not need to use a floppy disk unless you want to and the floppy disk is 3.5, CD-RW or a memory stick.

Of course, with all these improvements new problems developed. Viruses, worms, and a plethora of other problems that have driven people crazy. You need to run scans for viruses and worms. You need to run scans for spam and spyware, all to protect your system. Why do you ask, the Internet.

The Internet gives us access to so much that we never had before from our homes. You used to “need” to go to a store and buy the things that you wanted. Now you can do your shopping from the luxury of your home. You can even work from home if you have access to the Internet.

Now working from home is the best thing that has come out of this with the development of the computer and the Internet. You can develop a business by simply setting up a website. But, there are other problems when you do this. You run into so many questions:

Am I doing this correctly?

How do I get people to come to my website?

Who can I get to help me with my website?

How do I improve my sales?

You need to make sure that your website is optimized correctly and that you have been listed in search engines. Now, just starting out you may not be able to afford an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) firm but it is a priceless advantage. It answers all of the above questions. Money that you spend on a website optimization consultant can improve your sales. And that is the object of any good entrepreneur or business.