Skype Prime appears to have caved under the competition and they are shutting down the SkypePrime service.    Skype had launched a competitor service to PremiumTalk in 2007 which allowed pay per call providers to use their skype back end.   Skype charged a commission for each call and had limits on what types of services you could offer.   It appears Skype is pulling out siting technical problems.   Ofcourse we like to think it was because they had a hard time competing with PremiumTalk and our low low fees (currently Free!).   Free is a pretty powerful word and that has allowed us to grow without doing any marketing.  We are the best kept secret on the internet!

So with Skype pulling out of the race it looks like bitwine is one of the few competitors left in this space and they also appear to be on wobbly legs.   Meanwhile PremiumTalk is growing stronger.  Our parent company, Interactive Ideas, has several other success software products on the market such as our short sale software Captaloans.

We anticipate strong growth in all our products in 2010 and are very excited about some partnership deals in the work with PremiumTalk that will hopefully benefit our users with an array of new features.  We look forward to the new year and want to wish everyone a happy holidays.

Pay per Call works by advertising your businesses phone number alongside your Pay-per-Click sponsored results listing on select search engines or pay for inclusion web sites or blogs.

When a customer clicks on your advertisement a window will pop up where the customer enters their name and phone number. The advertiser is charged for the phone call lead once the call has been made and received by the customer.

BENEFITS – The advertisers only pay for calls made instead of just clicks received.  The leads received are direct contact with customer which give you chance to close.  Using the area code where the customer is calling from you can tailor specific services or products based on their geographic location.

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With the rise of the Internet millions of people are choosing to work from home and online.  Many are already making money in traditional network marketing, scheduling parties and selling products to their friends and families.  Others are getting started on the latest industry boom selling services online.

Even people with full time jobs are finding ways to supplement their income and are thus turning to the Internet in order to start a home business.  The problem with this is getting started.  If you want to make money online how do you know what the best home business opportunity is for you?  Here are some tips to get you started.
Know Your Passion
What things are interesting to you?  The reason I ask is because having passion about something is one of the key factors to becoming successful and earning money from home based business.  A  passion for something will keep you going when times are tough and it will keep you interested and on track.  And being interested is very important if you plan on doing quality work.  I won’t lie to you, it is possible to earn money on the internet without being passionate but it is 10x easier if you do something you really enjoy.   So make sure that you find something that you can honestly say you are interested in.  It really doesn’t matter what it is as long as you are happy with it.

Pick the right product or service
Make sure you pick a product or services that works with your schedule.  Don’t pick something that requires a lot of time and effort if you have other things going on.  Don’t pick something that requires a lot of money to get started.  Pick something that works for you and is something that can grow as your business grows.   How you sell depends on you, and how much you can put into your sales strategies.

Setting up Your Own Ecommerce Website
You can begin by selling products on ebay or take the next logical step and set up a website selling products.  This is especially true if you have niche products to sell. In case you integrate Google AdSense into your website, you can increase you earnings even further.   However, if you dont have a specialty item then you are going to be competing with millions others selling similiar items.

Separate Business from Pleasure.
Once you set a schedule, stick to it.   Don’t allow personal tasks to get in the way of work. These can be anything from cleaning the house to visits from friends or relatives.  Take breaks from your computer, but try to avoid getting involved in personal tasks during your breaks.  Many women confess to ironing clothes, vacuuming, and other personal tasks while on break from their home business.  Personal tasks can cause your mind to be off-focus, and it will be difficult to return to a regular work routine afterward.

Set goals and meet them

The goals you set should include revenue goals, marketing goals, and goals specific to the home businesses you’re engaged in. Once you’ve set your goals, you need to make a plan to reach them and commit to doing whatever it takes to follow your plan.  It does require skill and discipline to become successful, however with practice you can master it.

I am confident that you found the above tips on how to build an online business from home/part-time handy. For an opportunity to start your own home based business offering pay per call services visit PremiumTalk.com. It is completely free to sign up and get started.

When your motivation is strongest, the last thing you want is to take a break, but the benefits of “down time” are an enhanced ability to focus, capacity to work faster, renewed creativity and a good mood.

When you are in a non-traditional career working from home, without the workplace customs of coffee breaks, a lunch hour and paid holidays, you may find yourself working non-stop for hours or even days at a time. Physical and emotional tension occurs when you shut down the part of your brain that notices your basic needs, so you can focus only on your goal. Although a strong focus is crucial to your success, breaks are equally as crucial.

Break time is needed to:

1) Rejuvenate

2) Get fresh ideas

3) Let problems “solve themselves” by standing back to gain perspective

4) Relieve stress

To benefit from down time, all you need is a simple 10 minute break—but make sure you switch gears—i.e. switch senses. For example, if your work is mostly visual—writing, research, virtual assistant—then conversing with a pleasant person or listening to music will be refreshing. If your work is auditory—like pay per call advice, virtual call center, or telephone coaching—then reading a magazine or watching the scenery will be refreshing. And for any job that is mental, get your body moving—walking, jumping, stretching, or dancing really brings you back to life. Health professionals recommend the following schedule for down time, no matter what your occupation:

 Ten minutes on the hour
 Three hours per day
 1.5 days per week
 3 day weekend every two months
 1 personal day per month – when needed
 2 weeks per year
 12 holidays a year

You deserve to keep refreshed and balanced. Remember to get up and stretch, and change to a different sensory mode. Check in with yourself—ask yourself, “If you were the grown-up and I was the little kid, what could you do right now that would be fun or make me feel better.”

Pay per call
Pay-per-call is a business model for selling advice or for advertisement listings in search engines that allows publishers to charge advertisers for each call placed by a customer.   The term “pay per call” is sometimes confused with click-to-call, which along with call tracking, is a technology that enables the pay-per-call engine. Pay per call is not restricted to local advertisers.  Many of the pay per call search engines allow advertisers with a national presence to create advertisements with local telephone numbers. According to the Kelsey Group, the pay per call market is expected to reach US$3.7 billion by 2010.[5]

Thinking of starting an online business?

Consider Selling Your Expert Advice.

According to Bruce Judson, bestselling author of “Go It Alone”, “the majority of go-it-alone businesses …started… [when] the founder solved a problem in his or her own life. You need very little start up capital to begin selling expert advice—just your ability to solve specific problems.

So, how do you pick what type of knowledge to specialize in? Start by making a list of challenges you’ve overcome in life. Have you successfully handled the “boss from hell” or annoying co-workers? Have you repaired computer viruses, re-landscaped your yard, learned to relax and protect yourself from an early heart attack? Do you tutor your grand-children? People need advice on just about everything under the sun. We’ve provided a breakdown of basic areas—remember, an expert is just a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.

• Life/work planning: Work place problems, living on unemployment as a stop gap, job hunting

• Relationship Advice: Shyness, meeting people, friendships, dating, marriage, abuse, parenting, divorce

• Possessions: Financial advice, debt, bankruptcy, computer help, computer viruses, tech support, home or car repair, product comparison, real estate

• Problems generally related to the mind: communication skills, adult or child tutoring, literacy, specialized educational needs, personal insight, dealing with one’s thoughts and feelings, anger or violent behavior

• Problems generally related to the “will”: Perfectionism, ethics, competing needs, self-discipline, personal powerlessness, philosophy

• Problems related to emotions: Beauty advice, self-acceptance and acceptance of others, loneliness, boredom, fear, depression, death and grief

• Problems related to the body: Physical handicaps, fitness, pregnancy and childbirth, sleep disorders, drug and alcohol addiction, self healing, psychic healing, smoking, pain, disease, terminal illness, allergies, hypertension, stress relief, eating habits

• Problems related to “Spirit”: Stewardship, worship, religion, psychic phenomena, life after death

This list is by no means complete—let your imagination run free and complete this sentence: I am an expert in___________________. Then you can begin to sell advice, as lawyers have always done, by the minute. If you don’t have an office for face to face consulting, consider starting a pay per call online business. The problems you have overcome are your true areas of your expertise. Share this with others and you have provided a valuable service.

Interested in starting your own online business? Visit the PremiumTalk FAQ to learn more.