The second part of #2 equation is to increase dollar amount (not price) of what your average customer spends.

Here's an example. As you might know by now, one of my clients is a chain of hair salons in South Florida. We evaluated their current prices and compared them to their competition and services. Realistically, we felt prices were high enough. So that led us to look at increasing average dollar amount each customer spent. The current average was $26. After rolling around many ideas, we finally came up with an added service called "Hair Spa." For an additional $10, customer got a hair spa, which consisted of a deep, deep conditioning that took an additional 20 minutes. Roughly 30% of customers accepted offer on first run. Especially when hair stylist told them they really needed it! This is also called upselling.

That leads us to #3. Get your customers to buy more often.

Here are best ways I know:

Always keep in contact with your customers. That could mean by a newsletter or email with a special offer for a limited period of time, or introducing a new product that they just have to have! Or new product is limited (you only have 100). Or tell them benefits of owning XYZ product, or using it more often. Give them a reason to come in by offering a contest month of ______, or for only a couple of weeks. The key is to jolt them to come in before they normally would.

Now that you've evaluated only three ways to get more cash flow into your store, you can "get crazy" with all those great ideas how to do it!

4. And speaking of "nag voices," I take care of all those trivial things that I have been putting off doing. I find this is important because it seems to clear my head. Shutting up "nag voices" is like taking out mental garbage.

Basically, I’m telling myself it’s okay to feel way I’m feeling...apathetic, disinterested, turned-off, tuned-out.

After a while, I start feeling there’s a void in my life. I miss writing; my brain starts to hunger for knowledge again; I’m feeling aimless and bored.

Then I know it’s time to ease back into Internet marketing.

I start by opening up a few of my HotMail accounts. Not all of them because I don’t want to feel overwhelmed. I allow myself one hour a day to read ezines and study ads. After a while, I’ll allow myself one hour in morning and one hour in afternoon to read and study. Gradually, I open all my accounts back up.

Before I know it, I’m getting excited again. Words are flowing; ideas are bumping around in my head.

She’s B-A-C-K!!!

For me, I think "Black Hole" periods are good. I return to Internet marketing refreshed and energized. I’m grateful once again for return of passion. No longer stale, I can clearly see flaws previously overlooked and come up with fresh ideas.

Sometimes we are so deeply involved with our life within computer; we lose our sense of perspective. We think we are learning, but we’re just reading words. Our brain is overloaded and nothing is sticking. We just do "same old, same old" and wonder why we’re not getting anywhere.

I think "Black Hole" is our mind’s way of saying, "Hey, ease up! Ya know, there’s a whole nother world outside of that monitor. I’m going on strike until you give me a break!"

I have come to understand that for me, I live in two worlds; one is CyperSpace and other is physical world. I have friends and loved ones in both worlds; I make money in both worlds; I am passionate about both worlds.

I think key is to try to find right formula so that two worlds can co-exist in harmony.

Every time I come out of a "Black Hole," I get a bit closer to finding that formula.

So don’t panic when you fall in "Black Hole." Just listen to that quiet, still voice inside. It will guide you through it. And when you come out to other side, I think you’ll be smarter for experience. Certainly you’ll appreciate return of renewed passion and excitement.

"This, indeed, is one of eternal paradoxes of both life and literature--that without passion little gets done; yet, without control of that passion, its effects are largely ill or null." F.L. Lucas