You can find ads like above everywhere--on telephone poles, in your newspaper, on television and on Internet. While you may find these ads appealing, proceed with caution. Not all work-at-home business opportunities deliver on their promises.

And its been our experience that nearly all of them are scams!

Countless work-at-home schemes require you to spend your own money to place newspaper ads; make photocopies; or buy envelopes, paper, stamps, and other supplies or equipment you need to do job. The companies sponsoring ads may also demand that you pay for instructions or "tutorial" software. Consumers deceived by these ads have lost thousands of dollars, in addition to their time and energy.

Here are examples of several types of classic work-at-home schemes:

1. Medical billing: Ads for pre-packaged businesses--known as billing centers--are in newspapers, on television and on Internet. If you respond, you'll get a sales pitch that may sound something like this:

"There's a severe crisis in health care system, due partly to overwhelming task of processing paper claims. The solution is electronic claim processing. Because only a small percentage of claims are transmitted electronically, market for billing centers is wide open!"

The promoter may also tell you that many doctors who process claims electronically want to outsource or contract out their billing services to save money. Promoters will promise that you can earn a substantial income working full or part- time, providing services like billing, accounts receivable, electronic insurance claim processing and practice management to doctors and dentists.

They also may assure you that no experience is necessary-- that they will provide clients eager to buy your services or that their qualified salespeople will find clients for you.

The truth: You will have to sell! These scam artists rarely provide experienced sales staff or contacts within medical community.

The promoter will follow up by sending you materials that typically include a brochure, application, sample diskettes, a contract (licensing agreement), disclosure document, and in some cases, testimonial letters, videocassettes and reference lists. For your investment of $2,000 to $8,000, a promoter will promise software, training and technical support.

And company will encourage you to call its references. Make sure you get many names from which to chose. If only one or two names are given, they're probably "shills"-- individuals hired to give bogus testimonials.

If at all possible, it's best to interview people in person, preferably where business operates, to reduce your risk of being mislead by shills and also to get a better sense of how business works.

Very few consumers who purchase a medical billing business opportunity are able to find clients, start a business and generate revenues--let alone recover their investment and earn a substantial income. Competition in medical billing market is fierce and revolves around a number of large and well-established firms.

2. Envelope stuffing: Promoters usually advertise that, for a small fee, they will tell you how to earn money stuffing envelopes at home. Later, when it's too late, you find out that promoter never had any employment to offer.

WHAT ARE THE COMMON ISSUES? Common issues relating to marketing include a fear of rejection – this is most common when you’re conducting sales. After a company has been in business for 15-20 years, issue of burnout and complacency often arises. You know you’re stuck when you never can seem to find time to unleash that marketing strategy you’d planned which, of course, is issue of procrastination—the queen of issues for so many of us! “Marketing therapy” resolves core issue underlying that procrastination. Often it surfaces as a marketing strategy that really isn’t a good fit for your particular business or skills. Sometimes you just need that step-by-step knowledge required to take action.

Conversely, fear of success, or of growing too fast, typically comes from overwhelming worry that you’ll have to work even more hours than you’re already cramming into each day. There’s another surprisingly common issue (to which women, in particular, often fall victim) – that of feeling like a fraud, or that you really “don’t know what you’re doing, and they’ll find out soon.”

If you’re a business owner with 10+ employees, you’ll often begin to feel ‘disassociated’ with your company, since you’re spending more time managing your employees, payroll, and systems rather than focusing on beloved product or service that prompted you to launch your business in first place. Depending on size of your business or organization, and length of time you’ve been in business, issues will be different. Even non-profit Executive Directors experience a kind of ‘dependency’ issue feeling torn between their obligation to their programs, members, and funders while simultaneously being answerable to their Board of Directors—or feeling let down by their Board’s lack of help.

FIND ME SOME BETTER CLIENTS Often, your perception (as a business owner or CEO) is that your marketing strategies or promotional materials aren’t working, when underlying cause is actually some unresolved issue. Sure, strategies or communications may not be strong enough to ensure company growth in this depressed economy. But it’s crucial to ensure that underlying issues aren’t crippling good marketing that you’re doing. That’s exactly how our services help.

For example, lately I have had many companies ask for help in finding “better” clients, rather than “more” clients or revenues. Frequently, this request is a signal that CEO and/or company’s employees are not enjoying their work with customers, or that customers (or clients) are feeling unsatisfied, anxious, or are difficult to please.

When we analyze business, our team of designers, writers, researchers, and strategists often uncover a basic issue with communications. Quite often clients are not being kept in loop, making them feel that they have no “control.” This, in turn, creates an undercurrent of negativity that revolves around how CEO and employees discuss clients’ projects, how they communicate with clients, and fact that maybe client is simply a bad fit for that company. It’s a vicious cycle, and becomes even more so over time.