Are you tired of the scams, the hype and the bogus rip-offsthat fill your mailbox? We are too!

You need to know how to spot one, what to look for and whatto avoid!

Follow these simple tips, listen to that little voice within,do a little research and you’ll be fine.

There are many great programs out there that ARE legitimate.Here are some things to avoid….

First of all, don’t believe anything that promises to makeyou rich overnight. I’m not saying it can’t happen, butodds are it won’t.

Also, some phrases to watch out for:

“You don’t have to DO anything, just join and we’ll build itfor you.”

“I went from welfare to millionaire in a few months!”

“Get paid for doing nothing. Just sign up.”

“One time only offer.”

“#1 Ground Floor Opportunity”

Along these same lines, watch out for the following:

Any offer that comes from a free email service such ashotmail, yahoo, etc. I’m not knocking free email services,but if the offer is that great and the deal is legitimate,the person wouldn’t hide behind a virtually anonymousemail source.

Any website or email that has no live contact person listed.If you have to jump through hoops to find the personresponsible for the offer, be suspicious. What are theyhiding? Never sign up for anything without having somecorrespondence with a live person, either via email or,preferably, over the phone.

Anything that simply requests money, with no exchange ofgoods or services. And, I mean valid goods or services.Not a report on how to stuff envelopes for money or alisting of businesses that will pay you to work from home.

How To Check Out A Company

These are some steps you can take to research a companywith whom you are considering getting involved.

Find a contact person with the company that will talk toyou. Have a list of questions such as length of time inbusiness, annual revenues, publicly traded or privatelyheld, name of CEO and other company officers, names andcontact info for other company representatives that youmay call.

Check to see if the company is a member of the DirectSelling Association by visiting their web site athttp://www.dsa.org

Check with your state’s Attorney’s General Office.

See if they are listed with Dun & Bradstreet,and if so, check their rating.

Talk to 3 or 4 representatives and find out how long theyhave been with the company and get general feedback.

If you have found the company or opportunity from a website, look for contact information of the person owningand representing the site.

Make sure you get all of your questions answered to yoursatisfaction. Don’t let anyone pressure you into makinga decision.

Find out all up front costs. Also, find out if there areany recurring monthly or annual costs that you cananticipate.

What exactly is expected of you? Are there monthly salesquotas? What do you have to do to get paid? When willyou get paid? Is there any fine print that you need tobe aware of?

Listen to your gut instincts. They are usually right!

There are many profitable, legal and fun work at homebusiness ideas both online, and offline. Just do yourresearch.

Don’t allow the “bumps in the road” to stop you from findingthe option that will work for you. Keep me moving in thedirection that will allow you to create a life that youlove! It will happen, just keep looking!

Jackie Ulmer, a veteran Home Based Business Owner,has coached and trained thousands of representativesboth inside and outside of her sales organization.One of her primary goals is to help others succeed.She can be reached through her web site athttp://www.streetsmartwealth.com/