Celebrate the Year of the Dog with Chinese-American Flair -
Easy Tips for Hosting A Fire Cracking Chinese New Year Party
As if you needed another excuse to party, January 29, 2006 marks the beginning of the lunar year 4074, better known as the Chinese New Year. Much like its Western counterpart, this holiday is traditionally seen as a time to gather friends and family together to celebrate new beginnings.
Throwing your own Chinese-American themed party is a wonderful way to bring your loved ones together, warm up from the frigid winter, and renew those barely remembered resolutions. Below are some easy tips courtesy of Vroom Media, consultant for leading Asian brands, for throwing your own Chinese-American party for the Year of the Dog.
Invitations: Head down to Chinatown to pick up some pretty party invites. If you have no time to make it, order some online or send an e-greeting. Plenty of internet companies now offer cards specific to Chinese New Year. Not only will you save yourself a trip, but also the cost of postage.
Entree: There is always the option of ordering from your preferred take-out place, but there are plenty of simple dishes if you would like to cook your own. Noodles, a staple favorite, should be left uncut to represent a long life. Several brands found at your local grocer offer oven-ready egg rolls, spring rolls, and won-tons. Of course, you can never go wrong with chicken and soy sauce. Food can be placed in take-out boxes, available on-line and at local restaurants. Be sure to get lots of chopsticks.
Desert: A traditional Chinese "Tray of Togetherness," makes a wonderful desert. The tray is comprised of eight different dried fruit candies. Have fun and make your own combination using American favorites like jelly beans and M & M's. Fortune Cookies are always a hit. Make your own fortune and wrap it around the cookie.
Drinks: What is an Asian party without an authentic Asian beer? TIGER BEER, a premium import from Singapore and brand synonymous with Chinese New Year celebrations in Southeast Asia, enhances the flavor of the food and is available at www.freshdirect.com in New York and at grocers and supermarkets in major cities. Log on to www.TIGERBEER.us for specific vendors. Always have soda on hand for those who do not drink alcohol. Tea is another nonalcoholic beverage that suits the mood.
Decorations: Red, a color believed to scare away evil spirits, should dominate the palette of your decor and be complimented with accents of gold, a lucky color. Paper lanterns should be hung and candles spread around to create atmosphere. Plenty of stores offer these goods and they can also be found online. Google "party decorations" for an abundance of options. "Foo," the character for fortune and luck, highly displayed in China during the New Year, should be visible and can be placed on various surfaces, like napkins and door hangers, with magic marker. Oranges and tangerines, symbolic of luck and wealth, can be placed in bowels to make a beautiful and interesting conversation piece.
Dress code: Have everyone arrive in red, the color traditionally worn on this holiday. For a more unconventional scene have everyone come costumed as one of the twelve animals of the zodiac.
Gifts: Lai-See Envelopes filled with money are given to children, young adults, and newlyweds during this time of year. Find them at the above listed stores and fill them with fake bills or coupons for small prizes. Another idea is to go down to Chinatown and have an artist illustrate the names of those on your guest list. These can be used as seating place cards and taken home at the end of the night.
Entertainment: For some authentic fun set out mahjong tiles for guests to play. Scatter sheets of origami paper along with instructions for a fun, artsy activity. Rent a bunch of Kung Fu movies to play softly in the background and if things get rowdy have your own Jackie-Chan style competition. Download some current Chinese music from http://www.ibiblio.org/chinese-music/ and intersperse it with some Chinese-American influences like Yo Yo Ma, Wu-Tang Clan, and Michelle Branch. Dance the night away and give each other fake tattoos with Chinese characters.
The best part: Chinese Lunar New year lasts 15 days, giving you plenty of time to prepare. Remember to have fun and keep a smile on your face. Gung Hay Fat Choy!
When Your Home is Your Workplace
Certainly organizing any household can be difficult, but when your home is also your office, the challenge can be overwhelming. Statistics show there are more than 25 million income-generating home offices in the U.S., and the number is growing.
As someone who has worked from a home office for over 20 years and a mother with five grown children, I've undoubtedly made every mistake possible. The joy and flexibility of working at home can quickly turn your house into a prison unless you take some preventive measures. Consider these tips to make living and working at home less stressful and more productive:
1. Position your office location carefully. If at all possible, separate your workplace from your living space, so you can physically leave your work. If you're working at home in order to take care of children, consider hiring childcare while you work - studies show your work productivity (and potential for profit) will increase, and so will the quality of life for your children.
2. Continually eliminate clutter. For years I have fought the myth that being organized means being a neatnik. When you remove the old batteries, loose change, dried-up pens, keys to unknown places, expired coupons, and postage stamps of strange denominations from the kitchen junk drawer, what you have left is useful. If there's a paperclip mixed in with the keys, it doesn't really matter. You can organize it more - and it will be easier to keep organized if you do, but it isn't a necessity. Clutter is frequently excess, and excess cannot be organized!
3. Choose a calendar system that works for you. If you're working at home, chances are it's difficult to tell when business ends and home begins - so you'll probably want a calendar or planner system that encompasses both your personal and professional life. In addition, create a method for sharing information that all the family needs to know. It may be something as simple as a calendar on the refrigerator with a different color pen for each member of the family.
4. Develop a system for meals to suit your style. The need to eat can create chaos or increase quality of life, depending upon how you approach it. I used to think that because I was a professional organizing consultant, I should have all my meals for the week planned by Sunday night. I soon discovered that even though my meal plan said it was spaghetti night, I wasn't in the mood. Now, I keep lots of staples on hand so I can create something delightful with the perishables I bought over the weekend.
5. Create separate filing systems for your personal life and professional life. Research shows that the average person spends 150 hours per year looking for misplaced information. And, certainly nothing creates a family crisis faster than a 15-year- old who needs a copy of his birth certificate to get into driver's Ed training, and you can't find it! If it fits in a file, put it there - and keep a list of your files, called a File Index - so you, or someone else, can find it when needed. (Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger software creates the index automatically, and allows you to find anything you file or store in five seconds or less.
6. Get enough sleep. According to sleep experts, in order to be fully productive, you need to spend one-third of your life in bed. Many of us say, "I don't have time to sleep" - but research shows we can't afford to continually deprive ourselves and others who suffer because of our sleep deprivation. Sleep provides power to energize the body and the mind. Dr. James B. Maas, author of Power Sleep says that if you fall asleep immediately when your head hits the pillow or need an alarm clock to wake up, you need more sleep! (And you may solve a problem while you're doing it!)
7. Eliminate perfectionism. Someone once told me "A perfectionist is someone who takes great pains and gives them to everyone else." If you want to make yourself and the others around you miserable, insist on perfectionism. I have always found it fascinating that the most disorganized people in the world frequently have pockets of perfectionism - spices in alphabetical order in a cupboard over a counter where there's no room to cook. Productivity is about progress, not perfectionism!
If you're working at home, or thinking about it, remember that "home is where the heart is" - and it can be a great place to make a living too!
ฉ Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
As someone who has worked from a home office for over 20 years and a mother with five grown children, I've undoubtedly made every mistake possible. The joy and flexibility of working at home can quickly turn your house into a prison unless you take some preventive measures. Consider these tips to make living and working at home less stressful and more productive:
1. Position your office location carefully. If at all possible, separate your workplace from your living space, so you can physically leave your work. If you're working at home in order to take care of children, consider hiring childcare while you work - studies show your work productivity (and potential for profit) will increase, and so will the quality of life for your children.
2. Continually eliminate clutter. For years I have fought the myth that being organized means being a neatnik. When you remove the old batteries, loose change, dried-up pens, keys to unknown places, expired coupons, and postage stamps of strange denominations from the kitchen junk drawer, what you have left is useful. If there's a paperclip mixed in with the keys, it doesn't really matter. You can organize it more - and it will be easier to keep organized if you do, but it isn't a necessity. Clutter is frequently excess, and excess cannot be organized!
3. Choose a calendar system that works for you. If you're working at home, chances are it's difficult to tell when business ends and home begins - so you'll probably want a calendar or planner system that encompasses both your personal and professional life. In addition, create a method for sharing information that all the family needs to know. It may be something as simple as a calendar on the refrigerator with a different color pen for each member of the family.
4. Develop a system for meals to suit your style. The need to eat can create chaos or increase quality of life, depending upon how you approach it. I used to think that because I was a professional organizing consultant, I should have all my meals for the week planned by Sunday night. I soon discovered that even though my meal plan said it was spaghetti night, I wasn't in the mood. Now, I keep lots of staples on hand so I can create something delightful with the perishables I bought over the weekend.
5. Create separate filing systems for your personal life and professional life. Research shows that the average person spends 150 hours per year looking for misplaced information. And, certainly nothing creates a family crisis faster than a 15-year- old who needs a copy of his birth certificate to get into driver's Ed training, and you can't find it! If it fits in a file, put it there - and keep a list of your files, called a File Index - so you, or someone else, can find it when needed. (Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger software creates the index automatically, and allows you to find anything you file or store in five seconds or less.
6. Get enough sleep. According to sleep experts, in order to be fully productive, you need to spend one-third of your life in bed. Many of us say, "I don't have time to sleep" - but research shows we can't afford to continually deprive ourselves and others who suffer because of our sleep deprivation. Sleep provides power to energize the body and the mind. Dr. James B. Maas, author of Power Sleep says that if you fall asleep immediately when your head hits the pillow or need an alarm clock to wake up, you need more sleep! (And you may solve a problem while you're doing it!)
7. Eliminate perfectionism. Someone once told me "A perfectionist is someone who takes great pains and gives them to everyone else." If you want to make yourself and the others around you miserable, insist on perfectionism. I have always found it fascinating that the most disorganized people in the world frequently have pockets of perfectionism - spices in alphabetical order in a cupboard over a counter where there's no room to cook. Productivity is about progress, not perfectionism!
If you're working at home, or thinking about it, remember that "home is where the heart is" - and it can be a great place to make a living too!
ฉ Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
21 Items You Can Easily Sell by Mail
This is intended for information and shouldn't be construed as legal advice.
In order to make money by mail, you need to have something to sell which others will want to buy. Everyone makes money by selling something of value to someone else. Some folks are content to sell "a little of themselves" one hour at a time. Others want to work for themselves and sell their own products or services to others.
Those individuals who desire to make more than just a few bucks per hour need to have their own product or service to offer to the rest of the world. This presentation was prepared for those individuals.
With the information, suggestions, and information listed in this report, you could Price It, Advertise It and Sell It!
Most of the guesswork, trial and error has been removed. This report has 21
plans and suggestions. It is NOT meant to be the "last and final authority". It is more than enough to give you a good idea, to encourage you to get started and to begin receiving money in your mail box often. You'll learn more as you go along. You'll run across other offers and maybe some better deals. The best advice is: go slow, test and try every offer that appeals to you! See what works and what doesn't. Stay with the things that produce results.
So, What can you sell to others by mail?
If you have nothing, besides yourself and your time, it is quite simple to create something to sell to others or to offer to do something for someone else that they can't or won't do for themselves.
What follows are IDEAS and TESTED PLANS (by others) which you can begin to advertise and sell to others by MAIL ORDER!
1. A Circular Mailing Business.
Sample Ad:
FAST CIRCULAR MAILING 3x6 and 5x8............... 1 cent each 8-1/2x11.................. 2 cents each 1000 8-1/2x 11............ $15.00 Minimum (200 of each kind)
This is an inexpensive and easy way to begin. Offer to mail circulars (distribute them by mail) to prospective buyers. You charge a fee for this service, by asking for a set rate per week or per month or per sheet charge. (Write and request information from other advertised offers. Ask questions that you would like answers to on starting and operating this type of business. Know what is involved and know what you are doing before you begin.) If you advertise, let other companies know how much you charge to distribute their circulars.
2. Sell Packages of Mail Order Offers.
Sample ad:
QUALITY BIG MAIL! Packed with top mail order publications, discount ad rates, money making opportunities, dealership offers. FREE mailing list, FREE Big Mail Listing and much more. Everything rushed to you first-class mail for only $2.00! Order Today!
This ad shows that one company usually charges $2.00 for their Big Mail. You can offer a "BIG MAIL" for $1.00 or $2.00... Keep all the money and have this company fill your orders for free. Write the ones you like for details. Buy other "Big Mails". Offer your own for $1.00. You make money both ways. Companies pay you to distribute their circulars... AND your customers pay you to be sent one.
Note: It is very strongly recommended that you first contact each company you are interested in doing business with prior to your placing any ads and offering any companies products to others by mail!
3. Operate a Commission Mailing Business
This is different from item 1 above, in that you are not paid a fee or collect any monies up front, to mail each circular. If you mail "Commission Circulars" for other companies, you agree to "take your cut" or commission from the orders received. This can be MUCH MORE profitable! A lot of Mail Order companies are willing to allow YOU to keep HALF the money from each order as your commission for getting the order. Usually each circular has a space for YOU to put your name on each one before you mail them out. Your name will be the only one on each. All orders will come to you. You keep your share of each order, forward the remainder onto the company that supplied that circular and they will (usually) forward the item direct to your customer for you, under your name. (This is called "dropshipping". For Mail Order sources, you place ads which ask for "Dealerships" from such companies or look for ads which ask for "Dealers Wanted".
4. Contact Sources to Sell Their Products
Sample ad:
Dealers Wanted. Moneymaking Plans & Ideas! Ideal home mailorder business. Up to 1300% profit. No inventory. We dropship. Send $2.00 for 64-page catalog. Dealer details and wholesale prices. Satisfaction guaranteed. ACT TODAY!
An ad like this one, is placed by a Mail Order company who are seeking dealers to sell their products. Write them and ask for all necessary details.
5. Sell Money-Making, Mail Order Plans
Sample Ad:
$10 Orders Filled Free! Easiest, most profitable mail order program yet. Get easy $10 cash sales and keep all the money yourself. Don't wait - send now for free details now!! Rush SASE to:
Write and ask for Dealer details, or their sales aids for Commission Mailers. You may have to buy their book (or whatever they are selling) before you can offer it to others.
6. Purchase or Type Up Your Own and Sell
Short Informative Reports.
Sample Ad:
FREE REPORT$. 38 $MONEY MAKER$. Fill YOUR pockets with $CASH$, plus FREE reprint rights. Just a LSASE.
Besides selling a various list of suppliers, you can type up short, one to four page, reports on a multitude of subjects, like "Where to Get Free Advertising", "Big Profits - Selling Information", "How to Write Profit Pulling Sales Letters and Circulars". You can type up other reports that you create for greater profits. Get reports Printed; Advertise; Sell It!
7. Type Up, Print and Sell Your Own Booklet or Directory.
A booklet of several pages in length is no more difficult than typing up a few reports and stapling them together. Look at this short booklet: It is a model for how to do it. Have this "camera ready" booklet printed, (minimum 50 each) and sell it to others. (You can give copies away, hoping for sales later on, from your ads that appear in this booklet.) You can even sell copies to other dealers and let them sell it as their own. You can advertise and sell quantities direct.
8. Offer a Name Listing Service.
Advertise that you will send your customer's name to hundreds of other Mail Order companies. Charge a small fee for this service. Once you have a few hundred names of interested, paying customers, type up their names on sheets and have copies made. Advertise these as "Names of Prospective Customers". Mail Order Dealers and other companies will pay you 3 cents, current price or MORE for each name. Sell the same names to ALL who are willing to buy them. You get PAID to accumulate names and you get PAID when you sell the names. You make money from both ends. No way you can lose on this deal! Keep advertising your listing service (charge $1 to $3 to each person to list their name). This can be a "Money Maker"!!
9. Sell Names of Mail Order Buyers by Mail.
Sample Ad:
Mailing Lists. Opportunity Seekers. Fresh Daily. On Peel & Stick Labels. These "Hot Lists" really pull. Buy direct from the source.
If you have your own names of past customers, type their names and addresses on sheets of paper or on labels. Sell them for 3 cents to 6 cents each or current prices. Or buy names from others and sell their lists to your customers. It can make money for you.
10. Start a Club and Sell Memberships To It.
What kind of club? You can start any kind of club you want. A stamp club, cooking club, pen-pal club, a writers or readers club, coupon or discount club, you name it. Each new member joining pays a fee. List all members on a roster.
11. Issue a Monthly Bulletin or Club "Newsletter"
Once you have your club going, ask for contributions of notes and news from members, including you own. Put it in a Newsletter, sell subscriptions to it. Sell it to members, for a fair monthly or yearly fee, but realize a small profit from it. Sell ad space . Members can list their wants and needs in it and it will be read by all members.
12. Offer a Typing Service.
Many people don't know how to type or even have a typewriter. Charge so much per page... $4 to $6 or more for difficult copy. Type resumes, salesletters, college papers, reports, bulletins, circulars, instructions, copywriting, newsletters, etc. It must be sharp, clean and error free. Advertise your services in local papers and/or yellow pages.
13. Offer a Card Mailing Service.
Others may be too busy or too forgetful so you do their card mailing for them... For a Fee! Arrange in writing all details to mail their birthday, anniversary, Christmas cards, etc. for them each year. They supply the names and addresses, etc. Advertise it and let others know.
14. A Mail Forwarding Service.
Forward mail for other people. This is great if you live near some well known site. Others send you their cards and letters, you then remail them from your location, but charge them up front by the letter or a straight fee.
15. An Advice/Consultation Service.
People will be happy to pay some expert for their advice. Why give away your knowledge or wisdom? Charge people to hear your advice. This is accomplished in person, fact sheet, statistical sheet or by newsletter. Financial advice, investment advice, marriage help, crafts, building, planting and so many, many other topics. Everyone of us knows something that few others know. Charge people to learn it from you.
16. Re-writing or Ads and Sales-Circulars, etc.
A great many people don't know how to put their thoughts and ideas into simple, every day sentences. If you know how to string words together, sell that ability to others. Re-write their ads and circulars, letters or reports or whatever. Advertise it. Charge by the hour, per item or by the inch.
Note: Send LSASE means that the advertiser needs your help to get more details to you quicker. He wants you to send a long self-addressed stamped envelope along with your letter.
17. Make Money With Your Computer
Sample Ad:
HOW TO GET RICH with your Microcomputer. SECRETS REVEALED. No experience necessary. Potential tax break! Invest in YOUR future. CASH IN ON THE $100 BILLION COMPUTER INDUSTRY. Order Book #XXXX.
Lots of people have their own computer and lots of people wish they could afford one. If you have one, rent it out, sell its abilities and make yours pay for itself. With local advertising and word of mouth you may find more work than you can handle. PLUS... receive a nice income doing something you enjoy. Visit your library or local book store for books or manuals regarding how to start up this type of business. Individuals, business persons, etc, need and will find your services very necessary.
18. Sell "Made to Order" Stamps by Mail.
Sample Ad:
RUBBER STAMPS. Made to order and stock rubber stamps. 3 lines $2.25 ppd. Additional lines 50 cents each. Signature stamps $7.00 ppd. 25 unmounted 1 line stamps $5.50 ppd. Catalog 50 cents.
This is a VERY needed and popular item to sell by mail. The cost is low and you make a nice profit per sale. Read and study ads you'll always find in Mail Order publications. Send for their rates along with a letter asking for ways on how to get started in this type of business.
"PPd." means the advertiser will pay all additional postage or shipping costs... And that you need not send along any extra to pay postage.
19. Sell Labels and Stickers by Mail
Sample Ad:
DESIGN LABELS. Designs created for product labels, stickers. Free details.
Again, your need to contact sources and ask for dealer details or sales aids for commission agents. Some may not want or need dealers. Some who advertise may not be the source. They may be another dealer of the source. Write and ask.
20. Start/Operate a Profitable Newsletter Home Business.
Join the smart ones who presently write simple or sophisticated styled NEWSLETTERS. If you do possess GOOD IDEAS, VALUABLE ADVICE, OPTIONS OR INFORMATION or have access to any one of these, you will find that this is all that is really needed to get you started in selling valuable information that thousands of people are looking for, and profit handsomely while doing so. Thousands of newsletters are being published covering almost any subject you can imagine. EVEN YOURS.
21. Selling Recipes.
Pick out one or several of your very best recipes. Ask Grandma or Mom to write down their very own original delicious creations. Whether from city, farm or the "old country" these unique recipes can be sold through classified ads. Rainy day money or survival money, it's there waiting for you.
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer This article may be distributed freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.
Are you content with your advertising budget?
Schedule a coaching session with Frugal Solutions Expert, DeAnna Spencer.
She will design an affordable online advertising plan for you.
Contact her by sending an email to deanna.spencer(at)gmail.com
Visit this small business resource for more information.
In order to make money by mail, you need to have something to sell which others will want to buy. Everyone makes money by selling something of value to someone else. Some folks are content to sell "a little of themselves" one hour at a time. Others want to work for themselves and sell their own products or services to others.
Those individuals who desire to make more than just a few bucks per hour need to have their own product or service to offer to the rest of the world. This presentation was prepared for those individuals.
With the information, suggestions, and information listed in this report, you could Price It, Advertise It and Sell It!
Most of the guesswork, trial and error has been removed. This report has 21
plans and suggestions. It is NOT meant to be the "last and final authority". It is more than enough to give you a good idea, to encourage you to get started and to begin receiving money in your mail box often. You'll learn more as you go along. You'll run across other offers and maybe some better deals. The best advice is: go slow, test and try every offer that appeals to you! See what works and what doesn't. Stay with the things that produce results.
So, What can you sell to others by mail?
If you have nothing, besides yourself and your time, it is quite simple to create something to sell to others or to offer to do something for someone else that they can't or won't do for themselves.
What follows are IDEAS and TESTED PLANS (by others) which you can begin to advertise and sell to others by MAIL ORDER!
1. A Circular Mailing Business.
Sample Ad:
FAST CIRCULAR MAILING 3x6 and 5x8............... 1 cent each 8-1/2x11.................. 2 cents each 1000 8-1/2x 11............ $15.00 Minimum (200 of each kind)
This is an inexpensive and easy way to begin. Offer to mail circulars (distribute them by mail) to prospective buyers. You charge a fee for this service, by asking for a set rate per week or per month or per sheet charge. (Write and request information from other advertised offers. Ask questions that you would like answers to on starting and operating this type of business. Know what is involved and know what you are doing before you begin.) If you advertise, let other companies know how much you charge to distribute their circulars.
2. Sell Packages of Mail Order Offers.
Sample ad:
QUALITY BIG MAIL! Packed with top mail order publications, discount ad rates, money making opportunities, dealership offers. FREE mailing list, FREE Big Mail Listing and much more. Everything rushed to you first-class mail for only $2.00! Order Today!
This ad shows that one company usually charges $2.00 for their Big Mail. You can offer a "BIG MAIL" for $1.00 or $2.00... Keep all the money and have this company fill your orders for free. Write the ones you like for details. Buy other "Big Mails". Offer your own for $1.00. You make money both ways. Companies pay you to distribute their circulars... AND your customers pay you to be sent one.
Note: It is very strongly recommended that you first contact each company you are interested in doing business with prior to your placing any ads and offering any companies products to others by mail!
3. Operate a Commission Mailing Business
This is different from item 1 above, in that you are not paid a fee or collect any monies up front, to mail each circular. If you mail "Commission Circulars" for other companies, you agree to "take your cut" or commission from the orders received. This can be MUCH MORE profitable! A lot of Mail Order companies are willing to allow YOU to keep HALF the money from each order as your commission for getting the order. Usually each circular has a space for YOU to put your name on each one before you mail them out. Your name will be the only one on each. All orders will come to you. You keep your share of each order, forward the remainder onto the company that supplied that circular and they will (usually) forward the item direct to your customer for you, under your name. (This is called "dropshipping". For Mail Order sources, you place ads which ask for "Dealerships" from such companies or look for ads which ask for "Dealers Wanted".
4. Contact Sources to Sell Their Products
Sample ad:
Dealers Wanted. Moneymaking Plans & Ideas! Ideal home mailorder business. Up to 1300% profit. No inventory. We dropship. Send $2.00 for 64-page catalog. Dealer details and wholesale prices. Satisfaction guaranteed. ACT TODAY!
An ad like this one, is placed by a Mail Order company who are seeking dealers to sell their products. Write them and ask for all necessary details.
5. Sell Money-Making, Mail Order Plans
Sample Ad:
$10 Orders Filled Free! Easiest, most profitable mail order program yet. Get easy $10 cash sales and keep all the money yourself. Don't wait - send now for free details now!! Rush SASE to:
Write and ask for Dealer details, or their sales aids for Commission Mailers. You may have to buy their book (or whatever they are selling) before you can offer it to others.
6. Purchase or Type Up Your Own and Sell
Short Informative Reports.
Sample Ad:
FREE REPORT$. 38 $MONEY MAKER$. Fill YOUR pockets with $CASH$, plus FREE reprint rights. Just a LSASE.
Besides selling a various list of suppliers, you can type up short, one to four page, reports on a multitude of subjects, like "Where to Get Free Advertising", "Big Profits - Selling Information", "How to Write Profit Pulling Sales Letters and Circulars". You can type up other reports that you create for greater profits. Get reports Printed; Advertise; Sell It!
7. Type Up, Print and Sell Your Own Booklet or Directory.
A booklet of several pages in length is no more difficult than typing up a few reports and stapling them together. Look at this short booklet: It is a model for how to do it. Have this "camera ready" booklet printed, (minimum 50 each) and sell it to others. (You can give copies away, hoping for sales later on, from your ads that appear in this booklet.) You can even sell copies to other dealers and let them sell it as their own. You can advertise and sell quantities direct.
8. Offer a Name Listing Service.
Advertise that you will send your customer's name to hundreds of other Mail Order companies. Charge a small fee for this service. Once you have a few hundred names of interested, paying customers, type up their names on sheets and have copies made. Advertise these as "Names of Prospective Customers". Mail Order Dealers and other companies will pay you 3 cents, current price or MORE for each name. Sell the same names to ALL who are willing to buy them. You get PAID to accumulate names and you get PAID when you sell the names. You make money from both ends. No way you can lose on this deal! Keep advertising your listing service (charge $1 to $3 to each person to list their name). This can be a "Money Maker"!!
9. Sell Names of Mail Order Buyers by Mail.
Sample Ad:
Mailing Lists. Opportunity Seekers. Fresh Daily. On Peel & Stick Labels. These "Hot Lists" really pull. Buy direct from the source.
If you have your own names of past customers, type their names and addresses on sheets of paper or on labels. Sell them for 3 cents to 6 cents each or current prices. Or buy names from others and sell their lists to your customers. It can make money for you.
10. Start a Club and Sell Memberships To It.
What kind of club? You can start any kind of club you want. A stamp club, cooking club, pen-pal club, a writers or readers club, coupon or discount club, you name it. Each new member joining pays a fee. List all members on a roster.
11. Issue a Monthly Bulletin or Club "Newsletter"
Once you have your club going, ask for contributions of notes and news from members, including you own. Put it in a Newsletter, sell subscriptions to it. Sell it to members, for a fair monthly or yearly fee, but realize a small profit from it. Sell ad space . Members can list their wants and needs in it and it will be read by all members.
12. Offer a Typing Service.
Many people don't know how to type or even have a typewriter. Charge so much per page... $4 to $6 or more for difficult copy. Type resumes, salesletters, college papers, reports, bulletins, circulars, instructions, copywriting, newsletters, etc. It must be sharp, clean and error free. Advertise your services in local papers and/or yellow pages.
13. Offer a Card Mailing Service.
Others may be too busy or too forgetful so you do their card mailing for them... For a Fee! Arrange in writing all details to mail their birthday, anniversary, Christmas cards, etc. for them each year. They supply the names and addresses, etc. Advertise it and let others know.
14. A Mail Forwarding Service.
Forward mail for other people. This is great if you live near some well known site. Others send you their cards and letters, you then remail them from your location, but charge them up front by the letter or a straight fee.
15. An Advice/Consultation Service.
People will be happy to pay some expert for their advice. Why give away your knowledge or wisdom? Charge people to hear your advice. This is accomplished in person, fact sheet, statistical sheet or by newsletter. Financial advice, investment advice, marriage help, crafts, building, planting and so many, many other topics. Everyone of us knows something that few others know. Charge people to learn it from you.
16. Re-writing or Ads and Sales-Circulars, etc.
A great many people don't know how to put their thoughts and ideas into simple, every day sentences. If you know how to string words together, sell that ability to others. Re-write their ads and circulars, letters or reports or whatever. Advertise it. Charge by the hour, per item or by the inch.
Note: Send LSASE means that the advertiser needs your help to get more details to you quicker. He wants you to send a long self-addressed stamped envelope along with your letter.
17. Make Money With Your Computer
Sample Ad:
HOW TO GET RICH with your Microcomputer. SECRETS REVEALED. No experience necessary. Potential tax break! Invest in YOUR future. CASH IN ON THE $100 BILLION COMPUTER INDUSTRY. Order Book #XXXX.
Lots of people have their own computer and lots of people wish they could afford one. If you have one, rent it out, sell its abilities and make yours pay for itself. With local advertising and word of mouth you may find more work than you can handle. PLUS... receive a nice income doing something you enjoy. Visit your library or local book store for books or manuals regarding how to start up this type of business. Individuals, business persons, etc, need and will find your services very necessary.
18. Sell "Made to Order" Stamps by Mail.
Sample Ad:
RUBBER STAMPS. Made to order and stock rubber stamps. 3 lines $2.25 ppd. Additional lines 50 cents each. Signature stamps $7.00 ppd. 25 unmounted 1 line stamps $5.50 ppd. Catalog 50 cents.
This is a VERY needed and popular item to sell by mail. The cost is low and you make a nice profit per sale. Read and study ads you'll always find in Mail Order publications. Send for their rates along with a letter asking for ways on how to get started in this type of business.
"PPd." means the advertiser will pay all additional postage or shipping costs... And that you need not send along any extra to pay postage.
19. Sell Labels and Stickers by Mail
Sample Ad:
DESIGN LABELS. Designs created for product labels, stickers. Free details.
Again, your need to contact sources and ask for dealer details or sales aids for commission agents. Some may not want or need dealers. Some who advertise may not be the source. They may be another dealer of the source. Write and ask.
20. Start/Operate a Profitable Newsletter Home Business.
Join the smart ones who presently write simple or sophisticated styled NEWSLETTERS. If you do possess GOOD IDEAS, VALUABLE ADVICE, OPTIONS OR INFORMATION or have access to any one of these, you will find that this is all that is really needed to get you started in selling valuable information that thousands of people are looking for, and profit handsomely while doing so. Thousands of newsletters are being published covering almost any subject you can imagine. EVEN YOURS.
21. Selling Recipes.
Pick out one or several of your very best recipes. Ask Grandma or Mom to write down their very own original delicious creations. Whether from city, farm or the "old country" these unique recipes can be sold through classified ads. Rainy day money or survival money, it's there waiting for you.
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer This article may be distributed freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.
Are you content with your advertising budget?
Schedule a coaching session with Frugal Solutions Expert, DeAnna Spencer.
She will design an affordable online advertising plan for you.
Contact her by sending an email to deanna.spencer(at)gmail.com
Visit this small business resource for more information.
Distribute Your Self-Published Book (Part 1)
Distribute Your Self-Published Book (Part 1) Judy Cullins c 2003
All Rights Reserved
Where is your book now? With a distributor? In a book store? Or,
did it already die an early death after a few months?
New self-published authors often believe they need a distributor
to sell a lot of books. They want to use Ingram or Baker &
Taylor because they think they need to get their book into the
"brick and mortar" bookstores like Barnes and Noble.
Authors go through many hoops and snags to accomplish this--
what I call the "traditional publishing nightmare" of
inefficiency and lack of support for authors. Usually the author
only gets around 10% royalties and has to pay back all promotion
expenses such as book signings. So many hoops, some give up. So
many authors I speak with who have gone this route still have
hundreds, even thousands of unsold copies littering up storage
space. Talk about discouragement.
Distributors Can be Dangerous to Your Book's Health and Your
Wallet
One author wrote, illustrated, and marketed six beautiful
children's books. Her books were well reviewed and received. For
some time, the profits rolled in until her distributor went
bankrupt, owing her $160,000. After she stopped crying, she
decided to take her books on the road—to local fairs and talks
where she could KEEP all the profits.
Distributors take quite a chunk of money from the author's
profits too. They charge the author for storage, and when books
are returned, the author loses those sales, and has to pay the
distributor too. Authors lose from the bookstores because their
payment is late or unreliable. Some authors wait way beyond 90
days. In fact, many just don't get paid. Writers are not always
good at collections either. These middlemen not only take most
of the author's profits, they cause much stress too.
How Can Self-Published Authors Distribute?
Self-published books include: print books (perfect bound, comb
bound, print on demand or print quantity needed, or stapled) or
eBooks (sent over Email through Word or Portable Document Files)
Local Distribution.
For each venue, make sure to include ordering information such
as your Web site URL, your company address, your toll-free 800
number, your local phone number, and an order page to fill out
for fax or phone orders..
1.Distribute through the Press.
-Create a "Power Press Release" (include tips and how-to's) -Get
a Feature Story from the Media -Write a how-to article and submit
2. Distribute through a local Talk Show-Radio and TV or guest
speak for another person's teleclasses.
Just a phone call away you can reach 100's of people interested
in your book's topic. Do some research on www.teleclass.com.
>From my guesting with other experts every 2 months, new clients
come, new book and teleclass sales increase to make up half my
income.
On the talk shows or the teleclasses, offer the audience a free
report to capture their email addresses. You can also send it
through your host and she will distribute that information to
her large email list. Of course you include your sales-pulling
signature file at the end.
3. Distribute at local talks to groups. Sell your print books at
the back of the room. Take a clip board and capture everyone's
email at the talk. These people become your dedicated sales
force and tell others. Word of mouth takes up to one or two
years, so be patient for results. Check your library for Clubs
who need free speakers.
Develop a selling two-sided flyer with testimonials, your book
cover, excerpts, and an ordering coupon. Take books and flyers
with you everywhere. Offer to all you meet, even your dentist!
Authors need to be proactive in book promotion because
publishers won't do it for them. (Part 2 of this article is
available)
All Rights Reserved
Where is your book now? With a distributor? In a book store? Or,
did it already die an early death after a few months?
New self-published authors often believe they need a distributor
to sell a lot of books. They want to use Ingram or Baker &
Taylor because they think they need to get their book into the
"brick and mortar" bookstores like Barnes and Noble.
Authors go through many hoops and snags to accomplish this--
what I call the "traditional publishing nightmare" of
inefficiency and lack of support for authors. Usually the author
only gets around 10% royalties and has to pay back all promotion
expenses such as book signings. So many hoops, some give up. So
many authors I speak with who have gone this route still have
hundreds, even thousands of unsold copies littering up storage
space. Talk about discouragement.
Distributors Can be Dangerous to Your Book's Health and Your
Wallet
One author wrote, illustrated, and marketed six beautiful
children's books. Her books were well reviewed and received. For
some time, the profits rolled in until her distributor went
bankrupt, owing her $160,000. After she stopped crying, she
decided to take her books on the road—to local fairs and talks
where she could KEEP all the profits.
Distributors take quite a chunk of money from the author's
profits too. They charge the author for storage, and when books
are returned, the author loses those sales, and has to pay the
distributor too. Authors lose from the bookstores because their
payment is late or unreliable. Some authors wait way beyond 90
days. In fact, many just don't get paid. Writers are not always
good at collections either. These middlemen not only take most
of the author's profits, they cause much stress too.
How Can Self-Published Authors Distribute?
Self-published books include: print books (perfect bound, comb
bound, print on demand or print quantity needed, or stapled) or
eBooks (sent over Email through Word or Portable Document Files)
Local Distribution.
For each venue, make sure to include ordering information such
as your Web site URL, your company address, your toll-free 800
number, your local phone number, and an order page to fill out
for fax or phone orders..
1.Distribute through the Press.
-Create a "Power Press Release" (include tips and how-to's) -Get
a Feature Story from the Media -Write a how-to article and submit
2. Distribute through a local Talk Show-Radio and TV or guest
speak for another person's teleclasses.
Just a phone call away you can reach 100's of people interested
in your book's topic. Do some research on www.teleclass.com.
>From my guesting with other experts every 2 months, new clients
come, new book and teleclass sales increase to make up half my
income.
On the talk shows or the teleclasses, offer the audience a free
report to capture their email addresses. You can also send it
through your host and she will distribute that information to
her large email list. Of course you include your sales-pulling
signature file at the end.
3. Distribute at local talks to groups. Sell your print books at
the back of the room. Take a clip board and capture everyone's
email at the talk. These people become your dedicated sales
force and tell others. Word of mouth takes up to one or two
years, so be patient for results. Check your library for Clubs
who need free speakers.
Develop a selling two-sided flyer with testimonials, your book
cover, excerpts, and an ordering coupon. Take books and flyers
with you everywhere. Offer to all you meet, even your dentist!
Authors need to be proactive in book promotion because
publishers won't do it for them. (Part 2 of this article is
available)
Sell Your Freelance Web Services to Businesses That Don't Have a Web Site
As you are probably already aware - there are many more freelancers out on the net than there are employers. Consequently, freelancers often find that they are bidding for a job along with hundreds of other web professionals. For this reason alone, some freelancers are finding that they have to bid so low that they cannot make a reasonable living. Why not take your business into your own hands? After reading this article you will have a sure fire way of attracting clients to you, so read on.
How many small businesses are in your area? The average county has thousands of small business. However, only a third of all small businesses have a web site, and only a third of these sites can carry out a sales transaction. What these businesses don't realize is that they can probably profit from a web site. They are in great need of a talented web professional such as yourself to not only bring them to the water but also to show them how good it tastes to drink. In other words, let these entrepreneurs see that there are more profits to be made.
First you need to prospect local businesses to find out which ones are potential customers. What kinds of businesses are most likely to need a web site? Selecting the best freelance opportunities is a matter of intuition, but I have found from previous experience that the following types of businesses are excellent prospective clients:
Restaurants
Theaters
Night Clubs
Grocery Stores
Travel Agencies
Law Firms
Religious Organizations
Real Estate Agencies
Insurance / Loan Officers
Universities and Educational Facilities
Local governments / County web sites
Customized Item Stores
Many others
It is important to focus your energy on where there is likely to be a need for your services. Uncovering a business opportunity often times requires broadening the range of your skills and services. Since you are targeting all sorts of different businesses you will often need to learn about different industries in order to be useful. You might find that you want to focus on one industry, for example, only targeting restaurants. You could create online menus, downloadable coupons, reservations, take out orders, and any other innovative ideas to draw in the prospect's interest. In fact, imagination and creativity are your keys to success. The number one focus of a successful entrepreneur is PROFIT. Your goal is to find out how you can raise the prospective client's profit line ... this takes creativity.
Excellent tools for researching local businesses are :
1. Yellow Pages
2. Chamber of Commerce
3. Better Business Bureau
4. Department of Small Business Development
5. Trade Associations
6. Search Engines
7. Purchased Lists
What information do I need to find out about each prospective client before contacting them? Slow down, you have some work to do first. At the minimum, you will need to get the phone number, company's name, and address. From this information, you can hopefully gain access to verifiable details about this business. From this information, you should do research on the Internet. You will need to find out if the business in question has a web site. Use every resource available to access this information. If you can't find a web site then you found yourself a lead.
What happens if the company does have a web site? Well, if the business in question does have a web site then you have two choices ... either move on or further evaluate the site. If you choose the latter, this is what you should look for:
1. Is the web site visually appealing?
2. Are the site's resources being used effectively?
3. Are there means for a sales transaction?
4. Does the site have a domain name?
5. Is site listed in search engines?
6. Were meta tags used effectively?
7. Does the site load quickly?
8. Is there essential contact information available?
9. Are there broken links or missing images?
10. Do you see a sales strategy that they are missing?
If any of the above situations occur, you should consider contacting the company to setup a consultation. Remember to always use tact. Never come right out and criticize anyone's site, in most cases if the site is awful, the owner himself tried to build it. All you need to do is show the business owner that he is losing out on extra earnings. There are nice words that you can find to express this instead of derogatory statements.
You should keep all of this gathered information in a database, Rolodex, or on index cards. (I recommend writing down the information on large index cards. When you find a prospective client, take their card with you and write down personal information on the back of this card. This way, the next time you visit the client, you can ask him how his sick aunt is feeling.)
Before contacting your newly found lead, you will need to get your thoughts together. Answer the following questions of yourself:
1. How can a new or redesigned site increase the owner's profits?
2. How much money would I need to charge?
3. Are there similar sites on the net that you could show an example of. You should show the owner how company XYZ profited from similar steps. 4. What design and graphic choices would you choose?
5. Are there add-ons that aren't necessary, but effective?
6. (If redesign) What changes would need to be made to better the site?
There are not many people that enjoy cold calling, so I assume that you might be a little worried about this. Believe me, I hate cold calling as much as you. With the use of a script, and a lot of practice, cold calling will seem much less intimidating.
Now you should have all the information that you need about the client laid out in front of you. Take a look at all of this information and make sure that you can remember it clearly. From this information you should be able to create a script to use when you call the business owner. I will outline a sample script that you can in turn use to your advantage. Take a look at the following example:
A: Hello, Can I please speak with owner's name?
B: This is he. How can I help you?
A: Is this an okay time for you to speak?
B: Sure, I have nothing going on right now. Who is this? (If he says that he is too busy to talk right now then you should ask what time is an okay time to talk with him).
A: Hello, My name is your name from your company's name.
B: How can I help you today?
A: Well first of all thank you for being so kind to speak with me. I am familiar with your company and I have heard many good things about it, for instance share an example. Well, anyway, I was interested so I looked to see if you had a web site and I couldn't find one. Do you have a web site running?
B: No, we don't need one. I can't really see how it would do us any good since we are a local company. If someone wants something from us they just walk on over.
A: Well, Mr. or Mrs. owner's name, I spent some time thinking about your business before I called and I came up with a few ideas that would raise your profit line. For example, a similar site to yours, name a domain, started a web site how long ago and developed your idea into their site. Within how much time, they increased their profits by this much.
B: I don't know, it sounds expensive to me.
A: I am the most reasonably priced web designer around, I could design the entire site for only dollar amount. And if you still aren't sure that you just want to jump in, I will give you two free hours of consultation in which I will bring you a mockup design of what I visualize for your site. We can then talk it over. You won't have any commitment to continue, I just want to show you that you can have a profitable online presence. Is 10 o'clock Monday morning a good time to meet ... I want to share with you all of the ideas for your site that I have typed out for you?
B: 11 o'clock is better.
A: Great, I am excited to meet you.
B: I am looking forward to hearing your ideas.
A: Thanks. I will see you Monday at 11:00.
You should always create a positive, but assertive, tone and try not to sound like a telemarketer. The difference between you and a telemarketer is that you have educated yourself about the prospective client. You are way above this level so try to make a good impression. You will need to be ready for a negative response and rude replies. Not every call goes this well. Try to figure out ahead of time what kind of objections you might receive. Always respond with a polite business response. Never curse or say rude things back. Negative responses aren't always a bad sign. If the potential client says " I don't need a web designer now, I need brochures not banners." Maybe your expertise includes print design too, go in for the kill and get the gig. Maybe you want to educate the potential client on the need of a web site to promote his or her business. If you think ahead and know your responses beforehand, you will do great.
Good Job! You have just landed your first consultation. Now you will need to prepare yourself for this important meeting. You will need to take on the role of an expert in your field. You need to make sure that you understand that you ARE an expert. Otherwise, if you don't have self confidence, the prospective client won't trust you either. Look and feel confident because you can and you WILL build a great web site for this client ... you WILL knock his socks off.
Use all of the ideas that you had mapped out earlier and create a mockup a sample web site in Photoshop. This is how you should create a professional mockup:
1. Take a screen shot of your browser.
2. Bring this image into Photoshop and save file.
3. Layout all design elements into layers for home page of site first.
4. Go to your local service bureau to print out 2 copies of each design, one for you and one for the prospective client. 5. Go to a business supply store, like Staples, and buy black board, a portfolio case big enough to hold several black boards, Utility knife, Exacto knife, spray adhesive, labels, and a straight ruler. 5. Use an Exacto knife and straight ruler to cut off excess paper.
6. Measure width and length of the printout.
7. Cut black board to be about 4 inches taller and wider than the printout is. 6. Spray the back of the printout lightly with spray adhesive. After spraying the back of the printout, put one corner down about 2 inches from the top and 2 inches from the left of the black board. Then pull printout taut from the bottom right as you slowly press down the paper from the upper left. This will keep bubbling from happening. There should now be 2 inches of blackboard framing each side of the printout.
7. Place a label on the back of black board with copyright information, your logo, and a place for client to sign off.
You should also organize your thoughts by creating an organizational chart. This way you can show the client what rough ideas you have for their business web site. Take a blank piece of paper and place your pen in the center of the page. Write down a word or two that matches the subject of your previous notes. Branch out with lines to related topics. Make sure that all navigational routes have been mapped out. After you have completed this process, I suggest taking it into Freehand or Illustrator and clean up the organizational chart. You should also place this on blackboard the way you did above. Once you have completed this step and typed out any further notes, you are ready for your presentation.
Being a good sales person doesn't depend on talent, although this obviously helps. What you need most is confidence, and portraying that confidence will rub off on the potential client. Follow these important points and you will most likely generate your first order:
1. Never stop selling. Get used to rejection and understand that you will eventually make a sale. You should try to find an average that you can attain. One out of five people that you talk to will order.
2. Don't lie about your skills or abilities if you want repeat business. If you are good, other local businesses will be knocking down your door in no time.
3. Open up with an attention-getting statement. Try to walk in the business owner's shoes, what would be important to him. Find this answer and start off by bringing this to his attention.
4. Portray benefits of building a web site with complete confidence and excitement. Try to be overwhelmed with excitement.
5. Be ready for objections. Think of any objection that the business owner could possibly come up with and brainstorm for answers before they are asked. This should be done in practice.
6. Close the deal by asking when you should get started working on the web site, this week or next? In other words, don't give the business owner a yes or no question, give the customer a choice between two positive alternatives.
Now that you know how to attract local clients, you should have no problems creating a successful freelance business. When working within your community, word spreads like fire. In fact, once you have a few dependable clients, you should have no problem finding new clients. Good luck.
Article submitted by http://www.Allfreelancework.com
Article submitted by http://www.Allfreelancework.com - 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources. Allfreelance is also host of creative portfolios. You have permission to copy this article ONLY if you include the following blurb:
http://www.Allfreelancework.com - 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources.
How many small businesses are in your area? The average county has thousands of small business. However, only a third of all small businesses have a web site, and only a third of these sites can carry out a sales transaction. What these businesses don't realize is that they can probably profit from a web site. They are in great need of a talented web professional such as yourself to not only bring them to the water but also to show them how good it tastes to drink. In other words, let these entrepreneurs see that there are more profits to be made.
First you need to prospect local businesses to find out which ones are potential customers. What kinds of businesses are most likely to need a web site? Selecting the best freelance opportunities is a matter of intuition, but I have found from previous experience that the following types of businesses are excellent prospective clients:
Restaurants
Theaters
Night Clubs
Grocery Stores
Travel Agencies
Law Firms
Religious Organizations
Real Estate Agencies
Insurance / Loan Officers
Universities and Educational Facilities
Local governments / County web sites
Customized Item Stores
Many others
It is important to focus your energy on where there is likely to be a need for your services. Uncovering a business opportunity often times requires broadening the range of your skills and services. Since you are targeting all sorts of different businesses you will often need to learn about different industries in order to be useful. You might find that you want to focus on one industry, for example, only targeting restaurants. You could create online menus, downloadable coupons, reservations, take out orders, and any other innovative ideas to draw in the prospect's interest. In fact, imagination and creativity are your keys to success. The number one focus of a successful entrepreneur is PROFIT. Your goal is to find out how you can raise the prospective client's profit line ... this takes creativity.
Excellent tools for researching local businesses are :
1. Yellow Pages
2. Chamber of Commerce
3. Better Business Bureau
4. Department of Small Business Development
5. Trade Associations
6. Search Engines
7. Purchased Lists
What information do I need to find out about each prospective client before contacting them? Slow down, you have some work to do first. At the minimum, you will need to get the phone number, company's name, and address. From this information, you can hopefully gain access to verifiable details about this business. From this information, you should do research on the Internet. You will need to find out if the business in question has a web site. Use every resource available to access this information. If you can't find a web site then you found yourself a lead.
What happens if the company does have a web site? Well, if the business in question does have a web site then you have two choices ... either move on or further evaluate the site. If you choose the latter, this is what you should look for:
1. Is the web site visually appealing?
2. Are the site's resources being used effectively?
3. Are there means for a sales transaction?
4. Does the site have a domain name?
5. Is site listed in search engines?
6. Were meta tags used effectively?
7. Does the site load quickly?
8. Is there essential contact information available?
9. Are there broken links or missing images?
10. Do you see a sales strategy that they are missing?
If any of the above situations occur, you should consider contacting the company to setup a consultation. Remember to always use tact. Never come right out and criticize anyone's site, in most cases if the site is awful, the owner himself tried to build it. All you need to do is show the business owner that he is losing out on extra earnings. There are nice words that you can find to express this instead of derogatory statements.
You should keep all of this gathered information in a database, Rolodex, or on index cards. (I recommend writing down the information on large index cards. When you find a prospective client, take their card with you and write down personal information on the back of this card. This way, the next time you visit the client, you can ask him how his sick aunt is feeling.)
Before contacting your newly found lead, you will need to get your thoughts together. Answer the following questions of yourself:
1. How can a new or redesigned site increase the owner's profits?
2. How much money would I need to charge?
3. Are there similar sites on the net that you could show an example of. You should show the owner how company XYZ profited from similar steps. 4. What design and graphic choices would you choose?
5. Are there add-ons that aren't necessary, but effective?
6. (If redesign) What changes would need to be made to better the site?
There are not many people that enjoy cold calling, so I assume that you might be a little worried about this. Believe me, I hate cold calling as much as you. With the use of a script, and a lot of practice, cold calling will seem much less intimidating.
Now you should have all the information that you need about the client laid out in front of you. Take a look at all of this information and make sure that you can remember it clearly. From this information you should be able to create a script to use when you call the business owner. I will outline a sample script that you can in turn use to your advantage. Take a look at the following example:
A: Hello, Can I please speak with owner's name?
B: This is he. How can I help you?
A: Is this an okay time for you to speak?
B: Sure, I have nothing going on right now. Who is this? (If he says that he is too busy to talk right now then you should ask what time is an okay time to talk with him).
A: Hello, My name is your name from your company's name.
B: How can I help you today?
A: Well first of all thank you for being so kind to speak with me. I am familiar with your company and I have heard many good things about it, for instance share an example. Well, anyway, I was interested so I looked to see if you had a web site and I couldn't find one. Do you have a web site running?
B: No, we don't need one. I can't really see how it would do us any good since we are a local company. If someone wants something from us they just walk on over.
A: Well, Mr. or Mrs. owner's name, I spent some time thinking about your business before I called and I came up with a few ideas that would raise your profit line. For example, a similar site to yours, name a domain, started a web site how long ago and developed your idea into their site. Within how much time, they increased their profits by this much.
B: I don't know, it sounds expensive to me.
A: I am the most reasonably priced web designer around, I could design the entire site for only dollar amount. And if you still aren't sure that you just want to jump in, I will give you two free hours of consultation in which I will bring you a mockup design of what I visualize for your site. We can then talk it over. You won't have any commitment to continue, I just want to show you that you can have a profitable online presence. Is 10 o'clock Monday morning a good time to meet ... I want to share with you all of the ideas for your site that I have typed out for you?
B: 11 o'clock is better.
A: Great, I am excited to meet you.
B: I am looking forward to hearing your ideas.
A: Thanks. I will see you Monday at 11:00.
You should always create a positive, but assertive, tone and try not to sound like a telemarketer. The difference between you and a telemarketer is that you have educated yourself about the prospective client. You are way above this level so try to make a good impression. You will need to be ready for a negative response and rude replies. Not every call goes this well. Try to figure out ahead of time what kind of objections you might receive. Always respond with a polite business response. Never curse or say rude things back. Negative responses aren't always a bad sign. If the potential client says " I don't need a web designer now, I need brochures not banners." Maybe your expertise includes print design too, go in for the kill and get the gig. Maybe you want to educate the potential client on the need of a web site to promote his or her business. If you think ahead and know your responses beforehand, you will do great.
Good Job! You have just landed your first consultation. Now you will need to prepare yourself for this important meeting. You will need to take on the role of an expert in your field. You need to make sure that you understand that you ARE an expert. Otherwise, if you don't have self confidence, the prospective client won't trust you either. Look and feel confident because you can and you WILL build a great web site for this client ... you WILL knock his socks off.
Use all of the ideas that you had mapped out earlier and create a mockup a sample web site in Photoshop. This is how you should create a professional mockup:
1. Take a screen shot of your browser.
2. Bring this image into Photoshop and save file.
3. Layout all design elements into layers for home page of site first.
4. Go to your local service bureau to print out 2 copies of each design, one for you and one for the prospective client. 5. Go to a business supply store, like Staples, and buy black board, a portfolio case big enough to hold several black boards, Utility knife, Exacto knife, spray adhesive, labels, and a straight ruler. 5. Use an Exacto knife and straight ruler to cut off excess paper.
6. Measure width and length of the printout.
7. Cut black board to be about 4 inches taller and wider than the printout is. 6. Spray the back of the printout lightly with spray adhesive. After spraying the back of the printout, put one corner down about 2 inches from the top and 2 inches from the left of the black board. Then pull printout taut from the bottom right as you slowly press down the paper from the upper left. This will keep bubbling from happening. There should now be 2 inches of blackboard framing each side of the printout.
7. Place a label on the back of black board with copyright information, your logo, and a place for client to sign off.
You should also organize your thoughts by creating an organizational chart. This way you can show the client what rough ideas you have for their business web site. Take a blank piece of paper and place your pen in the center of the page. Write down a word or two that matches the subject of your previous notes. Branch out with lines to related topics. Make sure that all navigational routes have been mapped out. After you have completed this process, I suggest taking it into Freehand or Illustrator and clean up the organizational chart. You should also place this on blackboard the way you did above. Once you have completed this step and typed out any further notes, you are ready for your presentation.
Being a good sales person doesn't depend on talent, although this obviously helps. What you need most is confidence, and portraying that confidence will rub off on the potential client. Follow these important points and you will most likely generate your first order:
1. Never stop selling. Get used to rejection and understand that you will eventually make a sale. You should try to find an average that you can attain. One out of five people that you talk to will order.
2. Don't lie about your skills or abilities if you want repeat business. If you are good, other local businesses will be knocking down your door in no time.
3. Open up with an attention-getting statement. Try to walk in the business owner's shoes, what would be important to him. Find this answer and start off by bringing this to his attention.
4. Portray benefits of building a web site with complete confidence and excitement. Try to be overwhelmed with excitement.
5. Be ready for objections. Think of any objection that the business owner could possibly come up with and brainstorm for answers before they are asked. This should be done in practice.
6. Close the deal by asking when you should get started working on the web site, this week or next? In other words, don't give the business owner a yes or no question, give the customer a choice between two positive alternatives.
Now that you know how to attract local clients, you should have no problems creating a successful freelance business. When working within your community, word spreads like fire. In fact, once you have a few dependable clients, you should have no problem finding new clients. Good luck.
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River Valley Bank Purchases MICRPro(r) Automated Check Production Solution
ROTHSCHILD, WI April 1, 2004 -โ€" River Valley State Bank, a $350 million-asset community bank with headquarters in this Wausau suburb and nine locations in central and northern Wisconsin, has replaced a competitor's manual check production system that had been in use for three years with a MICRPro 800 automated in-house check production solution from the Financial Documents Division of ACOM Solutions, Inc., it was announced today by River Valley State Bank Executive Vice President Jay Wittman and Mark Firmin, vice president and general manager of the ACOM division.
Installed in early February, the ACOM solution was selected for its ability to fulfill as many as 50 check orders per hour. According to Teller Supervisor Cindi Jaeger, who is in charge of the system, River Valley State Bank selected the new system because of the advantages a automated system can provide over the manual one. The new system currently is producing between 660 and 700 new orders and reorders per month. Jaeger expects this number to grow.
The MICRPro automated solution is a fully integrated hardware-software system comprised of a powerful personal computer with a 17-inch monitor, interactive check design and printing software, MICR-enhanced laser printer, and an automated finishing system for trimming, stapling and taping the printed checks. ACOM also provides check printing supplies such as blank security check stock in various styles and MICR toner. The company also sells lower cost in-house check production solutions with semi-automated and manual finishing processes.
The automated system allows River Valley State Bank to charge customers significantly less for check orders than outsource check printers charge. Currently, the bank produces both single and duplicate checks for personal and business accounts, with delivery in one or two days versus a week or more from third party check vendors. It can even produce an order on-the-spot in case of a customer emergency. The bank also began printing its own loan coupons using the system in March.
โ€œBesides providing checks at an extremely favorable price, the service also represents an additional source of non-interest revenue, although that is a secondary consideration,โ€ Jaeger said. โ€œWe are a family-owned community bank committed to providing the best in customer service. That is our primary objective in offering in-house checks. The low cost, quality, convenient reordering, and fast turnaround have proven to be very popular and most of our customers opt for our in-house checks.โ€
The MICRPro system will enable the bank to keep pace with continuing growth in its customer base and the corresponding checkbook requirements, Jaeger added. With the manual system, checks were typically generated in batches, with one person printing the check books and another performing the cutting and binding operation. Now, she pointed out, once the checks are printed and placed on the input tray of the automated finishing device, the rest of the operation is fully automatic.
About ACOM Solutions
ACOM Solutions Financial Documents Division is the premier developer and marketer of check and financial document production solutions that enable financial institutions to streamline their front office and back office check and financial document production activities, and to create and fulfill customer check orders and reorders in-house, versus outsourcing to commercial check vendors. ACOM Solutions, Inc. is a multidivisional, international developer and marketer of conventional and e-business solutions that integrate with enterprise applications to enhance back office and B2B processes for electronic, Internet and paper-based commerce. For more information, contact ACOM Solutions Financial Documents Division at 3305 Breckinridge Blvd, Suite 130, Duluth, GA 30096; telephone 770-279-8955; email micrproinfo@acom.com; web: www.inhousechecks.com.
CONTACT:
Victor Wortman
310 393 6281
vwortman@earthlink.net
Maribell Buchanan
770 279 8955
mbuchanan@acom.com
Gregory Church
562 424 7899
gchurch@acom.com
Installed in early February, the ACOM solution was selected for its ability to fulfill as many as 50 check orders per hour. According to Teller Supervisor Cindi Jaeger, who is in charge of the system, River Valley State Bank selected the new system because of the advantages a automated system can provide over the manual one. The new system currently is producing between 660 and 700 new orders and reorders per month. Jaeger expects this number to grow.
The MICRPro automated solution is a fully integrated hardware-software system comprised of a powerful personal computer with a 17-inch monitor, interactive check design and printing software, MICR-enhanced laser printer, and an automated finishing system for trimming, stapling and taping the printed checks. ACOM also provides check printing supplies such as blank security check stock in various styles and MICR toner. The company also sells lower cost in-house check production solutions with semi-automated and manual finishing processes.
The automated system allows River Valley State Bank to charge customers significantly less for check orders than outsource check printers charge. Currently, the bank produces both single and duplicate checks for personal and business accounts, with delivery in one or two days versus a week or more from third party check vendors. It can even produce an order on-the-spot in case of a customer emergency. The bank also began printing its own loan coupons using the system in March.
โ€œBesides providing checks at an extremely favorable price, the service also represents an additional source of non-interest revenue, although that is a secondary consideration,โ€ Jaeger said. โ€œWe are a family-owned community bank committed to providing the best in customer service. That is our primary objective in offering in-house checks. The low cost, quality, convenient reordering, and fast turnaround have proven to be very popular and most of our customers opt for our in-house checks.โ€
The MICRPro system will enable the bank to keep pace with continuing growth in its customer base and the corresponding checkbook requirements, Jaeger added. With the manual system, checks were typically generated in batches, with one person printing the check books and another performing the cutting and binding operation. Now, she pointed out, once the checks are printed and placed on the input tray of the automated finishing device, the rest of the operation is fully automatic.
About ACOM Solutions
ACOM Solutions Financial Documents Division is the premier developer and marketer of check and financial document production solutions that enable financial institutions to streamline their front office and back office check and financial document production activities, and to create and fulfill customer check orders and reorders in-house, versus outsourcing to commercial check vendors. ACOM Solutions, Inc. is a multidivisional, international developer and marketer of conventional and e-business solutions that integrate with enterprise applications to enhance back office and B2B processes for electronic, Internet and paper-based commerce. For more information, contact ACOM Solutions Financial Documents Division at 3305 Breckinridge Blvd, Suite 130, Duluth, GA 30096; telephone 770-279-8955; email micrproinfo@acom.com; web: www.inhousechecks.com.
CONTACT:
Victor Wortman
310 393 6281
vwortman@earthlink.net
Maribell Buchanan
770 279 8955
mbuchanan@acom.com
Gregory Church
562 424 7899
gchurch@acom.com
When It's DUH? Time at Trade Show - 3 Little Words Save the Day
TIME, MONEY, HASSLE - You can make a sale on one of
the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three,
you'll have a very loyal client.
You've have product training and sales training, you reviewed your company's web site and literature, you understand the demonstrations, and the marketing ideas behind the exhibit design. You're ready for the show.
But now you're standing in the booth and it's Duh? time. You can rattle off the features and benefits, but what does the person standing in front of you want to know?
It can be boiled down to three little words - Time, Money, Hassle.
They want you to save them time, charge less money and cut the hassle. Actually, it's what we all want when we shop ourselves, whether for banking or broccoli, wine or widgets. For example - We pay for chopped but bagged lettuce at the grocery store. Saves us money? No, costs a lot more than a head of lettuce, but it saves time and hassle because we don't have to chop it. Go through everything you buy and you'll find an example.
You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you'll have a very loyal client.
Frame your opening comments around these three words and you'll get people's attention. Don't make them ask the questions - be ready to find which of these words is most important to them and match your presentation to their concerns.
TIME - We all want time, more time, and trade shows are a time problem. It is compressed - there are only so many hours the show is open, so few hours to walk the aisles and minutes to stop at a booth. Conversations are brief, listening skills are strained and you'll never have enough time to go through the leisurely sales call process.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Time:
1. What's your order-to-shipment time?
2. How long for custom orders and modifications?
3. How long is design time?
4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?
5. When will a salesman call on me?
6. How long does it take to learn?
7. How long does it take to teach someone?
8. What training materials and people are provided?
9. How long does it take to put together?
10. How long will it last?
MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:
1. How much is it?
2. What's my discount?
3. Do you take credit cards?
4. Will you finance this?
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What's your guarantee?
7. What's my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What's the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can't find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What's the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and finally my item was found! It could not be sent to the store so I could use the coupon and save the freight, but had to be sent to me directly. Now I'm on their mailing list and receive a catalogue every week. What a waste, but I've been told it's too difficult to take me off the mailing list. Is this my favorite store? Used to be. Not any more.
2. There are lots of ISP tales. Two years ago when the big one bought my little one, I had 13 days of intermittent service while they merged. This year, they changed "something" (their term) and I could receive mail but not send it. I spoke with 11 people over the course of a week, a total of 14 hours. I heard lots of music, lots of "what have you done?" and "let's just start all over". I spoke with supervisors, tech support and marketing. Finally, I found a new kid, who said, "Oh, yeah, we changed something. There, it's all fixed." Without billing them for my time, I figure this one experience cost the ISP five times what I pay in yearly service fees. Will I stay with them. Yes, because I'm afraid the next service will be worse.
3. Since I refuse to do business with people who know less about their company than I do, I often ask to speak to a supervisor. Now, I keep pad and paper whenever I make a call, and ask for name and extension. Recent responses - all true!
* There is no supervisor.
* They can't take incoming calls. Leave a name and number and they'll get back to you in 3 days.
* 20 minutes of music, then disconnect.
* Just disconnect.
* Call customer service. One hour of argument and being passed along via long holding patterns. We can't, never have and/or refuse to solve your problem. Hang up, call same number. Problem solved in two minutes.
* Voice mail hell with no option to speak to a real person.
* Web sites without real addresses or phone numbers. Contact us is an e-mail address which never responds.
Be Brief. Start your conversation with "(My Company) can save your company (time, money, hassle) and we support our customers."
Do customer service problems appear at trade shows? Occasionally. Do they happen after shows? All the time. The more you can define Time, Money and Hassle for your clients and prospects, the more profitable everyone will be.
Julia O'Connor
Speaker, Author, Consultant
Expert in the Psychology of the Trade Show Environment
Trade Show Training, Inc.
PO Box 17155, Richmond VA 23226
804-355-7800
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com
You've have product training and sales training, you reviewed your company's web site and literature, you understand the demonstrations, and the marketing ideas behind the exhibit design. You're ready for the show.
But now you're standing in the booth and it's Duh? time. You can rattle off the features and benefits, but what does the person standing in front of you want to know?
It can be boiled down to three little words - Time, Money, Hassle.
They want you to save them time, charge less money and cut the hassle. Actually, it's what we all want when we shop ourselves, whether for banking or broccoli, wine or widgets. For example - We pay for chopped but bagged lettuce at the grocery store. Saves us money? No, costs a lot more than a head of lettuce, but it saves time and hassle because we don't have to chop it. Go through everything you buy and you'll find an example.
You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you'll have a very loyal client.
Frame your opening comments around these three words and you'll get people's attention. Don't make them ask the questions - be ready to find which of these words is most important to them and match your presentation to their concerns.
TIME - We all want time, more time, and trade shows are a time problem. It is compressed - there are only so many hours the show is open, so few hours to walk the aisles and minutes to stop at a booth. Conversations are brief, listening skills are strained and you'll never have enough time to go through the leisurely sales call process.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Time:
1. What's your order-to-shipment time?
2. How long for custom orders and modifications?
3. How long is design time?
4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?
5. When will a salesman call on me?
6. How long does it take to learn?
7. How long does it take to teach someone?
8. What training materials and people are provided?
9. How long does it take to put together?
10. How long will it last?
MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:
1. How much is it?
2. What's my discount?
3. Do you take credit cards?
4. Will you finance this?
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What's your guarantee?
7. What's my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What's the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can't find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What's the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and finally my item was found! It could not be sent to the store so I could use the coupon and save the freight, but had to be sent to me directly. Now I'm on their mailing list and receive a catalogue every week. What a waste, but I've been told it's too difficult to take me off the mailing list. Is this my favorite store? Used to be. Not any more.
2. There are lots of ISP tales. Two years ago when the big one bought my little one, I had 13 days of intermittent service while they merged. This year, they changed "something" (their term) and I could receive mail but not send it. I spoke with 11 people over the course of a week, a total of 14 hours. I heard lots of music, lots of "what have you done?" and "let's just start all over". I spoke with supervisors, tech support and marketing. Finally, I found a new kid, who said, "Oh, yeah, we changed something. There, it's all fixed." Without billing them for my time, I figure this one experience cost the ISP five times what I pay in yearly service fees. Will I stay with them. Yes, because I'm afraid the next service will be worse.
3. Since I refuse to do business with people who know less about their company than I do, I often ask to speak to a supervisor. Now, I keep pad and paper whenever I make a call, and ask for name and extension. Recent responses - all true!
* There is no supervisor.
* They can't take incoming calls. Leave a name and number and they'll get back to you in 3 days.
* 20 minutes of music, then disconnect.
* Just disconnect.
* Call customer service. One hour of argument and being passed along via long holding patterns. We can't, never have and/or refuse to solve your problem. Hang up, call same number. Problem solved in two minutes.
* Voice mail hell with no option to speak to a real person.
* Web sites without real addresses or phone numbers. Contact us is an e-mail address which never responds.
Be Brief. Start your conversation with "(My Company) can save your company (time, money, hassle) and we support our customers."
Do customer service problems appear at trade shows? Occasionally. Do they happen after shows? All the time. The more you can define Time, Money and Hassle for your clients and prospects, the more profitable everyone will be.
Julia O'Connor
Speaker, Author, Consultant
Expert in the Psychology of the Trade Show Environment
Trade Show Training, Inc.
PO Box 17155, Richmond VA 23226
804-355-7800
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com
When It's DUH? Time at Trade Show - 3 Little Words Save the Day
TIME, MONEY, HASSLE - You can make a sale on one of
the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three,
you'll have a very loyal client.
You've have product training and sales training, you reviewed your company's web site and literature, you understand the demonstrations, and the marketing ideas behind the exhibit design. You're ready for the show.
But now you're standing in the booth and it's Duh? time. You can rattle off the features and benefits, but what does the person standing in front of you want to know?
It can be boiled down to three little words - Time, Money, Hassle.
They want you to save them time, charge less money and cut the hassle. Actually, it's what we all want when we shop ourselves, whether for banking or broccoli, wine or widgets. For example - We pay for chopped but bagged lettuce at the grocery store. Saves us money? No, costs a lot more than a head of lettuce, but it saves time and hassle because we don't have to chop it. Go through everything you buy and you'll find an example.
You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you'll have a very loyal client.
Frame your opening comments around these three words and you'll get people's attention. Don't make them ask the questions - be ready to find which of these words is most important to them and match your presentation to their concerns.
TIME - We all want time, more time, and trade shows are a time problem. It is compressed - there are only so many hours the show is open, so few hours to walk the aisles and minutes to stop at a booth. Conversations are brief, listening skills are strained and you'll never have enough time to go through the leisurely sales call process.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Time:
1. What's your order-to-shipment time?
2. How long for custom orders and modifications?
3. How long is design time?
4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?
5. When will a salesman call on me?
6. How long does it take to learn?
7. How long does it take to teach someone?
8. What training materials and people are provided?
9. How long does it take to put together?
10. How long will it last?
MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:
1. How much is it?
2. What's my discount?
3. Do you take credit cards?
4. Will you finance this?
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What's your guarantee?
7. What's my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What's the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can't find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What's the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and finally my item was found! It could not be sent to the store so I could use the coupon and save the freight, but had to be sent to me directly. Now I'm on their mailing list and receive a catalogue every week. What a waste, but I've been told it's too difficult to take me off the mailing list. Is this my favorite store? Used to be. Not any more.
2. There are lots of ISP tales. Two years ago when the big one bought my little one, I had 13 days of intermittent service while they merged. This year, they changed "something" (their term) and I could receive mail but not send it. I spoke with 11 people over the course of a week, a total of 14 hours. I heard lots of music, lots of "what have you done?" and "let's just start all over". I spoke with supervisors, tech support and marketing. Finally, I found a new kid, who said, "Oh, yeah, we changed something. There, it's all fixed." Without billing them for my time, I figure this one experience cost the ISP five times what I pay in yearly service fees. Will I stay with them. Yes, because I'm afraid the next service will be worse.
3. Since I refuse to do business with people who know less about their company than I do, I often ask to speak to a supervisor. Now, I keep pad and paper whenever I make a call, and ask for name and extension. Recent responses - all true!
* There is no supervisor.
* They can't take incoming calls. Leave a name and number and they'll get back to you in 3 days.
* 20 minutes of music, then disconnect.
* Just disconnect.
* Call customer service. One hour of argument and being passed along via long holding patterns. We can't, never have and/or refuse to solve your problem. Hang up, call same number. Problem solved in two minutes.
* Voice mail hell with no option to speak to a real person.
* Web sites without real addresses or phone numbers. Contact us is an e-mail address which never responds.
Be Brief. Start your conversation with "(My Company) can save your company (time, money, hassle) and we support our customers."
Do customer service problems appear at trade shows? Occasionally. Do they happen after shows? All the time. The more you can define Time, Money and Hassle for your clients and prospects, the more profitable everyone will be.
Julia O'Connor
Speaker, Author, Consultant
Expert in the Psychology of the Trade Show Environment
Trade Show Training, Inc.
PO Box 17155, Richmond VA 23226
804-355-7800
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com
You've have product training and sales training, you reviewed your company's web site and literature, you understand the demonstrations, and the marketing ideas behind the exhibit design. You're ready for the show.
But now you're standing in the booth and it's Duh? time. You can rattle off the features and benefits, but what does the person standing in front of you want to know?
It can be boiled down to three little words - Time, Money, Hassle.
They want you to save them time, charge less money and cut the hassle. Actually, it's what we all want when we shop ourselves, whether for banking or broccoli, wine or widgets. For example - We pay for chopped but bagged lettuce at the grocery store. Saves us money? No, costs a lot more than a head of lettuce, but it saves time and hassle because we don't have to chop it. Go through everything you buy and you'll find an example.
You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you'll have a very loyal client.
Frame your opening comments around these three words and you'll get people's attention. Don't make them ask the questions - be ready to find which of these words is most important to them and match your presentation to their concerns.
TIME - We all want time, more time, and trade shows are a time problem. It is compressed - there are only so many hours the show is open, so few hours to walk the aisles and minutes to stop at a booth. Conversations are brief, listening skills are strained and you'll never have enough time to go through the leisurely sales call process.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Time:
1. What's your order-to-shipment time?
2. How long for custom orders and modifications?
3. How long is design time?
4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?
5. When will a salesman call on me?
6. How long does it take to learn?
7. How long does it take to teach someone?
8. What training materials and people are provided?
9. How long does it take to put together?
10. How long will it last?
MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:
1. How much is it?
2. What's my discount?
3. Do you take credit cards?
4. Will you finance this?
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What's your guarantee?
7. What's my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What's the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can't find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What's the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and finally my item was found! It could not be sent to the store so I could use the coupon and save the freight, but had to be sent to me directly. Now I'm on their mailing list and receive a catalogue every week. What a waste, but I've been told it's too difficult to take me off the mailing list. Is this my favorite store? Used to be. Not any more.
2. There are lots of ISP tales. Two years ago when the big one bought my little one, I had 13 days of intermittent service while they merged. This year, they changed "something" (their term) and I could receive mail but not send it. I spoke with 11 people over the course of a week, a total of 14 hours. I heard lots of music, lots of "what have you done?" and "let's just start all over". I spoke with supervisors, tech support and marketing. Finally, I found a new kid, who said, "Oh, yeah, we changed something. There, it's all fixed." Without billing them for my time, I figure this one experience cost the ISP five times what I pay in yearly service fees. Will I stay with them. Yes, because I'm afraid the next service will be worse.
3. Since I refuse to do business with people who know less about their company than I do, I often ask to speak to a supervisor. Now, I keep pad and paper whenever I make a call, and ask for name and extension. Recent responses - all true!
* There is no supervisor.
* They can't take incoming calls. Leave a name and number and they'll get back to you in 3 days.
* 20 minutes of music, then disconnect.
* Just disconnect.
* Call customer service. One hour of argument and being passed along via long holding patterns. We can't, never have and/or refuse to solve your problem. Hang up, call same number. Problem solved in two minutes.
* Voice mail hell with no option to speak to a real person.
* Web sites without real addresses or phone numbers. Contact us is an e-mail address which never responds.
Be Brief. Start your conversation with "(My Company) can save your company (time, money, hassle) and we support our customers."
Do customer service problems appear at trade shows? Occasionally. Do they happen after shows? All the time. The more you can define Time, Money and Hassle for your clients and prospects, the more profitable everyone will be.
Julia O'Connor
Speaker, Author, Consultant
Expert in the Psychology of the Trade Show Environment
Trade Show Training, Inc.
PO Box 17155, Richmond VA 23226
804-355-7800
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com
A Budgeting Tip Or Two For A Single Mother
Asingle mother may often times find herself struggling. There never seems to be enough time in the day, not enough rest before the sun rises, not enough cash flow, and never enough free time. A single mother may find herself working long and hard hours just to put food on the table for her children. That's why a budgeting tip or two may be necessary help for single mother to save a few extra dollars at the grocery store.
A single mother may rely on a budgeting tip or two to account for monthly expenses. It's easy to account for your mortgage or car payment because those payments are fixed, however when it comes to groceries, it's more difficult to determine how much you are going to spend. Some weeks you may just need staple items like bread and milk while other weeks you might need toothpaste, and laundry detergent. Some weeks you may have time to cut coupons and go to discount food stores while other weeks you may only have time to run to the convenience store. However if you are looking for ways to cut costs on grocery shopping, there are few pointers that may guide you in the right direction.
Grocery stores have a way of making everything very convenient for a single mother. They provide you with a large grocery cart at the beginning of the store with easy access aisles with food divided into its proper departments. However why do they put the milk in the far back corner of the store and make the bakery smell delightful tasty as you pass by with a grumbling stomach? The store wants to lure you in to purchase more than you need. They hope that if you only need milk that you may find a few extra things in passing on your way to get the milk. Once you realize that the store is trying to sell you more than you need, you need to overcome these sales tactics and purchase only the necessities. Here is a budgeting tip or two that you may be able to use when strolling up and down the aisles.
Help for Single Mother
Budgeting tip 1
Go to the grocery store after you've had a full meal. This way you'll be less inclined to buy the great smelling temptations as you make your way through the store. As for the staple items that are dispersed throughout the store in hope of trying to get you make some impulse buys as you pass by other items, create a list before going into the store of what you need and buy just that. When you run out of an item at home add it to a list, that way when you have to return to the store you wont forget to get it and you can avoid having to go back to the store several times because you simply forgot.
Budgeting Tip 2
You'll notice that most pricy items are at eye level. These are usually manufactures of brand name products aiming to grab you attention. Manufactures are willing to pay a higher stocking fee because they assume you are more likely to purchase something you can easily see when walking down the aisle opposed to something lower or higher that you may have to look for. However these products are usually t he most expensive so look at the upper and lower shelves and compare prices. The products are same other than the brand name and you can get them at a much better price.
Budgeting Tip 3
At the end of each aisle before turning into the next aisle you will find items on display at rock bottom prices usually. These are advertised to get you to come into the store however although these may seem like great bargains you may be able to find similar products for less in the regular aisle section. Just because they are advertised "on sale" don't assume you are getting the best deal.
Budgeting Tip 4
Don't buy everything for the way it looks, packaging that is. Just because items are packaged in bright red and yellow wrappers that draws your eyes to them, doesn't mean they are worth buying. Stores do this to get your attention however when shopping for items based on their appearance stick to examining eggs, fruit and vegetables and other produce products. Those are the ones that you need to focus on.
Going along with packaging, often time's items will be packaged in bulk. As a single mother sometimes these are worth buying but other times you may not be getting a bargain. Compare prices and bring a pocket calculator to make it easier to get the answers you are looking for. That goes for quantity size as well. Sometimes smaller packages, cans, or boxes are a better deal than to buy the larger sized item.
Budgeting Tip 5
Lastly, avoid making impulse buys at the checkout. Grocery stores tend to throw every little thing in here that might peak your interest such as candy bars, toothbrushes, magazines, and other items that were probably never on your list. Plan on going to the store during off peak hours such as late nights, or check out a store that is open 24 hours which have express checkouts that allows you to do it yourself. This way you aren't waiting in a line observing all the impulse items.
Now that you understand how grocery stores try to influence a single mother and all other consumer shopping and spending habits you are in control to make the right decisions. Consider a budgeting tip above or all of them and see what your total is on your next receipt. See if you can maintain this average price range for about a month and once you establish an average amount you can incorporate this into your monthly budget. This should give you a better idea of money you will have left over each month, which can be put towards savings or other expenses.
For another single mother budgeting tip or two please visit http://www.singlemotherresources.com. Help for single mother starts here!
A single mother may rely on a budgeting tip or two to account for monthly expenses. It's easy to account for your mortgage or car payment because those payments are fixed, however when it comes to groceries, it's more difficult to determine how much you are going to spend. Some weeks you may just need staple items like bread and milk while other weeks you might need toothpaste, and laundry detergent. Some weeks you may have time to cut coupons and go to discount food stores while other weeks you may only have time to run to the convenience store. However if you are looking for ways to cut costs on grocery shopping, there are few pointers that may guide you in the right direction.
Grocery stores have a way of making everything very convenient for a single mother. They provide you with a large grocery cart at the beginning of the store with easy access aisles with food divided into its proper departments. However why do they put the milk in the far back corner of the store and make the bakery smell delightful tasty as you pass by with a grumbling stomach? The store wants to lure you in to purchase more than you need. They hope that if you only need milk that you may find a few extra things in passing on your way to get the milk. Once you realize that the store is trying to sell you more than you need, you need to overcome these sales tactics and purchase only the necessities. Here is a budgeting tip or two that you may be able to use when strolling up and down the aisles.
Help for Single Mother
Budgeting tip 1
Go to the grocery store after you've had a full meal. This way you'll be less inclined to buy the great smelling temptations as you make your way through the store. As for the staple items that are dispersed throughout the store in hope of trying to get you make some impulse buys as you pass by other items, create a list before going into the store of what you need and buy just that. When you run out of an item at home add it to a list, that way when you have to return to the store you wont forget to get it and you can avoid having to go back to the store several times because you simply forgot.
Budgeting Tip 2
You'll notice that most pricy items are at eye level. These are usually manufactures of brand name products aiming to grab you attention. Manufactures are willing to pay a higher stocking fee because they assume you are more likely to purchase something you can easily see when walking down the aisle opposed to something lower or higher that you may have to look for. However these products are usually t he most expensive so look at the upper and lower shelves and compare prices. The products are same other than the brand name and you can get them at a much better price.
Budgeting Tip 3
At the end of each aisle before turning into the next aisle you will find items on display at rock bottom prices usually. These are advertised to get you to come into the store however although these may seem like great bargains you may be able to find similar products for less in the regular aisle section. Just because they are advertised "on sale" don't assume you are getting the best deal.
Budgeting Tip 4
Don't buy everything for the way it looks, packaging that is. Just because items are packaged in bright red and yellow wrappers that draws your eyes to them, doesn't mean they are worth buying. Stores do this to get your attention however when shopping for items based on their appearance stick to examining eggs, fruit and vegetables and other produce products. Those are the ones that you need to focus on.
Going along with packaging, often time's items will be packaged in bulk. As a single mother sometimes these are worth buying but other times you may not be getting a bargain. Compare prices and bring a pocket calculator to make it easier to get the answers you are looking for. That goes for quantity size as well. Sometimes smaller packages, cans, or boxes are a better deal than to buy the larger sized item.
Budgeting Tip 5
Lastly, avoid making impulse buys at the checkout. Grocery stores tend to throw every little thing in here that might peak your interest such as candy bars, toothbrushes, magazines, and other items that were probably never on your list. Plan on going to the store during off peak hours such as late nights, or check out a store that is open 24 hours which have express checkouts that allows you to do it yourself. This way you aren't waiting in a line observing all the impulse items.
Now that you understand how grocery stores try to influence a single mother and all other consumer shopping and spending habits you are in control to make the right decisions. Consider a budgeting tip above or all of them and see what your total is on your next receipt. See if you can maintain this average price range for about a month and once you establish an average amount you can incorporate this into your monthly budget. This should give you a better idea of money you will have left over each month, which can be put towards savings or other expenses.
For another single mother budgeting tip or two please visit http://www.singlemotherresources.com. Help for single mother starts here!
Smart Shopping: 25 Ways to Slash Your Grocery Bills
No doubt about it, convenience foods save you time. But - and it's a big but - convenience foods don't save you money. If you rely on frozen dinners, helper foods, kits and take-out you are spending too much money on food. These tips will help you lower your bills and eat healthy, flavorful meals.
1. Plan meals by the week.
2. Make a grocery list, grouping foods by category. (Meat, dairy, produce, etc.)
3. Only buy what is on your list. Don't succumb to impulse buying or kids' demands for products hyped on TV.
4. Shop at stores that have the most specials.
5. Use coupons for healthy foods only. Don't buy a product just because you have a coupon.
6. Roll your cart past "helper," "partner," "bakes" and "kits." These products are over-priced, over-salted, and you can't even pronounce some of the ingredients.
7. Mix up your own rubs. They take only minutes to make and you can customize them to your tastes.
8. Buy store and less-known brands, often made by top manufacturers.
9. Buy lean hamburger. It is better for you and there is less waste.
9. Drink water instead of pricey soda pop, which is often loaded with sugar and erodes your teeth.
10. Make your own salad dressing. You'll save a bundle!
11. Make your own granola. Lots of recipes are posted on the Internet and kids will enjoy helping you.
12. Eat boxed hot cereal, not the kind in packets.
13. Buy day-old bread and coffee cake. The bread is perfect for French toast and grilled sandwiches. Stale coffee cake makes some of the best bread pudding you will ever taste.
14. Stores put pricey foods - the foods they want to push - at eye level. Bend down and look on the bottom shelves for bargains.
15. Learn how to cut up a whole chicken.
16. Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables.
17. Buy staples in bulk.
18. Make your own pudding. You will get twice as much for your money.
19. Buy a refrigerated or prepared crust and make your favorite pizza.
20. Use meat for flavor, as in stir-fry, instead of making it the feature of the meal.
21. Maximize leftovers. Make cream sauce for a little left over spinach. Use leftover vegetables in soup.
22. Put leftovers in sturdy plastic zipper bags to prevent freezer burn and waste. Label and date the bags.
23. Turn old bread into new, delicious croutons. Cut the bread into cubes, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, oregano and basil. Bake in a 350 degree oven until crispy.
24. Make your own baking mix and store in a tightly covered jar. (Recipes are posted on the Internet.)
25. Involve kids and grandkids. The involved kids of today will turn into smart shoppers tomorrow.
Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson
http://www.harriethodgson.com
http://www.healthwriter.blogspot.com
Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Assocition for Death Education and Counseling. Before she became a health writer she was a food writer for the former "Rochester Magazine" in her hometown of Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. You will find another review on the American Hospice Foundation website under the "School Corner' heading.
1. Plan meals by the week.
2. Make a grocery list, grouping foods by category. (Meat, dairy, produce, etc.)
3. Only buy what is on your list. Don't succumb to impulse buying or kids' demands for products hyped on TV.
4. Shop at stores that have the most specials.
5. Use coupons for healthy foods only. Don't buy a product just because you have a coupon.
6. Roll your cart past "helper," "partner," "bakes" and "kits." These products are over-priced, over-salted, and you can't even pronounce some of the ingredients.
7. Mix up your own rubs. They take only minutes to make and you can customize them to your tastes.
8. Buy store and less-known brands, often made by top manufacturers.
9. Buy lean hamburger. It is better for you and there is less waste.
9. Drink water instead of pricey soda pop, which is often loaded with sugar and erodes your teeth.
10. Make your own salad dressing. You'll save a bundle!
11. Make your own granola. Lots of recipes are posted on the Internet and kids will enjoy helping you.
12. Eat boxed hot cereal, not the kind in packets.
13. Buy day-old bread and coffee cake. The bread is perfect for French toast and grilled sandwiches. Stale coffee cake makes some of the best bread pudding you will ever taste.
14. Stores put pricey foods - the foods they want to push - at eye level. Bend down and look on the bottom shelves for bargains.
15. Learn how to cut up a whole chicken.
16. Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables.
17. Buy staples in bulk.
18. Make your own pudding. You will get twice as much for your money.
19. Buy a refrigerated or prepared crust and make your favorite pizza.
20. Use meat for flavor, as in stir-fry, instead of making it the feature of the meal.
21. Maximize leftovers. Make cream sauce for a little left over spinach. Use leftover vegetables in soup.
22. Put leftovers in sturdy plastic zipper bags to prevent freezer burn and waste. Label and date the bags.
23. Turn old bread into new, delicious croutons. Cut the bread into cubes, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, oregano and basil. Bake in a 350 degree oven until crispy.
24. Make your own baking mix and store in a tightly covered jar. (Recipes are posted on the Internet.)
25. Involve kids and grandkids. The involved kids of today will turn into smart shoppers tomorrow.
Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson
http://www.harriethodgson.com
http://www.healthwriter.blogspot.com
Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Assocition for Death Education and Counseling. Before she became a health writer she was a food writer for the former "Rochester Magazine" in her hometown of Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. You will find another review on the American Hospice Foundation website under the "School Corner' heading.
North Korean Cyber-Terrorists Launch Attacks on South Korea and the Mourning US
This week North Korean cyber terrorists are believed to have attacked websites in both the United States and South Korea. While Americans and the world were saying good bye to popular late night friend, Ed McMahon, remembering Farrah Faucet, celebrating the music of Michael Jackson and pondering over future custody arrangements for Michael Jackson's three children, the trouble that has been brewing in North Korea like a poisonous cauldron finally boiled over and starting spilling out the world.
During President Bush's administration, threats of North Korean nuclear testing were bubbling and while the focus may have shifted under Obama's administration, the heat has never really been turned down. The North Korean threats migrated from big what ifs to very specific and human targets this spring. Two American journalists were held and convicted for "illegal border crossing and unspecified grave crime," with a penalty of 12 years of reform through labor.
North Korean Cyber Attacks: What Really Happened?
According to Johannes Ulrich, SANS Internet Storm Center's chief technology officer, the attacks began over the holiday weekends as Americans celebrated July fourth.
Targets in the United States included: - The White House - Department of Transportation, (DOT) - Department of Homeland Security - Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA) - National Security Agency, (NSA) - The State Department - U.S. Postal Service - U.S. Treasury Department - Federal Trade Commission - A Pentagon website - A website for U.S. Forces in South Korea
The results of the cyber terrorists attacks, confirmed by officials, were that the Treasury Department, Secret Service, Federal Trade Commission and Transportation Department sites "were all down at various points over the weekend and into this week and some of the sites were still experiencing problems on Tuesday evening after the attack.'
The cyber terrorist attacks also affected South Korean government agencies and banks, leaving them with inaccessible or unusable websites.
"This is not a simple attack by individuals. The attack appeared to have been elaborately prepared and staged by a certain organization or state," Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a statement. The NIS also stated that, "US authorities were cooperating to track down those responsible for hijacking 12,000 personal computers in South Korea and 8,000 abroad which were exploited as vehicles for the attacks."
Cyber Attacks in Lay Terms:
The recent cyber attacks were called a "denial of service" or DOS attack. It is similar to the messages on web sites consumers may encounter when a web site is overloading, such as when visiting a coupon site or special event at a shopping web site.
What is suspected is that malware (malicious computer programmers), from North Korean cyber terrorists infected thousands of computers using Microsoft Windows with a computer virus. As a result, the cyber hacking programmer would be able to create a network on computers, or "botnets," that could be programmed to do whatever the programmer wanted. The technique used would be similar to that reported in Golden Cash Network Uses Bots and Zombies to Steal Information.
The collective computers are then directed to access web servers, in the same way you and I do when we access a website. The subtle difference is that with the use of spoofing, an IP -Internet Protocol address, just appears to be busy. The website keeps trying to send information requested repeatedly, which ties it up over and over again. In other words, it simulates an over-load. Then while the host servers and sites are busy trying to answer the fraudulent requests for information, new spoofed IP addresses are created over and over and the servers are no longer able to respond.
Websites such as the White House, Pentagon and New York Stock Exchange seemed to have managed the attack with out side effects since they are used to enduring high demand volume while they are also benefited by higher band capabilities as well. Unfortunately, other servers, such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Transportation went off-line.
In the simplest of lay terms, it is similar in nature to the phenomenon that occurred when Oprah offered the public a free KFC skinless chicken dinner. Hundreds of thousands of people went on-line to get the free printable coupon from her web site, Oprah.com and KFC's web site as well. The servers were overloaded for days, causing the offer to be withdrawn and changed and thousands of anxious consumers received the message that the website was unavailable. This is just one small-scale example that much of the public can relate to as a of denial of service attack.
Now imagine that thousands of such fraudulent messages are being sent to government computers that run staple services and securities for the citizens of the United States. While we may be disappointed in not getting out free chicken dinner coupon, the terrorist cyber attacks that our country experienced last week threatened the free world with so much more than missing out on a free lunch sandwich.
During President Bush's administration, threats of North Korean nuclear testing were bubbling and while the focus may have shifted under Obama's administration, the heat has never really been turned down. The North Korean threats migrated from big what ifs to very specific and human targets this spring. Two American journalists were held and convicted for "illegal border crossing and unspecified grave crime," with a penalty of 12 years of reform through labor.
North Korean Cyber Attacks: What Really Happened?
According to Johannes Ulrich, SANS Internet Storm Center's chief technology officer, the attacks began over the holiday weekends as Americans celebrated July fourth.
Targets in the United States included: - The White House - Department of Transportation, (DOT) - Department of Homeland Security - Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA) - National Security Agency, (NSA) - The State Department - U.S. Postal Service - U.S. Treasury Department - Federal Trade Commission - A Pentagon website - A website for U.S. Forces in South Korea
The results of the cyber terrorists attacks, confirmed by officials, were that the Treasury Department, Secret Service, Federal Trade Commission and Transportation Department sites "were all down at various points over the weekend and into this week and some of the sites were still experiencing problems on Tuesday evening after the attack.'
The cyber terrorist attacks also affected South Korean government agencies and banks, leaving them with inaccessible or unusable websites.
"This is not a simple attack by individuals. The attack appeared to have been elaborately prepared and staged by a certain organization or state," Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a statement. The NIS also stated that, "US authorities were cooperating to track down those responsible for hijacking 12,000 personal computers in South Korea and 8,000 abroad which were exploited as vehicles for the attacks."
Cyber Attacks in Lay Terms:
The recent cyber attacks were called a "denial of service" or DOS attack. It is similar to the messages on web sites consumers may encounter when a web site is overloading, such as when visiting a coupon site or special event at a shopping web site.
What is suspected is that malware (malicious computer programmers), from North Korean cyber terrorists infected thousands of computers using Microsoft Windows with a computer virus. As a result, the cyber hacking programmer would be able to create a network on computers, or "botnets," that could be programmed to do whatever the programmer wanted. The technique used would be similar to that reported in Golden Cash Network Uses Bots and Zombies to Steal Information.
The collective computers are then directed to access web servers, in the same way you and I do when we access a website. The subtle difference is that with the use of spoofing, an IP -Internet Protocol address, just appears to be busy. The website keeps trying to send information requested repeatedly, which ties it up over and over again. In other words, it simulates an over-load. Then while the host servers and sites are busy trying to answer the fraudulent requests for information, new spoofed IP addresses are created over and over and the servers are no longer able to respond.
Websites such as the White House, Pentagon and New York Stock Exchange seemed to have managed the attack with out side effects since they are used to enduring high demand volume while they are also benefited by higher band capabilities as well. Unfortunately, other servers, such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Transportation went off-line.
In the simplest of lay terms, it is similar in nature to the phenomenon that occurred when Oprah offered the public a free KFC skinless chicken dinner. Hundreds of thousands of people went on-line to get the free printable coupon from her web site, Oprah.com and KFC's web site as well. The servers were overloaded for days, causing the offer to be withdrawn and changed and thousands of anxious consumers received the message that the website was unavailable. This is just one small-scale example that much of the public can relate to as a of denial of service attack.
Now imagine that thousands of such fraudulent messages are being sent to government computers that run staple services and securities for the citizens of the United States. While we may be disappointed in not getting out free chicken dinner coupon, the terrorist cyber attacks that our country experienced last week threatened the free world with so much more than missing out on a free lunch sandwich.
Jonathan Kraft is a recognized expert in helping people to understand Identity Theft prevention and protection. Learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.
How to Write the Ultimate Brochure
Before you start writing your brochure, you must first ask yourself these questions:
1. Who is my target audience?
2. How can my product/service help them solve their problems?
3. What are the main benefits of my product/service?
4. What do I want my brochures to achieve? What's my "most wanted response"?
• First page/panel - the most important part, because readers see this before any other page/panel. Arouse curiosity here with a powerful headline - and they'll rush to the next page.
• Last page/panel - the second-most important part. Often readers will flip your brochure over to see what's on the back. Here's your second - and maybe only - chance to get their attention. You can do this with a tear-off coupon that offers readers some benefit if they fill out their details and present or post the coupon to you or your agent.
• Most important benefits first - list the benefits of your product/service in order of importance, so readers read the most important ones first.
• "What's in it for me?" - you must keep it interesting. If the contents don't hold a reader, he/she will move on to something else and you've missed the boat.
• Stand out from the crowd - you must include your "unique selling proposition" (USP): why/how you can help your customers solve their problems better than your competitors can.
• Check your tone - your tone must match your target audience. (Selling to teenagers, or company directors?) If not, your customers won't identify with your product/service - use spoons, not forks, to scoop sugar!
• Use proof - include testimonials from happy customers. But only testimonials that mention specific benefits users got from your product/service. "It was great!" is too vague. Readers will ask, "Why was it great?"
• Use more proof - "case studies": a case study is a story outlining how your product/service solved a customer's problem. Also, a photo of your product, and preferably showing your product in use, is powerful extra proof. (Be sure to include a caption below the photo.)
• Close with a strong call to action - tell the reader what action you want him/her to take. "Phone this number …" or "Fill in your details …" or "To get your discount / FREE gift, simply …"
**Six Benefits of a Brochure**
1. Gives you credibility - the person reading the brochure sees you're serious: you have a product/service and you've spent money producing a brochure.
2. Sets you apart from your competition - if you have a brochure, but they don't, or your brochure is more persuasive or useful than theirs, you get the upper hand.
3. Useful - give the reader some reason to keep your brochure, some lasting benefit: perhaps a list of useful addresses and phone numbers.
4. Saves time - potential customers get information about your product/service quickly and easily: they don't have to make a phone call or log on to a website.
5. Gives a foretaste of your product/service - you may have a photo (with a caption) or just a description. This should arouse curiosity, which makes the customer want to find out more.
6. Ideal for lead creation - the brochure must contain contact details: phone number, website address. It may also have a tear-off section on the back fold, where the reader can fill out personal details and send in the coupon for a special offer or more information.
**Format of Your Brochure**
The format depends on the length of your brochure. And there are two basic lengths: (1) a simple double-folded one, which, when unfolded, has three panels on the front and three on the back, and (2) one with four or more pages (often stapled together).
The type of brochure you have depends on how much information you want to include in it, what purpose you want the brochure to serve.
**To Guarantee Results, What Should You Have in Your Brochure?**
As with all effective advertising, you must start with your reader. The focus must be your customer and his/her wants, not your product/service.
Once you know what problems your potential customers have (which your product/service solves), you can write a powerful sales brochure.
And remember, always stress benefits, not features - "features" are what your product/service is; "benefits" are what your product/service does for your customer, how they improve your customer's life.
For example, you're not selling perfume - you're selling sophistication!
ฉ 2006 Eldo Barkhuizen BA, HDE
Eldo Barkhuizen, www.1stcallcopywriting.com, is a direct response and web copywriter based in the UK. Using tested, powerful strategies he will help you transform your website into a 24/7 money magnet.
1. Who is my target audience?
2. How can my product/service help them solve their problems?
3. What are the main benefits of my product/service?
4. What do I want my brochures to achieve? What's my "most wanted response"?
• First page/panel - the most important part, because readers see this before any other page/panel. Arouse curiosity here with a powerful headline - and they'll rush to the next page.
• Last page/panel - the second-most important part. Often readers will flip your brochure over to see what's on the back. Here's your second - and maybe only - chance to get their attention. You can do this with a tear-off coupon that offers readers some benefit if they fill out their details and present or post the coupon to you or your agent.
• Most important benefits first - list the benefits of your product/service in order of importance, so readers read the most important ones first.
• "What's in it for me?" - you must keep it interesting. If the contents don't hold a reader, he/she will move on to something else and you've missed the boat.
• Stand out from the crowd - you must include your "unique selling proposition" (USP): why/how you can help your customers solve their problems better than your competitors can.
• Check your tone - your tone must match your target audience. (Selling to teenagers, or company directors?) If not, your customers won't identify with your product/service - use spoons, not forks, to scoop sugar!
• Use proof - include testimonials from happy customers. But only testimonials that mention specific benefits users got from your product/service. "It was great!" is too vague. Readers will ask, "Why was it great?"
• Use more proof - "case studies": a case study is a story outlining how your product/service solved a customer's problem. Also, a photo of your product, and preferably showing your product in use, is powerful extra proof. (Be sure to include a caption below the photo.)
• Close with a strong call to action - tell the reader what action you want him/her to take. "Phone this number …" or "Fill in your details …" or "To get your discount / FREE gift, simply …"
**Six Benefits of a Brochure**
1. Gives you credibility - the person reading the brochure sees you're serious: you have a product/service and you've spent money producing a brochure.
2. Sets you apart from your competition - if you have a brochure, but they don't, or your brochure is more persuasive or useful than theirs, you get the upper hand.
3. Useful - give the reader some reason to keep your brochure, some lasting benefit: perhaps a list of useful addresses and phone numbers.
4. Saves time - potential customers get information about your product/service quickly and easily: they don't have to make a phone call or log on to a website.
5. Gives a foretaste of your product/service - you may have a photo (with a caption) or just a description. This should arouse curiosity, which makes the customer want to find out more.
6. Ideal for lead creation - the brochure must contain contact details: phone number, website address. It may also have a tear-off section on the back fold, where the reader can fill out personal details and send in the coupon for a special offer or more information.
**Format of Your Brochure**
The format depends on the length of your brochure. And there are two basic lengths: (1) a simple double-folded one, which, when unfolded, has three panels on the front and three on the back, and (2) one with four or more pages (often stapled together).
The type of brochure you have depends on how much information you want to include in it, what purpose you want the brochure to serve.
**To Guarantee Results, What Should You Have in Your Brochure?**
As with all effective advertising, you must start with your reader. The focus must be your customer and his/her wants, not your product/service.
Once you know what problems your potential customers have (which your product/service solves), you can write a powerful sales brochure.
And remember, always stress benefits, not features - "features" are what your product/service is; "benefits" are what your product/service does for your customer, how they improve your customer's life.
For example, you're not selling perfume - you're selling sophistication!
ฉ 2006 Eldo Barkhuizen BA, HDE
Eldo Barkhuizen, www.1stcallcopywriting.com, is a direct response and web copywriter based in the UK. Using tested, powerful strategies he will help you transform your website into a 24/7 money magnet.
You Can Save Money on Your Grocery Bill
Whenever I tell people I can buy a months worth of groceries for $300 (or $200 in a pinch) they ask HOW do you do THAT?? Well, it's really not as hard as it sounds. The key is organization and planning. Here are a few tips for newbies to the world of frugal grocery shopping.
Stock up! Your first grocery trip on your road to saving is actually to spend a little more than you are used to. Items that are staples in your pantry should be purchased in large quantity if possible. These include items such as flour, sugar, pasta, dry beans, rice, oatmeal, canned goods, etc.
Plan your menus. Before you head off to the grocery store, make a list of the meals you plan to prepare. If you shop every two weeks make a list of two weeks worth of meals. Take a look at what you have on hand and what is on sale in the weekly circulars from the grocery stores before you plan your meals.
Use Coupons. If there is a particular item you always purchase look for coupons. If an item is on sale and you have a coupon then buy that item. Don't use a coupon just because something is new or trendy, only use coupons if they will save you money.
Buy Store Brands. It's true that all the ads on TV and in magazines make the name brand items look much more glamorous, but often times the store brands are just as good if not better. Actually, many store brands are manufactured by the same name brand companies we all know and recognize.
Shop on sale days. Our local grocer offers specials every Thursday. They range from a one day meat sale to a Pillsbury brand sale. No matter what the theme is for the week, the prices are always great!
Don't buy convenience foods. It's so easy to load up a grocery cart with frozen meals, instant boxed dinners, individual serving sized juices, pre-packaged lunches and junk food. However, not only do these items offer little nutritional value for your family, they are a huge waste of money. Which is why I almost always...
Cook from scratch! The more you can prepare meals from scratch, the more money you will save. Home cooked meals are also higher in nutrition and you know exactly what you are eating, unlike many pre-made meals. From scratch doesn't have to mean a lot of time and clean up. A simple meal like baked or grilled chicken, steamed vegetables and rice can be prepared in under 30 minutes with minimal clean up.
Freeze Things. I always try to prepare a double batch any time I cook anything. It saves me time and effort for future meals and on days that things get really hectic I don't have to worry about what is for dinner. I also freeze bread ends to make my own bread crumbs (which I store in the freezer), leftovers to use for future lunches, bananas for breads and muffins and anything else that might otherwise get thrown out and wasted.
Keep a Price Book. When you shop take a few moments to jot down what you buy and how much it costs. Make a master list of items and the prices (include prices from each store that you shop). When you take the time to do this you will know if it's worth it to go to a different store to stock up on a sale item. It is also a great way to calculate how much you will spend before you get to the grocery store. I actually use a software called Home Cookin to keep my Price Book.
Only take what you plan to spend. If you use a debit card, take your draw from the ATM in the amount you plan to spend for groceries. Then leave your card AT HOME. That way you won't be tempted to spend more than you have budgeted.
Eat Your Leftovers. Have beans leftover, make refried beans. Stale bread can be made into bread pudding. Chicken from last night's dinner becomes chicken salad. Leftover pasta sauce can top a pizza. Don't prepare a new meal until all the leftovers are gone.
Forget the junk food. My theory is if you don't buy it then you can't eat it. We RARELY buy sodas, chips, cookies, ice cream, pastries or any other junk food. I give my kids healthy snacks and we drink a lot of water. I do make them Kool Aid, lemonade and tea but they don't miss the junk food because they are not used to having it.
By following these simple guidelines I have been able to keep our budget down and our nutrition level optimum. It's really not that difficult once you give it a try!
Michele Young is a work-at-home wife and homeschooling mom of three. Read about her Grocery Saving Tips and Recipes at http://chefmichele.blogspot.com
Stock up! Your first grocery trip on your road to saving is actually to spend a little more than you are used to. Items that are staples in your pantry should be purchased in large quantity if possible. These include items such as flour, sugar, pasta, dry beans, rice, oatmeal, canned goods, etc.
Plan your menus. Before you head off to the grocery store, make a list of the meals you plan to prepare. If you shop every two weeks make a list of two weeks worth of meals. Take a look at what you have on hand and what is on sale in the weekly circulars from the grocery stores before you plan your meals.
Use Coupons. If there is a particular item you always purchase look for coupons. If an item is on sale and you have a coupon then buy that item. Don't use a coupon just because something is new or trendy, only use coupons if they will save you money.
Buy Store Brands. It's true that all the ads on TV and in magazines make the name brand items look much more glamorous, but often times the store brands are just as good if not better. Actually, many store brands are manufactured by the same name brand companies we all know and recognize.
Shop on sale days. Our local grocer offers specials every Thursday. They range from a one day meat sale to a Pillsbury brand sale. No matter what the theme is for the week, the prices are always great!
Don't buy convenience foods. It's so easy to load up a grocery cart with frozen meals, instant boxed dinners, individual serving sized juices, pre-packaged lunches and junk food. However, not only do these items offer little nutritional value for your family, they are a huge waste of money. Which is why I almost always...
Cook from scratch! The more you can prepare meals from scratch, the more money you will save. Home cooked meals are also higher in nutrition and you know exactly what you are eating, unlike many pre-made meals. From scratch doesn't have to mean a lot of time and clean up. A simple meal like baked or grilled chicken, steamed vegetables and rice can be prepared in under 30 minutes with minimal clean up.
Freeze Things. I always try to prepare a double batch any time I cook anything. It saves me time and effort for future meals and on days that things get really hectic I don't have to worry about what is for dinner. I also freeze bread ends to make my own bread crumbs (which I store in the freezer), leftovers to use for future lunches, bananas for breads and muffins and anything else that might otherwise get thrown out and wasted.
Keep a Price Book. When you shop take a few moments to jot down what you buy and how much it costs. Make a master list of items and the prices (include prices from each store that you shop). When you take the time to do this you will know if it's worth it to go to a different store to stock up on a sale item. It is also a great way to calculate how much you will spend before you get to the grocery store. I actually use a software called Home Cookin to keep my Price Book.
Only take what you plan to spend. If you use a debit card, take your draw from the ATM in the amount you plan to spend for groceries. Then leave your card AT HOME. That way you won't be tempted to spend more than you have budgeted.
Eat Your Leftovers. Have beans leftover, make refried beans. Stale bread can be made into bread pudding. Chicken from last night's dinner becomes chicken salad. Leftover pasta sauce can top a pizza. Don't prepare a new meal until all the leftovers are gone.
Forget the junk food. My theory is if you don't buy it then you can't eat it. We RARELY buy sodas, chips, cookies, ice cream, pastries or any other junk food. I give my kids healthy snacks and we drink a lot of water. I do make them Kool Aid, lemonade and tea but they don't miss the junk food because they are not used to having it.
By following these simple guidelines I have been able to keep our budget down and our nutrition level optimum. It's really not that difficult once you give it a try!
Michele Young is a work-at-home wife and homeschooling mom of three. Read about her Grocery Saving Tips and Recipes at http://chefmichele.blogspot.com
How to Survive on Mac & Cheese When Starting As a VA
I had the great fortune to be able to attend one of the online networking events sponsored through the CVAC today and despite the technical glitches and spattered speech patterns, it was simply wonderful to 'see' (and sporadically hear!) my other fellow VA's.
I see their names on posts asking multitudes of complicated questions and they all sound so stunningly professional and capable that quite frankly, at times I'm awestruck! While I definitely enjoy belonging to this wonderful group of talented gals (and guys) some days I swear y'all are speaking another language or in some sort of highly secretive code that only rocket scientists or persons from another galaxy far, far away can decipher.
I'm a wordsmith... period. I do not know how to do anything more technical than to reset the bloody clock on my computer and microwave after a power outage. "Bits and Bytes" are some sort of couch potato snack that's consumed while salivating over the hunks who parade their stuff on "Desperate Housewives". I do know how to download files - I do it all the time actually and hit 'run' instead of save. This has caused all sorts of fun as invariably at some point I'll have to uninstall the program I downloaded from whatsupdoc.com because it's causing my email address to be sent to a colony of pigmy's in Bora Bora who are now filling up my inbox with offers to sell me shares in the their lucrative vanilla bean processing companies. (Does the phase "Hey mon, dis deal is good! sound familiar to any of you?)
Anyhow, I digress as per usual. The real point (and there is one coming - be patient people!) is this - "How to Survive on Mac & Cheese While Starting Your VA Business". Many more qualified VA's can supply you with all the wonderful and necessary tools to successfully complete the start-up phase of your business. I'm here to provide the 'meat and potatoes' of how to survive your first year... and stay reasonably sane. So, here's my 2.5 cents worth of advice, including HST, PST, GST, and any other freaking tax that can possibly be levied by our government, on how to maintain your double digit figure (Size 12 is nice!) when starting your VA biz.
1. Clip coupons. Any coupons! Even if you've never dined on baked Spam with a honey-mustard glaze, save that .75 cent coupon. Rip, tear, snip and scissor cut ALL coupons and attach them to your fridge with a motivational magnet that says something like "Don't eat a T-bone - save a cow!" It will make dining on that Spam so much more pleasant. Also, save any/all coupons for more than 1.00 off anything! You never know who you might be able to barter those coupons with to get one you might actually be able to use. Personally, I've found the Gillette men's shaving cream to be absolutely wonderful, in particular the gel formula. Be a tad wary though as you may have to fight to use it, especially if you have someone from the male species living in your house. This applies to their razors as well. Word of caution: Make sure that your bathroom door locks from the inside before using these 2 products. Much safer this way.
2. Walk. As in walk to the grocery store with your bag of coupons safely stowed in your tote-sized purse. Walking will not only provide you with much needed exercise but it will save on that precious liquid gold called gasoline. When you're in the start-up phase of your business, you're going to want to conserve as much gas as possible (with the exception of that caused by eating the baked Spam), to be able to go see potential clients. Just think of how much money you'll save by walking to the store and dragging home 6 grocery bags filled with tomato soup, Spam and good ol' mac and cheese dinners! Better yet, walking will help you walk off those mega calories consumed from the aforementioned carbs. After all, you're now a VA and most likely are sitting in your computer chair (oh - get the 'slightly used' ones at your local Salvation Army and use duct tape to fix that broken armrest - you're not going to need two anyhow plus wheels aren't really that big a deal), so you'll likely be starting to see signs of that dreaded condition of "BS" i.e. Butt Spreading.
3. Get a VA or other Start-up Business Buddy. Go through the list of qualified VA's on CVAC, (or any other business forum you might belong to), and find one who's willing to listen to you whine, complain, cry and lament about anything and everything via email and MSN messenger. Try and find one that possibly has a sense of humor because they're going to need it when dealing with you. This is a very necessary step as having someone else to commiserate with over the lack of clients beating down your door to avail themselves of your stupendous services, helps keep you reasonably sane. Check to see if they also offer motivational tapes, cd's etc. or were formerly on their high school cheer leading squad. You're going to want one that will keep your spirits high (instead of you having to rely on spirits to get high), and generally offer words of wisdom... or not. Be very choosy here. If they keep answering your email messages telling you that they've now filed a complaint of IM Stalking, I highly suggest you stop talking to them immediately. Perhaps a change of email accounts would be a good move here also.
4. Laugh More - Worry Less©. This is the biggie folks! If throughout your first year of building your business, you can sit back and have just one gut-clenching, tear-wrenching belly laugh a day, you'll make it! If you lose a potential client - tough - it's their loss, not yours. If you gain a client - way to go! As the old saying goes, "Don't sweat the small stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff" or something like that. Believe in yourself and what you do. You are the best thing since sliced bread (even if you're one sandwich short of a picnic as in my case), and with sheer determination, willpower and blackmail, you WILL get that first client - guaranteed! Make sure to ask for testimonials and post them on your website, blog, carve them on a log, and staple brag sheets on the "Articles for Sale" announcement board at your local supermarket. Hey, they know who you are, right? You've only been walking there three times a week for 5 months now, lugging that folding shopping cart behind you and fumbling through your coupon clutch at the cashier's wicket, causing everyone behind you to start muttering under their breath about the 'idiot' at the front of the line. They'll most likely be glad to give you a glowing recommendation...if you'll just go shop somewhere else.
I do hope that these 4 tips help assist you if you're suffering from the first year VA business blues. If not, oh well, I tried. Please do not email me to be your VA buddy as I've had to change my ISP, my email account names and MSN Messenger names five times already. Huh. Some people just have NO sense of humor!
I see their names on posts asking multitudes of complicated questions and they all sound so stunningly professional and capable that quite frankly, at times I'm awestruck! While I definitely enjoy belonging to this wonderful group of talented gals (and guys) some days I swear y'all are speaking another language or in some sort of highly secretive code that only rocket scientists or persons from another galaxy far, far away can decipher.
I'm a wordsmith... period. I do not know how to do anything more technical than to reset the bloody clock on my computer and microwave after a power outage. "Bits and Bytes" are some sort of couch potato snack that's consumed while salivating over the hunks who parade their stuff on "Desperate Housewives". I do know how to download files - I do it all the time actually and hit 'run' instead of save. This has caused all sorts of fun as invariably at some point I'll have to uninstall the program I downloaded from whatsupdoc.com because it's causing my email address to be sent to a colony of pigmy's in Bora Bora who are now filling up my inbox with offers to sell me shares in the their lucrative vanilla bean processing companies. (Does the phase "Hey mon, dis deal is good! sound familiar to any of you?)
Anyhow, I digress as per usual. The real point (and there is one coming - be patient people!) is this - "How to Survive on Mac & Cheese While Starting Your VA Business". Many more qualified VA's can supply you with all the wonderful and necessary tools to successfully complete the start-up phase of your business. I'm here to provide the 'meat and potatoes' of how to survive your first year... and stay reasonably sane. So, here's my 2.5 cents worth of advice, including HST, PST, GST, and any other freaking tax that can possibly be levied by our government, on how to maintain your double digit figure (Size 12 is nice!) when starting your VA biz.
1. Clip coupons. Any coupons! Even if you've never dined on baked Spam with a honey-mustard glaze, save that .75 cent coupon. Rip, tear, snip and scissor cut ALL coupons and attach them to your fridge with a motivational magnet that says something like "Don't eat a T-bone - save a cow!" It will make dining on that Spam so much more pleasant. Also, save any/all coupons for more than 1.00 off anything! You never know who you might be able to barter those coupons with to get one you might actually be able to use. Personally, I've found the Gillette men's shaving cream to be absolutely wonderful, in particular the gel formula. Be a tad wary though as you may have to fight to use it, especially if you have someone from the male species living in your house. This applies to their razors as well. Word of caution: Make sure that your bathroom door locks from the inside before using these 2 products. Much safer this way.
2. Walk. As in walk to the grocery store with your bag of coupons safely stowed in your tote-sized purse. Walking will not only provide you with much needed exercise but it will save on that precious liquid gold called gasoline. When you're in the start-up phase of your business, you're going to want to conserve as much gas as possible (with the exception of that caused by eating the baked Spam), to be able to go see potential clients. Just think of how much money you'll save by walking to the store and dragging home 6 grocery bags filled with tomato soup, Spam and good ol' mac and cheese dinners! Better yet, walking will help you walk off those mega calories consumed from the aforementioned carbs. After all, you're now a VA and most likely are sitting in your computer chair (oh - get the 'slightly used' ones at your local Salvation Army and use duct tape to fix that broken armrest - you're not going to need two anyhow plus wheels aren't really that big a deal), so you'll likely be starting to see signs of that dreaded condition of "BS" i.e. Butt Spreading.
3. Get a VA or other Start-up Business Buddy. Go through the list of qualified VA's on CVAC, (or any other business forum you might belong to), and find one who's willing to listen to you whine, complain, cry and lament about anything and everything via email and MSN messenger. Try and find one that possibly has a sense of humor because they're going to need it when dealing with you. This is a very necessary step as having someone else to commiserate with over the lack of clients beating down your door to avail themselves of your stupendous services, helps keep you reasonably sane. Check to see if they also offer motivational tapes, cd's etc. or were formerly on their high school cheer leading squad. You're going to want one that will keep your spirits high (instead of you having to rely on spirits to get high), and generally offer words of wisdom... or not. Be very choosy here. If they keep answering your email messages telling you that they've now filed a complaint of IM Stalking, I highly suggest you stop talking to them immediately. Perhaps a change of email accounts would be a good move here also.
4. Laugh More - Worry Less©. This is the biggie folks! If throughout your first year of building your business, you can sit back and have just one gut-clenching, tear-wrenching belly laugh a day, you'll make it! If you lose a potential client - tough - it's their loss, not yours. If you gain a client - way to go! As the old saying goes, "Don't sweat the small stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff" or something like that. Believe in yourself and what you do. You are the best thing since sliced bread (even if you're one sandwich short of a picnic as in my case), and with sheer determination, willpower and blackmail, you WILL get that first client - guaranteed! Make sure to ask for testimonials and post them on your website, blog, carve them on a log, and staple brag sheets on the "Articles for Sale" announcement board at your local supermarket. Hey, they know who you are, right? You've only been walking there three times a week for 5 months now, lugging that folding shopping cart behind you and fumbling through your coupon clutch at the cashier's wicket, causing everyone behind you to start muttering under their breath about the 'idiot' at the front of the line. They'll most likely be glad to give you a glowing recommendation...if you'll just go shop somewhere else.
I do hope that these 4 tips help assist you if you're suffering from the first year VA business blues. If not, oh well, I tried. Please do not email me to be your VA buddy as I've had to change my ISP, my email account names and MSN Messenger names five times already. Huh. Some people just have NO sense of humor!
Marlene Oulton, resident wordsmith/editor of Write Choice Virtual Assistants and BulletProofers.com, derives great satisfaction from assisting authors, writers, coaches and entrepreneurs produce clean, crisp, and concisely written articles, newsletters, website copy, and other literary works. Known as "The Words Lady" by her clients and friends, her articles can be found on various online article sites. Contributing author to the soon to be released book, Overcomers Inc. Access the FREE ebook, Overcoming Adversity with Grace by visiting http://www.overcomersinc.com/grace Visit http://www.BulletProofers.com to find out more on how she can make your words sing and dance... without adding music!
Thirty Creative Ways to Use Business Cards
On the Back
1. Print a team's sports schedule on the back. Fans will keep them handy and keep your name in front of them
2. Print a special discount offer or coupon on the back. People will keep it because they intend to use the coupon.
3. If you do seminars, print key principals on the back. Your attendees will refer to them later and think of you.
4. Hand write on the back your "unlisted" 800 number. This adds value to your card, making people keep it longer because they don't want to lose the special number.
Ad Specialties
5. Make the business card the ad specialty: Print your company information on letter openers, CD openers, magnets, pens, highlighters, keychains, mousepads, mugs, luggage tags, and other items that people will keep because they are useful.
6. Attach a business card to an ad specialty: For example, give business card holders as a thank you gift and place your business card in as the first one. Or, have your card designed as a Rolodex card
7. If you routinely give out seasonal gifts or specialties, attach your business card. Examples: candy canes at Christmas, heart shaped containers filled with candy for Valentine's Day, or even a sandwich bag of candy with a card stapled to it.
Unique Places to Put Them
8. Tuck them into the product before delivery: If you are a florist, cut a hole in it and tie a ribbon around the flowers and through the business card. If you sell gift baskets, Tuck one inside the basket before delivering it to your customer. The same goes for Mary Kay or Avon Cosmetics - place your card in the bag. You've seen how some restaurants staple a menu to their bags for takeout; if you use bags, staple your card to the outside of the bag.
9. Send a business card in every piece of correspondence - letters, invoices, even your electric bill. Sooner or later, those cards will be used.
10. If you are crafty, incorporate them into your designs: embellish them with rubber stamps, or blend them with other art projects. You can also mount them to greeting cards you create and send to customers and prospects.
11.When mailing out information: Take a number 10 envelope, facing you and upside down. Fold the envelope in thirds. When you turn it around, there is a little pocket to tuck your card in. Include it in the mailing. Using a colored envelope makes the presentation even more dramatic.
12. Scan your card in and use it as a graphic for when you exchange links with other websites. The other site can use your graphic as the link.
13. Place them in library books as if you used them as bookmarks. Visit bookstores place them in books related to your business.
Keeping Them Handy:
14. Use them as bookmarks so you'll always have some readily available if you meet someone at school, in the library, on the bus, or at the park where you like to read.
15. Have your spouse, family, and friends carry some of your cards with them in case they meet someone who might be interested in your product or service.
16. Wear them! Use them as nametags at meetings and conferences instead of the "Hello, my name is ..." type of tags.
17. Keep a stack of cards everywhere you might need them - in your car, your jacket pocket, your briefcase, your purse or wallet, in your planner, at home, anywhere you can think of. Then you'll always have some on hand when you meet a prospect.
When to Use Them:
18. Give them out during your personal meetings when you meet someone new: at your church, your children's soccer games, at lunch with your friends when someone brings a guest. To be more polite, you could have a personal "calling card" printed up with your information to use in these situations.
19. If you do seminars, have your participants exchange cards with each other. Have them write a compliment about the person on the back before they hand them out. Everyone will have a wealth of contacts; they will remember each other and it will also give participants a boost of confidence.
20. Ask neighborhood businesses if you may display your cards near their registers.
21. Tack them to bulletin boards at supermarkets, restaurants, retail stores and the library - anyplace that has a bulletin board.
22. Give out two cards at a time - one for your prospect or client, and one for her/him to give away.
23. Place some on the table when you leave a restaurant.
24. Agree to mail the cards of other businesspeople in the mailings you do, if they will do the same for you. Your networking circle will grow as your cards are passed around.
How Not to Use Business Cards:
25. Don't give them to a member of the opposite sex in the hopes that s/he will call you. I have a friend who was told this wouldn't work. He did an experiment for six months to prove it, and his friend was right! Sadly, not one woman called him. Although he does have a girlfriend now!
26. Some people don't give out business cards when they meet a prospective client. Instead, they send a follow- up note later with their card enclosed.
Other Types of Business Cards to Have
27. Business card CD-ROM. If you haven't seen these yet, they are a mini-sized CD that plays in any CD player and has your contact information on it, as well as an introduction to your business.
28. Email Signature. Put your contact information into a signature file for email, along with a link to your website (be sure to include the "http" in order to make it "clickable.")
29. Vcard. These are electronic business cards that recipients can click on and automatically add to their address books. Do a web search for "vcard" to find software that supports this technology. Then use it in all your emails!
30. One consulting company, which works with designers of products for people with disabilities, prints their cards in Braille. It reminds their clients how they can help them comply with disability laws. It also gets people asking for information.
Linda Elizabeth Alexander is a business writer and marketing consultant based in Longmont, Colorado, USA. Improve your writing skills at work! Subscribe to her FREE ezine. Write to the Point at lalexander@write2thepointcom.com or visit http://www.write2thepointcom.com/articles.html.
1. Print a team's sports schedule on the back. Fans will keep them handy and keep your name in front of them
2. Print a special discount offer or coupon on the back. People will keep it because they intend to use the coupon.
3. If you do seminars, print key principals on the back. Your attendees will refer to them later and think of you.
4. Hand write on the back your "unlisted" 800 number. This adds value to your card, making people keep it longer because they don't want to lose the special number.
Ad Specialties
5. Make the business card the ad specialty: Print your company information on letter openers, CD openers, magnets, pens, highlighters, keychains, mousepads, mugs, luggage tags, and other items that people will keep because they are useful.
6. Attach a business card to an ad specialty: For example, give business card holders as a thank you gift and place your business card in as the first one. Or, have your card designed as a Rolodex card
7. If you routinely give out seasonal gifts or specialties, attach your business card. Examples: candy canes at Christmas, heart shaped containers filled with candy for Valentine's Day, or even a sandwich bag of candy with a card stapled to it.
Unique Places to Put Them
8. Tuck them into the product before delivery: If you are a florist, cut a hole in it and tie a ribbon around the flowers and through the business card. If you sell gift baskets, Tuck one inside the basket before delivering it to your customer. The same goes for Mary Kay or Avon Cosmetics - place your card in the bag. You've seen how some restaurants staple a menu to their bags for takeout; if you use bags, staple your card to the outside of the bag.
9. Send a business card in every piece of correspondence - letters, invoices, even your electric bill. Sooner or later, those cards will be used.
10. If you are crafty, incorporate them into your designs: embellish them with rubber stamps, or blend them with other art projects. You can also mount them to greeting cards you create and send to customers and prospects.
11.When mailing out information: Take a number 10 envelope, facing you and upside down. Fold the envelope in thirds. When you turn it around, there is a little pocket to tuck your card in. Include it in the mailing. Using a colored envelope makes the presentation even more dramatic.
12. Scan your card in and use it as a graphic for when you exchange links with other websites. The other site can use your graphic as the link.
13. Place them in library books as if you used them as bookmarks. Visit bookstores place them in books related to your business.
Keeping Them Handy:
14. Use them as bookmarks so you'll always have some readily available if you meet someone at school, in the library, on the bus, or at the park where you like to read.
15. Have your spouse, family, and friends carry some of your cards with them in case they meet someone who might be interested in your product or service.
16. Wear them! Use them as nametags at meetings and conferences instead of the "Hello, my name is ..." type of tags.
17. Keep a stack of cards everywhere you might need them - in your car, your jacket pocket, your briefcase, your purse or wallet, in your planner, at home, anywhere you can think of. Then you'll always have some on hand when you meet a prospect.
When to Use Them:
18. Give them out during your personal meetings when you meet someone new: at your church, your children's soccer games, at lunch with your friends when someone brings a guest. To be more polite, you could have a personal "calling card" printed up with your information to use in these situations.
19. If you do seminars, have your participants exchange cards with each other. Have them write a compliment about the person on the back before they hand them out. Everyone will have a wealth of contacts; they will remember each other and it will also give participants a boost of confidence.
20. Ask neighborhood businesses if you may display your cards near their registers.
21. Tack them to bulletin boards at supermarkets, restaurants, retail stores and the library - anyplace that has a bulletin board.
22. Give out two cards at a time - one for your prospect or client, and one for her/him to give away.
23. Place some on the table when you leave a restaurant.
24. Agree to mail the cards of other businesspeople in the mailings you do, if they will do the same for you. Your networking circle will grow as your cards are passed around.
How Not to Use Business Cards:
25. Don't give them to a member of the opposite sex in the hopes that s/he will call you. I have a friend who was told this wouldn't work. He did an experiment for six months to prove it, and his friend was right! Sadly, not one woman called him. Although he does have a girlfriend now!
26. Some people don't give out business cards when they meet a prospective client. Instead, they send a follow- up note later with their card enclosed.
Other Types of Business Cards to Have
27. Business card CD-ROM. If you haven't seen these yet, they are a mini-sized CD that plays in any CD player and has your contact information on it, as well as an introduction to your business.
28. Email Signature. Put your contact information into a signature file for email, along with a link to your website (be sure to include the "http" in order to make it "clickable.")
29. Vcard. These are electronic business cards that recipients can click on and automatically add to their address books. Do a web search for "vcard" to find software that supports this technology. Then use it in all your emails!
30. One consulting company, which works with designers of products for people with disabilities, prints their cards in Braille. It reminds their clients how they can help them comply with disability laws. It also gets people asking for information.
Linda Elizabeth Alexander is a business writer and marketing consultant based in Longmont, Colorado, USA. Improve your writing skills at work! Subscribe to her FREE ezine. Write to the Point at lalexander@write2thepointcom.com or visit http://www.write2thepointcom.com/articles.html.
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