Creative Suite The Underlying Integration

Creative Suite The Underlying Integration

by: Blur Loterina

Are you an Acrobat user and needs a complete tool for your print or web design projects? Read on.

A few months ago, Acrobat launched its main creative design packages including Photoshop/ImageReady, GoLive, InDesign and Illustrator. After a long period of silence, it came up with a much better package.

Adobe’s Creative Suite now comes in two new packages, the Standard Edition and the Professional Edition. The Standard Edition is composed of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. This package contains most of the printoriented flagships. On the other hand, Adobe GoLive and Acrobat Professional comprise the Professional Edition, which focuses on web design.

Basically, these packages are combinations of the strengths each application offers. They are integrations of tools for handling colour management, screen display, type handling and more. They allow crossapplication, meaning any file done in one program can be opened to the other programs as long as the file was created on one of the programs that comprises the packages. When a file is transferred, all other options can be applied. For example, when you open an Illustrator file to Photoshop, that file will be opened as a Photoshop file.

Every creative application on the package uses PDF file format. Not just a PDF format, they use the latest PDF 1.5 format. PDF format allows you to import and export directly. You can embed vector PDFs from Illustrator and bitmap PDFs from Photoshop in a multipage InDesign PDF. This can also be exported for PDF web display or repurposed via GoLive.

Adobe Creative Suites has a new integrated file management system, which is essential in the software’s workflow and tight integration. Different components and versions of a project are hard to manage, especially when you are going to use a lot of programs, as in workgroups. But Adobe has a solution to this, the Version Cue. Version Cue, through the application of Save dialog, enables you to store all job elements and important version of your project. The Open dialog accesses visual thumbnails of the project file. You will also be warned if other users are using the same file. In other words, it provides file versioning and management.

The packages also contain XMP or eXtensible Metadata Platform standards. This allows you to search for files according to related information like keywords or authors.

Creative Suite applications are guaranteed excellent tools to provide you with your desired result. Think of these packages as the total of all these applications.

About The Author

Blur Loterina

You may wonder why I write articles. Besides from the fact that it’s my job, I used to write short stories when I was younger. I think it would be helpful if I said I’m a big fan of Zach de la Rocha and Rage Against the Machine. This would explain my own views about a lot of things. Their songs were about national issues, politics and human rights. They support the American Indian Movement and Che Guevara, the face you see on tshirts. Not that it concerns me. I only like their music and idealism.

I’m not an artist, I’m not a poet. I just love writing anything I want. I wasn’t born a genius, I just want to know and understand something I don’t. I like to find the difference between similar things. It’s like counting birthmarks on each identical twin.

For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.printingquotesonline.com

admin@printingquotesonline.com

This article was posted on March 10

by Blur Loterina

Become a More Creative Person

Become a More Creative Person

by: Granny’s Mettle

Used to be when we talk about generation gap, it almost always applies to the difference in thinking between the supposedly adult generation and the younger ones. Then, it was easier to understand because our parents used to say that itกs all about difficult teenagers. Period.

However, the principle of generation gap has evolved in a different meaning particularly in the workplace. The trend nowadays is to have a more vibrant and creative staff working for companies. And who best exemplifies creativity and fun? The young, fine arts degree holders, who else.

A person with a fine arts degree used to have trouble in getting himself employed. But now, itกs the companies who are getting as much as they can; recruiting young people with a fine arts background, believing that with creative staff aboard, they become more creative and innovative themselves. Especially that thereกs a growing belief nowadays that to stay ahead, companies should become more inventive, innovative and creative.

Nevertheless, you don’t need to be a fine arts graduate to get inside the best companies. Or you get your own fine arts staff for your own company. You just need to enhance your creativity to get a crack of the business you have chosen. As the author of Vivation said, the idea that a few people are creative and the rest are not is definitely a myth. All we need is to let some of our infinite creative power leak through from the unconscious so we can apply it to our conscious state.

Or, we could always rely on software and programs available in the market to help us produce a creative and innovative environment for our company and business.

There is a barrage of applications from Adobe, Microsoft, and other software developers, to help us create better and vivid media materials that enhance our corporate identity.

At the TypoTechnica 2005 conference, Quark Inc. introduced QuarkXPress 7, an updated version of their page layout program. The program fully supports both Unicode and OpenType. With QuarkXPress7กs support for Unicode, it provides a new feature called Font Fallback that allows users to specify a fall back and alternative fonts when a specified font does not contain a full set of glyphs for nonRoman characters. Furthermore, the program will support a total of around 23 OpenType features, including standard and discretionary ligatures and swashes.

On the other hand, Adobeกs Creative Suite boasts having a complete design environment for print and Web publishing. They add that users will be able to create and publish content for print and the Web faster, more easily, and more affordably. The application has tools for creating artwork, editing images, creating photo compositions, and drawing vector graphics.

Then thereกs Microsoftกs Digital Image Suite 9 and Digital Image Pro 9 that comes with wizards and tutorials that walk you through the process and help you get started right away. The software includes thousands of design templates to help you create projects not only for your business, but also for the home.

There are a lot of ways and means to let our creativity flow. We just have to use our minds to imagine fresh ways or put together already existing ideas and innovate, to make our company click with our target clients. And with new technology to help us, business life is simpler and easier.

About The Author

Grannyกs Mettle is a 30something, professional web content writer. She has created various web content on a diverse range of topics, which includes digital printing topics, medical news, as well as legal issues. Her articles are composed of reviews, suggestions, tips and more for the printing and designing industry.

Her thoughts on writing: กWriting gives me pleasure… pleasure and excitement that you have created something to share with others. And with the wide world of the Internet, it gives me great satisfaction that my articles reach more people in the quickest time you could imagine.ก

On her spare time, she loves to stay at home, reading books on just about any topic she fancies, cooking a great meal, and taking care of her husband and kids.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.ucreative.com

articles@ucreative.com

This article was posted on March 07

by Granny’s Mettle

Digitalize It! : (Modification of images with tool

Digitalize It! : (Modification of images with tools such as Adobe CS and Corel)

by: Grannyกs Mettle

Then it was a choice among crayons, paints and palettes for an artist and designer to create art. It was a box of crayons that make one happy designer during his early years of formation.

Nowadays, designing has gone to the new age of advanced technology that utilizes computers and programming. As a designer used to handling tangible products such as the ever reliable crayons, computer technology is oftentimes scary and heart palpitating. With all that computer code and HTML tags and styles, itกs no wonder that most designers break out in cold sweat every time they are forced to put computer code around a text in a Word document to get the layout they want.

To help designers and artists alike to make their lives simpler, Adobe offers a complete package that brings designs straight from concept to the online world. On the other hand, Corel has also introduced new programs to help ease the burden of creating works of art with the use of the computer.

The new applications ensure that every designerกs nightmare will be gone, helping him/her to sleep more soundly at night. These programs can help designers utilize simple sites quickly and effectively.

The CS Advantage…

The new Adobe Creative Suite combines Adobeกs graphics applications and an efficient workflow that answers the needs of nearly every creative professional, from conceptualization to implementation, from print to Web. Not only do designers get one program at a time; rather, a whole suite of the latest versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and GoLive software. It also includes the new Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional software to Acrobat Professional.

The Creative Suite is Adobeกs attempt to bind the applications together. Now, Adobeกs creative products use not only the same graphics engine but also the same type and colormanagement engines. Files that are created in one application can open easily in others with all their features intact. With a consistent user interface, moving from one application to another is easy.

And holding it all together is the new filemanagement and versiontracking technology Version Cue. The Version Cue lets you create and publish content for print and the Web faster, more easily, and more affordably. Thatกs why Adobe is introducing this one whole package as ‘the complete design environment for print and Web publishingก.

Adobe Photoshop for image editing easily manage your images with the improved File Browser, quickly share design variations with Layer Comps, and instantly improve contrast with Shadow/Highlight correction; perform more precise editing and retouching with expanded support for 16bit images and monitor changes to your image in the Histogram palette, which dynamically updates as you make adjustments.

Adobe Illustrator for drawing and vector graphics with powerful new 3D features, advanced typographical controls, and a host of groundbreaking new design tools, this powerful upgrade from Illustrator 10 delivers the performance you need to make the most of your creativity; import Photoshop image compositions directly to Illustrator or create drawings in Illustrator and import them directly into Photoshop; create native Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files using settings and options consistent with Adobe Acrobat Distiller software and get fast, consistent print results with features like Fit to Page, Print Preview, and support for Print Settings.

Adobe InDesign for page layout and design, and Adobe GoLive for Web layout import your native vector and bitmap artwork directly into InDesign CS software for sophisticated print layouts or into Adobe GoLive CS software for powerful web pages. With the support of Adobe PDF and XML, you can easily output your pages to both print and the Web.

The Corel Advantage…

With the introduction of Corel Painter IX, commercial designers, photographers, and professional artists are able to use their natural talents and techniques to create breathtaking works of art. Corel ensures that the new program is a musthave software for creative professionals, whether they’re in film making, game development, commercial design, illustration, photography, or even fine arts.

With regards to performance and productivity, the Corel Painter IX boasts of significantly improved speed, new and enhanced Brush Control Palettes, FramesperSecond Control, and Customizable Shortcut Keys. Professional users can extend their creative possibilities with new enhancements that include Artistsก Oils Painting System, SnaptoPath Painting, improved Digital Watercolor, and Quick Clone.

What is exciting about this new software is that the Corel Painter IX is more compatible with other professional technologies, providing enhanced support to Adobe Photoshop, Wacom (including the Wacom Intuos3), and Color Management.

Whatกs more, getting started is easier than ever. Corel has provided various support guides to help endusers control their fear of tackling a seemingly intricate world of softwares and programs. Corel has provided a revitalized User Guide, the Painter IX Handbook that includes tutorials from leading creative professionals, access to free training videos, and academic courseware specifically designed for educators.

With powerful applications such as the Adobe CS and Corel, artists and designers alike can now combine both worlds of traditional art and sophisticated technology. The intricate tones of traditional art skills and techniques theyกve developed during their formation years as artists can be integrated with the incredible benefits that digital media can provide. Every creation can now be worthy of the exaltations and awe reserved for those found in galleries and exhibits. In addition, these art forms are now made at a faster and quicker rate than their original counterparts.

About The Author

For questions and comments about the article you may contact Grannyกs Mettle through The Digital Printing Company Moderator at 310 575 4440 or visit http://www.digitalprintingcompany.com

carmelo@digitalprintingcompany.com

This article was posted on January 20

by Grannyกs Mettle

Why Strategic Marketing Should Be Taught In Semina

Why Strategic Marketing Should Be Taught In Seminary

by: Hugh Breland

Why are so many churches content with being culturally irrelevant and creatively archaic? If you train someone to be irrelevant, they will be. If someone is given archaic ideas for presenting relevant material, the material will no doubt be perceived as boring and outdated. Seminary is not the cause for antiquated portrayals of a pertinent message, however it can be a prominent contributor to waking up a sleeping giant.

The fact is millions of dollars are spent each year to fill our minds with immoral images, our children with sugar charged & fat loaded foods, and our homes with more stuff to keep up with the Joneses, and yet many church youth programs are mindnumbing and the church around the corner from the seminary hasn’t grown in twenty years.

If we want to change the course of history, we must learn from the past and take strategic steps in the present. Appreciative of those who came before, progress will be made because we stay on the cutting edge not because we squeeze tightly to tradition. Recognizing too that positive and productive relationships are essential to the life of any church, outsiders must find it easier to say ขyesข than ขnoข as they walk by kicking the tires. For example, a fifteenyearold studentathlete must be excited to invite his friends, not embarrassed. While at the same time, a fortynine year old mother of two should feel comfortable inviting her business colleague that recently went through a divorce. The future is bright if we prioritize properly and discard anything that could derail our vision.

Strategic marketing provides focus – a focus on what is most important. It helps to bridge the gap between knowledge and success. Instead of ขsheep swappingข with other churches, a creative and compelling plan is designed to reach people that have no church background.

W.W.J.D.?

Jesus was strategic. Do you perceive Jesus as inefficient, disorganized, and unintentional? If Jesus were in ขcorporate Americaข, do you think he would be a failure or a raging success? It is obvious that Jesus was intent on accomplishing his goals, that he was deliberate in choosing his disciples, and that his daily tactics lined up with his ultimate plans.

Jesus was creative. The word pictures that Jesus drew for his audiences evidence his creative thought and attention to innovation. Creativity is compelling. Just as it is essential to spend exhaustive hours learning the message, it is vital to design captivating presentations. God is the ultimate creator – simply look in the mirror and realize He designed you to be creative too.

Jesus was relevant. Though he did not waiver in his message, Jesus made sure that his presentation was relevant to his audience. There is a difference between theology and methodology. As a minister, it is imperative to identify your theology and fervently stand by it as you share it. Seminaries across the country do a phenomenal job teaching students theology. However as it pertains to methodology, the way in which theology is presented, there is a disconnection.

The fruit of seminary is seen in the growth of churches around the globe. Yet as I step into local church after local church to observe their daytoday and weekendtoweekend operations, there is a lack of creativity and relevancy. The training ground for tomorrow’s church leaders must align itself with forward thinking methodology. Remember, the piano was cutting edge at one time – let’s create new and exciting ways to reach people! Godcentered people with Godgiven creativity can implement Godsized plans that produce Godblessed results!

About The Author

Hugh Breland is currently the CEO of GoLo Sport. Educated at Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and an NCAA Division 1 Athlete, Hugh has a unique background. Before taking over as CEO of GoLo, Hugh was a pastor for almost a decade. He is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant known for his creativity and innovation. For more information visit www.GoLoSport.com.

Hugh Brelandกs Strategic Marketing Principles are a trademark of GoLo Sport, LLC, www.GoLoSport.com

This article was posted on December 20, 2004

by Hugh Breland

Venus Transit and กSmall Businessก…?

Venus Transit and กSmall Businessก…?

by: Jerome Dsouza

On June 8, 2004, the world witnessed what no one living today had ever seen… VENUS the planet of Love, Beauty and Human Unity transitting across the face of the Sun.
Acording to one line of thought (and a beautiful line at that) during this transit of Venus which lasted for about six hours, the radiations from the Sun blended with those from Venus and streamed towards the Earth, and as the กblotก (beautiful line of thought) says, carried with them energies to weave love and unity into our collective consiousness and, potentially… Into Every Human Heart Too!
Though none living could have witnessed the last Venus transit, those that missed the 2004 occurence need not fret too much, for in eight years, on June 6, 2012 there will be another. (After this second transit there won’t be another for the next 100 years or more)
So how does the Venus transit connect with กsmall bizก?
Well, as the กblotก continues to say…recorded history has shown a startling relationship between occurences of Venus transits and massive shifts in consciousness. Matters get intriguingly interesting when we add that according to the Mayan calendar, which predicts major trends in human affairs, the year of the second transit i.e. 2012 is supposed to represent the birthing of… กA Golden Age of Enlightenmentก
So the eightyear period from June 8, 2004 to June 6, 2012 is supposed to mark the timeframe for a doorway into this Golden Age. A timeframe when ALL of us should reach for our greatest hopes and dreams, when ALL should seek out our greatest potential as divinely inspired humans, when…
All can come together to create the Great Oneness!
But still, how does this tie in with Business???
Alright! Human development and growth be it physical, spiritual, emotional, material or whatever will still continue to depend on the use of things. Even in the Golden Age! And ‘thingsก will continue to require money to buy them with BUT and this might well be upheaval times in the new age, business or the exchange of products & services, and the enabler of this exchange i.e. money will be forced to undergo a shift of tectonic proportions from the current…
Competitive takeasmuchasyoucan from limited existing wealth,
to the…
Creative makeasmuchasyouneed from the inexhaustible resources of the Universe.
When this happens, business, and especially small business owners will be faced with their greatest opportunity the opp for radical change!
Now whether Venus or the Mayans are instrumental in this or not, or as a believer of say christianity would be rightly justified in refusing to accept any planetary influences the กfactก remains that this eightyear period could be taken by smoกs to reinvent themselves.
(I read somewhere that those who spot world trends have already noticed a remarkable shift where just intending to be nice to each other is no longer valid. Is this the beginning to a more ethical business environment?)
And how does one reinvent oneself?
Acepting the truth that on the creative plane as opposed to the competitive plane there can never be a lack of opportunity they should immediately begin to get out of all blatantly competitive endeavours.
Broadly speaking,
…if anyone is in a business which depends on beating another,
OR,
…If anyone is in a business that promises everything for as little as nothing,
OR,
If anyone is in a business where you need to move in a hurry all the time,
Then you are most probably operating on the competitive plane and need to get out as soon as possible. For on the creative plane there is never any hurry YET you go as fast as you can. And then, nobody can beat you to what is yours because you initiate processes to create what you need and are not seeking anotherกs property.
Small businesses make up the absolute bulk of all commerce and trade so if there is going to be any kind of shift the change will have to begin with the flexible small business owners rather than from sluggish and slow to respond major corporations.
So hereกs to small business owners reinventing themselves on the creative plane and reigniting their efforts to turn into longterm, sustainable, and truly profitable กsocial entrepreneursก …
Joyously,
Jerome Dsouza

About The Author

To make the shift from the กcompetitiveก to the กcreativeก the author reccomends just one read of this f:r:e:e ebook from http://tinyurl.com/22ynf

This article was posted on June 10, 2004

by Jerome Dsouza

Being Creative is Essential for Online Success

Being Creative is Essential for Online Success

by: Mark Bellinger

Do you have a strategy that ensures your online business stands out from the crowd?

If your answer to the above is NO then you need to address this issue, because if you don’t, it is unlikely that your online presence will even be noticed.

With there being so much competition in every field on the internet it is essential that you offer your target market something different than your competitors.

By distinguishing your product or service you immediately position your business apart from the masses of your competition and therefore your chances of capturing your target market are greatly enhanced.

But how do you do this, you may ask when there is apparently no other way to package your business other than the tried and tested way?

Well, in my opinion, this is the time to be creative and think & do things differently.

If you employ a creative thought process when it comes to packaging and presenting your product or service the chances are you will get close to the top of the pile instead of languishing hidden down with the masses of similar type businesses.

However, the thought of having to come up with new ideas is pretty scary although all of us have at least one or two creative cells lurking in our brains somewhere.

If you have ever used an implement for a purpose other than that for which it was intended, demonstrates a certain degree of creativity. So if you have ever done this you may have an aptitude for thinking outside of the box which is certainly a valuable asset for any businessman.

As an online entrepreneur selling widgets your creative strategy should be to communicate the features and benefits of these widgets in a uniquely aggressive but charming manner to captivate your site visitor’s interest.

To do this you need to make a list of all the ways you can think of to deliver such a message and combine them with existing ideas to stimulate your creative thinking.

Try and perform this process in a relaxed environment as this is the most conducive way to coming up with brilliant ideas. Remember where Archimedes discovered the theory of relativity…in the bath, whereafter he ran outside in the nude shouting ขeureka!ข

Once you have decided on a creative concept you can use it for a long time and milk it for all the mileage you can get out of it. This means that, as most of us aren’t blessed with the same degree of creative variety as the top Ad Agency executives are, you won’t be pressured into coming up with a new strategy every so often.

Online businesses have one of the most popular and fastest growing mediums to show off their products and services and those that take full advantage of this medium by creative positioning will the success they deserve.

A well executed concept and strategy is vital for internet success and longevity.

For more resources and business ideas visit http://www.income.za.net

About The Author

The author, Mark Bellinger is a successful businessman and creator of the following websites:

http://www.income.za.net

http://www.internetbusiness.co.za

http://www.onlinesynergy.za.net

mark@bellinger.za.net

This article was posted on August 23

by Mark Bellinger

Exhibiting Wizardry

Exhibiting Wizardry

by: Susan Freidmann

The world is suffering from a severe dose of Pottermania. Even if you don’t have kids, it’s impossible not to have heard about Harry Potter. In a relatively short time, he has cast his magical spell and become a veritable household name. His creator, J.K. Rowling has managed to pull off a feat that hasn’t been seen in decades — motivating kids to read because they want to and not because they have to.

In the wonderful world of exhibiting don’t you yearn for that magic wand to give a quick magical fix to your tradeshow trials and tribulations. Wouldn’t it be nice to have attendees motivated to flock to our booths because they wanted to and not because they had to? So what lessons can exhibitors learn from Harry Potter and his creator’s miraculous success? I’ve come up with the following thirteen (auspicious for some) for starters:

Use boundless imagination

Without a shadow of a doubt, imagination and creativity need to permeate from every pore of your exhibit marketing program. How can you tap into the creativity and imagination that exists in your organization to cast prizewinning spells to enhance your exhibiting program?

Stop being an adult be childlike

At the core of every attendee is a little child yearning to escape. What can you do to help them do that? What can you do that incorporates what we all loved as children — fairy tales, storytelling and makebelieve games? Disney managed it very successfully, and now, so did J.K. Rowling. What would a fiveyear old do to add some magical power to your exhibit marketing program?

Break and bend the rules

To get what you want, you often have to break and bend the rules, especially when it suits your purpose. Most advances in science, medicine, music, art and design came as a result of someone being prepared to challenge the norm and try a different approach. What scary rules could you secretly break?

Do what you know

Take something you know and do well and add a little something else to it, and then add something else. Very soon you will take on the mark of a wizard and transform what you have into something new. What creative things can you do with what you know, and what resources and solutions are right in front of you?

Think outside the box

It’s easy to only look at exhibiting from one perspective especially when you exhibit within one particular industry. Often, the best ideas come from cutting across different boundaries, for example, how could you integrate weird and wonderful potions, charms, giants, dragons, cauldrons, crystal balls and the like into a scientific or machine tool setting? Make a point of looking outside your particular situation for enchanting ideas.

Plot out what you want to do before you begin

What’s your exhibiting objective, what are you trying to achieve, and what planning do you need to do? Draw a picture and make a map of where you need to go and the things you need to do. Using pictures instead of words can add bewitching power and put a very different perspective on your planning process. It also helps make it fun!

Expect the unexpected

Many of history’s greatest discoverers and inventers happened across their major discovery quite unexpectedly. Often, they were looking for something else. Remember Christopher Columbus set out looking for India, and lo and behold, look what he found! What are the two most unexpected things that might mysteriously happen during your next exhibiting experience?

Put magic into your thinking

When you ask yourself กwhat ifก questions you stretch your thinking and plant the seeds for creative new ideas. What if ghosts and goblins were to roam the show floor? What if exhibit booths could fly around the show hall positioning themselves right in front of your major prospects? What if people wearing special glasses were the only attendees able to see your exhibit display? What if you tried this exercise?

Slay a dragon

Dragons elicit fears and fears often stand in the way of you doing new and creative things. So many exhibitors fear uncharted territory. You fear the unknown and you fear failure. Take time to look at those fiendish creatures that hold you back from being and doing all you can before, during and after the show. What dragons can you slay?

Learn from others

There are countless people and situations you can learn from. The key is being open and receptive, and in essence, being prepared to be a lifelong learner. Look to the past and learn from historical figures, borrow ideas from innovators, learn from others’ mistakes, use ideas from the patterns and cycles in nature. Where can you look for some magical theory?

Transport people to another place

J.K. Rowling performed incredible magic transporting people around the world to the enchanted magical world of wizards, spells and mythical beasts. In fact there is a wealth of folklore, mythology and history that shimmers beneath the surface of her stories.

How can magic you dream up transport your exhibiting program to another level?

Go where others fear to tread

When you exercise the courage to do something different, you take a risk. You have a risk muscle that you keep in shape through regular exercise. It takes courage, a pioneering spirit and a sense of adventure to overcome the scary stuff and seek out unknown opportunities. How can you exercise your risk muscle?

Believe in your success

Thomas Edison once said, ‘the value of an idea lies in the using of it.ก Believe that the creative ideas you conjure up will bring you untold successes. Now all you need do is wave your magic wand to put them into action. Which ideas will you start with?

The moral of the article is to never get caught without your wand, as you never know when you might need it!

About The Author

Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: ขMeeting & Event Planning for Dummies,ข working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.

info@thetradeshowcoach.com

This article was posted on March 25

by Susan Freidmann

The Art Of Cold Calling

The Art Of Cold Calling

by: Sue and Chuck DeFiore

I know, don’t groan. You have to do them if you want to get properties and make money. Believe me, I used to hate cold calling. For those of you that have read our book, กWho Makes It Happen: Back On The Road To Success With Creative Real Estateก, remember it used to take me an hour to get on the phone and then after 30 minutes I was ready to hang up.

Iกve learned over time to not think of telephoning as cold calling, but how I can help a seller or buyer. I realize if I make so many calls, I will get so many responses, and I don’t take a no personally. Itกs their loss. Let them continue to pay to run their ads and six months from now when I call out of a paper or web list and they are still there, maybe then they will listen. There are too many people I can help. I refuse to worry about the ones that won’t listen.

So, the first step is to get in the frame of mind that you are offering help. Next, let the seller do the talking. You listen. How do I do that, you say? Well, when I call on a home and someone answers (as opposed to leaving my message), I ask is the home still available? Great, my name is Susan, who am I speaking with? George, tell me about your home? This gets the seller talking. I just guide him/her with how many square feet, garage, etc. For those that have purchased our manual, this form is in the Seller section. You want to get as much information as possible. What they don’t tell you ask. The last question I ask is, George, it sounds like a beautiful home, why are you selling? Then let him/her talk. This question tells you how motivated he/she is. Is he/she moving into a new home, relocating or just putting out feelers.

Next I ask the pricing information, how much are they asking for the house? How did they arrive at that price? Comps? Have they had any offers? If no offers, ask them why they think they haven’t had any offers?

Next I ask about financing information. What are the payments? Any second mortgages? Are their payments current? Any CC&Rกs? What they paid for the home? Many times when I ask, กWhat did they pay for the home?, I get, กitกs none of your businessก. Well, I say to the seller, this helps me decide if a Lease Purchase is workable, and it is a matter of public record.

Always be sure to check online or with public records that the person you spoke to is the individual who has the authority to deal.

Finally, I ask about Lease Purchasing and tell them the advantages. Some will say yes, can you send me some information? Others will say, no, I need to sell. Iกll say, thatกs fine, why don’t I send you some information so you have it on hand as another option if you need it. Always, follow up.

Remember, relax and pick up that phone. Otherwise, the deal and the money won’t come your way. And remember, you can always consult!

Copyright 2003, DeFiore Enterprises.

About The Author

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 17 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our FREE กhow toก Home Business Solutions Digest, itกs like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com

coaches@homebusinesssolutions.com

This article was posted on March 18, 2003

by Sue and Chuck DeFiore

How To Be Creative

How To Be Creative

by: Dave Cole

Network marketing is an art as much as it is an applied science. To take a blank sheet of paper or canvas and draw or paint an interesting picture, youกve got to have an imagination and creativity.

The other day, I was watching some video tapes I had made of my son when he was between 2 and 6 years old. One thing that impressed me was the total freedom he had to express his imagination and creativity.

He was always coming off with some unique or interesting new way of looking at things, or saying something. It was actually a refreshing experience for me to watch and remember the fun and zest he had for life at that age.

Life was so very new and interesting at that age. Every day was a new adventure and presented new opportunities to learn new things. Getting up every morning was something he looked forward to.

He hadn’t yet learned or developed some basic fears, like the fear of being criticized or of what others might think of him. His actions and words were not hampered by thoughts of "what will others think if I say or do this".

There was no fear that blocked or stifled his imagination and creativity. He was never concerned that mom or dad might think less of him because of his actions or words.

One of the areas we need to be creative in is our ad writing. Ad writing is an applied skill, it is an art, and it is a science. It doesn’t happen over night, ad writing takes a lot of practice, and a lot of learning to do before you get good at it.

Weกll discuss the science of ad writing in a future article, but for now we are going to focus on just being creative with your writing.

Why do we need to be creative? Consider this: if a lot of people are selling or pushing the same product as you are, and using the same ad as you are, then there are going to be an awful lot of ads out there all looking the same. If a thousand other ads look just like yours, just how many clicks do you reasonably expect to come to you?

Creativity in your ad writing allows you to "break out of the pack" and sparkle your ad with dynamic and imaginative ideas. Something that will capture your readerกs attention and get them to want to click on your ad.

Your ad has to stand out and be noticed above all others!

Itกs said that you have 3 seconds to attract your readerกs attention before they click on to greener pastures.

The human mind constantly seeks for new and more exciting ideas and words to stimulate it. A person viewing the same boring headline or ad over and over again, will become numb to it and will simply ignore itกs presence.

Itกs your job as an ad writer to capture that attention and give the readerกs mind a new and refreshing experience.

Using your creativity and imagination to accomplish these objectives is a must do. Writing an ad is a challenging, exciting, and stimulating adventure for the ad writer. If you get that "charge" out of writing an ad, then most likely it will stimulate the reader also.

If ad writing is a "chore" for you, and itกs something that you just feel you "have to do", then don’t expect really good results either.

Itกs actually fun to think up new ways to say the same old thing. Itกs a challenge to see what new headline will attract anotherกs attention. Itกs always exciting to see that a lot of people have been attracted to a headline and clicked through on it.

There are 2 things that will destroy your creativity. Distractions and fear.

A mind that is filled with thoughts telling it all the other things it must or should be doing will be a mind that is not capable of being expressive. That mind is worried, disturbed, and is unproductive. Go do what ever else you have to do first, then when you can be free, write your ads.

The great painters and artists of our world history had the unique ability to totally block out the world and focus only on what they were doing at the time.

The second thing that you must do is get over any fears of criticism.If you are concerned about what others will think when they view your ad, you’re in big trouble.

If you are going to be creating a masterpiece of literature in your ad writing, you cannot allow those thoughts to belong in your head!

Iกm going to let you in on a little secret Iกve never told anybody. When I write an ad I pretend. I pretend Iกm one of the worldกs great writers who is creating one of his great works of literature. And I pretend that no one will ever see what I write.

Itกs easy to write to a computer screen that has no feelings or emotions or words that spit back at me, "This is no good, no one will ever read this garbage". I pretend that as soon as I write this stuff, it will get deleted.

Thereกs no fear when I write! I can be like a little kid again and be free to express my creativity. After all, the only thing that will ever see this is my trash bin, right? I can type whatever I want with no fear of being criticized or condemned by what comes off the keyboard.

I can be 4 years old again and say what I want. I can be free to be creative and let the creativeimaginative juices flow.

About The Author

Dave Cole Editor/Publisher of the Prosperity: The Choice Is Yours Ezine To read the current issue online and past articles by Dave: http://choosetoprosper.com

This article was posted on January 20, 2002

by Dave Cole

Exhibiting Wizardry

Exhibiting Wizardry

by: Susan Friedmann

The world is suffering from a severe dose of Pottermania. Even if you don’t have kids, it’s impossible not to have heard about Harry Potter. In a relatively short time, he has cast his magical spell and become a veritable household name. His creator, J.K. Rowling has managed to pull off a feat that hasn’t been seen in decades — motivating kids to read because they want to and not because they have to.

In the wonderful world of exhibiting don’t you yearn for that magic wand to give a quick magical fix to your tradeshow trials and tribulations. Wouldn’t it be nice to have attendees motivated to flock to our booths because they wanted to and not because they had to? So what lessons can exhibitors learn from Harry Potter and his creator’s miraculous success? I’ve come up with the following thirteen (auspicious for some) for starters:

Use boundless imagination

Without a shadow of a doubt, imagination and creativity need to permeate from every pore of your exhibit marketing program. How can you tap into the creativity and imagination that exists in your organization to cast prizewinning spells to enhance your exhibiting program?

Stop being an adult be childlike

At the core of every attendee is a little child yearning to escape. What can you do to help them do that? What can you do that incorporates what we all loved as children — fairy tales, storytelling and makebelieve games? Disney managed it very successfully, and now, so did J.K. Rowling. What would a fiveyear old do to add some magical power to your exhibit marketing program?

Break and bend the rules

To get what you want, you often have to break and bend the rules, especially when it suits your purpose. Most advances in science, medicine, music, art and design came as a result of someone being prepared to challenge the norm and try a different approach. What scary rules could you secretly break?

Do what you know

Take something you know and do well and add a little something else to it, and then add something else. Very soon you will take on the mark of a wizard and transform what you have into something new. What creative things can you do with what you know, and what resources and solutions are right in front of you?

Think outside the box

It’s easy to only look at exhibiting from one perspective especially when you exhibit within one particular industry. Often, the best ideas come from cutting across different boundaries, for example, how could you integrate weird and wonderful potions, charms, giants, dragons, cauldrons, crystal balls and the like into a scientific or machine tool setting? Make a point of looking outside your particular situation for enchanting ideas.

Plot out what you want to do before you begin

What’s your exhibiting objective, what are you trying to achieve, and what planning do you need to do? Draw a picture and make a map of where you need to go and the things you need to do. Using pictures instead of words can add bewitching power and put a very different perspective on your planning process. It also helps make it fun!

Expect the unexpected

Many of history’s greatest discoverers and inventers happened across their major discovery quite unexpectedly. Often, they were looking for something else. Remember Christopher Columbus set out looking for India, and lo and behold, look what he found! What are the two most unexpected things that might mysteriously happen during your next exhibiting experience?

Put magic into your thinking

When you ask yourself กwhat ifก questions you stretch your thinking and plant the seeds for creative new ideas. What if ghosts and goblins were to roam the show floor? What if exhibit booths could fly around the show hall positioning themselves right in front of your major prospects? What if people wearing special glasses were the only attendees able to see your exhibit display? What if you tried this exercise?

Slay a dragon

Dragons elicit fears and fears often stand in the way of you doing new and creative things. So many exhibitors fear uncharted territory. You fear the unknown and you fear failure. Take time to look at those fiendish creatures that hold you back from being and doing all you can before, during and after the show. What dragons can you slay?

Learn from others

There are countless people and situations you can learn from. The key is being open and receptive, and in essence, being prepared to be a lifelong learner. Look to the past and learn from historical figures, borrow ideas from innovators, learn from others’ mistakes, use ideas from the patterns and cycles in nature. Where can you look for some magical theory?

Transport people to another place

J.K. Rowling performed incredible magic transporting people around the world to the enchanted magical world of wizards, spells and mythical beasts. In fact there is a wealth of folklore, mythology and history that shimmers beneath the surface of her stories.

How can magic you dream up transport your exhibiting program to another level?

Go where others fear to tread

When you exercise the courage to do something different, you take a risk. You have a risk muscle that you keep in shape through regular exercise. It takes courage, a pioneering spirit and a sense of adventure to overcome the scary stuff and seek out unknown opportunities. How can you exercise your risk muscle?

Believe in your success

Thomas Edison once said, ‘the value of an idea lies in the using of it.ก Believe that the creative ideas you conjure up will bring you untold successes. Now all you need do is wave your magic wand to put them into action. Which ideas will you start with?

The moral of the article is to never get caught without your wand, as you never know when you might need it!

About The Author

Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: ขMeeting & Event Planning for Dummies,ข working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.

This article was posted on April 03

by Susan Friedmann

Do You Feel Overwhelmed Running A Web Business? Tr

Do You Feel Overwhelmed Running A Web Business? Try This

by: David Coyne

One thing that fascinates me about web entrepreneurs and marketers like Joe Vitale, Yanik Silver and Terry Dean is how incredibly productive they are. They seem to create a near constant stream of information products like ebooks, special reports, courses, software and compact discs.

On top of that, they juggle all the daily activities required by anyone running a small business.

If you have the resources, you can hire employees or contract workers. But I think most web entrepreneurs prefer to keep their businesses as ขsolo operations.ข

But handling everything yourself requires maximum efficiency.

I certainly have my own techniques for time management, but I asked for feedback from other entrepreneurs. Here’s some of their solutions.

ขI always take about 30 minutes to an hour to look at my emails at the beginning of the dayข says Stephanie Hetu (http://www.stephaniehetu.com) ขThen, after that, I try to look at my emails again only every 2 hours or so.

ขWhen I started online I used to look at my emails every 10 minutes, this was very time consuming and counterproductive because you end up spending more time reading than actually BUILDING your business.ข

However, not everybody thinks checking email first thing is a good idea.

ขI always devote the first hour of the day to revenue producing activities,ข says Bill Hibbler of the RudlReport (http://www.rudlreport.com) ขI never check email or voice mail until after that hour is completed.

ขIf you open your email first and find a refund request or a customer with a big tech support problem, it tends to stay on your mind and distract you from the task at hand.ข

DETERMINE YOUR PEAK ENERGY PERIOD

One technique I used to help to me reach maximum efficiency was to figure out when my brain was most creative.

For me, that’s the morning. During the hours of 9 am to noon, I do most of my creative tasks, such as writing my articles, editing my ezine, working on sales copy, or coming up with new marketing ideas for my website.

My energy sags between noon and about 2:30pm. I use this time to do less mentally taxing activities. Answering email, fixing a typo on a web page or uploading pictures.

Determine when your creative energy peaks. Maybe you’re more of a night owl and find this is the best time to work on projects that require creativity. Adjust your schedule accordingly.

GROUP YOUR PRIORITIES

Define which projects need immediate attention and which don’t.

Hereกs how Charles Kangethe of SimplyEasier (http://www.simplyeasier.com) tackles his tasks:

กI work on the principle that there are categories of things to work on.

ขMission critical Must be done NOW else the whole thing goes down the tubes e.g resolving a web hosting issue that stops your site from loading.

ขBusiness Critical Must be done soon, but can be scheduled e.g banking, accounts Urgent, and Important e.g writing the next issue of your ezine that you promised your list for tomorrow, or replying to List members support emails.

ขImportant not Urgent e.g Correcting a small hard to spot typo on a web page, or replying to nonsupport issues on email

Others any other tasks.

ขDivide your tasks into some similar categories and be ruthless with which tasks you put into the top categories. Then work down from the list!ก

USE TIME BLOCKING TO GET THINGS DONE

Taking the ขTo Doข List a step further, I block out specific time periods for specific tasks. I break time into 30minute intervals.

Once I have a task scheduled, the more likely it will be completed.

It may look something like this:

9:00 9:30: Work on new article.

9:30 10:00: Write new copy for web page.

10:00 10:15 Take a break

10:15 10:45 Edit ezine.

Be sure to schedule a break before moving on to new task. Your brain needs a ขbreather.ข

Summing up the key time management strategies:

Don’t compulsively check your email.

Determine the time of day when you’re most creative.

Do your most mentally taxing work during your peak creative time. Save menial tasks for you low energy periods.

Create your ขTo Doข List.

Categorize the importance of each task.

Block out time intervals.

But cut yourself some slack. Obsessing over every detail and task will burn you out. You’re human, not a machine. Take breaks, go for a walk, or have lunch with a friend. This time away from your computer will rejuvenate your brain and body and will result in a more productive, efficient and happier entrepreneur.

About The Author

David Coyne is a copywriter, marketing consultant and president of DC Infobiz http://www.dcinfobiz.com. Get FREE ebooks you can sell to customers. Visit Davidกs website.

This article was posted on December 01, 2003

by David Coyne