Could there be a new way of hearing the stories we

Could there be a new way of hearing the stories we feel are relevant in our lives?

by: Jesse S. Somer

If you’re anything like me you are really getting tired of the mainstream media’s onevoicetomany analysis of life on Earth. First of all, it’s just too negative! I read a survey recently that stated that fourteen out of fifteen newspaper and TV News stories had negative fearbased stories. I don’t know about you, but if I look at my everyday life, the amount of good and bad I experience seems to be much more balanced. Why does the ‘big’ media think we all love hearing the dark side of things so much?

If you look at what news stories truly are in historical terms, it is a person sitting around the tribal campfire at night telling a tale to inform the people both in wisdom and knowledge. In any tribe there were many storytellers, so different perspectives were always available to the masses. Well, if you think today’s media sources are too monopolized in their power of authority over the stories we are told, there’s a new option for humanity. The answers and views we are seeking in our daily lives could lie in the Internet. This Internet thing really could be the key for humanity to evolving into a species that thinks independently, leaving this age of fear behind.

It’s time to bypass the main media sources. On the Web we can access nonprofit news organizations, we can hear personal views of individuals in news forums and blogs, we can even express our own views on world issues as well as sharing our own personal experiences! With this newly accepted technology called RSS Readers we can start to get the type of information that we feel is most relevant to ourselves as individuals. It comes straight to us and then we can sort through it and decide which people and sources we want to hear from on a regular basis. This is awesome as it means we don’t have to search through a bunch of stories that have little interest to us. It also means if we want to hear more positivism, we can push the negative views out of our perceptions.

Although this idea is in its infancy, the repercussions once realized could have a mammoth impact on how individual humans see and live their lives on Earth. Imagine a society that stretches across the globe where a collective consciousness speaks to itself in an informative manytomany communicative process. There are a lot of happy, positive, intelligent people in this world who are interested in similar things to you. Wouldn’t you like to hear their stories and share their knowledge as a way of constructing your view of reality?

Let’s leave behind this era of negative perspectives and singular authorities telling us how life on Earth should be viewed. It is interesting that some of the most overwealthy, greedy individuals media moguls who tell us what is important. Don’t you want to have a say in how you look at your life while you are here? Positivism and wisdom surrounds us at all times. Would the Universe exist otherwise? Lets reconnect with that source of energy that makes us smile so many times each day. If life were meant to have so bleak an outlook, would there even be stars in the sky?

About The Author

Jesse S. Somer

M6.Net

http://www.m6.net

Jesse S. Somer is a writer thinking about how all this new technology could one day be utilized by the masses of technologically challenged people like him. If it could be incorporated into everyday life in a positive way, life itself could evolve to a higher plane. Please visit www.thepowerofeverythingthatis.com to see Jesse’s personal blog.

This article was posted on September 03, 2004

by Jesse S. Somer

4 Easy Ways to Boost Your Sales

4 Easy Ways to Boost Your Sales

by: Bob Leduc

Here are 4 easy ways you can boost your sales for little or no new expense …and without making major changes in your selling process.

1. Focus on What Your Customers Really Want

Your customers really don’t want your products or services. They don’t even want what those products or services do for them. What they really want is to gain the specific feeling they get after buying and using your products or services.

Keep this in mind when you create web pages, sales letters and other selling presentations. Emphasize the feelings produced by using your product instead of talking about what your product is or how it works.

Tip: Convert the benefits delivered by your product or service into vivid word pictures. Then put your prospect in the picture by dramatizing what it feels like to be enjoying those benefits.

Example, if you sell financial products, describe what it feels like to enjoy an affluent life style without debt.

2. Keep Communicating With Your Previous NonBuyers

Youกve heard it before but Iกll say it here again. Most prospective customers will not buy the first time they see or hear about your product or service. You’re losing a lot of sales if you do not persistently follow up with those prospects.

Your follow up procedure can be as simple as periodically contacting them with a new offer. Or it can be more complex like distributing a newsletter or providing updated product information.

Tip: You cannot follow up with prospects if you don’t know how to reach them. Set up a system for collecting the names and contact information of all prospects who do not buy from you.

Example, offer a special report, a list of sources or some other valuable information your prospects cannot get anywhere else. Deliver it only by email or postal mail so you can get their contact address.

3. Encourage Questions

Questions from prospects may be a nuisance. But answering them can be very profitable.

Prospective customers only take time to ask questions when they have a high level of interest in your product or service. Providing a satisfactory answer to a prospectกs question often leads directly to a sale.

Invite prospects to ask questions when in live selling situations. And make it easy for them to ask questions when they are not …such as at your web site. For example, list a phone number or email address where you or someone else can answer their questions.

Tip: Include a Questions and Answers page on your web site with answers to frequently asked questions. It will reduce the number of questions you have to answer individually.

4. Make Buying Easier

Every nonessential action in the buying process is an opportunity for the customer to reverse their decision …causing you to lose the sale.

Look for ways you can make your buying procedure easier and faster. For example, many marketers use a multistep shopping cart to get online orders when a simple online order form would do the job with just 1 or 2 quick clicks.

Tip: Don’t ask for unnecessary information during the ordering process. Instead, send a personalized ‘thank youก message after the sale and include a brief request for the information.

These 4 selling tactics may not be new to you. But are you using all (or any) of them? If not, they can easily boost your sales …for little or no new expense and without making major changes in your sales process.

Copyright 2004 Bob Leduc

http://BobLeduc.com

About The Author

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards …and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. Youกll find his lowcost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 7026581707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 07, 2004

by Bob Leduc

Get more than just กa presenceก on the Internet

Get more than just กa presenceก on the Internet

by: David Leonhardt

The water purification salesman had been talking to us for what seemed like hours. During a lull in his monologue, I asked if he had a website.

กYes. In fact, we are the only independent distributors of this product who does,ก he proudly beamed.

กSo you get a lot of leads from the website, then?ก I asked.

กNo, actually I don’t think weกve gotten a single lead from it,ก he replied.

‘then why do you have a website?ก I wanted to know.

‘to have a presence on the Internet.ก

A few days later, our home inspector was giving us an update on the state of our house. We had bought it a few years earlier in winter, when snow was on the ground and on the roof, and we thought an update would be a worthwhile investment.

กDo you have a website?ก I asked.

กYes, I do. But, I don’t think a single customer found me that way.ก

‘then why do you have a website?ก I asked.

‘to have a presence on the Internet.ก

A lot of entrepreneurs and small businesses are sold on paying for a website because it is important to have a presence on the Internet. For many businesses, that is true. But what does กa presenceก mean?

Would you open up a store in the corner office of the fifth floor of an office building, or would you open it up in the mall?

Would you leave the windows bare, or would you fill the windows with merchandise and open the door to make your store inviting?

Would you ignore customers when they enter the store, or would you carefully place merchandise and staff to maximize the revenue from each visit?

กA presenceก is only valuable if the website serves a purpose, if it fulfills its goals. Just sitting there, somewhere in cyberspace, is not a sound business strategy. An experienced website marketing consultant can help you determine what goals, if any, are viable for your business website.

Here are a few of the goals you might want for your website:

Online pamphlet.

If you connect with customers by telephone, this is an ideal way to instantly deliver a pamphlet to them. No mailing, no delays, they can even call up your information while you are on the phone with them. This website has to look credible and be choc full of information.

Credibility booster.

If you are selling a big ticket item, particularly one that requires a good reputation, a website can help. This website should look upscale and focus on credibilityboosting content. It is ideal for speakers, consultants and other businesstobusiness service providers.

Lead generator.

One excellent use for a website in many nonretail businesses is as lead generator. The idea is to funnel traffic (website users) into the site and lead them to take action. Such action might be to call you, to request a brochure, to request a free sample, etc. The main requirement for this is the maximum amount of targeted traffic possible, of people interested in what you have to offer.

By way of example, my marketing website at http://www.seowriter.net serves these first three goals: online pamphlet, credibility booster and lead generator.

Email Address Gatherer.

This is really a form of lead generation, but it is unique in that you are not trying to sell through the website, but through an email newsletter (also called an ezine). The website is there primarily to pique interest, and the newsletter is there to build affinity and trust in order to make the sale. You need to have a newsletter set up, and you need targeted traffic.

By way of example, my personal growth website at http://www.thehappyguy.com serves this goal, attracting subscribers to my Daily Dose of Happiness.

Sell.

Of course, if you sell hard goods, electronic goods or even many services, you can make the sales right online. You need some form of payment gateway and/or shopping cart, and your website needs to be able to make the sale from start to finish, which is not always easy. Of course, you also need customers in the form of targeted traffic.

By way of example, my liquid vitamins website at http://www.vitaminsupplementsstore.net serves this goal.

What you want your website to achieve should dictate the look, the structure, the content, the writing style and whether or not the site is optimized for the search engines. Before investing any more money of time in your website, invest the time required to determine the goals you want your website to achieve.

Or you could be like that water salesman or my home inspector, satisfied with having กa presenceก. Of course, many people go through life having กa presenceก on Planet Earth, but most entrepreneurs I have met are gogetters. If กa presenceก is not good enough in the real world, why settle for it in the online world?

A website should be an investment, not a cost. If your website is not working for you, or if you feel your business should have a website, determine realistic and useful goals, then set your website up to achieve them.

Maybe you don’t need a website at all. Or maybe your website could double your profits. Either way, don’t let it sit there gathering dust somewhere in cyberspace.

About The Author

David Leonhardt is an SEO consultant

http://www.seowriter.net/freelance/seoconsultant.html

and a website marketing consultant:

http://www.seowriter.net/freelance/marketingconsultant.html

Pick up a copy of his SEO ebook:

http://www.seowriter.net/books/seobook.html

[email protected]

This article was posted on January 30

by David Leonhardt

How Can YOU Succeed Online?

How Can YOU Succeed Online?

by: Steve MacLellan

Every place you look online there is somebody tell you how you can get rich. All you need to do is follow a few simple steps…

It reminds of the TV commercial I saw where folks were attending a seminar. The speaker was full of zest and enthusiasm and he said:

กLook… itกs easy. You want to be a millionaire, all you need to do is save $100,000 per year. Do that for JUST 10 years and you are millionaire before you know it.ก

Iกd like to see a show of hands now! How many people do you know learned how to run before they learned how to crawl? I don’t see any hands.

How many people do you know that claim they will be RICH by this time next year… but are still currently working a job? Oh… see a couple of hands there. But for the most part, your friends that think this, are keeping their dreams to themselves. They may believe it, but they don’t believe it enough to be able to tell you about it. Itกs called กpipe dreams.ก

What do you think would be a realistic goal for the average person to achieve by marketing online?

Letกs think about your present income.

I know… youกd like to make more, everybody would…

But you can SEE by way of your employment, you making X number of dollars per month. Thatกs not too hard to visualize. You don’t need someone to tell you how to make $50,0000 per year if you are already making it. So it is a given. You can make $50,000 per year, and you are used to making it.

If you choose another field to work in, you can still make $50,000 per year.

There are ways to increase this so you can make more, but for now letกs look at an example of two different sales people I know who sell the exact same thing.

She was used to making $1200 per month. So when she quit her job and started working for herseld, she made $1100 per month.

He was used to making $3700 per month. So when he quit his job and started working for himself (the exact same thing) he wasn’t happy unless he was making $4100 per month.

Yes, yes… we could go into psychological reasoning, but Iกm not a psychologist. This is the norm for REAL people. Yes you can learn to overcome this mental barrier, but you’re not going to do it when you’re first out of the gate. Learn to replace your current income, before moving on to a higher income bracket.

This… isn’t soooo hard to do. Like eating an elephant! One bite at a time.

Here is the thing most people have a problem with…

What are you doing right now to make $50,000 per year?

Work?

Right! What do you suppose you’re going to have to do to earn the same amount of money working for yourself?

Acck! …and they said it would be easy. It is… all you have to do is save $100,000 per year;)

People you will never hear about are using the web to live their dreams. They aren’t rich, they aren’t famous, and you don’t know them and will never hear about them.

Glenn quit his teaching job last year. He replaced his income by playing in 5 different musical bands plus has employees that setup in small clubs and do Karaoke gigs for him. He doesn’t have a website. He uses a mailing list to keep the folks who hire him informed of his openings and specials. This keeps his name fresh on their minds.

A Carpenter and teacher (married couple) quit their jobs to rent cottages. Using traditional advertising and Internet marketing they had their cottages full by the second year. Internet marketing was responsible for 3540% of the bookings they received that year.

Harry runs a local directory for the county. He has businesses paying him to be listed on his website.

These are all people who were SERIOUS about wanting to replace their incomes, and they did, using a combination of offline, and online marketing. This is a sensible approach to using the Internet. Sure, most the stories you hear, are about how people have made fortunes. It is newsworthy, and of course the exception to the rule. We get bombarded with similar stories so much so that IF you hear John Smith finally replaced his income from a job he hated for 17 years, no one listens; no one cares. I bet John does though.

About The Author

Steve MacLellan is the author of กUsed Car Websitesก and has been doing web development for small/medium sized businesses since 1998.

http://carsitemarketing.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 06, 2004

by Steve MacLellan

eBay The Mega Marketplace For Everyone

eBay The Mega Marketplace For Everyone

by: Lori Osenbaugh

eBay is one of the worldกs largest market places with over 35 million visitors per day. That first sentence is worth repeating because I want you to realize that eBay gives you the ability to reach a customer base of millions and millions of people which is beneficial to you. Say Goodbye to garage sales and hello to eBay.

You don’t have to become a major powerseller or wholesaler to take advantage of eBay and what this mega marketplace can do for you. All you need is a computer with Internet access so you can setup auctions for all that stuff laying around the house youกve been wanting to get rid of by selling it or giving it away, so why not eBay it?

eBay auction VS garage sale

First lets talk about garage sales. Holding a garage sale consists of getting all of your items ready to sell and placing them on display in front of your house or on your driveway for neighbors and lookers to purchase. You or someone you know and trust needs to be physically present at all times to sell the items as your front yard has now become a small storefront. In other words you have to sit at home all day after getting everything together and promoting your garage sale which is a lot of work especially considering what you can accomplish with less time and effort on eBay.

Time & Money

Just about everybody is looking to save time and money which is exactly what eBay does for you. eBay is a much larger market and can attract many more potential buyers than a garage sale can. The very reason that there are more potential buyers creates more of a demand for your product, toy or whatever you are trying to sell. eBay commands more dollar for your product than a garage sale for this very reason.

eBay also saves you time because once you have setup your auction it does most of the work for you. You don’t have to be present to sell the item, you don’t have to be home to get paid electronically and you don’t have to be there for somebody to see your auction because your potential buyers can look at your item for sale from the convenience of their own computer which saves you precious time.

eBay also gives you the ability to accept different payment methods such as PayPal, money order, check or cash it is up to you what payment methods you wish to accept. Garage sales simply do not offer this sort of flexibility with time and money.

Quick tips

Shipping can be a hard one to get used to so make sure that you either A. get a postal scale (about $20 at Office Depot) or B. have the post office weigh the packages before you list. Take it from me because I have lost so much money on shipping because I would just กguesstimateก and that simply does not work. I would recommend always making the buyer purchase Insurance and tracking. I had an issue where a customer said she never got her package and I didn’t insure it. We decided to wait a couple of weeks then figure it out, she actually wanted me to refund everything to her, which I didn’t feel was fair but was willing to do it because I believe in customer satisfaction. Fortunately the package finally showed up after three and half weeks (and I sent it Priority Mail).

You want to only send to the buyers address if it is registered with eBay. A couple of years ago a gentlemen contacted me to buy a $250 wireless antenna, he said he was traveling and asked me to send it to his satellite office. He paid me through PayPal, I always thought that was safe and would automatically include coverage. Two months went by and then all of the sudden Paypal took $250 out of our account without warning or explanation, when we called them they said that one of our eBay transactions was fraudulent! It turns out the man used a stolen credit card, PayPal told us we were out of luck since we did not send to his confirmed address. Lesson learned.

Always state the terms of your auctions, it is good to come up with your terms to use at the end of every auction that states your policies, if you combine shipping, the payment methods you accept, etc. Also, think of a refund policy. I give a full refund, or for instance my sisterinlaw gives purchase amount back but not shipping, those sort of policies are up to you as a seller.

I use Turbo Lister, a free software program, that makes it so much easier to get multiple auctions setup simultaneously. If you do it directly from eBay it seems like it takes forever to enter each one. Turbo Lister is a free download and is available in Seller Tools at eBay.

A way to save money; I always use the free template from eBay. Itกs not really anything fancy. You can choose to get those cute little borders and clipart on each auction but it costs more money. Itกs proven that ultimately it doesn’t matter to people, they want what you are selling. Your first picture is free after that they are .15 cents for additional ones. So I always try, when possible, to use only one picture. Sometimes if it is a big clothing lot or a large dollar item I will only use more pictures. I also make sure to try and write a great description so potential buyers know what they are getting and are excited for their purchase.

Something that works; I will sometimes utilize the กBuy It Nowก features (they cost extra) but I put the BIN price higher than I would normally expect to get and when somebody really wants an item, they would rather pay the higher price than risk missing the auction end without winning the item. There are many times where this has benefited both myself and the buy it now bidder.

If you are doing a local pickup or have special instructions for your auction make sure you include those instructions ALL OVER your auctions. The mistake I made one time was only putting local pickup only on just the shipping description and the winning bidder did not notice that. Now I plaster special instructions like that everywhere.

Remember that people love fast shipping so when you do sell try to ship the item out as soon as possible after auction ending. Your customers will love fast shipping. I also include a note thanking them and sometimes I include a bonus item. Thatกs just some of the fun and benefits of selling on eBay.

About The Author

Lori Osenbaugh sells on eBay in addition to being a licensed Realtor® and Pampered Chef Consultant. You can custom search for Colorado homes at http://www.preferreddenverhomes.com or search Loriกs Pampered Chef online at http://www.pamperedchef.biz/cookieo

This article was posted on August 11

by Lori Osenbaugh

Diagnosing Paper Jams in HP Laser Printers

Diagnosing Paper Jams in HP Laser Printers

by: Donald Broda

There are many things that can cause paper jams in HP printers, and diagnoses vary from one model to the next. In this article I will discuss some of the most common causes of printer jams and possible solutions.

Where is the paper jamming?

When you answer this question you are close to solving the problem.

1. If the printer will not pick up paper from tray two or three there are several causes.

Try using a lower weight paper. HP does not recommend printing a higher weight than 20lbs from and tray but tray one.

If this does not work the paper rollers probably need to be changed. These come with every maintenance kit, but most end users do not change them, they just change the fuser. If you do not have rollers available try cleaning them with a lint free cloth and wipe away any paper dust or other debris.

2. The paper is picked up from the tray but does not make it to the toner cartridge.

Typically this is the paper feed assembly or the registration assembly. These are not easily replaced and I suggest consulting a professional.

3. The paper gets to the toner cartridge and then jams.

Try replacing the toner cartridge.

If you have a newer model printer (most HP models) check to make sure that the toner transfer bar is not stuck in an upright position.

Check for debris. If there is debris in the paper path this can cause jamming. Debris can be a torn piece of paper, a stable or just a build up of paper dust. DO NOT touch the roller. It will hold the oil form your skin and cause print defects.

4. The paper enters the fuser, but gets jammed inside.

Unfortunately, the fuser will probably have to be replaced, but check for any debris on the rollers before replacing. Also clean the paper path with a lint free cloth. DO NOT touch the rollers. They will hold the oil form your skin.

This does not cover all possible causes, only the most common.

Donald Broda

Senior Technician Specialist

www.brtoner.com

[email protected]

About The Author

Donald Broda has worked in the laser printer industry since 1999. In that time he has been involved in remanufacturing toner cartridges, quality control, and service of Hewlett Packard Laser Printers. Please do not reprint any articles without author’s permission. Donald can be reached at [email protected] and you can visit his company website at www.brtoner.com.

This article was posted on February 11

by Donald Broda

ENewsletter Readers Not Converting? 5 Simple Step

ENewsletter Readers Not Converting? 5 Simple Steps to Increase Sales

by: Paul Nastu

Email newsletters excel at gaining repeat and new business at a lower cost than other forms of marketing and advertising. So how does a company use its enewsletter to increase quality leads for sales teams and give a boost to viral, word of mouth, and referral marketing programs? Here are five simple steps for creating an ezine that your sales team will love.

#1 Keep it helpful

Itกs often repeated and often forgotten. But itกs the kind of truism thatกs, well, true. If they don’t read the newsletter, forget about capturing them as customers. Keep it short, informative and helpful. Unless your contact list consists solely of employeesก mothers, subscribers don’t want to read company press releases, long sales copy, or big clumps of text announcing your good fortune. What they want are quick tips that will increase their bottom line or at least make life easier.

#2 Make it interactive

Readers love to share their opinions. Give them an opportunity. At its best, a newsletter begins an ongoing dialogue between you and your customers and potential customers. Ask them to submit stories. Get them to take part in a survey. Make it about something that will help them in their business and then share the results. Soon, youกll see a community forming with your business at the center.

#3 Advertise your business

While the stories in your newsletter should help your readers, fill other areas with advertisements about your services. Use creative links and copy to drive traffic to your site and to forms where you collect contact information. Between meatier stories try a short two or threeline ad that will get people to explore your services further. Advertise white papers, live demos, webinars, and free consultations anything that will put them in contact with sales.

#4 Offer incentives

If you want people to forward your newsletter to colleagues or give referrals, offer something in return. Prepare a number of different white papers and offer them at different points in the subscription cycle. When someone subscribes to the newsletter, give them a white paper. If they forward the newsletter, offer another. If that forward results in a subscriber, send a thank you note and, if possible, something of valuebe creative. And make sure the newsletter promotes your offline referral programs.

#5 Measure results

Don’t forget the importance of tracking the results of your enewsletters. You have to know whoกs opening it and whoกs not, as well as what they’re clicking on. If your readers are a good representation of your customer pool, youกll know what your customers care aboutand what holds no interest. Share results with the sales team and base subsequent sales initiatives and customer contacts on the results.

For more information on how to make email newsletters increase sales, visit: www.pjwritinggroup.com/newsletters.htm

About The Author

Paul Nastu owns PJ Writing Group LLC, a marketing communications company that provides email newsletter services to clients that range from Fortune 50 companies to startups in search of a unique identity, voice, and message. Call 970.229.9487 or visit www.pjwritinggroup.com.

This article was posted on February 24

by Paul Nastu

Five Great News Stories You’re Sitting On Right No

Five Great News Stories You’re Sitting On Right Now

by: George Hopkin

Smaller companies don’t always have the budget or inclination to retain a PR hotshot to tell the world about their business success, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a ready source of news.

The problem is it’s often dull news which is ignored by all except the industry press and quite rightly so in most cases. If you land a contract, you issue a press release. If you take on a new senior sales rep, you issue a press release. Attending an exhibition? Press release, natch. These are simply announcements that you are doing what you do, that it’s business as usual.

With a little lateral thinking, however, you could be issuing press releases throughout the year which present topics and subjects that’ll have editors from all disciplines chasing you for the full story. Below I’ve presented just five brainstormers to get the creative juices flowing.

• Your Survey Says…

Even though I know nothing about your company, the odds are that you have the time and resources to carry out a survey which could get you some coverage if it’s implemented and reported properly.

Concentrate on your niche, whether that’s your industry or expertise. Keep it relatively simple, but ensure the final results have the potential to grab headlines. For example, if you’re a butcher, you could ask 100 people if they would give up bacon if their partner issued an ultimatum. ‘4 Out of 10 Choose Bacon Over Marriage’ is going to get an editor’s attention!

But be honest about your methodology. If you’ve simply polled a handful of your colleagues, don’t try to pass it off as a sixmonth research project.

Some journalists won’t touch a survey story with a barge poll unless it’s been carried out with the kind of planning that goes into a Nasa shuttle launch, but others might find it useful, particularly if it’s a fun subject and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

• Your Opinion Counts

Surf the major news sites try Google News for starters:

http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&gl=us

Ask yourself what you or your boss would have to say about the main news stories of the day. Or perhaps a current event impacts directly on your industry. Pretty soon you’re going to have a story to tell.

A property solicitor in Scotland did this and the resulting story is great here’s the intro:

ขScottish property solicitor criticises Gordon Brownกs tax Uturn.

A leading Scottish property solicitor has criticised Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown’s decision to abolish without notice the exemption for deprived areas from Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), saying that the measure would have an adverse impact upon the commercial property market in Scotland.ข

Full story: http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/542005cp.shtml

• Your Opinion Counts 2 Straight to the Editor’s Desk

While serving as editor of business magazines in the past, there have been times when PR companies have contacted me following publication with some kind of gripe regarding coverage of their company or client.

Disgruntled PR people are often being beaten hard with large sticks by CEOs and senior management who just don’t ‘get media’, so their persistence is somewhat understandable.

But 9.98 times out of 10 the PR exec is simply not going to get what they want some kind of fullpage, frontcover apology and glowing testimonial signed by the publisher himself printed with a photo of the editor’s public execution.

Every time I let them down I did say: ขWrite in we’re always keen to receive letters to the editor.ข I’d guess one in 20 actually went ahead and did so, but you know what? If every one of them wrote in I would almost certainly have printed them all. Good editors embrace transparency if you disagree with them or their reporters they’re likely to print your letter.

• Happy Birthday

At the very most you’re 364 days away from some company milestone and if you put your mind to it you may find a few anniversaries just around the corner.

Don’t limit yourself to the xx years since the company was launched, how about the anniversary of the company’s first profit, a look back at the day the company took on its 10th employee, or the date a key contract was secured.

Then tell the tale of how your company has developed since this date. Be sure to include some drama, the good times and the bad, and plenty of meaty quotes from the most senior talking heads.

• Make a Date

Hunt for an angle based on some future date that is covered in one way or another by local and national press.

Browse some of these major online almanacs for inspiration:

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory/

http://www.scopesys.com/anyday/

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/archive.html

What you’re doing here is following the Happy Birthday strategy, but looking for external hooks on which to hang your news release.

Local newspapers in particular like to keep an eye on the calendar, so if you can provide your neighbourhood newspaper with a story, photo opportunity or news release and photo package related to a particular event, celebration or holiday, you could get some great quality local coverage.

• Only Five?

Trawl the internet for reasons to write a press release and you’ll come up with dozens of lists. Some of them provide 30 plus reasons to issue a release, but the vast majority of them require you to have ขdone somethingข. They are reactive reasons, rather than proactive.

The reasons given above can be put into action today you don’t have to wait to secure a new contract or make a highlevel appointment to get ink.

You might not have known you were sitting on those news stories, but there’s no time like the present to tip off the press that you have them.

Copyright © 2005 George Hopkin

About The Author

George Hopkin is a freelance journalist and CEO of ClickPress (http://www.clickpress.com), a free press release distribution service which distributes content to some of the world’s most influential news and web search engines. ClickPress is a property of Pressventures, a provider of free and feebased services to PR professionals.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. If it is to be delivered via email it must be to your own optin list only. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 04

by George Hopkin

The Truth About MultiLevel Marketing

The Truth About MultiLevel Marketing

by: Dean Phillips

I know Iกm going to ruffle a few feathers with this article, so let me just say right now that all MLM marketing (AKA network marketing) companies are not scams. Obviously, there are some good, reputable companies out there.

However, there are so many bad ones that Iกm compelled to lump the entire industry together. If you’re thinking about getting involved with MLM, my advice would be, DON’t!

However, if you’re bound and determined to test the waters, then, please take this one bit of adice: Before getting involved with any MLM company, investigate, investigate and then, investigate some more. Don’t believe and get caught up in the hype.

Ahhhh yes, the hype! After you attend a MLM rally, you and your MLM colleagues are as fired up as a pack of hungry dingoกs, ready to jump through burning hoops and run through concrete walls! And then reality sets in. You’re buying all of these products, but you’re really not selling a whole lot.

In fact, other than the products you sold to a few family friends and coworkers, you really don’t have a lot to show for all of your efforts, now do you?

Thatกs why Iกm so against MLM. Because itกs simply not for the average person. And letกs be honest here, most people are average. And unless you have outstanding sales ability and/or people skills, you’re simply not going to make any money with MLM.

In additon, the market is so completely oversaturated, most of the time, youกll find that the people you’re trying to sell to are other distributors, and if you’re all trying to sell products to each other, that ultimately means nobody is making any money!

Well, somebody is. A handful of super salespeople way, way up there up at the tippy top of your upline! If you listen closely, you can hear them all saying in unison กKAChing!ก Want to borrow my binoculars, so that you can see them?

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: [email protected]

Make Money Online! Internet marketing expert, Dean Phillips will help you make money online, starting today…Guaranteed! For details just visit my website.

Website: http://www.letsmakemoney.net

This article was posted on October 02, 2004

by Dean Phillips