A Quick and Simple Tip for Gaining Customers

A Quick and Simple Tip for Gaining Customers

by: V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D.

In the course of my career, I’ve had to deal with a lot of vendors—software companies, sensor manufacturers, electronics distributors and more. Some of them have left lasting impressions on me, whereas others have been eminently forgettable. I’d like to talk about two of the more memorable vendors, and the simple technique that they used (perhaps unknowingly) which made them stand out in my memory.

As my byline shows, I have the letters ขPh.D.ข after my name; however, I seldom use that title, except in my various writings and official correspondence. For professional reasons, I do have these initials on my business cards and my email signature; however, I never expect people to call me ขDoctor,ข and if they do, I almost invariably insist that they call me by my first name instead. For most of my daily affairs, this title simply isn’t very important.

Most salespeople don’t mention this title either, which suits me just fine; after all, I’ve always been a fairly informal fellow. On two occasions though, a vendor actually took notice of my degree, and chose to address me using the ขDoctorข honorific. Even though I normally eschew that title, this was still a pleasant surprise. It was nice to see a prospective vendor take notice of such details, however unnecessary they may be.

Any good salesman knows that building rapport and making yourself pleasantly memorable are key elements in developing customer loyalty. This simple, trivial act made these particular salesmen stand out prominently in my memory, and in a pleasant way. I’m almost ashamed to admit this, but I found that I almost wanted to send these people some of my business—perhaps because such deference is noticeably rare.

This simple tactic can be especially helpful when dealing with prospective customers of foreign descent. Remember that some cultures are more titleconscious than American society is. The failure to mention this title may prove offensive to some of these individuals—or at the very least, it may suggest a lack of attentiveness. Better to err on the side of caution, I would say.

This simple technique is exceedingly trivial to use, requiring no additional investment of time or effort. At the very least, it can be one way to make yourself stand out from the crowd of other vendors who are vying for someone’s attention. So why not try it? It costs nothing, it can’t possibly hurt, and it may just land you some new customers.

About The Author

V. Berba Velasco Jr. is a senior electrical and software engineer at Cellular Technology Ltd (http://www.immunospot.com, http://www.elispotanalyzers.de, http://www.elispot.cn) a biotechnology company with its headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.

This article was posted on November 04, 2004

by V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D.

Why You Need To Buy and Sell Gold Coins (Part 5)

Why You Need To Buy and Sell Gold Coins (Part 5)

by: Steve Renner

Grading coins

The condition of a coin is commonly summarized by a grade. Because the value of collectible coins often varies dramatically with grade and overly generous grading is not uncommon, reasonable grading proficiency is an important skill for collectors. The material presented here is intended only as an introduction to the subject. Grading is a skill that can only be developed over time through referrals to grading guides, consultation with experienced collectors and dealers, and lots of practice.

Published standards set objective criteria for grading, yet some amount of subjectivity is inevitable even expert graders will often assign slightly different grades to the same coin. While you can often ask an experienced grader for an opinion, being able to make your own reasonable assessment of grade is your best protection.

An overview of American Numismatic Association standards follows. ANA standards are widely used in the U.S. but are not the only system used. Much of the rest of the world uses the grades Fair, Fine, Very Fine, Extremely Fine, Uncirculated and Fleurdecoin.

Numerals used in coin grades have been taken from the Sheldon scale (see Glossary).

Uncirculated Coins

Coins with no wear at all are referred to as uncirculated or in mint state (MS). Grades from MS60 to MS70 in one point increments are used for mint state coins. Criteria include luster; the number, size and location of contact marks; the number, size and location of any hairlines, and the quality of the strike and overall eye appeal..

An MS60 coin may have dull luster and numerous contact marks in prime focal areas, as long as there is no wear. To merit MS65, a coin should have brilliant cartwheel luster (attractive toning is permissible), at most a few inconspicuous contact marks, no hairlines, and nearly complete striking details. Grades from MS61 to MS64 cover intermediate parts of this range. Truly exceptional coins may be graded MS66, MS67 or, if absolutely flawless, as high as the theoretical maximum of MS70. Many numismatists consider MS70 to be an unobtainable ideal.

Terms such as brilliant uncirculated (BU), choice BU, gem BU, select BU and premium BU are still used in lieu of numerical grades by some dealers, auctioneers and others. Correlations between these terms and the numeric MS grades are difficult at best, because of inconsistent usage and in some cases overgrading.

Market values for many uncirculated coins vary dramatically from one grade to the next. Remember that whether a coin is described with a numerical or an adjectival grade, itกs only someoneกs opinion. Until you are comfortable with your ability to grade uncirculated coins, make liberal use of other opinions, such as those available with slabbed coins or from experienced collectors and dealers you trust, or concentrate on circulated coins.

Circulated Coins

For circulated coins the grade is primarily an indication of how much wear has occurred and generally does not take into account the presence or absence of dings, scratches, toning, dirt and other foreign substances (though such information may also be noted).

ANA grading standards recognize 11 grades for circulated coins (listed here with brief, generic descriptions):

AU58, very choice about uncirculated: just traces of wear on a coin with nearly full luster and no major detracting contact marks

AU55, choice about uncirculated: small traces of wear visible on the highest points

AU50, about uncirculated: very light wear on the highest points; still has at least half of the original mint luster

EF45 or XF45, choice extremely fine: all design details are sharp; some mint luster remains, though perhaps only in กprotected areasก

EF40 or XF40, extremely fine: slightly more wear than a ก45ก; traces of mint luster may show

VF30, choice very fine: light even wear on high points, all lettering and design details are sharp

VF20, very fine: most details are still well defined; high points are smooth

F12, fine: major elements are still clear but details are worn away

VG8, very good: major design elements, letters and numerals are worn but clear

G4, good: major design elements are outlined but details are gone; for some series the date may not be sharp and the rim may not be complete.

AG3, about good: heavily worn; date may be barely discernable While coins more worn than AG are rarely collected, two additional grades are nevertheless used to characterize them:

F2, fair very heavily worn; major portions may be completely smooth

P1, poor, filler or cull barely recognizable While not included in the ANA standards, intermediate grades like AU53, VF35, F15 and G6 are used by some dealers and grading services. When a grader believes a coin is better than the minimum requirements but not nice enough for the next higher grade ก+ก or กPQก may be included (e.g. MS64PQ or VG+) or a range may be given (e.g. FVF).

Split Grades

When there are significant differences between the obverse and reverse sides, a split grade may be assigned. Split grades are denoted with a ก/ก. For example, กF/VFก means that the obverse is F and the reverse is VF.

The overall grade is often determined by the obverse. An intermediate value may be appropriate when the difference is significant, especially if the reverse is lower. A coin graded MS60/61 would be considered to have an overall grade of MS60, and another at MS65/63 could be considered to have an overall grade of MS64.

About The Author

Steve is the ceo of cashgcardsgoldlynks rare/gold coin club he was the best isp in 1997 check out his about us page at http://goldlynks.tripod.com this article is free for distribution

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 21

by Steve Renner

Is Reciprocal Linking Dead?

Is Reciprocal Linking Dead?

by: Tom Henricks

Is reciprocal Linking dead?

I just read an article at SitePro News that really rings my bell.

It was written by Mike Banks Valentine. Obviously being a very successful webmaster, one must pay attention to his words and his most recent article really mirrors my thoughts.

Having just completed constructing a new website for my personal use, I have been looking for optimization improvements.

The current rage is ขreciprocal linkingข so I went about searching for some reciprocal links. To my dismay I discovered websites that contained lists of links in directories that appear nearly useless as far as pointing potential customers to my site. I completed arrangements for link swaps with a few, only to go back and find it impossible to find my link.

Caught up in the frenzy, I had begun to get drawn in to this game. Then I took a step backward. This craziness can’t be adding anything of value to any of these websites. Should I participate anymore? I think not.

However it was reading Mike’s words this morning that brought home the point that was nagging away at me and sitting in some little corner of my head.

This can’t be a good thing and it can’t hold up as a relevant marker for search engine ranking. What I am seeing is just too ridiculous.

I am an amateur webmaster by world standards but I don’t like to be a ขgimmick man.ข I would really like my website to stand on it’s own two feet and have it judged by what you are reading. This links thing appeared to be a farce to me. I’m not into a bunch of ขflashข and I won’t rely on gimmicks.

Does that mean my website will never make it?

I don’t think so. I will work on the important things and pay attention to the credible things. Mike’s efforts and words will stand the test of time. I am sure of that. Gimmicks will come and go. I may not be making the best of what seems like ขthe magic bullet’ but I will work to improve the aspects that will stand the test of time.

Does that mean it will take longer to rank well?

Maybe, but once it gets there, it shouldn’t quickly go away simply because some gimmick that I utilized has been banished. It should stand the test of time!

Will I take more pride in my accomplishment?

Definitely yes. I realize that in this day and age of competition that ขprideข may not be a factor. It is all about money and ขdo it fastข. I still believe there is a place for pride. And to repeat Mike’s words ขput some content in your websiteข. I bet it will bring more return viewers to your site. If they have found something of value, they will return to it.

Let’s get it back to Pride and Quality.

Let your investment Stand the test of time!

Tom Henricks

About The Author

Tom Henricks is a small website publisher and also a licenced fishing guide in Ontario Canada.

[email protected]

This article was posted on October 13, 2003

by Tom Henricks

Simple Business Tactics Are Your Key To Success

Simple Business Tactics Are Your Key To Success

by: Cathy Qazalbash

In a world full of complications sometimes we overlook the simple things in life. We are so busy trying to work out our twisted problems that we miss out on the simple secrets to success. The same can be said of our businesses. We get caught up in endless problems when all we really need to do is to step back and see the simple alternatives, that will lead us to success. Sometimes we need to think with the simplicity of a child.
Not so long ago, Summer holidays (vacation) in the USA meant the rebirth of the Lemonade Empire. Enterprising children of about 10 years and up set up their lemonade stands and earned themselves some holiday money. A note to all who do not live in the USA, school children in USA have a 3 month vacation in the summer, allowing them a great deal of free time. This was before the year round schools that have tried to cut down the long summer vacation. The Lemonade era was in full swing in these ขgood old days.ข
The Lemonade King/Queen, who would earn the most money by the end of the vacation, depended on individual factors. Being children they did not have any complicated ขthink tanksก or secret board meetings, they relied on simple business skills and techniques. Let me explain with these few points.
There was a need/market: Hot thirsty people, (most of the USA has hot Summers) A proven hot selling product: Cold Lemonade is the ultimate drink for a hot Summer day. Cheap premises, simple set up and low overhead: A stand with supplies at the curb( side of the road) would not be too expensive.
However there was hot competition, many children on vacation, and this is where simple business tactics came into play. Just 3 examples:
The Price War:
One child was selling Lemonade for 10c Another for 15c A third for 25c
All had simple stands with a white board saying Lemonade 10c/15c/25c. They had stands that stood alone, with no related service.
Location:
Each Lemonade Stand owner vied for the best traffic location, some got lucky others not. All fair in the Lemonade game. Then came:
The Ultimate Marketer: A small girl was selling lemonade for 30c and she was the talk of the neighborhood. She was selling more and charging more, how could that be? Here were her simple secrets.
Her notice did not just say Lemonade 30c. It said ขFreshly Squeezed Lemonade, Made Just For Youข She greeted all her customers personally. She took obvious pride in her wares and stand. Her stand was simply and nicely decorated and spotlessly clean. However she did not stop here. She set up her stand next door to the most popular Hot Dog/snack stand. This vender was well known throughout the neighborhood for his great food and service. He had a great location near many offices on a busy street and he was not just seasonal he was there all year round so everybody knew him. He was the perfect compliment to the little girl’s lemonade stand. Plus he was a friendly fellow and always recommended his customers to have some delicious lemonade with their lunch/snacks. Of course she also returned the favor.
Now we can all learn from the simple business principles that made this small entrepreneur the talk of the town. To recap:
She had the market (thirsty people) The product: Great tasting lemonade She improved her ad copy, her notice was better than her competitors. She treated all her customers well, going out of her way to make them feel comfortable. Added value. Happy customers=repeat customers, good service = word of mouth marketing, a very powerful form of promotion. A clean, attractive and professional stand attracted more customers. Her strong link with a large popular seller helped her to sell more. Because of all these factors and the added value of customer service she could charge premium price.
All these simple business tactics can be applied to your business and not only help you get ahead of the competition but make more money with less fuss. No need for, time consuming think tanks, and board meetings. These simple principles are right under our noses, we just have to apply them. Think with the simplicity of a child and your business will run more smoothly, be more efficient, and ultimately make you more money.

About The Author

Cathy Qazalbash is the Publisher of A1Newsletter

A free newsletter for start up businesses

Helping all who are determined to succeed

She is also a freelance writer/copywriter

http://a1newsletters.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on July 14, 2004

by Cathy Qazalbash

Business Card Design How to Stand out and Get No

Business Card Design How to Stand out and Get Noticed

by: Jack Bastide

One of the most powerful, yet over looked weapons in your marketing arsenal is your business card. If designed properly this little 3 x 2.5 piece of paper will not only let people know how to contact you it will also tell them why they should contact you. In order to be effective and get you more Business your business card must stand out, and get noticed.
How a distinctive business card resulted in a $5,000 Sale
A friend of mine and his wife recently went furniture shopping. By the end of the day they had gone to 8 stores and had 8 Business cards. 7 of the Business Cards were your garden variety white cards with one or two color writing on them.
One card was a little different. The salesman, we will call him Bob, had decided to make his card stand out a little by putting his picture on it along with a couple of color pictures of his furniture. Bob’s business card made an immediate impression.
The next day they flipped through the all the business cards that they had received the previous day. They immediately remembered Bob from his business card. They went to Bob’s store and spent over $5,000 All because of a business card!
5 Tips to make your Business Card Stand out
1 Use Full Color Printing
In the old days full color printing (4 color printing) was extremely expensive. You could pay over $200 /1000 for high quality full color cards. Prices have dropped and you can now get beautiful full color cards printed for about the same price as a plain two color card.
2 Use a Tagline
A ขtaglineข is a one sentence benefit statement. Think of your Business card as a ขMini Billboardข. Pretend that you are writing a classified ad for a newspaper. You only have a small amount of space to describe your product or service in an intriguing way … what would you write to describe it?
For example: A Realtor could say ขHelping Build dreams one home at a timeข
3 Put a picture on it!
I highly recommend that you put a picture on your business card. Studies have shown that people are more likely to hold on to a Business card with a photo on it. It could be your picture, a picture of your product, or a combination of both. Picture cards get attention!
4 Don’t use Business Card ขTemplatesข
There are websites you can go to online where you can choose from premade business card designs called templates. The problem with this is that the more people who use these templates the more you card starts to look like everybody else’s. You want to have a business card that stands out from everybody else’s, not one that gets lost in the crowd.
5 Let a Professional Design It
Unless you are a professional graphic designer designing your own card is like performing root canal on yourself. Its going to take a lot of time and you may not be happy with the results. Leave the designing to the professionals and use you time doing what you do best … selling your product or service!
Copyright © 2005 Jack Bastide All rights Reserved

About The Author

Jack Bastide specializes in helping you get more business! You can contact him via his web site http://www.JackBastide.com or call him at 80059JACKB Register to win a Free Business Card Makeover at http://www.BusinessCardMakeover.com For more free marketing tips and tools visit http://www.JacksWebTips.com.

This article was posted on March 09

by Jack Bastide

AttentionGrabbing Fixes that Make Your Yellow Pag

AttentionGrabbing Fixes that Make Your Yellow Page Ad Leap Off the Page

by: Dr. Lynella Grant

Stand Out in Ways that Matter to Directory Users A Yellow Page directory presents a difficult challenge for advertisers. All the competitors are packed together, within the space of a few pages. Each ad within the directory category screams กNotice me!ก so insistently, they blend into an muffled chorus. Itกs not easy for one to stand out with a clear, distinctive voice like a soloist above the choir. That only happens when the business is clear about expressing its unique กsong,ก and understands what buyers most want to hear.

It isn’t surprising that most Yellow Page ads say pretty much the same thing. They were all prepared by the same directory employees. What do they know about marketing? About copywriting? About whatกs unique and desirable about your enterprise?

The people making the ads กgrind them out,ก using the same templates and guidelines for every ad, in every category. Originality isn’t in their job description. Following the formulas for how an ad กshould lookก is a formula for being ignored.

These quick fixes cut away the bland sameness afflicting most ads. Disregard for now the related issues like the adกs size and placement. Such factors just amplify (or diminish) an adกs impact. A poor ad is still a poor ad, even if itกs very large. Coupled with finetuned copy (its own topic), these fixes will improve the impact of any size of ad, for any directory heading.

Try these Quick and Easy Fixes You don’t have to be a designer or copywriter to make your ad stand out. You just have to understand your customersก unstated wants, so you supply precisely the information that they’re looking for. And you need to know how you’re different than your competitors. Set yourself apart, so you don’t fade into the background, as most ads do.

1. Shrink the business name. That is NOT the most important part of the ad in the readerกs mind. And it crowds out the space for information that that could sell them on you. Once you can get them to want you, theyกll be able to find your name and contact information OK.

2. Ditto, shrink the graphics. They may be helpful to catch the eye initially, but add nothing to what directory users want to know. Images often distract from the adกs message, wasting its moment of attention on trivialities.

3. Provide a headline that hooks the readersก interest (the category or business name isn’t one, but most ads act like it is). A strong, emotionallycharged headline pulls attention into the rest of the information. It makes people stop skimming and actually read. Provide a promise that hits their hot button in a way that applies only to you (but not every other competitor in the category)

4. Make the location easy to find. Half of all directory users scan ads for the business location first, and then only consider those ads which are convenient. Location of the enterprise overrides an adกs size or placement in the directory.

5. Display your expertise, along with a reason for buyers to seek out your specialized knowledge. Offer a booklet, class, indepth information on your Web site, etc. This also establishes your credibility in customersก eyes, which is crucial to building sufficient trust to complete a purchase.

6. Buyers are hunting for information that can assist in making a purchase. When they open the directory, they’re hoping to find a business that in some way communicates, กIกm the one you’re looking for.ก Make it easy for them to know itกs you, by giving ample information directed at their concerns. Organize it in bulleted lists.

7. Add your Web site address (domain name) and/or email address. Treat your Web site as a place to expand the size of your Yellow Page ad. Then state a reason why a person wants to check your site: www.mysite.com for 23 simple ways to keep your dog from overeating Or www.myrestaurant.com for recipes to our awardwinning desserts.

8. Arrange it all so the information flows logically, and to please the eye.

9. Eliminate images or phrases that appear in the other ads. Find a different, more interesting way to express it.

10. Don’t let the directory do your ad for free. It will end up costing you too much.

The Ideal Yellow Page Ad The very best ad is the intersection between what a buyer is looking for, and what a business provides. When a business is attuned to its customersก priorities and needs, it can say exactly what rings their bell. For example, a harried mother will respond with relief to the phrase, กFree Childcare Provided.ก That service carries no weight with a business person, who may consider กNo extra charge for weekend service callsก the clincher.

What really makes an ad stand out is the specifics, not the generalities (which is what every other ad says). Visit www.yellowpagesage.com for advice from many experts about getting more mileage from your ad. Or obtain a customized critique of your ad, that eliminates the guesswork about what needs fixing.

Directory users are ready to buy. Simplify their lives by making your products and services so กjust rightก that choosing you is their only sensible choice.

About The Author

Dr. Lynella Grant, an expert in visual communication. How printed materials send signals that strengthen or undo the words. Author, The Business Card Book & Yellow Page Smarts http://www.yellowpagesage.com Off the Page Press (719) 3959450

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 07, 2004

by Dr. Lynella Grant

SVG and Flash as the Same Species

SVG and Flash as the Same Species

by: Maricon Williams

We can name several technologies for displaying 2D interactive vector graphics on the web however, two names rises among other contenders. These are the Macromedia’s Shock Wave Flash (SWF) and the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). Unlike Flash SVG is not for sale.

Adobeกs SVG browser plugin has achieved barely around 10% penetration, compared to Macromediaกs 90% for the Flash plugin. Flash has already established an outstanding standard nevertheless, this did not make SVG an inferior technology.

In the past Flash was considered a defacto standard under control of one single vendor. For this reason, W3C proposed a recommendation to achieve standardized 2D interactive vector graphics on the web. This resulted to the birth of SVG. Its first version was Recommendation 1.0 which was introduced in 2001. The current version though is 1.1 which was released on January 2003.

Some people asserts that SVG is as powerful as Flash. Some say it is superior. But still there are others who think it’s the other way around. Which is which really?! To help you decide here are some vital facts:

Use Flash in the following instances:

You must use Flash if you want to make a Flashlike website. To replicate it using SVG is hard to do.

If you want to create complex animations or games you can use any of the two. However, you must be aware that SVG’s builtin SMIL animation engine is very processor exhaustive. Conversely, good results can be achieved using JavaScript animations.

If your users are not that computer literate like for example children for a children’s site or a site appealing to a broad audience, you must use Flash.

SVG supports sound. Nonetheless, if sound involves important intricate details, use Flash.

Use Flash if you prefer WYSIWYG to script.

SVG is advantageous in the following instances:

Use SVG if your task is fully scriptable. You can try DOM1 (part DOM2) interface and JavaScript. It means that you can build your empty SVG image using JavaScript.

SVG can effortlessly be created by ASP, PHP, Perl and extracted from a database. Be cautious though in setting mimetypes on the server.

It is XML meaning it can be read by anything that can read XML. Flash can use XML but it has to be converted first.

You need not apply Flash’s actionscript because SVG does not code per browser. It has a builtin ECMAscript engine.

SVG runs on IE/NS4+NS6/Mozilla and on PC/MAC/Linux.

SVG can be transformed through an XSLT stylesheet or parser. It also supports standard CSS1 stylesheets.

Texts used remains selectable and searchable. Graphic กobjectsก can be grouped, styled, transformed or composited and embedded text can be searched or indexed.

Features of the specification include nested transformations, clipping paths, alpha masks, filter effects, template objects and, of course, extensibility

You need not buy Flash since only texteditor is needed to create SVG.

By now, I know you already have a choice. Take your pick and enjoy the features of your chosen technology!

About The Author

Maricon Williams

Book reading has always been her greatest passion mysteries, horrors, psychothrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid.

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

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 01

by Maricon Williams

How to Be Appropriately Pushy

How to Be Appropriately Pushy

by: Suzanne FalterBarns

One of the things thatกs often hard to know is how and when to be pushy appropriately. In these hardscrabble times, perfectly polite people don’t stand much of a chance of getting what they want. However, not enough can be said for making yourself known in a decent and unobnoxious manner. The key is to use your intuition and your brain, both at the same time, and pray for a little luck.
When Lazaro Hernandez was a fashion student at Parsonกs School of Design in New York, he had a chance encounter in an airport with Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue Magazine. In fact, she was getting on his airplane. Lazaro wasn’t so sure he had the nerve to approach, but one hour into the flight, he could stand it no longer.
Lazaro wrote a humble note on an airsick bag, which explained that he was a fashion student who would soon be looking for an internship. He noted that she probably got requests like this all the time, but wondered if perhaps someone had given her a chance at the beginning of her career. He also wrote that he knew she had the power to help him. Then, trembling, he approached.
Lazaro stood before Ms. Wintourกs seated figure, and said her name. No answer. He repeated her name several times. No answer. He even crossed the uncrossable boundary and touched her arm. Still no reply. Finally, he left his plea under her martini glass and crept back to his seat. Several months later, he received a call from a major designer whoกd gotten Lazaroกs letter from Ms. Wintour with instructions that it was not to be ignored. A subsequent interview proved that he had talent, and Lazaro was hired for his first internship.
Lazaro not only had great luck to get on an airplane with the most powerful woman in the fashion industry, he had the savvy to make use of the opportunity. He was ready when his break came with a portfolio of samples heกd worked hard on, making it the best it could be. Then he did the most important thing of all: he sent Ms. Wintour a thank you note, which prompted a fax from the woman herself saying she was glad it all worked out.
This to me is a fine example of wellhandled pushiness, in that Lazaro used the opportunity as much as he could, but then was completely respectful and gracious. It is also evidence that a letter works, especially when delivered under unique circumstances. Designer Michael Kors was a store clerk, he sold Calvin Klein a ski jacket, and stuffed his design sketches into the sleeve as the jacket was en route to delivery. A documentary film director I know who needed a quote from a famous director to help her get grants pulled a similar coup. She found out where Woody Allen lived, then had a copy of her latest film delivered to his door with a handwritten note requesting a favorable comment. He obliged.
Everyone has to start somewhere, even the rich and famous. So if you can approach politely, preferably through some other means than the front office, your efforts will probably not be seen as pushy but as what one does to get a break.
Part of the reason this works is the honesty involved. You are telling them what you need up front. So this is very different than talking up a potential contact at a cocktail party with the sole agenda of having them look at your work, or hanging out a health club frequented by a certain star so you can add them to your list of influential friends. Those would be considered inappropriate ‘covert agenda’ moves that are really looked down upon by the rich and powerful.
Too often we assume that the way to approach an industry or a leader is from the bottom, worming your way up through the ranks. A much more effective approach is just to go straight to the top, where you very well may connect with the person who can make everything happen for you. This is why letters are such a good tool for approaching these people. They can read it in their own time, they’re not too obtrusive, and if wellwritten and delivered in a subtle but attentiongetting way, they can work wonders.
Important people, just like the rest of us, do not like to be used. On the other hand, most people do like to be helpful, and a direct request can be amazingly effective.
©2004 Suzanne FalterBarns. Reprint permission available.

Apply to [email protected]

About The Author

Suzanne FalterBarns is a former media insider who has published articles in Fitness, Self, More, Real Woman, Hers, Woman’s World, Cosmo Girl, The New York Times, as well as a column in New Age Journal. Her websites and books have been featured in The Christian Science Monitor, Self, Woman’s Day, Woman’s World, Time Out New York, iVillage, Cybergrrl, and more than 100 radio and television shows. She used her platform as a creativity expert to land a two book, six figure deal with the world’s largest publisher, and so is the author of How Much Joy Can You Stand? and Living Your Joy (www.howmuchjoy.com). Suzanne has also trained more than 200 people in 27 different countries how to lead workshops with her How Much Joy Can You Stand? Facilitator’s Training, which puts anyone in touch with their own creativity. She also teaches people how to publish self help (www.selfhelpsalon.com).

[email protected]

This article was posted on July 28, 2004

by Suzanne FalterBarns

How To Get Your Email To Stand Out From All The Ju

How To Get Your Email To Stand Out From All The Junk

by: David Coyne

We know that email marketing is a cheap method to reach our customers, prospects and subscribers. However, the increasing amount of unsolicited commercial email is clogging up the inboxes of everyone.

So how do you improve the chances of making your email stand out from junk mail? (And I’m assuming you’re not sending out unsolicited email. If you are, shame on you.)

First, you want to make it easy for your subscriber or prospect to quickly identify that it’s from someone they know ขyou.ข

Make sure that your ขFromข line uses your full name rather than something generic like ขWebmaster.ข You want to burn your name into your prospect’s mind. A webmaster could be anyone.

Never use ALL CAPS in your subject line

Don’t use an exclamation mark ข!ข either.

Use the same phrase repeatedly in the subject line whenever you send an email. For example, in my ezine, I use my initials DC in the subject line: ขDC Web Success Ezine.ข So if you’re creating an ezine make sure you use the title consistently.

Put your prospect or subscriber’s name in the subject line, e.g. ขSusan, Get This Special Report.ข (This is easy to do if you use an autoresponder. Get one at http://www.GetResponse.com

Spend time on creating an attention grabbing subject line that will entice the reader to open the email, it’s as an important as creating a headline for an ad. But be careful not to use words (such as Free) that could target your email by antispam software.

Write two or three compelling subject lines. Then divide up your ขOpt inข mailing list and test to see which subject line gets the most response or clickthroughs.

Apply these techniques and you stand a much better chance of having your email read, not sent to the prospect’s ขtrashข folder.

About The Author

Dave Coyne is a copywriter, marketing consultant and president of DC Infobiz. Get his FREE REPORT ขStart A High Income, Low Risk Home Business And Never Create A Product, Write An Ad or Talk To Anyone.ข Send an email with REF006 in subject line to [email protected]

This article was posted on March 12, 2003

by David Coyne

How to Work with Light and Dark Edges in Photoshop

How to Work with Light and Dark Edges in Photoshop

by: Lala C. Ballatan

Want your images to have effects that’ll make it stand out more and show up well on every background tones? With Photoshop, you could achieve these effects for your images by its features that work on light and dark edges. These allow you to work on bringing out the best edges of your image – lighten or darken it, anyway you please to match on background tones and make it stand out more.

Through highlighting edges of your photo, you also highlight its details. The method of unsharp mask and others like the difference of Gaussians increase the change in brightness close to each step. This technique’s standard version adds a bright halo along the bright edge of the step and a dark halo along the dark edge. Depending on what effect you’d like for your image, there are advantages in just using one or the other. Using both may not do very much to improve your image, though.

There are several advantages of using any of the effects for the edges on real images. One is that it reduces interference between steps or detail and the haloes from other, nearby steps. Another thing, the light or dark haloes make other features of the image stand out better from the background.

Start doing this effect on your images using Photoshop by following several procedures:

1st step is duplicate the layer holding the image

2nd step apply the conventional unsharp mask

3rd step set the layer blending mode to ขDarkenข or ขLightenข.

However, you must understand that this only works for 8 bit per channel images – those that can be put into layers but it could function also on 16 bit per channel pictures with Optipix plugin that allows direct selection of dark or light edges.

If you are not sure about which edge halo to use, there are general rules regarding such:

1. On light background tones, light edges don’t show up well and vice versa on dark ones.

2. The halo should lie on the background, not on the foreground. This technique helps the feature stand out without having to change its brightness values.

Sometimes the following rules are in conflict. It is necessary, then, to try several combinations to decide which is best. You can try both edges, light edges only, dark edges only. You can experiment since different regions of your image may call for different answers.

As you experiment for the best results, you’ll come to know that using unsharp mask filter may drive you to add too much additional local contrast. Understand that though adding some local contrast can make a bland image turn into a good one, adding too much creates a disaster. Take care not to add too much and make the image appear more like caricatures than photos. Remember that what looks best on the computer screen may not be the same in print since the process somewhat compresses contrast and blurs detail.

About The Author

Lala C. Ballatan is a 26 yearold Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a nongovernment organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.

Book reading has always been her greatest passion mysteries, horrors, psychothrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid.

Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom – to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns imagined and observed, to bear witness.

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

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 11

by Lala C. Ballatan