From Metropolis To Main Street, Light Pole Banners Enjoy Increasing Popularity As Outdoor Promotion

When Hershey Park, an amusement park in Hershey, Pennsylvania, planned the celebration of their 100-year anniversary, they chose light pole banners, as part of the marketing mix. The town-wide celebration will include a re-dedication of the park, 100 days of music, entertainment and fireworks and the unveiling of a new attraction, the Boardwalk at Hershey Park.

"Over seventy pole banners are prominently displayed in the parking lots and on the kiss-shaped light poles that line Chocolate Avenue, the main thoroughfare through the community," according to Don Rhoads, Print Buyer, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. "We used two styles of banners: one style marks the 100-year anniversary of the Hershey's Kiss, and the other marks the 100-year anniversary of Hershey Park. This is the first time we have used pole banners along Chocolate Avenue, and we are quite pleased with the results."

In St. Louis, the advertising agency of Maring | Weissman developed a campaign for the Gateway Arch. In a departure from the usual practice of multiple pole banners that are all identical, the banners in this campaign highlight the different activities available inside the Arch and at nearby Arch venues including the Historic Old Courthouse and Riverboats.

Says Beth Marti-Maxwell, Production Manager, Maring | Weissman: "We designed different banner pairs highlighting all of the Arch attractions one can enjoy, including Riverboat rides, the Museum of Westward Expansion, movies, the museum gift shop, bicycle rentals, air tours, the Historic Old Courthouse and, of course, rides to the top of the Arch."

Banners were installed near the Historic Old Courthouse, on the Arch grounds and at the RV/bus parking lot near the Riverfront. Explains Marti-Maxwell: "When tourists visit, they may be unaware of all the activities available at the Arch. The banners not only increase awareness of visitors' options, they also improve the aesthetic appeal of the Arch grounds and surrounding area."

Design options for light pole banners are expanding too. "The old pole banners had a more graphical representation of the attractions," Marti-Maxwell says. "The new banners use photographic images, and we also incorporated a free-flowing flap at the bases of the signs, which gives them movement and adds visual interest."

Cultural institutions are not alone: From major metropolitan cities to small town America, municipalities are finding new and innovative ways to use pole banners. The small town of Petersburg, Virginia is a perfect example.

Says Joe Rauchi, Systems Administrator and Webmaster for the City of Petersburg: "We did a banner campaign for our downtown area three or four years ago featuring a graphic of the courthouse. Downtown businesses contributed to the cost in exchange for a listing on the pole banners. The campaign was not as successful as it could have been for a couple of reasons: first, the colors were too muted to read well from the street.

Second, there were too many banners---one on every single light pole---and the effect was cluttered. We learned from that experience. With this current campaign for the Jamestown Festival, the color palette is bolder and we only mounted banners at the corners. There are three banners per pole, angling out like the blades of a fan, so that there is a clear view of the banner regardless of which direction one approaches the intersection from," says Rauchi.

"After the Jamestown event is over, those pole banners will be replaced with seasonal banners, since the brackets are already in place. We are so pleased with the results that on my computer screen right now, I have designs for a pole banner campaign to signal the renovation of a municipal pool. We will also, of course, be doing pole banner campaigns to promote future events. The plan is to install series' of banner campaigns, all in the same format, with the same scalloped flap detail at the bottom, with the goal of creating a cohesive brand for the municipality and the downtown area in particular," concludes Rauchi.

Ferndale, Michigan had a different goal: Every year, Woodward, Michigan hosts the Woodward Dream Cruise, the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture, attracts more than 1 million visitors and more than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles. Cruisers and spectators travel up and down a 16-mile stretch of legendary Woodward Avenue through the nine communities of Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac and Royal Oak. The city of Ferndale wanted to capitalize on this exposure. An area in transition, and the next community in line in terms of gentrification, Ferndale uses pole banners as a means of promoting itself as a desirable place to live.

For Suzanne Lee of That Color, it was her company's first pole banner project. "We worked with Commerce Color, a grand and large format printer headquartered in St. Louis," says Lee. "The pole banners, which needed to be clearly visible from a long distance, were eight feet high. Our plotters are not big enough to print at that scale. Since it was my first project of the kind, we had Commerce do a sample for the client to approve. The quality was excellent and I am very pleased with how everything went," says Lee. "The pole banners, which were a vibrant blue, stood out for miles. It was a very good experience all the way around and I am prepared to do more."

Tom Croghan, Vice President, Sales / Marketing for Commerce Color, couldn't agree more. "We have seen a swell in our pole banner business in recent months," notes Croghan. "With their low cost, high impact, almost endless applications and expanding design options, it's safe to say this is an outdoor advertising trend that is here to stay."

Money Magnet

There is a simple technique you can use to start activating that Money Magnet inside you. I will start by briefly repeating a technique that was explained in a different article. It will be for the benefit of those who never read it. Then, I will present an alternative technique in case you have a subconscious barrier using the first method.

THE UNIVERSAL LAW OF ATTRACTION

In one of her books titled "The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity", Catherine Ponder stated something worth remembering, "The ungrateful never prospers''. According to the author, your ungrateful attitude is pushing abundance and prosperity away from you.

Do you take a few minutes every day to be grateful and thankful for all the good things you have in your life right now? Most likely, NO. You are probably too busy focusing on what is wrong in your life and bitterly complaining about it. You do not even begin to understand that, by NOT being grateful and thankful, you are becoming a REPELLENT to money, wealth and riches.

"How can that be?", you may ask. "What is really happening here? Why are gratitude and thankfulness mentioned by so many teachers, authors and lecturers?", you may be wondering.

The Law of Life is the Law of Belief, also known as the universal Law of Attraction. It simply states that "what you deeply believe will sooner or later materialize as your physical reality". In other words, you are creating your own reality through the beliefs you deeply hold in your Subconscious mind.

And as you keep resenting and FOCUSING on the things that you BELIEVE are wrong in your life, the universal Law of Attraction guarantees that you shall keep attracting more of the same. There is also another very little known law, the Subconscious Law of Multiplication and Expansion, which simply brings back to you multiplied whatever you FOCUS on and makes it expand into other areas of your life.

Now, it should be perfectly clear why 'The ungrateful never prospers". As these ungrateful individuals FOCUS mainly on what is wrong in their lives, they put into operation the universal Law of attraction, which keeps bringing them what they FOCUS on: the 'bad' stuff in their lives. And the Subconscious Law of Multiplication and Expansion makes those troubles, not only worse, but it makes those troubles expand into all the areas of their lives as well.

The persons who are thankful and grateful are FOCUSING their minds on what is good in their lives, on what is working alright. The universal Law of Attraction keeps bringing them more of what they FOCUS on: the 'good' stuff in their lives. And the Subconscious Law of Multiplication and Expansions takes care of multiplying and expanding those good results in all areas of their lives. BEING THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL makes this person a MONEY MAGNET as well as a magnet to many wonderful things and events being attracted to his life.

TECHNIQUE NUMBER ONE

Now, a simple technique to activate that MONEY MAGNET inside you is the following.
It was explained by the late Jack Ensign Addington in one of his books. It was given to a man who was desperate with an ever increasing pile of unpaid bills and angry creditors hunting him all over the place.

As you are in bed, ready to fall asleep, implant into your Subconscious mind the idea of abundance by simply repeating to yourself, over and over again, with feelings but without forcing, the sentence "I give thanks for the abundance that is mine". You may modify it to "I give thanks for the abundance, wealth and riches that are mine". Or even "I am a money magnet. I give thanks for the abundance of money flowing irresistibly to me". Use the one that feels most natural, the one you can accept the most easily. Fall asleep gently letting this truth sip deeper and deeper into the depths of your own Subconscious mind.

As you wake up in the morning, spend the first 5-10 minutes staying in bed with your eyes closed and again repeating over and over the same sentence.

Then, as you go through your day, STOP focusing on things that you consider to be detrimental and no good in your life. Instead, keep mentally repeating one or several of the statements above. The Laws of Attraction and the Law of Multiplication and Expansion will take care of everything else.

Now, who or what do you give thanks to? That is your choice. Give it to God, the Universe, Life, The Universal Mind, Infinite Intelligence within you, The Quantum Field, The Creative Force, the Creator or whoever/whatever you believe to be the SOURCE of that abundance you are attracting to you using the power of your Subconscious mind.

TECHNIQUE NUMBER TWO

Even though the first Method is simplicity itself, some may find subconscious barriers to its use.

These barriers may manifest themselves as objections arising from the mind when repeating the statements in Technique Number One.

These objections could be "Come on, what abundance, what wealth?". "Nonsense. You are drowning with unpaid bills", "You repel money", "You never have enough money". and many others.

Those objections will make the use of Technique Number One very ineffective.

Therefore, you will be using a different TACTIC to go around the resistance of your Subconscious.

Instead of giving thanks for the abundance, the wealth, the money that are coming your way and that you are a Money Magnet, you will start being thankful and grateful for anything you GENUINELY can be thankful for.

Examples:
Thank you for my great health and vitality.

Thank you for my great intelligence

Thank you for having a car

Thank you for having a roof over my head

Thank you for my parents, brothers, sisters, friends

Thank you because I have a job

Thank you because I have enough money to eat

Thank you for the wonderful lunch I had today

Thanks for my wonderful eyes (teeth, skin, etc.)

Make certain those are things you are GENUINELY thankful and grateful for. Keep following Technique Number Two for several days. You may even need a week. And then, SLOWLY and GRADUALLY, start ADDING the statements in technique Number One. Slowly, gradually I said.

What you did was to train your Subconscious to accept things that were going well in your life. And then, you started to SNEAK in a few of the statements in Technique Number One. And then, a bit more. And a bit more. Until a time where your Subconscious will start accepting those statements, they will be incorporated as part of your BELIEF system and the Law of Attraction will make you a Money Magnet and attract abundance, wealth, money into your life.

Practice these techniques for the next THIRTY (30) days and you will notice improvements in your life. These improvements will be gradual. They will get bigger and bigger, greater and greater as each day goes by. And you will be very happy you learned these very simple techniques.

How To Increase Your Online Sales Dramatically

Dear Friend,

People are always asking, "How can you help to increase my internet sales?" And all too often, when I ask them to tell me about their business models I discover they're selling only one product. So I ask them, "Have you ever considered selling backend products to your customers?"

Backend products are simply other products you can offer to your existing customers after they've made their initial purchase.In fact, by adding just one more product to your site, you can increase the lifetime value of your customers–and increase your revenue–by 30 to 50 percent.

For example, you can:

Offer products that complement your initial product. For instance, if you sell laptop, offer your customers a laptop bag to carry them in. Or you could Biometric USB Flash memory with FingerPrint recognition, SecuriKey USB Access Control for Mac & PC , ioRAID Encrypted External Firewire/USB 2 Combo Drive, ioRAID Standard Firewire / USB 2 Dual Interface External Hard Drives–the list is endless

2. Sell more of the same product at a discounted price. If your product is refillable or needs to be regularly replaced, this strategy works especially well. For example, if you sell things like printer cartridges or batteries, you've got it made. But even if your product isn't refillable, you can show your customers you appreciate them by offering them a special discount on the product they've already bought. That way, if they like the product, they can buy it as a gift for family and friends.

3. Use paid subscriptions as backend products. If you've established yourself as an expert in your industry, you can build on your reputation by offering a subscription to premium information, available only to members. For example, if your main product is a fly fishing kit, you could sell a subscription to an exclusive course on advanced fly fishing techniques as a back-end product. You could deliver this paid-for content through a members-only website or by e-mail.

4. Try splitting up your current product. For example, if you were selling a book on how to organize your home, you could offer a basic version for $9.95 to generate a large volume of sales at a low price. Then, 30 days later, you could offer your customers an advanced, expanded version that includes home office management and scheduling software for $29.95 or even $39.95–and increase your profits dramatically.

5. Try selling your customers an upgrade to their product. If they've used and liked your basic model, your customers will be open to receiving offers for an upgraded version. For example, if you sell e-books that teach people how to use a particular piece of software, you can sell updated versions to previous buyers when the software package in question is upgraded.

6. Write a book or create a video. E-books are great backend products with high profit margins. Consider writing a short book on a topic related to your product or service. For instance, if you sell gourmet puppy food, you might consider writing a book titled "Training Secrets That Will Have Every Puppy Housebroken and Learning Basic Obedience in Less Than One Week." You could even offer a special video that complements your product or service: If you sell barbecue equipment, you might offer a video that teaches people how to perfect their barbecuing techniques.

7. Offer someone else's product. Probably the fastest–and easiest–way to add new products to your site is to join another business's affiliate program and recommend their products in exchange for a percentage of each resulting sale. Selling affiliate products can be a very lucrative way to increase your sales, especially since you don't have to spend any time or money developing a new product of your own.

How Well Do We Know Our Consumers

As disciplined marketers let us have a look on how well we know our consumers. Because we all do research our consumers to know them better, to know who they are and how best to talk to them what to tell them in order for them to feel that we understand them and for them to stay with us.

And we do research them geographically - to know where they are, and demographically - to know how many are male vs female and what is their predominant age group, and what is the life-style they have - all of this to get a clear image in our mind as to who are they, identify them in every possible detail.

And then we come to their media habits and we do ask them on how much and what TV station and programs they are most interested in, what newspapers and magazines they read and which radio stations they listen to when going to work in the morning. And we come to the internet and the question is – what do we ask them about it. Do we just ask them if they use it or not and if only for emails or also to surf. Do you stop there?

Because as we know unless we ask them the right questions - there is no way for them to give us the right answers - the ones we are really interested in: Do you ask your consumers if they blog and where? Do you ask them if they podcast? Do also ask them what they go online for - for information, to purchase, for entertainment and where - which sites. Because if you are to reach them where they are - you have to know these things. And unless you ask them - they are not going to tell you. So unless you include these questions in your questionnaires you would be missing a big part of the puzzle - they might be spending a lot of time online, but answering you questions they would answer only those which you ask them. And we do not want to misinterpret their media behavior because we did not ask.

The Truth About Free Government Grants

Free government grants are funded in one of two ways: (a) the money comes from the taxes we pay and (b) from private foundations that must give five percent of their assets to stay tax-exempt.

Gurus, companies, and others out to make a quick dollar will try to reel you in and get you to buy their information on free grants. This information is already free and readily available to the public. Do NOT pay to receive this information.

While the government does give farming, housing, business, college, education, and house building grants, these grants are given to non-profit organizations that help people -- they are not given to individuals. An individual grant is more likely to involve food stamp programs, section 8 vouchers, FAFSA, job training, nursing traineeships, Head Start program, welfare/TANF/AFDC, scholarships, free vaccinations, and other such programs. Grants to individuals are most often given for educational support (i.e., financial aid), the arts, and various types of scientific or other research, although some agencies award grants to individuals for other purposes.

Grants require you to fill out forms, generally on a quarterly basis, that tell how much money you have spent and what you have spent it on, as well as how you are progressing on the work you promised to do.

Business—

Even though many publications and talk shows publicize grants to small businesses, there is only one grant available -- and that is for research and development for technology based products and services for the government. Government grants are generally given to non-profit organizations for programs and services that benefit the community or the public at large.

Unless your business involves the development of new technology or is a non-profit organization, you will be wasting your time looking for a grant. If you are looking for funding for an existing or new for-profit business, you WILL encounter difficulties in finding and getting grant funding. The U.S. government does not currently provide grants for starting or expanding a small business. However, the government does offer plenty of free help in planning how to start or improve your business and in securing low-interest SBA-backed small business loans. Also, many States DO offer small business grants to individuals.

Women—

Women have the largest opportunity of any group to benefit from the government's generosity. In spite of the perception that women should not look to the government for help, government grants have remained so incredibly huge that if each of the approximately 8 million businesses applied for an equal share, they would each receive over $70,000 in free grant money.

Scholarships—

You will find many diverse educational grant programs in FREE databases, directories and resources. Here's a partial listing of all the free government grants and scholarships currently available:

·$30,000 in available for students who want to become teachers

·$6000 plus tuition and fees for teachers to return and get a graduate degree

·$7500 a year for undergraduate or graduate students in health, science, or mathematics

·Free Government Grants for dependents of veterans killed or disabled in military service

·Free Government Grants for flight training

·Free Government Grants for graduate training in family medicine

·Free Government Grants for health care students who want to train in rural areas

·Free Government Grants for undergraduate and graduate students who have trouble paying tuition

·Free Government Grants to states to give scholarships to those who want to serve the community

·Free Government Grants to train to be a professional nurse

·Free tuition to children of law enforcement and firefighters killed in the line of duty

·Free tuition to white students who want to attend black colleges

·Health professionals student loans

·Money for American Indians who want to be health care professionals

·Money for health care students who want to study job safety and health

·Money for health professionals who want to be in public health

·Money for high school students in the top 15% of their class

·Money for students and teachers to travel and study overseas

·Money for students who want to become bilingual education teachers

·Nursing student loans

·Scholarships and money to repay loans of disadvantaged health professionals

·Scholarships for National Health Service Corp

·Scholarships for students in child development

·Scholarships for students in exceptional financial need

·Tuition, books and fees to Vietnam Vets

Ideas On How You Can Create Multiple Streams Of Income

Creating personal wealth or financial independence is a numbers game.

If you can create enough sources of cash flow, outside your normal day job, you can realistically replace the need for a full time job. Imagine, making the same money you make working 40 plus hours a week in a job you may not like, looking down the road towards a retirement that will undoubtedly pay you less than you earn now.

Is there a better way to skin this cat?

Yes.

One of my favorite pastimes is to crunch business opportunity and income producing numbers. If I wanted to replace a job that provided me with a $40,000 gross (before taxes) annual income, I would need to make $3,333 dollars per month, $769 per week, or $109 per day.

Hey, this is fun. I only need enough alternative forms of income to generate $109 per day, and I could spend my future enjoying life, expanding my business ventures, and investing wisely for a secure future for my family.

Let's think in terms of a round number, say $100. What could you do today to create $100 of cash flow into your hip national bank? $100 may sound like a lot to make, using your own wits and not depending on a government handout or an employer's paycheck, but it is a realistic number, starting from where you are at today.

The secret to financial success: Taking deliberate action everyday to move you towards your goals.

Creating a second income will not require you to spend 40 plus hours a week hustling around town bothering people, or engaging in illegal or unethical activities. You can do this honestly and be proud to share your moneymaking ideas with your mother. Consider this example. If you sold a product online for $10, you would only need to sell 10 units to make $100. If your item sold for $25, you would only need to sell 4 units. Or, if you sold a product for $769 profit, you would only have to sell one unit per week. Using the vast array of mediums to market and sell products today, you could feasibly replace your job income with a fraction of the time and effort you expend serving the goals and dreams of your employer.

As in any business venture, there are risks, setbacks, and disappointments. However, if you will use due diligence in all of your decisions, seek expert advice whenever possible, and persist while others dropout or quit, you can do this. You need to start by reading more about this concept. I recommend you read these books immediately:

The Automatic Millionaire, by David Bach


Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki


Multiple Streams of Income, by Robert G. Allen


Internet Riches, by Scott Fox


The 17 Principles of Creating Wealth, by Phillip Collinsworth

It has been said that we are what we eat.

This may be true, but I believe we are also what we dream. What are your dreams? Your goals? Your ambitions? Finding success in any business endeavor begins with a dream, which must then be developed into concrete goals. Once you have established specific goals, break these goals into tasks, and then into steps.

For example, if you have a dream to create an income outside your primary job, this dream could become a goal to make $20,000 profit per year selling products on Ebay. This goal could then be broken into tasks of identifying a hot product line, finding sources for your merchandise, and learning how to become a Powerseller on Ebay. I use Ebay as an example only, as there are hundreds of legitimate income opportunities you could pursue online.

At this point you must transform the tasks into steps. One step may be to visit local auctions and thrift shops for merchandise, another step may be to open Ebay and Paypal accounts, followed by actually listing items for sale, shipping the products, and providing customer service. Each step in this process must be deliberately accomplished to achieve success, but it all starts with a dream. Therefore, we are what we dream.

As a home-based entrepreneur you need to take a look at a variety of opportunities. Keep your expenditures and fees low, if not zero, and then choose 1-3 ideas that you feel would inspire you to take action. Fortunes have been made on one idea, cleverly marketed, produced, and delivered to the customer.

A casual look at the most popular Internet search engine can reveal just how popular and widespread the desire to create wealth and generate multiple streams of income has become. Take a look at the keywords and number of websites you could visit, just from Google.com.

Income Opportunity: 21 million hits


Creating Wealth: 6.9 million hits


Business Ventures: 111 million hits


Marketing: 523 million hits


Small Business: 390 million hits

If you're like me, you're thinking, "This is too much. Where do I start?" You could spend the rest of your life searching these sites for ideas and barely scratch the surface of opportunities available today.

The first thing I want you to understand is that there are a multitude of people and organizations out there who are desperate to claim a piece of your money. I want you to make money, not spend or lose money. You need to make investment decisions and purchases with resale and potential profit as your primary motive. You can't do that if you are being scammed out of your money, or wasting time on bogus schemes. Stick with solid, legitimate opportunities. Also, when evaluating an investment or business opportunity, analyze its potential to create the cash flow you expect, consider its potential to erode your capital base (that is, to lose value, as in stocks), and assess its staying power in the market.

Waiting for the perfect time to get started in a business is about as useful as waiting until all the lights are green before driving to town.

How to Get Out of Debt on a Freelance Salary

The number one problem most freelancers have is that their income is inconsistent. This makes it hard to plan. As a freelancer with some financial savvy, I've noticed some things that have helped me keep the debt monster at bay.

NOTE: Notice I wrote "at bay"; I haven't completed escaped him, but he's not an all-consuming threat either.

1. Get a job you hate: Why? A little story:

Jerry Seinfeld said that he sold light bulbs before he became rich and famous. He said he hated it, but he did it because it made him work that much harder on his comedy. His thinking was, "The sooner I succeed, the sooner I could give up selling light bulbs.

I thought this a brilliant concept.

Moral of this story: Complacency kills and this is kinda like reverse psychology. Imagine if you hated what you were doing. You'd work much harder to not have to do it and put every penny you earned towards the debt you owe so you could quit - as soon as possible.

2. Save ONLY $1,000: One of the things I learned from Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover, is to have an emergency fund.

Hold on, don't tune out. This is not having 3-8 months of expenses in the bank, like most financial gurus will tell you. Dave says to start with $1,000. Why this amount, and why is it so radical?

When you hear, save 3-8 months of expenses, most of us turn a deaf ear. If you're struggling just to keep up with the bills as they come in, putting $5,000, $10,000 or more away seems impossible.

But, most of us can imagine socking away a grand.

Mr. Ramsey's theory is that it's the little emergencies that cause us to constantly whip out the plastic and before we know it, we're a few thousand in debt. He says, if you have an emergency fund of $1,000 and the transmission goes on your car, you won't have to finance it with plastic.

You pay cash for it and therefore you haven't created more debt at a time when you can least afford it - when things are going bad.

I'm a big believer in the universe talking to you. Some may call this presence God, Buddha, Allah; whatever you call it, I'm a big believer in a higher power. Around the time I read this, three things happened that added up to almost exactly a thousand dollars.

My car needed new rotors (I still don't know what they are, but apparently my jeep was in bad need of them); my fiance's car needed new tires and the thermostat in our house went kaput - in the dead of winter.

Now, we were lucky enough to be able to pay for all of this without charging any of it, but it didn't come out of an emergency fund; it came right out of earned money, which really put a crimp in the holiday budget.

Moral of this story: Put away funds for Murphy's law because when you least need something bad to happen, it will. Do this BEFORE you start paying off debt. Mr. Ramsey says it kind of inoculates you against ole man Murphy.

NOTE: There is a point where you do build up the 3-8 months of living expenses, but it comes later in his plan.

3. Chunk pay: What I mean by this is, when you get a chunk of money from a project, close your eyes, write out the check and just pay a darn bill.

I know from my own personal experience that when most of us get a chunk of money at one time, we want to treat ourselves a little, pay only what's due (maybe a little more), and "save" a little.

The reason save is in quotation marks is because eventually that gets eaten up by those expenses that we can never seem to account for.

Another of Mr. Ramsey's philosophies is that money you don't have a plan for will find a way to leave you. So, if you know you're getting a check in two weeks for $1,748.32 for a project you just completed, look over your bills and assign a debt to it. While it may bug you to do it, you'll feel so much better once the check is in the mail.

Moral of this story: You can track where your money went; you can see the progress. This is important because when you remember that client who drove you bonkers and the project took you 8 more hours than you billed, at least you can say it was worth it because Visa is finally paid in full.

And you know what, I've taken on projects this year that in the past I would have passed on because I have a goal. Getting out of debt takes laser focus - and it gets addictive. But, since I've been on Dave Ramsey's plan, I've made more progress in three months than I made all of last year - and I'm not THAT bad with money.

I've found that it's those little things that get it in the way of success. By chunk paying, getting an emergency fund in place and doing jobs I don't necessarily like, my debt-free goal is within reach - and yours can be too!

There Ain't No Silver Bullet When it Comes to Marketing

Marketing. Ahhhh, Marketing! A 4-letter-word to some; a wealth of ideas to others. No matter how you market and brand your business ventures, it comes down to this: We want customers, we want to remain in business for the long-term and we want to be paid for our time and talents.





The thing with marketing is that, at times, it can be a crap shoot. You try something in August and the customers flock to you in droves. You try something else in February and it stinks like last week's garbage. Don't let the latter get you down; indeed, take the "stinky garbage" attempts and turn them into learning experiences. Do the research, check your numbers and figure out what went wrong. Whatever you do, don't think of these attempts as failures--they're not!





One of the successes in my marketing and branding arsenal is the landing or sales page. Now, it must be said that I fully despise the "typical" sales page--you know, the ones with "Dear Friend" and today's date at the top. Or the one ones with lots of big red bullets and arrows and testimonials in table format in a yellow background. I'm not you're friend and I don't read those testimonials. The typical landing page does not appeal to me …





What does appeal to me is letting my personality and aggressiveness shine through. I want visitors to my blog and websites to immediately think to themselves, "I must talk with this person." One of the ways I've accomplished this all important goal is with Lori's version of the sales page. Read on for more …





Guppy or a Shark? You Decide …





I categorize business owners in one of two ways: Guppies or Sharks. The former let the world pass them by and show no aggression; the latter are in business for the long-term and do not allow anything or anyone to stand in their way. The result of this categorization may be viewed on this landing page, http://www.GuppyOrShark.com.





Another thing I do to drive home the Guppy/Shark marketing and branding is to address my blog readers as either Sharks or Guppies. And it must be said I adore when folks contact me and tell me, "I want to achieve Sharkdom!" or "I'm a Guppy … help me change!" or "I'm a Shark and I want to work with you." This landing page is simple and yet to the point, and it asks one very important question, "Do you want to be a Guppy or a Shark?" More important, it's yet another way I market myself and attract the types of clients with whom I want to work.





Killer Customer Care





Yet another example of Lori's version of an effective sales page! For those of you who don't know me, you need to realize just how important awesome customer service is to my business. Me and my team work virtually with clients, and goodness knows it's tough enough making business owners jump on the Virtual Assistance bandwagon. One way I accomplish this is via my Killer Customer Care http://www.KillerCustomerCare.com, sales page.





On my blog and this sales page, I make it perfectly clear that the concept of Killer Customer Care is one which me and my staff eat, live and breathe every day. I also call out those companies which either deliver it in spades or really need help in this department! Guess what else I'm finding? Even though DavisVA's rates may be a bit higher than those of other Virtual Assistance providers, clients are coming my way in large numbers because they know that I know that the Customer Care experience is THAT important. They're willing to pay a bit more because they know they'll be taken care of very well. Indeed, they receive Killer Customer Care every day they work with us.





As the title of this article states, "There Ain't No Silver Bullet When it Comes to Marketing." You know it and I know it. Take the time necessary and market and brand your company in a way which truly reflects your values and personality. Remember, don't get hung up on "failures;" instead, turn 'em around and make 'em work to your advantage!





Copyright (c) Lori Davis, Davis Virtual Assistants. All rights reserved in all media.

Estee Lauder - A Cosmetics Tycoon

One of the most dynamic businesswomen of the 20th century, Estee Lauder through focus and hard work created one of the world's most recognized cosmetics brands. With a single-mindedness of purpose rarely encountered, Estee Lauder left behind her at her death a business whose products are today available in almost every country and which employs tens of thousands worldwide.

Born Josephine Esther Mentzer in Queens, New York in 1908, to father Max and mother Rose who were of Eastern European descent, she was trained in the selling of skin care products to local beauty salons and hotels by her uncle, John Schotz, a chemist with New Way Laboratories. In 1930 Estee (her nickname) married Joseph Lauter, the family changing their surname to "Lauder" later that decade.

Estee Lauder was a late bloomer. It was not until 1948, at the ripe old age of forty, that her legacy really was born. In that year, she used her sales skills to obtain a counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, where she sold her own skin care products. Counters at other well-known department stores such as Neiman Marcus soon followed.

Her first perfume product was introduced in 1953. Called Youth Dew, it was actually a bath oil that could also serve as a perfume, and it was an instant success with women, who purchased more than 50,000 bottles in the very first year. That success led to her opening Estee Lauder counters across America and in 1960 she entered the international market with Harrods department store in London, England.

There followed a series of product launches that would solidify the reputation of the Estee Lauder brand across the globe. These included Aramis in 1965 (a line of men's fragrances and grooming products) and Clinique in 1968 (the first non-allergenic fragrance-free cosmetics brand). Her company also contracted to become the world-wide licensee for Tommy Hilfiger and Donna Karan fragrances and cosmetics.

Besides her relentless drive, her success was largely driven by her sales philosophy that held that in order to make a sale, it is necessary to actually make contact with and engage the prospective customer. In fact whenever her product line was introduced to a new retailer, Estee Lauder would show up to counsel the store's staff on how to sell her products, and its customers on how her products could help them. As regards the latter, she stated that "in a perfect world, we'd all be judged on the sweetness of our souls. But in our less than perfect world, the woman who looks pretty has a distinct advantage and, usually, the last word".

Two marketing innovations can be specifically attributed to her. After her success was achieved, she liked to socialize with the rich and famous, and would often give them sample of her products so that they could spread the word. More importantly, she introduced the concept of offering customers a free gift with every purchase of one of her cosmetics.

Estee Lauder continued to work for her company until well into her 80's. By the time of her death in 2004 at age 97, her cosmetic company's reach extended into almost every country in the world, earned billions of dollars annually and controlled almost 45% of the U.S. cosmetic market in department stores.

Prior to her death, she was the recipient of many awards recognizing her unique genius and her contributions to the American business landscape. These included being honored by the American Business Women's Association as one of the 10 Outstanding Women in Business. And in 1998, Estee Lauder was selected by Time Magazine as one of the 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th century. Not bad for the youngest daughter of nine children whose father owned a small hardware store in Queens.

Business Cards for Beauty Professionals

If you are in business you need business cards, there is simply no way of getting around it. Not only will business cards allow you to get your name out there, it also gives you more of a professional presence when you do meet with new potential clients. Imagine being some place and hearing someone talking about needing the beauty service that you specialize in. Instead of offering your number scribbled on a piece of paper you can offer your business card, which will make a much better first impression. Many people simply order the cheapest business cards they can find or they improvise with scratch pieces of paper, but if you are serious about your business you want to be sure to show other people that with professional business cards.

Any business card is great, but because you are in the beauty business you might want to think about color business cards. Not only will you be able to infuse a bit of your personality into the business card, it will also get and keep the attention of those that receive the card. Many times business cards are all that you get in the way of a first impression, so you want to consider full color business cards that will reach out and grab a potential clients attention. Many clients actually spend a lot of time analyzing business cards and your potential clients may think that you don't really have an eye for detail if you weren't even willing to get color business cards! Think about this for awhile by imagining yourself as the customer ad what you would want to see.

Beauty business cards should be more colorful and unique than the average business man or woman's business card. The reason for this is that the beauty industry is competitive, so you need to do all that you can to get the attention of other people. Also, you want to have a business card that illustrates your abilities. If you do nails and all that is on your business card is your name and your number it simply seems a little bland. But, if you do nails and you have a full color business card that has nice colors and art on it, the business card will get someone's attention and will show that you are dedicated to providing detail oriented services. Who knew that you could say so much with something as simple as a business card?

How To Make Over $40,000 With $7 Reports

Would you believe that it could be possible to make over $40,000 in just few months, by selling a $7 Reports based product?

No, I don't think that I would have believed it either, but that is exactly what has happened to the guy behind the tidal wave of $7 Reports that have swamped the world of online business since the beginning of this year!

And, do you know what?

I think I know one of the reasons behind the runaway $7 Reports success story, and I would like to share that story with you now, as I believe that it contains a very valuable lesson for all of us.

I, like many people making money from an online business, am on many, many mailing lists.

Some are good, some are average and some are, quite frankly, just about unreadable!

The guy behind the $7 Reports idea, Jonathan Leger, is someone whose list I have been on for some time.

Thus, I am able to tell a real life story about him, and the way that he runs his business that will, I hope, go some way to explaining his recent runaway success with the $7 Reports project, and perhaps provide an object lesson for the rest of us at the same time.

Back some time in the middle of last year, Jonathan had a product on the market that I thought fitted in well with what I was doing at the time, so I decided to invest my own hard earned money in it.

I did so, and tried it out for a few weeks.

During that 'trial' period, I decided that the product, whilst it was very good indeed, just did not do what I wanted it to do for me. Nothing wrong with the product at all per se, just that it did not fulfill my own personal, individual requirements.

Thus, I wrote to Jonathan, explained the situation, and politely asked for a refund.

He replied equally politely, and complied with my request.

No hard feelings on either side of the transaction, in other words.

Fast forward over the course of the next few months.

I continued to receive his extremely informative newsletter and picked up many valuable hints and tips along the way.

In other words, without being too OTT with my praise, Jonathan did just about everything right!

He refunded me when I asked, promptly and politely.

He kept sending me valuable newsletters even though he had probably lost money on me thus far!

In other words, 'Mr. $7 Reports' was, and is, acting as a model professional in a business that is probably not best known for it's professionalism!

So, when I first heard of the $7 Reports concept from the regular newsletters back in January of this year, I was immediately receptive to the message. It sounded like a great idea, a brilliant concept, even though I am not sure that I fully understood it at the time!

Thus, I invested in Jonathans' original $7 Report, and have bought quite a few other $7 Reports since, the vast majority of which I have also found to be extremely useful (and, of course, great value at only $7 a pop!)

So, how do you turn a business based on writing simple $7 Report into one showing a profit of over $40,000 in six months or less?

Simple!

Come up with a terrific new business idea or concept, the next $7 Reports, have a mailing list that is responsive to your mails because you always provide them with great value, and back the whole thing up with totally professional 'back room' service.

Easier said than done, of course........

Now, back to developing the €4.32 Reports series........

Professional Squeeze Page Copywriting for Amateurs - 5 Easy Solutions that Get Results

Are you sitting there staring at a white page on the computer wondering what to put on it? What can you write that will attract signatures to your FREE Ezine Subscription like flies to honey? Keep reading, I have solutions in five easy steps that will keep your squeeze page signing for a long time to come.

1. Cut the crap.

Before you even get started, realize that all the jargon and whoopla in the world isn't going to get a signature if your reader doesn't believe a word you're saying. Cut the crap, get to the topic, and tell them what you're actually going to do. If you lack innovative language, that's a good thing, just say it like it is.

2. Say it out loud.

Write like you talk. Whatever you'd say in person, that's what you want to write. Use contractions, speak conversationally, even go so far as to read it out loud and see if it sounds natural. If not, delete it. You want your squeeze page to sound like you're talking to a good friend, telling them exactly why they should sign up for your ezine.

3. Save them time.

If it really takes 486 pages of drivel to convince your reader to sign up, you haven't got a product they really want. So what are you spouting 486 pages of drivel for? Cut the bologna, get to the point, and let them decide for themselves if you're worth trusting.

4. Be Professional.

Color can be inspirational, it can even be fun. But if you're trying to sell something, keep it simple, direct, and professional. White space, professional tones, and easy to read fonts will take you further than a lot of cutesy details that don't mean much.

5. Stay focused.

Keep your squeeze page targeted and stay focused on what you're offering. If you get off track and move to a different topic, your reader may get lost in the dusty trail and forget what they're looking for. Stay focused and targeted on your niche, and your specific market.

Are you looking for more squeeze page solutions?

China Business Demands Common Sense

In the quest for the essence of doing business with China, Hong Kong is historically speaking a logical port of call. In this dynamic city with a population of more than 7 million, we team up with Daniël Ben-Ezra, Media Director of Spotz Media. December 2005, he severed his ties and set out for China, armed with a pocket sized Lonely Planet. What are his findings so far? Can he confirm the prevailing prejudices about the Chinese and doing business in China? Or does he dispel any form of cultural clash?

The business appeal of China, Hong Kong in particular, is like a red rag to the energetic Daniël Ben-Ezra. This already led him into some typical Asian tours de force; from a stage-managed meeting with an intimidating majority of participants, to binge drinking competitions at business dinners. However, according to him, the corporate gap between Hong Kong and Europe is not that huge. "Of course there are some differences. Promises are easier made than we usually tend to do. And therefore, they are of lesser value. This could be due to the fact that the Chinese, in my experience, avoid conflicts. Consequently they are quick to make promises, even if they don't really understand what you mean."

Hierarchy


"If you compare the European way of doing business with that of the Chinese, the importance of networking in China is paramount. Moreover, decisions are invariably made at the top of the pyramid. There is a strong hierarchy. For example, it is a waste of time talking to assistants as they have little or no authority to make decisions. The Chinese are also very bureaucratic, they love the red tape of seals, multiple signatures and copies of forms."

To put it differently: managing to get in at top level, and not attaching too much value to promises; is that what defines the key to success in Asia? "Of course you should never generalise. To give an impression: even in a relatively small city like Hong Kong, there is a big difference among its inhabitants. Between 'real' locals, people born in Kowloon or the New Territories, and Island Chinese. Island Chinese are often American Born Chinese, referred to as ABCs. A local Hong Kong Chinese often speaks poor English, is in general not very assertive and has specific cultural habits. On the contrary, an American Born Chinese is usually very westernized in his take on the world. In addition the inhabitants of Hong Kong, in comparison to the inhabitants of other Chinese cities, are better educated and more sophisticated. Foreigners can easily get by using English in this Metropolis, whereas on the mainland being able to speak a little Chinese generally proves to be of value."

Trends


Apart from the demographic diversity, there are of course similarities between mainland China and Hong Kong. "The Chinese are equally ambitious and keen to profit from the growth of their super power. The country is developing itself just like the former British colony, to western standards of lifestyle and income. That does not necessarily mean that Europe or the United States of America set the tone. For example Japanese fashion is very trendy and pop stars from South Korea are very popular."

Essence


When it boils down to how to successfully position yourself between all the other budding trendsetters, Daniël Ben-Ezra is more than emphatic. "The Chinese business culture is hard, ambitious and networking is very important. That demands versatility, determination and an open-minded approach, alongside the willingness to learn and work hard: common sense really. If, on top of that, you are able to communicate clearly, be polite and show respect to others, doors will open, which otherwise would have remained firmly closed. In my opinion, that probably is the key to business success in China!" (source http://www.chinasuccessstories.com)

How To Sale Principals Products Offline?

Affiliation Company is company to sale products and service from principal. Usually, principal gives some marketing tools like letter of authority as distributor, brochures, leaflet, postcard, and letter of representative to local area. This is very useful in offline marketing activities. As I mention in last articles, some tools must create to support marketing activities. Basically there are three basics step in affiliate marketing in offline area: Send letter of introduction, Send product trial if possible and Create humble communication.

Send letter of introduction

Your Introduction must send to potential customer. To find potential customer you can read my other articles. Create different and unique letter to introduce your company and products completely. Of course, you must attach brochure, technical specs and other information material. Do not forget to attach business card and contact point. Before you send this letter, you should find people destination to receive this letter. It is useful to get feedback and response from Target Company.

Usually, response from Target Company likes request presentation, demonstration, trial product, test labs and other form if possible. You should prepare this properly to handle all response from customer.

Send product trial if possible.

Sending of product trial, usually based on customer request. If possible, do that to get some opportunity to create transaction. Some principal will give us with sample to create product trial. You must selected company to give product trial because some principal request us to buy product sample. If you have enough capital investment, this is will not big problem.

Create humble communication

Humble communication can attract customer with your marketing activities. Remember, customer has been meets with various suppliers and every supplier always say the best and powerful products. You come there will become server not become smartest people before your customer. Server not need to smart but must be able to serve your customer. So, keep humble about your self, your company and your product. Do not say your company is best and do not say your product is the best. Why? Because, every supplier has been said like this and there no selected to support customer's business.

You can say that our company feels to serve you and I will do everything if you request us to do that. Our product has benefit to support your business, project, process etc. Customer can see what you can serve their business. Keep confident and humble. Customer will feel enjoy to you and business will smooth without hard problem. [ ]

Want To Incorporate Your Business? Here Are Some Simple Tips!

Naming your business properly is important. It should be distinguishable from other companies. Depending on where you incorporate, it must contain words like 'Limited' or 'Incorporated'. It must also not have words that imply any other purpose other than what is stated it its articles of incorporation or the corporate laws of the state. These would be words like 'Bank' or 'Government'.

Picking a place of business is a crucial step. You need to decide which state or country to incorporate. Many states have different laws that govern how you incorporate business practices. These laws also may govern how you run your company.

Now that you have performed these functions, then the actual structure of your company will begin to take place. You will pick your board of directors, assign company byelaws, adopt the articles of incorporation and draft a shareholders contract.

For a small company with 1 or 2 partners naming your board of directors may be a simple process. For a larger company this may be a delicate and important task. A board of directors perform specific duties decreed by the corporation charter. This may be appointing executives, handing out shares, assigning dividends or other things. In larger corporations a board of directors may have influence when companies incorporate company procedures.

Shareholders may be one partner, most partners, or in the case of a public corporation may be the general public. For a small company traditionally 1,000 shares are assigned. It is possible that there will need to be additional shares assigned from the beginning.

Research your market. The financial success of your company will depend on knowing the product or service you will sell. In order to successfully grow in any venture you must know your industry. This will allow you to choose a name and a strategy for your business.

Define a clear marketing strategy. Getting the word out about the potential of your product or service is very important. If no one knows about you, how can they buy from you? Businesses often cut back of advertising and marketing when money is tight; a big mistake.

If cost is an issue, keep your marketing traditional, perhaps an ad in the yellow pages and passing out business cards. Look for cheap ways to get at potential customers. Newspaper ads are very expensive and too untargeted.

Then, you should know your demographics. Where do you intend to set up business? What is your target market in that location? Will your offer be suited to their taste and lifestyle? Remember how big and diversified the business world is now is so it is wise to explore your area first. It will also help you determine the cost of starting up business in your chosen location.

The reasons for your incorporation are clearly evident. A sole proprietorship causes you the individual to be responsible for any legal action against your organization. When your company has a lawsuit against them, the liability is on your shoulders. Your company incorporation is a blanket protecting you against legal and financial nuisances.

Packaging Your Products For MOMS

So what does Mom really want on her product packaging? What will entice her to pick your product off the shelf? What siren screams "buy me" as she walks down the isle? The answers are not what you might think. Women perceive products differently than their male counterparts. They have different expectations of products. Women say that they product manufactures don't understand their wants and needs either. In fact 59% of women feel misunderstood by food marketers. This market segment accounts for 60-70 of all product packaging. So, how do you get this powerful consumer (MOM) to connect with your packaging?

First, see the product though the woman's eyes not the designer's or brand manager's. In my recent research, product attributes such as the shape and color were important to people in the packaging industry but not so important to the average consumer. The mostly highly rated characteristics that both groups agreed upon were convenience, ease of storage, and female friendly elements such as the size of package and handles for carrying.

Second, consider how and where the product will be purchased. External factors can influence the purchasing decision as to how and where a woman shops. Recent studies show that women on average no longer make a big "stocking up trip" to the store. In fact they make numerous short trips to get the essentials for the moment. Today's Moms are under tremendous time constraints and are willing to pay a premium for the privilege of more free time. Convenience is a big selling factor.

Consider lifestyle issues, ease of use, consumer friendly, time saving anything that makes a moms life easier. The more you can demonstrate in your product packaging these attributes the more you can capture her interest in your product. Any new time saving innovation, a solution to a problem, an unfulfilled need product are all prime candidates for moms.

Packaging a product for the mom consumer doesn't mean it needs to be in pink packaging either (a color many marketers have decided is female-friendly). In some cases pink works in many others its completely off target. So consider pink where it make sense to the brand not just because you are marketing to mom.

Moms are influenced by other people too, friends, family, kids. So if you can make a packaging connection to the other people in her life you can capture her interest in satisfying her needs. Products that express healthy lifestyles, or balanced living, nutrition and well being are woefully underserved in the mom community.

Finally, it is imperative to get noticed. How can you grab her attention? Make packaging simple, easy to read, use and understand. Get rid of the gimmicks and the hype. More than 89% of survey respondents said they would not purchase a product because it was endorsed by a celebrity, and those that did were embarrassed to admit it. Cause marketing also scored low on the scale of importance in influencing a purchase as did their concern for the environment.

So listen to your Mom buyers the next time you design a new product, bond with them on an intrinsic level not through gimmicks or the current "in" celebrity. Make your product easy to read, use and time sensitive. By adhering to these fundamentals you will have garnered her attention.

Want more of the latest packaging insights and packaging trends that drive consumer purchasing? Be sure and visit the Packaging Diva website http://packagingdiva.com/ where you will find, packaging tips, technology and the latest news.

Implementing Your Business Plan - Getting Off The Fence And Taking Action

The day has finally come where you have completed your dreaming and planning and are ready to take the big plunge. It is time to start your business. Your business has a catchy name describing your products or services (at least we hope so), a great location has been found, the pro forma is established, and the money to get started is in the bank. By the way, if you have made it this far then give yourself a pat on the back. Very few make it to this point.

The next steps you take are critical and inter-related. There are certain tasks the new business owner has to complete.

The very first thing is getting your business facilities ready for action. These steps may include remodeling, redecorating, knocking out walls, adding phone service, high- speed Internet service, computers, furniture, and other supplies needed to run effectively.

Do you have your inventory ready? Have you arranged for the raw materials or finished products to be shipped? Is your warehousing arranged? How are you going to pay you vendors? The whole idea is to put all the pieces of this puzzle together so that they fit together as perfectly as possible.

Right now some of you may be thinking that some of the things needed to get started may be beyond your level of expertise. This is where you have to fill in the missing pieces. If you have the capital to do so start looking for people who have expertise in the areas you are weak. Be careful with this as there are countless "experts" out there ready to take your money and provide little to no help.

An idea to consider is approaching a successful business in your area, not competing for your services or product, and asking the owner if they would be willing to offer advice. You'll be surprised at the response you may get. Business owners are people just like you and like to be recognized. If you manage to find a business mentor willing to offer counsel then take advantage of the invaluable tutelage.

What do you do if you don't have the resources to hire consultants, or a mentor just isn't to be found? Learn where to look for answers, and learn from them. A few places to start are books and trade magazines, the Internet, training courses on DVD or CD, seminars, and associations are good places to start.

A word of caution is appropriate here. During this phase you will be bombarded with opinions, advice and the like. Although well intended some of this input will conflict and it is up to you to sort it all out and make the right decisions. If you plan on being in business for the long haul then take your time with this phase.

Research and Markets: Examine How American Express Has Been Performing over the Years

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets ()
has announced the addition of American Express: Corporate Analysis to
their offering.

This company profile is a premium company information product offering
an unmatched depth and breadth of content. It analyzes the strategic
positioning of the company – how the company
has evolved and how it has been performing over the years.

Sectional Highlights



Structure of the organization, partnerships, mergers & acquisitions
and recent developments have been examined




Business segments of the company have been explored along with
analysis of key products and services




SWOT Analysis highlights the weaknesses of the company and the threats
to which it is exposed; the strengths of the company and the way the
company has positioned itself to take advantage of the opportunities




Business and marketing strategies boosting earnings, brand value and
competitive edge have been discussed




Key financial indicators have been analyzed




Competitive positioning of the company has been evaluated in terms of
sales, profitability and stock performance, as compared to its
competitors

Key Benefits



Provides input for strategic business planning




Targets business opportunities & risks




Exploits competitive intelligence

Target Audience



Investment Managers


Venture Capitalists


Management Consultants


Research Companies


Other Industry Professionals

Topics Covered
1. Company Backgrounder
1.1 Corporate Overview
1.2 Key Facts
1.3 Corporate Timeline

2. Business Focus
2.1 Major Segments
2.2 Products & Services

3. Corporate Overview
3.1 Organizational Structure
3.2 Executive Biographies
3.3 Ownership Structure
3.4 Subsidiaries
3.5 Key Partnerships
3.6 Mergers & Acquisitions
3.7 Significant Developments

4. Strategic Analysis
4.1 SWOT
4.1.1 Strengths
4.1.2 Weaknesses
4.1.3 Opportunities
4.1.4 Threats
4.2 Strategic Focus

5. Financial Analysis
5.1 Financial Performance
5.2 Sales and Earnings Analysis
5.3 Ratio Analysis
5.4 Stock Performance

6. Competitor Analysis
6.1 Major Competitors
6.2 Peer Comparison at a Glance
6.3 Financial Comparison
6.4 Stock Chart

7. Company Outlook
7.1 Revenue & Income Estimates

Tables:
1. Key Facts
2. Ownership Structure
3. Mergers & Acquisitions
4. Subsidiaries
5. Key Financials
6. Peer Comparison at a Glance

Charts:
1. Corporate Timeline
2. Organizational Structure
3. Revenue by Business Segments
4. Revenue by Geography
5. Sales & Profit Growth
6. Key Ratios
7. 1-Year Stock Chart
8. Comparative Stock Chart
9. Market Capitalization: Comparison with peers
10. Revenue & Net Income Growth: Comparison with Peers
11. Revenue & Profit Estimates

Companies Mentioned



Mastercard


Visa

For more information visit

Leave the Steering Wheel to Self-Confidence

A hockey coach on "Making the Cut" (a Canadian reality show) this week gave his team a lesson about putting confidence and performance in their respective places. He compared it to a person steering a boat while pulling a water skier. When the driver steers the boat to the left, eventually the water skier will follow to the left too.

Using that illustration, he showed how most young or inexperienced players allow their performance to take the wheel of the boat, thus dictating what direction their confidence takes. This is all fine and good when you're on top of your game and doing well -- the result is your self-confidence increases and you play better. But the danger occurs when your performance takes a turn for the worse -- your confidence decreases and you begin to create negative momentum.

The hockey coach gave his players a simple solution -- change the order. Put your self-confidence in the driver's seat and your performance will follow.

This is a good lesson for entrepreneurs. Some will allow a bad month or a negative occurrence to affect their self-confidence. As their assurance wanes, so do their accomplishments thus creating a destructive downward spiral effect. If you change up the order -- letting your self-confidence direct your performance -- you'll find that you can more easily get unstuck during low periods and more quickly regain momentum.

How do you put your self-confidence in control? Easy. Remember why you started your business in the first place. Do whatever it takes to remind yourself that you really are the best at what you do and you really do make a significant positive impact in your clients' lives -- why else would you be doing it?

You hear me speak a lot about attitude and how it really does make a difference. You attract what you think about. If you dwell on negative experiences or on what you DON'T want, guess what the results will be? Negative and what you don't want, which WILL negatively impact your performance and productivity.

Each morning starts a new day, full of possibilities. What's more, you can choose to start your day all over again if you notice negativity creeping in. Even if you're a new entrepreneur, you have a lot of optimistic and constructive points to help build and sustain your self-confidence -- like the fact that you actually took the leap to starting your own business.

Like the person steering his boat, look ahead more than you look behind. Put your self-confidence in control and your performance WILL follow.

Copyright. Cristina Favreau. All rights reserved.

Using Article Marketing to Get SERPS

There are various ways to market your website on the internet however, they have a single purpose and that is to get SERPS ranking. SERPS stands for search engine result pages. These are the pages that come up with you do an internet search. The higher ranking the site the lower the page number and the higher the site is on the results listing.

Article marketing is a great way to raise your ranking and get SERPS that can help you increase your website traffic and your ranking. Article marketing is about creating content that is informative, interesting and relevant to your website.

It is also a good idea to include links to various pages in your site as you go through the content as well as providing links to your home page or index page. This can be done in the article itself or in the signature block of the author. Be sure also to tell a little bit about yourself in the signature box knowing a little something about the person who wrote the article may be what helps determine if they click on your link or pass you by. It is also a good idea to submit to several different types of article submission sites.

However, make sure that the sites will not be considered duplicate content by the search engines. Duplicate content is ignored or if found the search engine will randomly choose a site that has the duplicate content. This means your article may or may not be placed on the SERPS.

When doing article marketing make sure content is fresh and informative, if you would not read it yourself it is probably not something you should submit. Submit your article to several different sites to get the most of SERPS.

Marketing is Simple in Theory but Complex in the Real World

People think that marketing is difficult. In theory it's really quite simple because you only need to know how to do four things:

1. Attract new customers (or clients)

2. Retain the customers you have attracted

3. Maximize the number of purchases they make and the value of each purchase

4. Win back those customers you have lost

That's it, just four marketing activities. It's simple, but there is a big challenge that adds complexity.

The challenge is to discover ways to make those four activities work for you and that is where it gets difficult because there are so many options and details associated with making them work. Dealing with those options and details requires creativity, decisiveness, discipline, and courage.

It takes creativity to conceive of a strategic plan from which a marketing plan is developed. It takes decisiveness to determine the message(s) (brand, features and benefits, promotional timing). It takes discipline to implement the plan and to focus on the big picture when seductive offers arrive that attempt to change your plans. It takes courage to follow through, measure effectiveness, and plan improvements for future activities.

Few small companies invest the time and energy in extensive strategic planning or marketing planning but, if the company's goals are much greater than "let's just continue doing things the way we have been doing them and hope we'll see increased business," then planning is essential to making it happen.

Understanding that there are just four marketing activities will jump-start the planning process by discovering the parts of your marketing strategy that need to be improved. From there goals and budgets are established and action plans are conceived which places tasks on the calendar to accomplish. All of a sudden some order starts evolving from the complexity and projects start being formulated and implemented. It doesn't happen over night, but the starting point is to simplify the process into the four marketing activities and make the process manageable instead of seeing the whole thing as a complex, overwhelming maze filled with difficult decisions and options.

Product Creation - How To Tell Whether Your Product Will Sell!

There is no doubt that having your own product is a big advantage in Internet marketing. When you have your own product, you make 100% of sales, instead of a making of portion, as is the case in affiliate marketing. That is not to say affiliate marketing is bad, far from it, but having your own product can skyrocket your Internet income. In this article, you'll discover how to tell whether your product will sell or not.

To know if your product will sell, you need to concentrate on market research. A lot of entrepreneurs do not spend enough time on market research, when this can be the most important aspect of an Internet business. What do the customers crave? You need to find out the needs of your customers. If your product can solve these needs, then you are own way to selling lots of your product.

You will also need to find out what is selling in your niche. What is hot at the moment? What are the trends? You can find these out in magazines and niche websites. In fact, forums are a great hunting ground for product ideas. Look out for the problems that people are having; these are potential product ideas.

You'll also look at your market landscape. How many competitors are there? Can you offer a more valuable offering? If there are too many competitors, you may want to think twice before entering the niche.

Do a thorough market research before creating your product; it is 50% of success!

How to be a Successful Woman Entrepreneur - The 5 Top Tips for Women Starting a Business

Steps to Business Success

Be interested in your product! - When you decide to start your own business, it has been well proven that if you choose something you're interested in or have specialist knowledge of, such as a hobby or interest, you are much more likely to achieve success. The drive and self-discipline you require to sustain you through that difficult first year will be much stronger if you wake up every morning and are eager to get to work on your idea. We all recognise the importance of work morale and when you are excited and stimulated about your job, rather than finding it mundane and tedious, it is more likely to be successful and profitable.

Vary your work - As the boss you have to 'wear many hats' - completing many different roles initially, until you get established enough to employ others to help you. Women are renowned for their natural ability to multi-task and it is this variation that will keep you from being bored. You are no longer a work slave - stuck behind your desk working for somebody else - you call the shots! It's also important to have regular breaks - don't work through your lunch hour, take a break and come back to work refreshed. If you spend most of your time sitting at your desk, try a walk for 10 minutes - it can help you plan the afternoon ahead and get the circulation going!

Flexible working hours - Yet another bonus to being your own boss is that you can choose when to put in the hours. If you find you work best in the morning then try setting your alarm earlier, similarly if you are more of a night-bird continue into the evening. With childcare and family responsibilities it can be great to work when the rest of the house is quiet. Running your own business allows you to adapt your hours to suit your lifestyle. Internet-based businesses for instance are ideal for many women who need to balance family commitments and need flexible working days

Be self-disciplined - It's all too easy to be diverted if you work from home. Often friends and family expect you to be freely available - for a chat in person or on the telephone, something they wouldn't expect if you were working in an office. Try to set aside a working area - away from distractions, such as: the family, the washing-up, the coffee and biscuits, etc
Getting an answer phone so you can call friends back when it suits you, and a business telephone line can be helpful to prevent interruptions.

Customer care - Business surveys reveal that business women excel at customer service and care and one of the most important ways to achieve this is to be readily contactable. Whatever your business does or sells it will have customer enquiries that need to be answered quickly and efficiently. A well-run business needs a phone line, an answer phone, a fax machine, an email address, an address (not a PO box number - many customers don't trust that) and all these communications should be checked throughout the day.

Twice as many men as women start their own businesses, but the world is changing and women are 'breaking the glass ceiling' in the business world. With determination, self-confidence and belief in their ability women are becoming highly successful entrepreneurs, and along with their hard efforts come profits and career satisfaction.

My Forex Discovery

My day-trading journey began after I purchased a stock trading course. I followed the course outline and traded stocks in hopes of cashing in on the roaring 90's. When the stock market corrected in 2000, I couldn't pay the continuous marginals and consequently lost all my money, approx $200K!

About 5 years later, I was ready to jump back in the game. This time trading Foreign currencies, the biggest trading market in the world. I purchased the 4XMade Easy software (with the green and red arrows) for a heft three grand. In addition I paid a monthly live feed and demo traded for over 2 years but could never predict with any degree of accuracy the direction of the market. As a result, I ended up on the wrong side of the trade at a loss.

However, I did learn that if I could only stay in a trade long enough by going with the long-term trends, I would make money. But the big problem with following the long-term trend is: you have to have a lot of money in your account to stay in the market during the often occurring reversals.

When I found out about The Freedomrocks system I finally found what I was looking for. During my 15-day free trial period I was really surprised at the simple elegance of the system. I found that it did for me everything that I could never do before. Amazingly, the system allows me to trade without a lot of money to invest, no expensive software to buy, no live-feeds, no charts to predict, no staying up all night when the foreign markets are volatile.

Where To Find Prospect?

With that end in mind, I offer you the following 22 prospecting sources to help stimulate real growth within your territory and your business—ME INC.

Newspapers


Review the business section, want ads, and business articles to get company names and ideas as to whom you might want to approach. Look for corporate announcements as well. The newspaper can provide lots of ideas.

Industry Associations


Get a listing of companies and individuals who belong to specific associations—legal, medical, engineering, and so on. Consider offering yourself as a keynote speaker at their next meeting. They are always looking for ways to spice up their meetings—maybe you're the answer. If you are terrified of speaking to a group, bring along someone from your company who enjoys it. Your company will look good and you'll get the leads.

Yellow Pages


This is an excellent source of businesses within your territory. Start calling from the back of the book with the Zs and work forward. Most salespeople start at A and never get past the Es. Chances are good that businesses toward the back of the book have never been called. You may want to consider purchasing Yellow Pages from other cities that are within your geographical territory. Alternatively, you can access Yellow Pages for any city on the Internet.

Vehicles on the Road


Get company names and phone numbers painted on the hundreds of trucks, service vehicles, and company vans you see every day. They may even have a toll-free number proudly displayed, so use your handy tape recorder to record the information. Then follow up.

Trade Shows


You can't get a faster introduction to a large number of customers all under one roof. I have met some of my largest customers at trade shows. However, don't be intrusive and try to sell them at the show. Rather, ask a few up-front questions to determine their potential then get a name to follow up with later. Call your local convention center or chamber of commerce and get a calendar of upcoming events.

Library


Use your local library. It often has current business publications, annual reports, and an archive of newspaper articles on micro-fiche. Make a copy of relevant articles, announcements, and want ads. Then put them in your prospecting file for future follow-up.

The Internet


The world's largest library is at your fingertips. If it's not on the Net, it hasn't been thought of or invented yet. Use it to retrieve valuable information about a specific industry, investigate new technologies related to your field, subscribe to mailing lists, tap into a newsgroup, and so on. The Internet offers a plethora of opportunities for prospecting and sources of information otherwise unavailable to you. However, I caution you: It can be time-consuming. Don't become a mouse potato and waste away selling hours or janitorial hours distracted by the fun of it.

Friends and Allies


Ask among your circle of friends and current business allies for referrals. They are often willing to help you out—simply for the price of asking. After all, the more people you know, the more people you're capable of knowing. As one of my friends said, "It's not who you know, it's who I know."

Breakfast Clubs


Consider joining one that helps you network. They are always looking for new blood, new members. Alternatively, offer yourself as a speaker—they often look for interesting people to feature as a keynote. Talk about an exciting, interesting new technology developed by your company or emerging trends within your industry. Heck, you'll probably get a free breakfast out of it and it's a great way to get your day started.

Old Files


Take a gander through old files in the office. I'm sure you'll find some orphan accounts—perhaps even some potential born-again accounts.

Target Markets


Pursue a specific profession and learn what you can about it. For example, it might be legal, medical, communication, transportation, construction, food service, and so on. However, don't try to spread yourself too thin. Concentrate on one or two specific professions and become an expert in that field.

Subscriptions


Subscribe to appropriate business magazines. They are often rich with corporate articles and advertisements that may introduce you to the new kid on the block or to a company you haven't heard of before.

Referrals


Perhaps the most overlooked source for new business. Simply ask existing customers for a couple of names that they would be comfortable passing along. There are plenty of books and seminars outlining effective strategies of networking. I suggest you consider honing your networking skills because the return on your investment is like no other.

Business Directories


Several companies offer business directories that list all the businesses in your area. Listings include size, locations, president's name, executives, revenue, product lines, and key contacts. These directories can be purchased for a nominal fee and can be broken down by geographical area, revenue, size, or by number of employees. Some directories have the option of cross-referencing phone numbers, addresses, subsidiaries, and parent companies. It can be a worthwhile investment.

Internal Customers


Nonsales employees can be encouraged to provide leads. An uncle, cousin, or a friend who works at a company might be a potential customer. Even the people in the service department could be very helpful to you. Some companies support this method by offering a financial incentive for every prospective customer they pass along. If the company doesn't pay an incentive consider offering one yourself—even if it's only a $50 gift certificate for a local restaurant. People generally respond favorably to gestures of appreciation.

Observation


Keep your eyes and ears open. We are bombarded daily with thousands of messages—billboards, radio, advertisements, banners, TV, and so on. Look for anything new within or around your territory—construction, an information sign on a building, or remodelling in progress. Take an unfamiliar route to your existing customer to see what's going on in and around your territory. Don't drive by and wonder—stop in and find out.

Building Directories


Every office building has a directory on the main floor that lists the businesses throughout the building. I used to take a picture of it or recite the names into my tape recorder then follow up by telephone and qualify for any possible potential customers.

Social Contacts


This goes beyond your immediate circle of friends and family to include neighbors, members of social, community and religious organizations; former classmates and any other group whose members might buy the type of product or service that you offer. These social events are an opportunity to meet new and interesting people. However, be tactful when pursuing these contacts. Don't come across as the leech who's always looking for a lead—who looks at every social event as a potential sale. Simply have an informal business chat and agree to follow up during regular business hours or when it's convenient.

Existing Accounts


Look for additional opportunities within your active accounts. We can get very complacent working with only one department or one division, sometimes overlooking other opportunities that are right under our nose. Ask for a current organizational chart and prospect the entire company—take your blinders off.

Acquisitions and Mergers


Read the business section of your local newspaper and watch for any announcements of acquisitions and/or mergers. Your favorite account could triple in size overnight and open up an opportunity to pursue new business—real growth. Armed with an endorsement as an incumbent, your chances of success within the new company are excellent.

Social Clubs


Consider joining a social club or a service club such as a Rotary Club, Lions Club, or The Chamber of Commerce. It not only gives you an opportunity to volunteer for a worthy cause, it is a great avenue for networking.

Cold Calling


I have saved the best for last. The dreaded cold call! The very thought of it sets in motion all sorts of immobilizing defence mechanisms and excuses. Most salespeople have somehow convinced themselves that cold calling is unprofessional, intrusive, and unnecessary. I hear them say: "We don't make cold calls in our business. We get leads from referrals, tradeshows, ads, and our regular customers." That's all fine and good but don't be too quick to abdicate—very few businesses are immune to the benefits of cold calling. It is the backbone of good prospecting and when done properly it will yield high potential prospects. Cold calling can be a very lucrative part of your sales strategy.

Social Butterfly Lessons For Entrepreneurs

We all know at least one social butterfly. I am talking about the type of person that you can put in a room full of strangers and by the end of the night they know everybody. The social butterfly is like a people magnet. He or she takes pleasure in introducing people, making recommendations, and bringing people together that can be of help to one another.

The social butterfly is the person you call when you're looking for a band for your wedding, the best real estate agent in town, or the perfect physical trainer.

We call on the social butterfly for practically everything because we know that they have an extensive seemingly inexhaustible contact list of people that they can refer us to.

We love the social butterfly because we also know that they will undoubtedly refer people to us as well. We trust, respect, value, and rely on the social butterfly and will always do whatever we can to help them.

How much help could we be to the social butterflies in our lives if we too became social butterflies? How much more would our businesses soar?

Pay close attention to the social butterfly because they are living tutorials for zealous entrepreneurs. When it comes to business, we all need the growing contact list of a social butterfly. The more people you know, the more your business will grow. No matter what type of business you are in, the success of your business depends on people. By mastering the techniques of the social butterfly you will become a center of influence earning the trust and support of a growing network of people that you can call on at any time.

You don't have to be the most charming and charismatic person in the world. You simply need to take a genuine interest in others and start networking. The social butterfly is a master networker.

According to Larry James of National Networker Magazine, "Networking is using your creative talents to help others achieve their goals through the cultivation of a network of people in a strategic position that use their creative talents to help you achieve your goals AND expecting nothing in return".
This is exactly what the social butterfly does.

The entrepreneur that makes it a priority to help others while expecting nothing in return always succeeds. We have all heard the saying "it is better to give than receive." The basis of this saying comes from another age-old adage, "you reap what you sow." The social butterfly understands these concepts well, as should every entrepreneur.

When you meet people don't spend too much time talking about yourself and your business. Instead, be a good listener. When given the opportunity people love talking about themselves. Ask key questions such as, what do you do? How do you find business? Who would you like to meet? The answers to these questions will help determine how and if you can help and who among your contacts you should introduce them to. You should not do this with the expectation of them doing the same. As long as you're sincere the universe will reward you accordingly.

As you network it is important that you nurture and maintain your relationships. A simple touch base by phone, a thoughtful birthday card, an invite for coffee, or a brief email are all quick ways to keep the lines of communication open. The social butterfly is not best friends with everyone in their contact list but they maintain contact so that there's never any awkwardness or question as to who they are. Keeping in contact is an absolute must.

The more comfortable your network becomes with you the more comfortable they will be with introducing you to their network. If you network with 10 people and all 10 of them have 10 people in their network who also have 10 people in their network you now have an extended network of 1000 people. The power of networking is unlimited. It's a free and effective means of growing your business while helping others.

Unleash your inner social butterfly. Network with as many people as you can and remember the Universal Law of Giving from Brian Tracy's The Great Big Book of Wisdom, "The more you give of yourself without expectation of return, the more good that will come back to you, from the most unexpected sources. You will only be truly happy when you feel that you are making a real difference in the world by serving others in some way."

Happy Networking Social Butterfly.