Friday, May 30, 2008

Unique Marketing Ideas That Generate Cash!

By Wendy McClelland First of all - keep in touch with your customers! One of the best ways to do this is with a newsletter. Today its easier than ever to have a newsletter use email. If you dont have your customers email addresses already, start asking for them when they pay for something at the cash register. Give them an incentive for signing up for your free newsletter maybe a free gift or a small discount or even a prize draw they can be entered into. Use your newsletter to let customers know about sales in advance, extend special invitations to past customers only and open the store during non-regular hours. A popular sporting goods store where I live does this twice a year - and the lineups to get in weave through the store parking lot and people talk about the sale for weeks before and after it happens! This is a GREAT publicity AND sales tool. Add other incentives in the newsletter like: a 10% discount for past customers on a new product line, or offer an old customer a 5% discount on their next purchase if they bring a new customer to a special sale. Give customers a gift for every referral they send to you. Can you team up with other businesses in your area to offer a package promotion? If you are a make-up artist can you team up with the high end dress shops in your community to offer a bonus make up package for prom or other special events? By combining services both businesses win and customers love it because they save time since they dont have to run all over town! This would work well if you gave manicures, pedicures or did hair as well. Professional photographers can also find unique ways to team up with all of these businesses as well. Think strength in numbers! If you save the customer time and effort running around THEY WILL BUY FROM YOU and very much appreciate you. Can you offer a deal of the month package? Lets say you own a restaurant on a beach and October through February are always very slow and so is your cash flow! Due to construction delays you didnt open until September which means you are going to be struggling this winter unless you get an influx of cash and FAST! How about selling a twelve month package of meals? Set a price for a 3 course dinner (starter, entre and dessert), multiply by twelve and then take off a small percentage since the customer pays all at once. Selling these packages allows you an instant influx of cash. You can encourage people to use them as gifts (one gift certificate at a time or the whole book) or they can keep them for themselves to use when theyre low on cash. This idea can be used in many industries, not just food. How about for pet grooming, house cleaning, yard care, car detailing, hair cuts, manicures any product or service that is bought more than once! Is there a time of day, or day of week that is slowest for your business? Thats when you have a sale! In the area I live Tuesdays are cheap movie nights and all tickets are half price its because historically Tuesdays are the slowest nights at the theatre. Now most Tuesdays the theatres are full! Think about ways you can make this work for your business. Ive heard of tax accountants who offer a discount to people who bring their taxes in to be done before February 1. This gives the accountant some much needed cash after slow season, and helps ease some of the crazy rush around tax time. Open up your mind see what other industries are doing to generate quick cash DONT just look at whats been done in your industry before try something new become an innovator in your industry. When you do something different youll stand out by being unique your business can really grow! Wendy McClelland is a motivational speaker, marketing innovator and Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach who specializes in teaching people to “think without boundaries!” She is a past nominee for “Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year” and her clients have included software developers, an Olympic athlete and a wide range of business organizations. She has spoken to 10,000+ conference attendees, about Marketing, Internet Business and Motivation. You can contact her through her website http://www.thinkwithoutboundaries.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_McClelland http://EzineArticles.com/?Unique-Marketing-Ideas-That-Generate-Cash!&id=58167 apply online student education loans for bad credi bad credit no fee no credit check personal loan please i need one bad payday-loan-yes
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Is A Tankless Pool Heater Right For You?

By Mandy Fain There are many different styles of pool heaters to choose from as well as different sizes of pools they go in. Not every swimming pool even requires a heater. It really depends on the area you live in. Those who reside in Nevada or other very warm climates have not trouble at all keeping their swimming pool at a very comfortable temperature with the hot sun to assist them. Not everyone has this luxury to take advantage of though. Many people want their swimming pool to be accessible in the winter time with warm water. A great option is to use a tankless pool heater. They are very reasonable and they will help you save money as well. However, many people are hesitant to purchase one because of the cost involved. You will need to ask yourself if you intend to use your swimming pool enough to justify such an investment. If not, you may be better off purchasing a less expensive standard swimming pool heater. Tankless swimming pool heaters work in the same fashion as tankless water heaters. The water flows through heated coils to warm it instead of being stored in a tank until it is the correct temperature. This coil system makes it very efficient but as we mentioned earlier you will pay for that convenience. The cost will be approximately three times what a standard swimming pool heater runs. Of course over time a tankless pool heater is going to save you about 60% - 70% of the amount you would spend on energy using a standard pool heater. The factor you need to use here in determining if a tankless swimming pool heater is going to save you money is how often you will be using the pool. For a hotel swimming pool that gets used daily by guests, a tankless pool heater is a very wise investment. If you will only be using your home swimming pool once a week then it really wont be a good investment for you. Learn more information on refurbished tankless and bosch tankless. eTanklessHotWaterHeater.com is a comprehensive resource for tankless water heater with information on reviews, installation and how it works. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mandy_Fain http://EzineArticles.com/?Is-A-Tankless-Pool-Heater-Right-For-You?&id=519576 caribbean cruises keywords personal loans magnumz advance payday loan payday six week loan principal capital personal loan company
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Saturday, May 24, 2008

6 Moving Tips For A Perfectly Packed Kitchen

By Aaron Brooks Moving means keeping your wits together and whether you are single or part of a family the kitchen is one place that will present great challenges. For most people the kitchen is the last place to be packed and the first to be unpacked. This is because food and drink rule our lives. Since a kitchen is well stocked with appliances, pots, pans, and umpteen small items it generally presents the most difficulties. The way to tackle the mammoth task is stick to the ABCs, find out what you need, what can be given away, and keep your choices simple and without emotions. So create two sections: take with you and give away. Those that are categorized under give away should be disposed off without a second thought. Have a garage sale or give away to charity. Useless non functional things should be just thrown away. Tips: 1. Before packing make an essentials box. It should contain the bare necessities of life to tide you over until you unpack completely. The box should have: dish soaps, towels, cleaner, salt, pepper, sugar, tea, instant coffee, a toaster, jam, peanut butter, pasta sauce, cheese, biscuits, baby and pet food, kitchen tools like knife, spatula, and can opener, a match box, torch, and an emergency tool kit. 2. Buy packing material in different sizes: large boxes for cutlery, baking tins, spice racks, and so on; medium boxes for appliances, pantry stuff, silverware, books; and heavy duty boxes for fragile items. Be sure to get bubble wrap, zip lock bags, labels, markers, and sealing tape. 3. Pack section wise so that when you unpack things that go together stay together. Put small things like nuts, covers, and keys into zip lock bags. 4. For breakables use cell boxes. Wrap fragile items in newspaper, towels, and sheets. If any thing is very expensive or an antique hire professional packers for these items so that you can be sure they arrive safely. 5. Only take light and expensive things with you. Use or give away canned and frozen foods. Keep the moving costs in mind when deciding what should be packed and moved. 6. Get all appliances serviced and packed for the move in accordance with instructions given in their manuals. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer. A great site is www.appliance411.com , they have information on appliances. Before packing check with the owner of your new home whether there are any appliances, some rental premises have appliances fitted. Give away fruits, vegetables, perishables, as well as open cleaning supplies. Pay special attention to insecticides, paints, turpentine, car oils, and coolants, these are dangerous and can cause harm to kids and animals. The golden keys are: can x, y, z be replaced and is it too expensive to move; is x, y, z very rare and the expense of moving worth it. When packing, keep a ready reference list of your new home and its dimensions and the space available in the kitchen and whether or not there is a pantry. If you pack right then unpacking will be a breeze and your kitchen will be functional in no time at all. Its all about being organized and disciplined. Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for www.1888MovingCompanies.com , the premier website to find help on Moving including topics on moving companies search, compare movers, moving insurance, auto transport, moving tips and more. He also freelances for the premier Coupon Code Site www.1888CouponCode.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Brooks http://EzineArticles.com/?6-Moving-Tips-For-A-Perfectly-Packed-Kitchen&id=299659 banks issue payday loans uk loan lenders that gives out personal loans to caribbean people cash advance really lend 1500 samples of paycheck stubs for mn
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

You’re A Mathematical Genius, You Know!

By Murdo Macleod This may come as a surprise to you. But the truth is, you really are good at mathematics. You see, every day you solve complex problems by breaking them down into tiny little “baby steps”. And just like the world’s most powerful computer or the greatest ever mathematical prodigy, it’s this step-by-step process that enables you to do practically anything. Let’s see this process in action with a couple of examples: * * * Example 1 - Calculating the Dreaded Sales Tax The sales tax rate varies around the world, but here in the UK it’s 17.5%. Urgh! What kind of figure is that? Let’s look at it again and see how we can tame the beast by breaking it down. 17.5 It consists of 10, plus 5 plus 2.5, doesn’t it? And those numbers form a distinct sequence. In other words… “10, plus half, plus half again”. Now that we know this, we can do something really clever… Suppose you want to calculate 17.5% of 40 UK pounds. How would you work this out? (Stop! Don’t even think of reaching for that calculator!) Start with the 10. 10% of 40 is 4. Add half (2) and half again (1) and you get 7. So you proudly announce to your colleagues… “So by adding 17.5% sales tax to our 40 product, the total retail price will be… 47.” They look on amazed. Let’s take another example and show how simple math really is… * * * Example 2 - Help your daughter with her homework. You arrive home and your daughter needs some help with her math assignment. It’s those darn fractions again. She just can’t make sense of them. “A half times a half is a quarter. So how, when you multiply things together, can you have LESS than you started out with!” You explain that multiplication and division are two sides of the same thing, and you make it “real world” for her with a little analogy: You get her to imagine a cake. You remind her that “multiplying by half” is another way of saying divide by 2. So she pictures herself halving the cake, giving one piece half to her friend Jane, and keeping the other half. You daughter now has half a cake. She multiplies her piece by a half (i.e. “divides it into two again”) and she’s left with a quarter. She goes off to bed happy, dreaming about birthday cake And you get to watch the ball game on TV. Again, it’s just a matter of simplifying. ———————————————————— Real world math is not about mental agony, or learning mechanical formulas that you follow mindlessly like a robot. It’s about common sense, seeing how numbers really work, and breaking things down. You just need a little imagination. After all, that’s what genius really is. About The Author Murdo Macleod is a reformed calculator user and co-author of the ‘Fun With Figures’ mental math course. Come and see what parents, students, home schoolers, business people, and math phobics around the world are raving about: http://FunWithFigures.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Murdo_Macleod http://EzineArticles.com/?Youre-A-Mathematical-Genius,-You-Know!&id=29221 instant decision personal loans paycheck loans ii unsecured start up small business loans payday advance loan utah
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Monday, May 19, 2008

Hispanic Market Reality and Purchasing Power

By Lance Winslow How many Hispanic people live in the US currently. Well there are 35.2 million who are here legally and have 100% undebatable legal rights. Of that 35 million; 59.8% were born here or 21.1 million. There are 40.2% here legally who were foreign born or 14.1 million. That is a hell of a lot of potential customers, isn’t it? You could actually have a business and only cater to the Hispanic Crowd to stay in business, think about it? There are Women only clothing businesses, then there are businesses that only cater to over weight women, with large sizes, which you may say limits your market, right? Is it just that we in the automotive business are so darn lucky to have a business that has more cars than people in it? Did you know in some states there are 2.2 cars for every man, woman and child? CA is one of them. For every kid there is a police car, school bus, Fed Ex van USPS jeep, think about it. Cars, boats, motor homes, motorcycles, etc. everywhere on every street all needing oil changes, wow. There is an interesting book that you should read if you do not comprehend what I am saying here; “The Hispanic Middle Class Comes of Age” and also read; “Latinos INC.: The Marketing and Making of a People” BY Arlene Davila. Also if you think I am blowing smoke, then you have not been paying attention, check out this web site, they are serious and hungry and they are well on their way to showing us how to pursue our own American Dreams; http://www.hispanicbusiness.com Did you know that of the 59.8% of the 35 million Hispanic US Born Citizens 68.7% cannot write or even read in Spanish. Sure they can speak parts of it, but do not kid your self they are as American as the rest of us. After all the largest part of our melting pot came here between 1890s and 1960s. 45% of these people speak English only at home. Only 8.8% speak only Spanish at home, do you get my point so far? 37.7% speak both at home, comfortable with both and can easily assist you if they are in your shop as a foreman or manager, Thus proving why they are able to move up to middle class so fast, you need them and they need you. We need not self-segregate, since the strength of this nation is all about melting and working together. In ages of 14-24 57% do prefer to speak English. The average Hispanic individual spends 17 hours a week watching all English TV, 16 hours a week listening to all English radio, 5 hours reading English media, magazines, ads, newspapers and Auto Traders? Out of the 197.1 million Internet users 17.6 are Hispanic. 8.1 Billion in online sales annually come from Hispanic buyers. Bilingual Hispanic consumers spend are you ready for this? 398 Billion a year. English only Hispanic consumers 88 Billion, Spanish only speaking Hispanic consumers 43 Billion. What about the future? The Hispanic segment with their strong and close family ties reproduce faster than any other group, nearly 3xs the number as other segments and in 10 years these expenditures are expected to double and then in 15 years quadruple. So think about what this means in terms of your business growth, labor force and future market competitors. Pay attention, do not neglect your customers, their needs or their money flow. “Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow http://EzineArticles.com/?Hispanic-Market-Reality-and-Purchasing-Power&id=25362 how long does it take for captial one to verify income on a car loan personal garentte loan online loan counseling personal loan unsecured fast
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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Over-Delivering Techniques

By Simon Clarke The life coaching field has experienced exponential growth in the last two decades. As the demand for coaching services increases, so does competition between coaches. As such, coaches are increasingly seeking to improve their marketing efforts to attract clients by offering differentiated services and adding an extra notch of quality in their overall product offer. A very common way service professionals achieve this is the interesting - and potentially risky - art of over-delivering (and under-promising). But what exactly is over-delivering? Over-delivering is providing a level of service over and above that expected or anticipated for the service provided. Over-delivery is providing a level of service beyond what youve promised your client in your marketing message. An example of service over-delivery would be to provide your client with a surprise complimentary gift after the first session. The gift may be in the form of a tele-coaching session, a seminar, a book, or perhaps a voucher to the movies or a massage session. Many astute coaches actually provide services of other business professionals in order to provide their over-delivery. For example, in the case of a free massage above, you may be able to do a deal with a health spa that is willing to provide a complimentary session to your clients in the anticipation that your client will continue to use their service in the future. This type of arrangement is a powerful will to all parties. You are able to provide your client with an added benefit, the health spa gets a potential long term client for low cost, and your client gets a free massage. The intention of service over-delivery is to build goodwill with your clients. Its intended that this goodwill will translate into business benefits for you. Those benefits may be longer client contracts, increased referral and stronger product endorsement. Generally your perceived gain from over-delivering your service would be greater than your cost to provide the additional benefit to your client. (In the above example your cost is actually zero). Clearly its very important that you take into consideration the cost of over-delivery in your financial planning. When engaging in this process, you must be aware of the cost/benefit relationship that will arise from it, ensuring that for every cost involved, there is a mutual benefit. However, every investment requires a systematic approach in order to be successful - and over-delivering is not different. Youll need to establish goals in order to measure the outcomes of your efforts, and also to avoid having financial problems due to an ill planned promotion. You can include the following points in your over-delivery strategy: (a) Establish primary objectives List each advantage of over-delivering in a priority order. Referrals, networking and partnership possibilities are all reasons for this type of promotion. Your primary objectives will also be parallel to your current position in the market: whether you have just started your business, included a new service, found a new niche, etc. (b) Find a target market The main objective of over-delivering is to provide more satisfaction to customers. For this reason, look for groups that can offer a great deal of options for your business, such as networking possibilities. Once youve established the right target, youll be able to refine your promotion and possibly calculate the most likely outcomes of each interaction. (c) Choose your gift Now that youve decided what your target market is, you need to decide on what you are going to offer. You may provide extra services of your own, or negotiate with a local service provider to exchange vouchers for referrals. There are many options to choose from, but the most important thing is to ensure that whatever the gift is, it will have some value to the client. (d) Create protocols You are going to face a constant trade-off between the amount of extra time you are going to spend with give-aways and how much you can actually spend. Creating protocols will help you to balance this equation and ensure youll neither go too far on over-delivering, nor too low. It will also give you enough flexibility to deal with various opportunities that may arise throughout the process. You have now established your primary goals, target market, marketing strategies and resource requirements. The next step is to actually apply them to the real world. Because people respond well to incentives, it is only natural that your clients will respond positively to your service over-delivery. Compare your results with what youve planned, and if needed, make some adjustments. Life Coaching Institute (Aust). If you wish to republish or reproduce this article, please include this information in the end of the article. For more information about the Institute please visit www.lcia.com.au/lz. Simon Clarke has over 15 years of experience as a writer, entrepreneur and business specialist. He is also the founder and Director of the Life Coaching Institute and the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors: both industry leading training providers in Australia and overseas. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Clarke http://EzineArticles.com/?Over-Delivering-Techniques&id=290504 personal loan quotation direct loan online does the fed rate cut help me with my personal loan personal secured loan finance
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Fall Garden Planning - Garden Plans For Next Spring And Ordering By Mail

By Jill Dow It’s August, the weather has cooled a bit here and the summer monsoons where I live in New Mexico have begun. The kids are starting back to school and I feel the onset of fall. I’m getting that garden planning itch again! It happens 2-3 times a year… This time, it’s time to start ordering bulbs and perennials for fall planting. I’m always planning how my garden will look better next season and I suppose most of you do the same. Fall is the perfect time to plant for established growth next spring! Take a good look at your garden now and think about areas you need to fill in. Do you need late season color, early spring blooms? Are there bare spots or places where plants like poppies or tulips go dormant and you need a filler to keep your garden alive with color? I find the best time for next years planning is in the fall when bloom time and plant combinations are fresh in my mind. You may be disappointed with a plant combination you chose last season. Fall is the perfect time to rearrange. Get rid of overgrown plants and revive areas with new color or foliage combinations. Think about areas in your bulb or perennial garden you want to develop. What size, shape and bloom color do you need? Plant them this fall and watch your pans come to fruition come spring. Shrubs and trees do take years to mature and fill their place. You can get a jump start by planting them this fall. When spring arrives they’ll be much more hardy and will require less babying. Fall is the perfect time to mail order bulbs, perrenials, shrubs, hedges and trees. We’re winding down the season and if you’re anything like me you’re just not ready to quit quite yet. Sure there’s clean up to be done, but I find more planting helps to finish those mundane cxhores. As I clean out I plant new! Ordering online or by mail Ordering plants online can be a bit scary. How are the plants shipped? Will they be good quality? Will they arrive at the right time and will I be prepared to plant them then? Fear not! I’ve ordered in fall for years and have had tremendous results! Plant Quality and Guarantees Nurseries do differ in what and how they ship so make sure you do some research, but almost all reputable mail order nurseries do guarantee their plants to grow or your money back. I’ve never had trouble collecting on that promise and I have used it a time or two for certain plants. I also admit, a bit grudgingly as a then new gardener, that I should never have ordered those specific plants for my climate. Nevertheless the nursery did stand behind it’s guarantee. How Plants Are Shipped Some plants will be shipped bare root, others as potted plants. This depends on the plant variety and I’ve actually found preference to bare root plants. They do look dead when they arrive (they are actually dormant), but I assure you that unless they have visible signs of disease like rot they’ll thrive come spring. *Note - If you do get any plants that look like the crown has rotted either ship them back immediately or just phone the nursery and they’ll ship out new ones. When to Plant While you never know exactly when your plants will arrive, they are shipped to you at the proper planting time for your gardening zone. If plants arrive and it’s not convenient to plant immediately just make sure you follow the directions included in your shipment for keeping your plants viable until you can plant them. If you’ve planned ahead you will know where they go and it’ll take you little time to get them in the ground. A Saturday afternoon will usually give you ample time to get this done. Keep in mind these companies have been in business for years and years and have shipped bare root and potted plants for eons. They do know what they’re doing and most of them do it very well. They’d be out of business if they couldn’t fulfill your planting requirements. Gardening Budgets and Selection You can’t beat the cost and selection of ordering by mail! Most mail order companies offer plant varieties you’ll never find anywhere else. The selections seem endless and I’ve been amazed what I can grow in New Mexico. Take advantage of fall specials and free shipping and you get a double bang for you buck. For about half of what I spend on a trip to the garden center on a single spring garden binge, I can have more variety and many more plants shipped to me at home. Get on the Mailing Lists Make sure you’re on the mailing list for the following nurseries at least! You’ll get a catologue several times a year. Take it into the garden with you,look around and plan accordingly. Then hop online and place an order or order by mail, but use the online resources for their help with plant combinations and companion planting. They offer great suggestions you may not have thought of before. Remember - pictures will help any gardener no matter how experienced. To order catalogues and find this seasons BEST garden specials visit my garden resource center - My website is at http://www.bulbandseed.com For garden decor Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jill_Dow http://EzineArticles.com/?Fall-Garden-Planning—Garden-Plans-For-Next-Spring-And-Ordering-By-Mail&id=60034 cash advance from creditcard scams on cash advance company fast cash card johnny paycheck
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