wehappy-future: 2008-04-06

วันเสาร์ที่ 12 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Relationships, The Foundation Of Your Network Marketing Business

Author : Jenean Matthews

Relationships, The Foundation of Your Network Marketing Business
By Jenean Matthews

Most of us know if a building is not set on a firm foundation it
will fall. The same can be said of your network marketing
business. The relationship you establish with your downline is
the foundation of your business. You can have the financing, a
web site with all the bells and whistles, and even great
products or services to offer but if you fail to establish a
relationship with your downline, your business will soon fall.

How do you establish a relationship? Keep in touch, or as we
wrote when we signed yearbooks in school, K.I.T.

When a prospect visits your site for the first time they are
somewhat cautious, as they should be. Joining a network
marketing opportunity is a big decision. So is the experience of
purchasing the product or service the company is offering. Are
they going to get burned? Will the product arrive on time, or
will it arrive at all? What are you going to do with their
personal information? How long will the company be in business?
These are all serious, legitimate questions. How can you make
them feel at ease? K.I.T.

Despite all the hesitation that goes into placing the order and
joining a network marketing opportunity, some people are willing
to give your business a chance. Once the order is placed and the
membership is established, always say thank you. Send an email
thanking the person for the purchase and give a confirmation of
the order. Immediately contact the new recruit and welcome them.
Let them know you will be there to assist them and you
appreciate their business.

Your network marketing business is just that, a business. In the
business world there are a variety of ways you can set up your
business. You can be a sole proprietor. You work alone. You are
the sole decision maker for the business. If this is the type of
business you're interested in, network marketing in not for you.
Instead, network marketing is more like a partnership. You
should have the frame of mind that you are willing to work with
others, take time for others and share ideas. No one should feel
that they are in this alone. Your financial success is linked to
the success of your downline. The more prosperous they are, the
more prosperous you will be.

I'm not sure why this concept is so hard to get across in this
industry. I have heard uplines refer to some of their downlines
as deadbeats. They aren't producing so they get left behind.
Soon they lose interest and start looking for "another"
opportunity. Yes, there may be some that may not have a strong
commitment to making the business work but overall I believe
there's a communication breakdown. If I tell you to meet me a
Walmart and I fail to tell you which one, chances are we will
not be going in the same direction. If I tell you to meet me at
my house and I assume you know the directions, chances are it
will take us a longer period of time to reach our goal. When
there's proper communication everyone will have a set of
instructions that will take them where they need to go. We have
to make sure we are all on the same level.

Recruits come into opportunities at all levels. Some may have
little or no experience and initially will require a lot your
time. Some have experience but need to learn what this new
opportunity is all about before they can take off running. And a
few may immediately begin to soar. How can you distinguish
between the recruits? K.I.T.

As you begin to give information and guidance to your recruits,
you should also be asking questions and listening to the
response. I can't find logic in pushing a person to make $10,000
a month when all they want is an extra $500 a month to help with
the expense of a newborn baby. You may be wondering why the new
recruit is not using all the online tools they been given to
recruit. Yet you haven't taken time to find out that this person
has just become familiar with where the button is for turning on
their computer. How will you possibly get to know all of this?
K.I.T.

You're probably wondering how can you run your business, make
money and keep in touch with all these recruits? Keep in mind
that the relationships you're establishing are your business. In
network marketing your recruits are your customers too. Everyone
should be using the products or services as well as referring
them to those not interested in the business aspect. With the
new line of tools available keeping in touch doesn't have to
take a lot of time. There are chat sites, email, autoresponders,
surveys, newsletters, conference calls, etc. Even if your
opportunity doesn't have all of these features they can be
obtained on the internet, for free or at a very low cost. The
fact is communication is key to the relationship. This is not a
silent partnership.

For those of you that are still struggling with the fact that
you must take the time to establish relationships in network
marketing, ask yourself, why would you want to go into business
with someone you don't know anything about or don't want to take
the time to get to know?

When the relationship is established at the beginning of the
business you can teach each recruit to do the same. As each one
of you continuously teach the method of establishing a
relationship, it will soon become second nature, and a success
pattern will be created. Everyone will begin to reach his or her
goals.

It's time to build a successful network marketing business. Lay
the proper foundation relationship upon relationship. Take the
time right now to contact your downline. K.I.T.
====================================

Relationships, The Foundation of Your Network Marketing Business
Copyright 2001 Jenean Matthews is a businesswoman who believes
in encouraging and helping others to accomplish their dreams.
She believes people can overcome obstacles, rise to any
occasion, and accomplish their entire dream with enough faith.
She can be found accomplishing her dream at
http://www.1stshoppingavenue.com or subscribe to the newsletter
for chances to win free gifts salespaper-subscribe@topica.com

Category : Software

Managers: Paying for PR-Lite?

Author : Robert A. Kelly
As a business, non-profit or association manager, your public relations expenditure may give you names in the newspaper or product plugs on radio. But what about key stakeholder behavior change â€" the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives?Since thatâ€™s public relationsâ€™ strongest suit, shouldnâ€™t you be getting that first, THEN incremental publicity exposure? Especially when persuading those important outside folks to your way of thinking can move many of them to take actions that help you achieve your department, division or subsidiary objectives?Bounce this notion off the public relations team assigned to your unit: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired- action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.If they buy into it, youâ€™ll have a simple blueprint that gets everyone working towards the same external audience behaviors insuring that your public relations effort stays on track.Consider the possible payoffs: customers starting to make repeat purchases; community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; membership applications on the rise; prospects starting to do business with you; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; higher employee retention rates, capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way, and even politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communitiesBut, like everything else, thereâ€™s no free lunch in PR either, and the work looks like this. You need to find out who among your important outside audiences is behaving in ways that help or hinder the achievement of your objectives. And then, list them according to how severely their behaviors affect your organization.Of course itâ€™s unlikely that you have the facts and figures you need to pull this off because you arenâ€™t real certain just how most members of that key outside audience perceive your organization.Thereâ€™s also a good chance you donâ€™t have the budget to accommodate expensive professional survey work. So you and your PR colleagues (they should be quite familiar with perception and behavior matters) must monitor those perceptions yourself.Meet with members of that outside audience and ask questions like â€œAre you familiar with our services or products?â€ â€œHave you ever had contact with anyone from our organization? Was it a satisfactory experience?â€ Stay alert to negative statements, especially evasive or hesitant replies. Watch carefully for false assumptions, untruths, misconceptions, inaccuracies and potentially damaging rumors. Any of which will need to be corrected, because experience shows they usually lead to negative behaviors.So, because the obvious objective here is to correct those same untruths, inaccuracies, misconceptions and false assumptions, you now select the specific perception to be altered, and that becomes your public relations goal.But a PR goal without a strategy to show you how to get there, is like champagne without the peaches. Thatâ€™s why you must select one of three strategies especially designed to create perception or opinion where there may be none, or change existing perception, or reinforce it. The challenge here (albeit small) is to insure that the goal and its strategy match each other. You wouldnâ€™t want to select â€œchange existing perceptionâ€ when current perception is just right suggesting a â€œreinforceâ€ strategy.Your writers step forward here to create a compelling message carefully designed to alter your key target audienceâ€™s perception, as called for by your public relations goal.Stay flexible as to message delivery because combining your corrective message with another presentation or newsworthy announcement of a new product, service or employee may lend more credibility by not overemphasizing the need for such a correction.The new message must be very clear about what perception needs clarification or correction, and why. Your facts must be truthful and your position must be logically explained and believable if it is to hold the attention of members of that target audience, and actually move perception in your direction. Itâ€™s clear that your message must be compelling.I call the communications tactics you will use to move your message to the attention of that key external audience â€œbeasts of burdenâ€ because they must carry your persuasive new thoughts to the eyes and ears of those important outside people.Youâ€™re in luck here because the list of tactics is a long one. It includes letters-to-the-editor, brochures, press releases and speeches. Or, you might select radio and newspaper interviews, personal contacts, facility tours or customer briefings. There are dozens in waiting and the only selection requirement is that those tactics you choose have a record of reaching people just like the members of your key target audience.Your associates will soon want to know if any progress is being made. Of course youâ€™ll already be hard at work remonitoring perceptions among your target audience members. Using questions similar to those used during your earlier monitoring session, youâ€™ll now be on the lookout for indications that audience perceptions are beginning to move the way you want them to move.Things can always be moved along at a faster clip by adding more communications tactics, AND by increasing their frequencies.The only way to be certain you are buying full-bodied public relations results and not the â€œLiteâ€ version, is to undertake an aggressive public relations plan that targets the kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your department, division or subsidiary objectives.About The AuthorBob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com
Category : Skin Cancer

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 10 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Offline Promotion - The Other Source for Potential Customers

Author : Hermas Haynes

It is often quite easy for the Web business owner to overlook the importance of offline promotion. In reality, all your potential customers live offline. They work in the community, shop at the neighborhood supermarkets, attend various places of worship, read newspapers, watch television, visit the doctor and are members of various organizations. Each of these facts is an opportunity to promote your Web site in the real world, and by routinely combining offline methods with your online promotions, you will effectively extend your reach in the virtual marketplace. Here are 11 simple ways you can do that: 1. Word of Mouth - This is obviously the most cost effective and powerful way to let people know about your Web business. It may also be the most under-utilized, which is ironic since the majority of your site's content is made up of words anyway. Use every opportunity to talk about your Web site to friends and family. Make it a point everyday to tell six strangers about your business. The impact of this publicity will astound you. 2. Stationery - Include your Web address on all your business stationery, especially business cards and letterhead. 3. Fliers - A simple flier announcing a special offer and displaying your URL can be put together for next to nothing. You can give these out at community events, distribute door to door or ask permission to place them in businesses in your neighborhood. 4. Brochures - A well-prepared brochure is a convenient tool for presenting an overview of your business and highlighting your product or service benefits. They can be handed out or mailed in response to requests for more information. 5. Community Boards - Many supermarkets, diners, restaurants, laundromats, bookstores, and local businesses have a section on their premises where you may place your business cards, fliers, brochures and announcements. 6. Promotional Items - The familiar and ubiquitous promotional coffee mug, key chain, pen, magnet, calendar, tee shirt and baseball cap, are excellent items to display your company logo or Web address. You can sponsor an event for a community organization or little league club and give these items away. Your business will always be associated with the event. 7. Card Exchanges - Very often, local business organizations and Chambers of Commerce will sponsor events where business owners can display their products and network with each other. These are great opportunities to establish contacts and develop sound professional relationships. 8. Press Releases - Put together a one- or two-page document with news about your company's new product or service, and send it off to the editor of your local newspaper, radio and television station. Editors are always looking for something news worthy to feature. This could result in a newspaper article, a radio interview or a television appearance. The exposure is good for business. 9. Newsletters - If you offer an online newsletter, consider printing copies of it and getting permission to leave a few in your doctor's or dentist's waiting rooms. You could place some on community boards in your town and try a few of the methods mentioned above to distribute it. 10. Bulletins - Many places of worship circulate a bulletin at their services that includes inexpensive advertising. Consider placing a classified or small display ad for an extended period in such a publication. 11. Answering Machine - Program your answering machine message to mention a new product or special discount and invite the caller to visit your Web site for more information. This is by no means an exhaustive list of offline promotion choices. The opportunities are only limited by your imagination.Many of the above strategies require little or no money, and can be executed as you go about your daily routine. The exposure you gain could be worth the time and effort many times over.If you want to expose your business to the widest possible audience, you must vigorously and consistently promote it online as well as offline. Effective promotion is to your business, what the wind is to a sailboat. You wouldn't make much progress without it. Hermas Haynes is an Internet marketer and Webmaster. He offers an informative blueprint on how to create and manage your own profitable online business in six simple steps. Visit his site today - http://SixFigureProfits.net - and download your free preview.

Category : General Off-Line Promotion

Identity Theft: The road back

Author : Daryl Campbell

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine mentioned that one of
his co-workers recently recovered his stolen identity. I asked
how long the process took. "Only two years" he replied. Compared
to the six year nightmare suffered by one of my business
associates, "only" maybe appropriate. However like most victims
of identity theft, my friend's co-worker probably thought in
terms of "when". As in, "When will I get my life back?"

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a non profit consumer
organization, reported that identity theft victims spend on
average 175 hours trying to recover their identity, often over a
period of years. Factor in out of pocket expenses which usually
total, usually over $1,500 according to the Federal Trade
Commission and recovery gets painfully magnified.

What are the steps to identity restoration? It starts with
obtaining a police report. You're going to need it for
contacting the many and I mean many different agencies and
organizations, including the Social Security Administration, The
Federal Trade Commission, all of your financial institutions,
the 3 major credit bureaus, the Passport Office, The Department
of Motor Vehicles, the Post Office, and other law enforcement
agencies as well as the Medical Information Bureau, since
identity thieves now target hospitals and doctor's offices. All
of these places must be sent a fraud notification alert.

It is vital that you contact other law enforcement agencies. The
databases of local and federal authorities must be searched to
ensure no criminal activity exists on your identity.

Concerning your financial institutions, get them to cancel your
credit cards and close your bank accounts. Find out from your
bank about any suspicious activity, such as accounts tampered
with or opened fraudulently. Reopen new bank accounts with
password verification.

When contacting the credit bureaus make sure your credit report
reflects the identity theft and gets flagged with a fraud alert.
Dealing with all these organizations requires constant follow
up. Make sure you keep a record of who you talk to along with
the date, time and action taken. Many victims received
assurances from the various bureaus and agencies that the matter
would be resolved only to find the identity theft remained and
that were still liable. If you do this yourself, be diligent.
Constant follow up all the way to the end.

This also requires knowing your rights. According to the Fair
Credit Reporting Act of 1992, you must be told not only what's
in your file but if that information is being used against you.
The Federal Trade Commission recently expanded the rights
available to victims of identity theft including your right to
get negative information due to fraud blocked from your records.

Stay Away from "credit repair "companies". No matter what they
advertise, there's usually nothing they can do to help you with
identity theft. Some of them even offer to help you apply for
credit under a new identity. Hello? When trying to eliminate
fraud from your record you don't want to create more fraud!

Advise the utility companies. Many identity thieves open
telephone accounts, purchase cable television or establish
credit with the gas & electric companies. It's not just bank
accounts and credit cards.

If necessary get counseling. Identity theft can be a shattering
experience not just economically but emotionally. Many victims
feel ashamed and humiliated. It's not their fault of course but
the feelings remain. A network of support groups and counselors
exists if you need it.

The road back from identity theft can take time, money, and
cause much stress and pain . But with follow up, support and
belief that the nightmare will end...the nightmare WILL end.

==================================== Don't go it alone. Get free
information concerning identity theft protection, 24/7
monitoring and fast restoration. Go to http://digbig.com/4cmcg
now.

Category : Cardio

Is it Just Me, or are People Getting Ruder?

Author : Mary Eule

Copyright 2005 Mary EuleIve been wondering this for a while and have been dying to ask my business colleagues and friends. But whenever Im get ready to pop the question, I manage to convince myself that its silly, reveals my cynical nature (or advance years!) and is probably just a figment of my jaded imagination certainly not worthy of intelligent discussion.The question, however, continued to reside nervously on the tip of my tongue, eager to fly out (particularly just after leaving my apparently mute colleague a fourth voice mail message). But it wasnt until I read Keith Ferrazzis masterful book, Never Eat Alone that I summoned the courage to thunderously and openly inquire, Are people, particularly those in business, much ruder than they use to be?And Have we become so numb to it that we actually expect - and worst yet, accept it as normal and okay?I think yes. I hope Im wrong.Let me, however, step back a bit Why did Ferrazzis book serve as my catalyst?The short answer is that its just plain good. It is a brilliantly written book simple without being simplistic in the same league as Dale Carnegies classic How to Win Friends and Influence People. And in an age when everyone seems to be a marketing, internet or personal motivation coach its refreshing to read something so balanced and genuinely inspired. Most importantly, however, Ferrazzi reminds us that were not in this alone - people make business happen!He reiterates what some of us already know. Were all better off emotionally, financially, and physically when we take the time to build thoughtful, intimate (not in the biblical sense :>) and sincere relationships with others. Ferrazzi says that while our personal styles and levels of openness should be adjusted as appropriate, making strong human connections is essential to our well being. I couldnt agree more! This is, after all, what its all about and long overdue advice. Thanks, Keith!But then it occurred to me. How can you develop relationships with people when they dont call, email, or show up even when theyve promised to do so?!And Im not referring about those little, unintentional slip-ups that happen to all of us occasionally - like when youve forgotten your Aunt Hildas birthday; or waited until the last minute to send in your wedding RSVP; or failed to send a thank-you note.No, what Im talking about is far more baffling and egregious. Im referring to the friends who call you one day before your big dinner party and reiterate how much theyre looking forward to seeing you - and then dont show up no explanation, no call, no nothing.Or how about that real estate agent who promises to get back to you with a price no later than 2 pm, and you never hear from them again?And what about that old friend or colleague who cant wait to have lunch with you next Thursday and then doesnt return your confirmation calls or emails?Then theres my favorite youve killed yourself to help someone get something urgent done (usually a boss or co-worker) and even managed to save the day You email the document before the deadline, sure that the recipient will be relieved and grateful. But you never find out. No thank you. No way to go. No nothing.Or is it just me? Maybe soI was raised in a home where we were taught to treat everyone with the same amount of respect and kindness. Period. Behavior that didnt measure up to this standard was not tolerated. We learned that the true measure of someones character rested in their commitment to do the right thing - even when they didnt have to.For example, whenever I leave a hotel room, I wipe off the counters; gather my towels together in one convenient spot; turn off the television, lights and air conditioning; return the iron to the closet; and make sure that all my scraps of paper are where they belong in the trash can.Why? Because its just the right thing to do (and my mother would probably rise up out of her grave and kick my butt if I didnt :>). Yes, hotels employ a cleaning staff who are paid to clean up after me, but why should they? Its my mess. I was responsible for making it, so I am responsible for cleaning it up even if I dont have to.I have adopted my parents code and although I sometimes fail, I continually strive to measure up to those standards.But what does this look like in the real world? It means you 1. Return calls even if its only to say no2. Honor your commitments if you tell someone youre going to do something, you do it. If you absolutely cannot, you let them know beforehand.3. When youre asked to RSVP, you do so4. Say thank you and please to strangers, friends, family members, waiters and waitresses, taxi drivers, colleagues, children, teenagers everyone.5. Call when youre going to be late6. Return emails (unless its spam)7. Welcome people into your home do your best to make them feel comfortable and important8. Clean up after yourself9. Value other peoples privacy10. Honor your parents11. Respect elders12. Chew gum quietly13. Say excuse me when you burp14. Open doors for others15. Allow someone with only two items to move ahead of you in the grocery line16. Respect other cultures, religions, ethnicities and the like.17. Dont push in front of someone even if youre in a car18. Share your things19. Dont act like a pig even if its at an All-You-Can-Eat buffet20. Dont brag21. Never litterAre these rules a thing of the past? Pass in todays fast-paced culture? Old fashioned? Silly? Or am I just imagining things?But if Im not why? Are we overloaded, overbooked and over committed? Has it become too easy to make excuses? Have we been forced into a every-man-for-himself mindset? Did our parents and teachers fail us?Or is it that we just dont care because theyre not important. What do you think?

About the author:

Mary Eule specializes in helping small and medium-sized businesses get and keep profitable customers. Formerly a Fortune 500 marketing executive; founder of two successful small businesses and award-winning speaker, Ms. Eule is President of Strategic Marketing Advisors, LLC. and co-author of a new book, "Mandatory Marketing: Small Business Edition".
She has a BA in Journalism/English from the University of Maryland and earned her a masters degree in marketing from Johns Hopkins University. Log onto her website: http://www.StrategicMarketingAdvisors.comfor free articles, newsletter and helpful marketing tools, tips and templates and/or to purchase the book.

Category : Business

วันพุธที่ 9 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Estate Planning And The Revocable Living Trust

Author : David Hallstrom
According to Plan-My-Estate.com - With a Revocable Living Trust, you transfer the title of any of your assets (such as a house) from yourself as an individual, to yourself as Trustee of the Trust. Then you, as the Trustee of the Trust, manage the assets of the Trust for the benefit of the beneficiary, which is you. In this manner, you keep complete control over the assets. Once you pass on, a Successor Trustee takes over the management of the asssets for the benefit of the beneficiaries that you named in your Trust. Your assets do not have to pass through Probate because the assets are no longer titled in your name as an individual, but are now titled in the name of the trust. Upon your death, the Successor Trustee simply transfers your assets directly to your beneficiaries without the need for court or attorney's fees or costs.

With a Revocable Living Trust you keep complete control over your assets and ensure that your assets are passed to your designated beneficiaries without delay or unnecessary costs.

Why use a revocable living trust as part of your estate planning strategy?

1. Assets funded into the trust avoid probate. This can save your beneficiaries time and money and if there is no probate, there is probably no public record of the distribution of assets. Note, however, that only the assets written into the trust agreement are covered by the trust. If you win the lottery today and die tomorrow without amending the trust, the winning proceeds will not be covered and may have to be run through probate.

2. You decide when and what principal and or income will be passed to which beneficiaries and for what purposes the income or principal can be distributed, ie: so and so can only use the money for educational purposes. If it's not used for educational purposes by a certain date then it goes to another beneficiary. Or, the income from the trust is to go to your current spouse and when she dies or remarries or what ever condition you wish to add, the assets are to be distributed to your children, or your children are to recieve the income from the trust untill they reach a certain age and then the assets are to be distributed as set up in the trust.

3. The trust's assets are normally protected from the beneficiary's creditors as the trust owns the assets not the beneficiary. Note: The trust's assets are not normally protected from your creditors. Because a living trust is revocable your creditors can usually go after the assets.

You should consult with an attorney who specializes in estate planning.

While a living trust can offer many advantages in addition to the foregoing, it also has various disadvantages. The advantages and disadvantages can depend on both your financial and personal situation. A good attorney will go over your both your financial and personal situations and then provide you with proper advice about planning and protecting your estate and assets.

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is not an attorney and the foregoing information is not given as legal advice. It is instead given as information and opinion gathered and developed through experience over the last thirty years as a private investigator dealing almost exclusivly with attorneys. The author also interviewed various estate planning attorneys prior to writing this article. Although the author believes the information to be accurate no guarantee is made or implied. As in all legal matters the advice of a competent attorney should be sought when planning or attempting to protect your estate.

This article may be reprinted, at no charge, provided that credit is given to the author and that any links contained herein are retained and kept active.©Copyright 2005 Resources For Attorneys. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and currently publishes several internet directories including http://www.resourcesforattorneys.com a legal and lifestyle resources directory for attorneys, lawyers and the internet public.
Category : Finance:Estate-Plan-Trusts

New SmartCompliance First Aid Service Offers Guaranteed OSHA Compliance to Restaurants and Food Services

Author :

FirstAid Exchange, a leading provider of first aid products and services, announces the debut of a new first aid service designed specifically for restaurants and food services. SmartCompliance is the first and only first aid service to guarantee compliance with OSHA regulations for first aid in the workplace 24/7 and is already being adopted by corporate and franchise operations of major restaurants such as McDonalds, Papa Murphys, and Subway. SmartCompliance was virtually seamless as we introduced it in our 24 restaurants. Very rarely do my managers get excited about another initiative or program. However, they have found SmartCompliance to be simple, efficient and cost effective, says Bill Mathews, McDonalds franchisee. I would highly recommend this to other McDonalds owner/operators or McCopco restaurants.SmartCompliance offers benefits no other first aid solution can match, says John Sauer, National Sales Manager for FirstAid Exchange. In addition to guaranteed OSHA compliance, SmartCompliance offers more of what employees need than in retail first aid kits and is 40% or more cost-efficient than van services. With the SmartCompliance service can reduce the risk of emergency room visits and compensation claims from not having adequate first aid onsite. You increase the effectiveness of work place food safety while reducing costs, keeping employees on the job and increasing profitability.The cabinet features visible blue bandages and finger cots, burn relief cream and gel, and all first aid products required by OSHA. The contents stay neat and organized in busy restaurant environments and the package labeling makes first aid products easy for staff to find and use. The SmartTab ezRefills are inexpensive and replenishment takes just a few minutes a month. Simply phone, e-mail or fax in the reorders and they are sent directly to the restaurant. Since you only order what you need, SmartCompliance prevents over-stocking and over-billing. SmartCompliance is currently available through Food Services of America and directly from FirstAid Exchange. For product inquiries please contact John Sauer at FirstAid Exchange (866) 324-1005. Further information and photos of the SmartCompliance products can be found at <a href="http://www.firstaidexchange.com/news/default.asp" target="_blank">http://www.firstaidexchange.com/news/default.asp</a>.FirstAid Exchange is the newest venture by Mark Miller, Chairman and founder of First Aid Only. First Aid Only is a leading manufacturer of first aid kits with a wide range of products spanning both the consumer and industrial markets. The core strengths of the company have been, and remain, innovation and commitment to quality, comprehensive first aid at a fair price. Founded in 1988, First Aid Only is a privately held company and operates from a 54,000 square foot facility in Vancouver.

Category : Cook Books

วันอังคารที่ 8 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Stonehenge A Monument To New Year Idea

Author : Lindsey Williams
The power and persistence of a good idea constantly amazes me. Once an inspired perception of human activity takes root it is impossible to wipe it out and only with difficulty modified.It is this quality of man's mind that makes the study of ancient history so fascinating. Most of what we accept as modern had its beginning thousands of years ago. Much of what puzzles us today is understandable when we know how it started and how it reached us.A case in point is the celebration of New Years Day. It began before there was writing, but it has changed little over the centuries. It is an important holiday to all civilized peoples because it embodies the important idea of a new start, of trying main to do better. It's human and it's important, thus it persists.I have been led to these somewhat philosophical observations during the closing hours of 1968 by a Christmas gift book, "Stonehenge Decoded," by Professor Gerald S. Hawkins.Stonehenge is that mysterious circle of giant stones in southern England which was erected by an unknown people for an hitherto unknown purpose.Dr. Hawkins, professor of astronomy at Boston University and research associate at the Harvard College Observatory, has proven to my satisfaction that Stonehenge was a stone age astronomical observatory and the world's first computer.I became acquainted with Stonehenge a little over a year ago during a visit to England. I arrived at Amesbury, nearest village to the famous monument, in midmorning. No taxis were available and the only bus of the day did not leave until mid-afternoon. As Stonehenge was only four miles away by well marked path I decided to walk.In retrospect I recommend this approach to the ancient circle. Amesbury is the kind of British village you see in travel folders. Little shops crowding the sidewalk, cottages with well tended lawns and flower beds, a low bridge over the gently flowing Avon River then a long slope up Lark Hill to Salisbury plain.As I reached the open countryside it started to rain softly. The wet grass soaked my feet but otherwise I was adequately protected by a rain coat and hat. On the horizon I could just make out the grey clump that was Stonehenge. The slow, silent walk in a drizzle, through a strange land, conditioned me to a proper awe by the time I arrived at Stonehenge.Because of the rain there were only two other visitors at the site and they soon fled to their car and departed. I walked around and under the huge, glistening rocks, each up to 50 tons bulk. How had men with only their own power and primitive tools raised these giant stones? Why?I stood motionless in the center of the ghost-like stones to absorb the mood of mystery and desolation. After awhile the guard at the gate left his little ticket house and squished toward me. "Like me to show you around a bit?" he said.It was obvious to the guide that I was more interested in Stonehenge than the average tourist for he braved the rain with me for nearly an hour explaining as much about the stones as now is known.A horse shoe of head-high stones is encompassed by another horse shoe of 24-foot trilothons --- two upright stones capped by a horizontal stone. These are enclosed by a circle of slightly smaller uprights originally consisting of 30 stones and a continuous lintel across their tops. Next are two rows of postholes, then a ring of 56 white chalk spots. Finally around the whole is a low mound.In all, the arrangement is some 300 feet in diameter.The white spots, called Aubrey holes after their discoverer, are four-foot holes packed with chalk and---in many instances---cremated human bones.By radiocarbon dating of the charred bones, and a piece of deer antler found under one of the upright stones, Stonehenge has been accurately dated. It was built over a three hundred-year period from 1900 B.C. to 1600 B.C. This was a thousand years after the building of the great pyramid of Egypt, Troy had not yet fallen to the Greeks and Abraham was still living in Mesopotamia.The predominant people in Britain at that time were the "Beaker People" but no one today knows where they came from or what happened to them. They left no other monuments or records, and their numerous burial mounds reveal only a primitive culture.Was Stonehenge their single, supreme example of a superior intelligence, or were wise foreigners living amongst them to supervise the erection and operation of a holy temple?It is probably significant, said the guide, that the altar stone and the heel stone alignment point to the mid-summer sunrise or solstice. For this reason the monument was thought for hundreds of years to be a Druid temple. However Stonehenge was ancient and deserted when the Druids came over from the European continent. I finally ran out of questions so the guard gave me a lift back to town. We shook hands solemnly, he appreciative of my respect for his ancient monument, I appreciative of his time and courtesy.It is easy to see how Professor Hawkins --- who grew up near Stonehenge --- would apply his astronomical knowledge to the mystery. He returned to his birth land to make measurements and sightings of the Stonehenge stones.Back at Harvard, members of the computer staff programmed Hawkins's measurements into an IBM 7090 then reversed the sky electronically ---and in less than a minute --- to the stone age. The alignments of paired stones pointed unerringly to every extreme movement of the sun and moon.For more details I suggest you get the book published by Doubleday. It's better than a detective story.Which brings us back to New Year's Day.Hawkins points out that the June 24 summer solstice alignment also points in the reverse direction to the December 22 winter solstice --- the time when the days start to get longer. This was the beginning of the new year to the ancient sun worshippers.Stonehenge was likely a ritual tomb for the sun and a temple to its rebirth. Elsewhere it is known that this was the beginning of a four-day festival ending Dec. 25. It was a time or rekindling the hearth fire, gift giving, merry making and resolutions to live a better life.Whether your present remembrance of Jan. 1 is a throbbing head or a glowing heart, the idea has been handed down from your ancestors with the unspoken wish you will resolve to improve. After four thousand years of trying, we must be making progress, aren't we? I mean, we are!January 1, 1969Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at:LinWms@earthlink.netLinWms@lindseywilliams.orgWebsite: http://www.lindseywilliams.org with several hundred of Lin's articles written over 40 years, and his book "Boldly Onward," about the original explorers of America.
Category : Self-Improvement:Innovation

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 6 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

How to Take Advantage of the New Google Adwords Changes

Author : David E. Nevogt
On Friday, July 15th all Google advertisers got the email message entitled â€œGoogle AdWords(TM) Announcement: Keyword Evaluation Changesâ€. Now, I donâ€™t know about you, but whenever I get a message from Google concerning Adwords, everything else seems to take a backseat.So weâ€™ve decided to give you a heads up on what you can be expecting in the future, how you can expect these new changes to effect your advertising efforts, and what you should be doing to make sure that you can compete after theyâ€™ve been implemented.First, here is a brief summary of the changes so you understand what exactly is going on:1. Keywords will simply be active or inactive, instead of Normal, in trial, on hold, disabled.2. There will be a minimum bid for each of your keywords based on the keywordâ€™s Quality Score which, in turn, will be based on your adâ€™s click-through rate. The higher-relevant, more targeted, ads will have higher Quality Scores and lower minimum bid amounts. The less-relevant and less-targeted keywords and ads will have higher minimum bids. Now the difference from Googleâ€™s old way of doing things is that you can now activate your keywords no matter what. Before, it was up to Google. They would simply place your keywords on hold, and you didnâ€™t have a choice, but try to optimize your ad. Now, you can get that keyword to run, regardless of its quality scoreâ€¦but youâ€™ll have to pay a much higher price per click.What does all of this mean for the advertiser? Well, it means a few things, and it would be foolish to say that these changes were all good. They are definitely all good for Google, and that is to be expected.1. Google says that they believe these changes will result in higher-quality ads. Maybe this is true, and maybe itâ€™s not. What is true is that the educated advertisers will save money under the new rules. People that know how to group ads and get higher CTRâ€™s will have to pay less for the same ad rank as those advertisers that do not know such techniques. Thatâ€™s a good thing for small advertisers who spend time organizing their Adword accounts.2. Butâ€¦ on the flip side, it also means that big advertisers with big budgets can now come in and write ineffective ads and get good placement. Notice above, we didnâ€™t say that this change was all necessarily good for small advertisers. What is true is that small advertisers will have to become more educated to compete. Big advertisers care about branding. They want to have the number 1 ad slot, and most of the time, they donâ€™t really care what it costs. Now, in the old days, if their ad wasnâ€™t getting clicks, the ad simply wouldnâ€™t get shown (good for the small advertiser). But now, they can just pay more to have their ad shown. This was a good move by Google to get a lot more money in their pocket.3. Conversion rate becomes the key. If your site converts, you can afford to pay more per click, in turn, you can compete. If your site doesnâ€™t convert, youâ€™ll be eliminated by the big advertisers and/or the smart advertisers. Thatâ€™s the bottom line. The first step is not getting the traffic to your site like so many teach. But conversely, itâ€™s getting your site in a position to support the clicks.Here are 3 action steps you can work on to make sure that you will be competing in the Adwords game for some time to come. We realize that each of these steps can be broken down into months of work, but donâ€™t let yourself get caught up in too many details. Just focus on these three things before you start getting too in depth with changing your Adwords accounts around, give each of them a quick rehaul, and make sure you know your numbers.1. You need to get educated and learn the system. Grouping keywords, writing good ads, keyword selection, itâ€™s all equally important and will play a large role in the future of your Adwords campaign.2. Youâ€™ll also need to get your site converting well enough to support these clicks. Otherwise youâ€™ll lose money very quickly. The formula is [number of sales made / visitors to your site]. On the internet you should realistically be aiming for about 1%.3. Finally, you need to determine the visitor value of your site. This will tell you how much you can afford to bid on clicks. The formula is [dollars made by your site / visitors to your site]. Plan on bidding about 50% of your siteâ€™s visitor value.So, in summary, if you want to compete in the Adwords marketplace in the future, you need to take action, actively monitor your account, and know your numbers. Your goal is to run a profitable business. If you focus on the three action steps above youâ€™ll know your place in the market, youâ€™ll be ready to compete, and youâ€™ll make money using the new Adwords system.John Rooney and David Nevogt are well known ebook authors that focus on internet-based niche selling. If you have a website that is not performing or you want to learn how to frame a profitable business around an online product, subscribe to the newsletter at http://www.ebooksaleskit.com
Category : Biking

Your Fundraising Letter P.S.: 10 Ways to Write Powerful Postscripts.

Author : Alan Sharpe

Your postscript is one of the most important parts of your
fundraising letter. It usually stresses the point of your letter
and asks for action. Some donors read it first. Some
professional writers write it first.

Since the P.S. is one part of your letter that you can be
confident your donors will read, you need to write something
there that will motivate donors to send you a gift or take your
desired action.

A donor reading a P.S. is a donor looking for information. And
that's your opportunity. So don't treat your postscript as an
afterthought. Here are some ideas to get you started on
finishing your letter.

1. SHOW WHAT A DONATION "BUYS"

"Remember, your gift of just $25.18 will provide a hot supper
every day for a week. Please give today."

2. MAKE YOUR DONOR MAD (AT THE PROBLEM YOU SOLVE)

"I've included a rather sad photo of a giant panda--a mother
who'd been nursing her new baby--who was killed by poachers.
Take a look. Then give some gift, of any amount, to stop tragic
panda deaths and help save these harmless and wonderful animals.
I am waiting to hear from you."

3. MENTION YOUR FRONT-END PREMIUM

"By the way, the enclosed 2006 calendar is a gift of thanks for
your support this year, and your continued support next year."

4. MENTION YOUR DEADLINE

"We must have your responses to the enclosed National Survey in
our hands within 10 days. Please complete and return it to us in
the enclosed postpaid envelope provided. If you'd like to join
the Rails to Trails Conservancy, simply mark the appropriate box
on the Survey form and mail it with your check in the enclosed
envelope."

5. SUGGEST A LARGER GIFT

"Your last gift was $250. If you could match it again (or even
increase it a little), I'd be mighty grateful to you."

6. DRAW ATTENTION TO AN IMPORTANT ENCLOSURE

"I've included with this letter an article about our response to
the recent gang violence. Your support right now is critical to
our work in this campaign. Many thanks."

7. INVITE YOUR DONOR TO TAKE ACTION

"If a loved one or friend of yours is addicted to drugs or
alcohol, please call 123 456-7891. Because of your financial
support, we're here to offer advice, help and professional
direction to those in need."

8. STRESS THE URGENCY OF YOUR APPEAL

"Tens of thousands of Angolans are at risk right now of starving
to death. We are already in the country helping, but we can only
do more if we receive more funds. Please help the people of
Angola. Send us a gift right now."

9. SHOW WHAT HAPPENS IF THE DONOR FAILS TO ACT

"I need to send this shipment of clothing to Liberia within 10
days or we will miss this opportunity. I am counting on you,
Alan, to help us right now with a gift of $50 or more."

10. ASK A QUESTION

"Do you know that our scholarships are supported entirely by
charitable donations? The Foundation does not receive any
funding from government, Sharelife or Catholic Charities of the
Archdiocese of Toronto. Please give generously to our Hope for
Children Foundation Scholarship Fund today."

Category : Travel Tips

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