Monday 13 October 2008

60 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR MAIL ORDER CATALOG SALES

60 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR MAIL ORDER CATALOG SALES
Perfection in a mail order catalog is like infinity...you can
continually approach it but never quite reach it. In the case of
many catalogs, however, it is not necessary to achieve perfection
or even approach it very closely - in order to make the catalog
vastly more profitable than it is at present. Relatively small
improvements can result in a more-than-proportionate enlargement
of that all-important figure on the bottom line of the financial
statement.
Making as many improvements as possible as quickly as possible is
probably the most profitable procedure. But even making each new
catalog a little better than the one which preceded it can
produce substantial increases in sales per catalog and in total
sales over a period of time.
Following are 60 suggestions that should help your catalog do a
better selling job for you if you are not already using these
ideas. Whether you use all of them in connection with your next
catalog or adopt a few at a time in the course of producing
several future catalogs, the ultimate result should be very
noticeable and very gratifying.
BEFORE YOU CREATE YOUR CATALOG....
1. Look at your present catalog with extremely cold, critical and
unsympathetic eye. Pick out all the faults-large or small-that
you could find if you were no longer the owner of the catalog but
a nitpicking customer who has been disappointed in his or her
last purchase from you and is still sore about it. Such a review
could be very enlightening-even if it should prove slightly
embarrassing-and could make your new catalog much more
profitable.
2. Put your "letterman" on your team. Review all incoming
correspondence from customers and prospects during the last two
years for comments, suggestions or criticisms that may be helpful
in preparing your new catalog. Screen all future correspondence
of this nature as it arrives and place copies of the useful
letters in a special file to be reviewed before starting your
next catalog.
3. Think of your catalog as a means of helping your prospects
accomplish something they want to accomplish or create an effect
they want to create-and prepare your layouts, copy and
illustrations accordingly.
4. For each major type of product you sell, determine as many
reasons as possible why different groups of prospects or
customers do buy or should buy this product. Arrange your groups
of prospects or customers in their orders of importance. For each
group arrange the reasons for buying in order of their
importance. Then arrange the reasons in their order of importance
to your total group of prospects or customers. Use the most
important reasons as the basis for the copy and illustrations you
use in this catalog.
If there are significant differences in the primary reasons for
purchasing different types of products, make the presentation for
each specific type of product fit the product of using the same
type of presentation for different types of products...
5. If the preceding reasons indicate that different appeals are
needed for different groups of prospects or customers, change the
wrap-around, letter or introductory page of your catalog to
appeal to different groups, and separate your mailings
accordingly.
6. Plan your catalog completely before you start preparing
layouts and copy.. Use all 60 suggestions in this list as your
guide for your planning..
7. Plan to ring your cash register more often by using approaches
in tune with the times.
8. Plan to attract new customers-reactivate dormant customers-and
get bigger and better orders from present customers by adding new
and excitement and extras pleasure to owning or using the types
of products offered in your catalog.. For example, feature
dramatic new items, unusual items, items that are especially
timely, etc... Include unusual facts of interest about specific
items.
9. Plan to add interest to your catalog-and give it a much longer
life--by including helpful information on how to use, operate and
maintain your products...unusual uses, etc.. This is information
that customers can use to advantage and will want to keep for
future reference, Such information also increases customer
confidence in your company which correspondingly increases the
customer's inclination to buy from you.
10.. Determine whether items that were unprofitable or barely
profitable in the present catalog should be promoted more
vigorously in the new catalog or should be dropped and replaced
by new products, Never keep an unprofitable product in your
catalog just because it is one of your favorites. If it doesn't
sell, get rid of it!
11. Give your company a distinctive personality. Promote this
personality in all future catalogs as a means of making your
company not "jut another mail order marketer" but a very special
marketer in the minds of your prospects and customers.
WHEN YOU CREATE YOUR NEW CATALOG...
Use Procedure 12 to 19 to make your prospects want your products:
12. Write your copy to tie in with and stimulate the specific
reasons for buying discussed in the preceding section.
13. Wherever possible show your prospects how your merchandise
can accomplish the results desired by the prospects to a greater
degrees than competitive products-and prove it by citing results
of lab tests, field tests, wards received, other special
recognition- and especially testimonials and case history
stories, preferably with photographs. Give the prospect every
possible incentive to buy from you rather than somebody else.
14. Put special emphasis on your products and/or services which
are exclusive or markedly superior to those of your
competitors-and tell your readers WHY your products and/or
services are superior!
15. Take the prospect "behind the scenes" if practical and show
what you do (especially exclusive or improved procedures) to make
your products better than competitive products.
16. Make the most of new items the first time you offer them;
they are only new once.. Give them every opportunity to succeed
saleswise by giving them preferred position and allowing adequate
space for you to do a proper educational and selling job on them
at the time they are introduced.
17. Assure prospects that is easy to use these products...that
instructions are included with each order (if true) and/or are
available in specific books or magazines (preferably obtainable
from you)...and cite case histories to prove how successful other
customers have been in using them.
18. Tell prospect how to start using your merchandise properly
and what other action should be taken-and when-or state that this
information will be included with the shipment.
19. If your products are bought primarily for pleasure or are
considered a luxury or "non-necessity", help the prospect
rationalize the value of the purchase.
Use Procedures 20 to 26 to make it easy as possible for the
prospect to make an accurate selection of the types of
merchandise and the specific items of each type best suited for
his or her purposes:
20. Group all items of the same type in the same section of your
catalog.
21. Arrange the groups of items in their present or potential
order of importance to you profitwise. Put the most important
group at the front of your catalog and the least important near
the end of your catalog (but not on the last three pages).
22. Within each group , arrange the individual items in
descending order of quality, price, popularity or promotional
possibilities.
Give the most important items the most valuable positions and
extra space for copy and illustrations. Allocate positions and
space to the other items in the order of their importance.
23. If practicable, use the Sears system of offering the same
type of item in three different qualities-- GOOD, BETTER and
BEST- with different price ranges to match the differences in
quality. Usually it is more effective to talk about the BEST
quality first and the GOOD quality last.
24. Use COMMON copy to present features or qualities that are the
same for all or most items of the same type.
25. Use INDIVIDUAL copy to talk about the features or qualities
that make each specific item different from all or most of the
other specific items in the group.
26. In preparing the INDIVIDUAL copy above, use "parallel
construction" to help the prospect make a point-by-point
comparison of the specific items as quickly, easily and
accurately as possible.
Once the prospects have selected the merchandise they wish to
buy, make it as easy as possible for them to order Procedures
27-31
27. Be sure your ordering information is easy to understand.
28.. Make your order form easy to use, with adequate space to
write the necessary information.
29. Put in one or more extra order forms to make it easier for
customers to order again..
30. Encourage prospects to order by phone on credit, charge or
c.o.d. sales and encourages them to telephone for further
information they may desire.
31. Offer a 24-hour phone-in service through an arrangement with
a local telephone answering service who can answer your phone
during the hours that your business is nor normally open.. This
is especially convenient for the customer who shops in your
catalog during evening or weekend hours.
Make it as easy as possible for customers to pay for their orders
Procedures 32 and 33
Offer credit card service on orders for a specified amount or
more.. By putting a minimum on credit card orders you will often
increase the original order to at least that minimum amount.
Credit card orders tend to be nearly double the size of cash
orders.
33. Make it easy to determine shipping charges so they can be
included in cash-with-order payments.
Use order starters and sales stimulators such as 34 to 42
34. Use a wrap-around letter on the front of your catalog to
stimulate ,ore orders and to do a selling job on the merchandise
in the catalog; also to make special appeals to special groups or
call attention to merchandise in the catalog of special interest
to special groups.
35. Use the wrap-around to offer order starters (loss leaders or
hot items to get prospects in to the catalog).
36. Offer specials at intervals throughout the catalog to entice
readers to start an order. Once they buy even one lonely item
they'll tend to order other items to go with it.
37. Offer logical assortments of mixed or matched seasonal items
to provide extra variety and pleasure at any given period of
time. Make suggestions for these assortments and provide
inducements for prospects to order them.
38. Offer assortments of mixed or matched items designed for use
during different seasons in order to provide variety and pleasure
throughout the year (or most of it) instead of during just one
season.
39. Offer a free guide or plan for using each assortment above
correctly and offer information on how to make the most effective
overall use of the assortments.
40. Offer a gift or discount for orders of certain sizes and use
a stairstep graduated approach to increase the value of these
discounts or gifts as the size of the order increases.
41. Offer a gift-shipping with gift cards.
42. Provide extra services such as "Seeker Service" for items not
listed in the catalog. Through extra service techniques you will
make your customers more dependent on the information you provide
and they will become more dedicated customers.
Stimulate promptness in ordering Procedures 43 and 44
43. Use action incentives to spark early orders, such as premiums
for ordering by a specified date; special offers for a limited
time only; etc. When a time limit is involved, send a reminder
(letter, promotional mailing, second catalog, etc) timed to
arrive two weeks ahead of expiration date (as nearly as you can
time it with current third class mail service).
44. Mention frequently and prominently in your catalog that
anyone who orders merchandise from this catalog will
automatically receive the next catalog free. If you wish, this
offer can be modified to require the purchase of a specified
amount during the life of the catalog or by a specified date.
Other suggestions Procedures 45 to 53
45. Use the back cover of your catalog for special offers; also
the inside front and back covers and the pages facing the inside
covers.
46. Use teaser copy and cross-references throughout the catalog
to entice readers (into other sections. This can be especially
effective when related accessory items are sold.
47. Concentrate service information on a Service Page; locate it
on a page conveniently adjacent to the order form; and use
frequent cross-references to this page throughout the catalog to
stimulate extra page traffic.
48. Humanize yourself and your catalog by making it seem like the
catalog came from helpful, friendly people. If your business is
truly a "family business" don't hide that fact.
49. Watch your language! Avoid using technical "industry or
business jargon" in your selling and service copy; keep legal
phraseology to the absolute minimum in your guarantee.
50. Make your entire catalog harmonious in layout and copy style
but not monotonous. Include enough variety to keep the reader
interested instead of becoming bored.
51. Give your catalog a longer life by emphasizing the length of
time that you will be able to ship from it and suggesting that
readers keep the catalog for future reference.
52. Ask for referrals from your satisfied customers; also names
of friends who might like to receive a copy of the catalog.
Consider testing the "cluster concept" that neighbors are very
similar and nail to your customers next door neighbors.
53. Sell subscriptions to your catalog by providing a location on
the catalog for readers to remit 50 cents for a "full years
subscription to your catalog." You can also suggest that they
give a "gift subscription" to a friend very inexpensively (and
thus pay for the catalog you mail to the referral).
AFTER YOU CREATE YOUR NEW CATALOG...
54. Use the basic or major catalog to establish the value and
regular price of the merchandise. Use other, smaller catalogs or
solo mailings to promote sales from the major catalog or to
provide special reasons for buying (reduced prices on individual
items or special assortments, closeout, etc).
55. Ask the recipient to pass the catalog along to an interested
friend if the recipient already has a copy or is no longer
interested in this type of merchandise.
56. Re-mail the same catalog to your better customers 3 to 5
weeks after you mail it the first time.
57. Prepare an alternate cover for the catalog and mail the same
catalog to your entire list several weeks later. You'll find it
will do just about as well as the first mailing did.
58. Mail to your BETTER CUSTOMERS monthly, featuring items
carried in the catalog- don't rely solely on the
once-or-twice-a-year catalog.
59. Use your catalog as a package stuffer-enclose one with every
order you ship. Your best prospect is the person who just placed
an order with you and received prompt and safe delivery of the
items ordered.
60. Be prompt in acknowledging orders (with thanks), answering
inquiries, shipping merchandise and making refunds or exchanges
if necessary. Remember the old adage of that great retailer
Marshall Field, "the customer is always right." Less than 2% of
the population will intentionally try to take advantage of you
and the other 98% are well worth cultivating.
...And just as every good mail order catalog has something extra
thrown in for good measure make the customer happier...here's our
extra one for good measure!
61. If you receive a change-of-address notice from one of your
customers, immediately mail a copy of your catalog addressed to
"The New Residents at (the former address of the customer)"
because the new residents probably has tastes and interests very
similar to those of your customer-after all, he bought the same
house! To give this mailing added power, you might tip a note
onto the front cover of the book stating that "the Smiths used
our catalog regularly, maybe you'll find it equally useful."

YOU CAN WIN OIL LEASES FORM THE GOVERNMENT

YOU CAN WIN OIL LEASES FORM THE GOVERNMENT
The public faces a barrage of newspapers, telephone and direct
mail advertisements promising quick wealth and fortune through
"too good to be true" opportunities.
Perhaps you have been among those invited to take advantage of
such opportunity by entering a drawing for oil gas leases on
federal lands. The ad says: write for details or send a check to
cover the cost of filing fee and other services, and have your
name entered in the drawing.
It is really possible to strike it rich? How slim are the odds
and what are the risks?
The purpose of this report is to acquaint you with the relit and
procedures involved regarding oil and gas leasing form the
Government.
TYPES OF LEASES
Lands that are not within any known geologic structure of a
producing oil and gas field, commonly known as "wildcat" lands,
are subject to leasing to the first qualified person making
application for a lease. Such lease is termed non competitive
since the applicant is entitled to the lease without competiting
bidding.
LOCATION OF TRACTS
Many tracts offered for non competitive leasing are in the
Western States where most of the public land is located. These
are the states of Alaska, California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Occasionally, a
few tracts in Washington and Oregon are offered.
Tracts in the Midwest and East are also put up for non
competitive leasing. The tracts are primary in Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi and Ohio.
HOW THE DRAWINGS WORK
Each State Office of the Bureau of Land Management prepares and
posts a list of lands within its jurisdiction that are available
for releasing. These tracts range in size form 40 acres up to a
maximum of 10,240 acres. These list a may be viewed in the State
Offices or obtained from the State Offices by mail for a small
charge, usually $5 to $10 per list.
If any lands are available for releasing, the Bureau of Land
Management State Office posts its list on the first day of
business for the months of February, April, June, August,
October, and December. Applications are accepted until the close
of business on the 15th working day after the list is posted. If
more than one application is received for a given tract, a
drawing is held to decide who will get the lease. All application
for simultaneous oil and gas leases must be submitted to the
Wyoming State Office, which maintains a central computerized
system.
QUALIFICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS
Federal oil and gas leases may be obtained and held by any
citizen of the United States; however, no lease may be acquired
by a minor, but it may be issued to a legal guardian or trustee
in behalf of the minor. Associations of citizens and corporations
under the laws of the United States or of the State also qualify.
Aliens amy not hold any interest in leases. They may, however,
own or control stock in a corporation holding leases, if the laws
of their country do not deny similar privileges to citizens of
the United States.
No person, association, or corporation may hold, own or control
oil and gas leases for than 246,080 acres in any one State.
HOW TO FILE
Applications may be filed on any of the parcels shown on the list
posted in the BLM State Office. The parcel applied for must be
identified by the number shown on the list.
Each offer to lease must be submitted on a official Automated
Simultaneous Oil and Gas Lease Application (forms 3112-6), The
applications must be fully completed and personally signed in ink
by the applicant, or anyone authorized to sign on behalf of the
applicant, during the filing period.
Each part B application form must be accompanied by a non
refundable $75 filing fee for each parcel, and the first year's
rental of $1 per acre or fraction thereof.
Each applicant must contain the actual business or residential
address of the applicant. Addresses of third parties filing on
behalf of the applicant are not permitted.
An applicant may file, or have an interest in, only one
application for any one parcel; however, an applicant may file,
or have an interest in, one application each for as many
different parcels as he or she wishes.
THE DRAWING
After the close of the filing period on the 25th working day
after the list is posted, a computer-generated random selection
is conducted at the Wyoming State Office. Because of the heavy
volume of applicants that must be processed, selection does not
occur until the following month.
One applicant is randomly selected for each numbered parcel. If
the applicant selected is unacceptable or rejected, a reselection
will be made by computer from the remaining applications. Each
applicant is notified of the results of his application in the
random selection. The advance rental will be refunded to
nonwinners.
CHOOSING A PARCEL
It should be remembered that these lands have been leased
previously and are not known to contain deposits of oil or gas.
Neither the Bureau of Land Management nor any other Federal
agency can make any recommendation concerning the potential value
of any parcel offered for non competitive leasing.
Most applicants use a "Filing Service" to select parcels. Some
service charge a fee to evaluate parcels on the basis of
geological and marketing data; others offer maps and information
about the activities of oil companies operating in the area where
the various parcels are located. A third type of filing service
charges a fee for selecting a parcel from the list posted by the
Bureau and assisting the applicant in filing application.
Neither BLM, nor any other Federal agency, endorses any filing
service. None are in any way with the Federal Government.
Be wary of filing services that paint an overly optimistic
picture of your chances of winning and making money. Consider
these firms may file for hundreds and even thousands of clients
on a limited number of parcels, and the more interest these firms
can generate in drawings, the more applications will be filed on
each parcel, and the less chance each individual will have of
obtaining a lease.
The names of firms or individuals that specialize as filing
services may be located through business or professional
associations, through oil and gas trade publications or chambers
of commerce. They sometimes are listed under the heading "Federal
Leasing Services" in the yellow pages of telephone directories.
Anyone considering the use of a filing services should carefully
examine what services are offered and how big
a premium is being charged beyond the required $75 filing fee and
the advance rental that must be paid to BLM for each filing.
Possible source of information on a filing service are the Better
Business Bureau in the area where the firm is located and the
State, county or local consumer protection agency.
LEASE TERM AND CONDITIONS
The lease grants the lessee the right to explore and drill for,
extract, remove and dispose of oil and gas deposits, except
helium, that may be found in leased lands. Such leases are issued
for a period of 10 years and so long thereafter as oil and gas
are produced in paying quantities. The lessee cannot build a
house on the land, cultivate the land, or remove any minerals
other than oil and gas from the leased land.
Before any drilling operation can commence, the lessee or his
operator must fournish a bond to assure compliance with all the
lease terms, including protection of the environment.
WHAT IS THE LEASE WORTH
The value of oil and gas leases varies greatly. None of the
tracts offered has known potential for oil and gas production. In
certain cases, non competitive leases have brought substantial
profit to the winners. Generally, however, these leases average
only a few dollars per acre if resold.
SELLING OR ASSIGNING A LEASE
Many people who acquire an oil and gas lease through the leasing
system do not intend to drill for oil or gas. Often the motive
for entering the drawing is to sell the lease to an oil company
for a profit.
If the lease is located in an area which may be attractive to
industry, interested buyers may make an offer.
A willing buyer may offer a lump sum for a lease. In some cases,
the original lessee can negotiate to retain a royalty interest in
any future production from the lease.
CAUTION
Any person who considers entering the oil and has drawing should
keep certain facts in mind:
* The land offered for leasing was formerly included in oil and
gas leases that expired, terminated, or were relinquished or
canceled.
* The land involved is not recognized as being within a know
geological structure of a producing oil or gas field.
* Your offer to lease is strictly a gamble. Since a very
large percentage of the tracts won are never drilled on, your
parcel may not have any potential for oil and gas even if you win
the drawing.
* the more desirable parcels may attract hundreds, even thousands
of applications.
WHAT TO DO NEXT TO PARTICIPATE
After carefully reading this report, if you wish to participate
in the drawings of your own, here is how to proceed:
Select the geographical area that interest
Locate the BLM State Office that is responsible for the area you
have selected. Write that state for information. The State Office
will send you application forms and tell you how much it will
cost you to receive by mail the list from which you must select
your tracts for the drawing.

HOW TO START OPERATE A SUCCESSFUL CO-OP MAILING SERVICE

HOW TO START & OPERATE A SUCCESSFUL CO-OP MAILING SERVICE
Aside from advertising, the biggest expense involved in mail order business is postage. This means that virtually everyone involved in mail order is on the look-out for ways to save money getting their sales offers out to prospects. The answer is co-op mailings.
Here's how a typical co-op mailing service works: A person with something to sell via mail sees an advertisement inviting him or her to send their circulars or brochures to co-op mailing service. The co-op mailing service receives these circulars or brochures and hires housewives or handicapped people to fold and stuff them into envelopes and then mails them. For this service, they charge anywhere from $10 to $100 per thousand--and it's a good deal to the mailer.
Now, quite naturally the co-op mailer can do this and make any money unless he's got a number of circulars or brochures from several customers in each envelope he sends out. And that's precisely how he makes his money--by including 10 to 16 such circulars in each envelope. Look at it from a mathematical point of view; Say he charges 12 people $50 per thousand to fold and stuff their circulars in his own outgoing mail. Twelve times 50 dollars comes out to 600 dollars--he uses his own mailing lists, so there's no big expense involved there--but he does have to pay for people to fold and stuff envelopes unless he's got it organized where he and his family do this...The going rate of people to fold and stuff circulars is about $20 per thousand...And to bulk rate 1,000 envelopes is going to cost $110...Add to that about $12 1,000 envelopes and you've got a total overhead of $142...Subtract that amount from $600 he took in, and you have him realizing a profit of $458...Not bad for mailing...
The best thing of all about starting and operating a co-op mailing service is that you can include your own circulars or brochures with each envelope you send out. You stuff circulars or brochures from 12 different paying customers, and at the same time, include at least two of your own.
So how do you get started in such an easy and highly profitable business...
The simplest way is to have and advertising coupon-- 3 1/2 by 6 inches--made up and include one with everything you mail out.
Another sure-fire method of pulling in orders is to turn a simple classified ad in as many of the national coverage mail order publications as you can afford. Such an ad look like this:
CO-OP MAILING! Best customers in
the country. Just $50 per thousand-
you supply the circulars--we mail!
Excello Mailing Services, Po 99
Washington, DC 20001
A couple of things you should do in order to handle the orders you'll be getting...Be sure to have a number of people lined up/available to do the folding and stuffing of envelopes for you--and also, be sure to get yourself a bulk rate postage permit.
With those details out of the way, all you really have to do when the orders come in is drop off the circulars to be folded and stuffed into envelopes, with the envelopes, your return address can be rubber stamped on the envelopes as they are applying the mailing address labels as well as your bulk rate mail permit indicia, and you're on your way.
By including a co-op mail advertising coupon with each piece of mail that you send out, plus regular advertising in most of the mail order publication, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how fast your profits will grow. Once you get organized and have all the bugs worked out of your system, you might also want to expand your business to include your local area.
To do this, you either call on your local area businesses and professional people, or else hire commission sales people to do the selling for you. Most small businesses are interested in sending out regular sale flyers or catalogs, so you or your sales people simply call upon these people and offer to do the job for the.
Contact with a good printer in your area will also be to your benefit. You can offer to have the circulars printed--you collect a commission from the printer, and make a bundle of profits with your mailing services.
If you sign just 5 different stores in 5 different shopping centers, you could really be rolling in money within just a very short period of time. $50 per thousand--times 5 stores--you have $250. And when you multiply that times 5 different shopping centers, you're talking about $1,250. Then if you get all of these people to go with your services on a regular basis--say once a month, you've got yourself a very respectable monthly income that will certainly keep you from the Poor House...
Whenever you send out mail, you should always include your co-op mail advertising coupon, plus at least two advertising circulars of your own. By doing this, you'll continue to pull in more business for your mailing services, and at the same time make money from whatever you're selling on your advertising circulars.
Finally, as with any business you might be thinking of starting, the business should be primarily something to keep you busy and pay your bills. Any business that your start should be "vehicle" to eventually make you rich. Thus, you'll have to know about the business, but just as soon as you can afford it, you should hire other people to do the work. In other words, with this particular business Don't involve yourself and commit your time to the folding and stuffing. Hire other people to do this work for you while you work on the expansion of the business by calling on local people that can use your services. At the same time, it would be wise to hire a number of commission sales people--the more people you have calling on prospects, the more money you're going to make and the faster your business will grow. Actually, and dependent on your energies, there's no reason why a co-op mailing business can't bring in $100,000 a year or more. The opportunity is available in almost every city and hamlet in the country. We've told you how it can be done, and the rest is up to you!

THE END.

Saturday 11 October 2008

Why pay for home improvement when you can do it yourself?

Why pay for home improvement when you can do it yourself?
There has been a decline in consumer confidence in the building and construction industry. This may be the same reason why many are now doing home improvements by themselves.
Why not? A little knowledge of the technical aspects combined with the eye for creativity is enough to do the home improvement on your own.
Why are people turning to do-it-yourself home improvements?
Many construction workers who do not have a lot of experience or expertise in construction or home maintenance are out there right now trying to work on these homes across the country.
As a result, homeowners are finding that the jobs are not being completed to their satisfaction. Sometimes they are even prepaying for services that do not get done or are not part of the plan.
You do not have to rely and pay someone to improve your home. Why not try to do it yourself?
You can enhance your home’s existing concrete surfaces using acid stains, acrylic stains, epoxy paints, and scoring techniques.
If you are tired of looking at dreary gray concrete, there are some easy projects for the serious home improvement do-it-yourselfer to give your patio, driveway, garage, etc. a refreshing new look.
Decorative concrete work costs double or even triple that of regular concrete. This is why many people cannot afford it.
There are inexpensive ways to decorate concrete after it has cured without having to pay skilled tradesmen.
Acid based concrete stains are becoming more and more popular for coloring concrete surfaces. They chemically react with the cementitious material to produce permanent color with variegated or mottled appearance like that of marble. This results in a natural, elegant looking surface.
Water based concrete stains are an alternative to acid stains and are much more user friendly because they’re much less toxic. These stains do not chemically react with the concrete; they are absorbed into the surface pores and act like a dye. The big advantage of water based stains is the wide array of colors available.
If you want to venture beyond the basic staining of concrete, consider using some scoring techniques to create patterns on the surface.
You can make your concrete look like a tile floor for example. It is up to your imagination. An angle grinder with a 4 inch grinding or cutting wheel is the ideal tool for this.
The important thing to remember when scoring is to draw the pattern on the concrete first and make sure you are satisfied with the way it looks because scoring is irreversible.
Epoxy paints make an excellent coating for garage floors and basement floors. Many commercial floors have epoxy coatings because of their durability and resistance to chemical spills as well as their appearance.
In recent years, however, it has become very popular for residential use with an increasing availability of different colors. This is not a difficult project, but the key to successful application is surface preparation.
Epoxy paints have also become available in a water based form making it safe for the do-it-yourselfer and ideal for indoor applications. They cost a little more than stains. For a 400 square foot garage, you’ll spend about $200 for the materials needed for this project.
See? You do not have to spend money to have your home improved. You have the capability to do it yourself. With some instructions and a little bit of work, anyone can turn boring concrete into their own masterpiece.

Helping your consumers to gain more profits

Helping your consumers to gain more profits
Consumers are individuals or households that consume goods and services generated within the economy. Since this includes just about everyone, the term is a political term as much as an economic term when it is used in everyday speech.
Typically when business people and economists talk of consumers they are talking about person as consumer, an aggregated commodity item with little individuality other than that expressed in the buy not buy decision.
However there is a trend in marketing to individualize the concept. Instead of generating broad demographic profile and psychographic profiles of market segments, marketers are engaging in personalized marketing, permission marketing, and mass customization.
A consumer is assumed to have a budget which can be spent on a range of goods and services available on the market. Under the assumption of rationality, the budget allocation is chosen according to the preference of the consumer, i.e. to maximize his or her utility function.
In 'time series' models of consumer behavior, the consumer may also invest a proportion of their budget in order to gain a greater budget in future periods. This investment choice may include either fixed rate interest or risk-bearing securities.
In the context of mental health, consumer is also a term applied to describe a person living with mental illness. Literally, it is not really what is states. They are the people seeking for help in their own profile of their mentality. You can let them gain their life back on track and achieve your goal at the same time.
Problems may also arise when dealing with your possible prospects.
Many patients are frustrated because, despite their best intentions, they seem unable to adhere to an exercise or "diet" program. Actually, there are several proven strategies that can be used to help us be successful in our efforts to improve an aspect of our lifestyle.
First, make a plan and make sure it fits their lifestyle. For example, if you're planning on beginning an exercise program, think ahead about how you're going to carve out the time in their already busy life. In this respect, anything you can do to make the exercise program a regular, daily part of your routine will be helpful.
It's often a good idea to ask those around you to help you in your endeavors. Anything you can do to help assure the support of your family, friends and co-workers will increase the odds of success.
Remember that most of the changes you make, whether changing what you prefer to eat, or changing your schedule to include exercise, will affect those around you. One of the best examples of this is the difficulty that smokers have trying to quit when those around them are smoking.
If you strictly adhere to a "proven" program that has succeeded for others, however, and fail to produce the results you want, you may become discouraged or filled with self-doubt. There are many reasons to explain why self-help techniques fail, and many steps to take to feel good about yourself regardless of the result. Like every other field, the "experts" in self-help disagree on just about everything.
Always remember this: no matter how smart or "successful" someone is, how much "proof" you're given, how much you trust or respect someone, or how logical something seems, it's just an opinion, just what worked for someone else, just a possible pathway to success.

Put some additional self improvement link to your site

Put some additional self improvement link to your site
As a Webmaster, you are forever searching for ways to make more money from your website. One of the better ways to do this is to add or link some self improvement concepts into the contents.
Many webmasters have found that there are a few key programs they can add on their sites for which they can honestly expect to make a few extra dollars, a few hundred extra dollars, and in some cases, a few thousand extra dollars every month.
The trick to linking income from third-party programs is to carefully select programs that are relevant to your site visitors, while insuring that the program you promote does not directly compete with your own offerings.
If you are giving something to your visitors that they will find useful, above and beyond your normal offerings that is considered an "added value" item. Not only will it give your customers something they appreciate, it will help them grow closer to you as a business owner. That way, there will appear a link between you and the customers to pave the way for improvement.
This is helpful in accelerating the trust level that your customers have with you and your business which can only serve you well over the long term. By adding this foundation of trust, your visitors will come back to your site and buy from you again because they know that they can trust you to treat them well.
On the web, more so than in brick-and-mortar, the trust factor is the most important hurdle that the small business owner must overcome with his potential customers. There are so many scams and rip-offs on the web, that an honest soul is especially appreciated.
It is important to select your "added value" offerings based on the interests of your web site visitors. The closer your offerings are to the needs of your target market, the more successful you will become selling your added value products.
If your website is concerned with self-improvement, self-esteem, dating, relationships, love or marriage, then you could do very well for yourself promoting the e-book, "How To Identify Your Soulmate."
Love relationships are failing in an alarming rate. In order to help as many people find happiness and self improvement. Years of research on love relationships would not be enough to understand these things.
Why do some fail and why some succeed?
No matter the specifics of the situation the reader may be in, "How To Identify Your Soulmate" can assist people in their quest to achieve success in their love relationships.
Products and services, which are relevant to the people who already visit your website and do not conflict or compete with your current offerings, are ideally suited to allow you to deliver added value offerings to your visitors.
These added offerings will help you to build the trust level that your visitors have with you. Not to mention that they will also help you add new layers of profitability to your website.
In the end, you should always strive to prepare your ezine or website to deliver more dollars. Target those people who want to have more than just material things in life. Add self improvement links to what you have already.
These added links and information would be your perfect vehicles to take you where you want to go.

Friday 10 October 2008

Top Beach Vacation Spots

Top Beach Vacation Spots
No matter what season it may be, taking a beachvacation is both fun and relaxing. There are manybeaches all over the world to pick from. You can choose from a white sandy beach, lava rock beach,secluded beach, or a popular beach - as the choiceis entirely up to you.
1. Polo Beach - HawaiiThe Polo Beach of Hawaii is a sandy beach withclear water, making it ideal for swimming and alsosnorkeling. It's located in South Maui and frontedby the Fairmont Kea Lani Maui, which is a luxurybeach vacation resort.
2. Seven Mile Beach - JamaicaThe Seven Mile Beach of Negril is the longest stretchof white sand in Jamaica. Located near Negril onthe western tip of Jamaica, this beach is truly anawesome sight to behold. Here, you can find your favorite stretch of the beach and coconut palm tree and just relax near the ocean. You can alsostay at the Caves, which is located very close tothe beach.
3. Atlantis Paradise - BahamasHere, you can experience the white sandy beaches ofthe Caribbean. Atlantis Paradise gives you longromantic walks on the beach or the chance to playin the water at the resort. This paradise offersyou tropical climate with your own personal sliceof heaven - something every beach lover will trulyappreciate.
4. Heron Island - AustraliaLocated on the Great Barrier Reef, Heron Island beaches offer excellent swimming and snorkelingwith truly amazing marine life. The tropicalisland of Heron offers scuba divers over 20 different diving sites. You can forget the stressof everyday life here and just immerse yourself inwonder.
5. Madeira - PortugalThe beach here at Reid's Palace Hotel is quite therocky beach, with sharp black rocks. You can spendtime lounging by the pool taking in the views, orswimming in the ocean. The weather here is pleasant most of the time, making your beach vacationsomething you'll remember for a long time to come.
6. Miami BeachA great spot for movie stars and fashion models,Miami Beach offers plenty of sandy beaches, severalrestaurants, and night long parties at one of thelocal nightclubs. If you are looking for theideal place to stay, The Tides is a luxurious hotel with many spectacular views. Miami Beach is also popular in the United States - one of thebest beach vacations out there.