Tuesday, April 27, 2010

To Be or Not to Be - In the Yellow Pages

It must be that time of the year again! Yellow Page renewal. My clients are asking if advertising in the Yellow Pages is a good expenditure of their market budget. Sadly my answer has been "I don't know"! Not because I can't commit to a decision; but because there is not enough information to make a decision. If you are considering Yellow Pages this article will help bust any myths that have been created by age old marketing tool called the Yellow Pages or Yellow Book and the other entire knock offs out there!

Because the Yellow Pages have been around so long, the myth is that you MUST advertise in them - doesn't everyone? This myth gets exaggerated by thinking the only way to win the Yellow Page war is with a full page ad. You have now just entered the $20,000 yellow page black hole!

Would you ever invest $20,000 without first knowing what the rate of return will be? Before taking the $20,000 plunge - know your facts. Start asking your new customers how they heard about you. Drill down a little to gain critical marketing data and then record those finding. Then when it's time to renew; you can print out a report that tells you that you received 5 new customers from your Yellow page ad with an average sale of $100. Unless you can get an ad for $50, you may just want to pass on Yellow Pages all together!

Other factors that need to be considered are:

Type of Business - If you are in a high relationship business like business services, Yellow Pages may not work the best for you. Your customer is more apt to research you on the internet to best determine if you are a good fit for them. Hard to do this on a Yellow Page static ad

Customer Profiles - Yes I said profiles! You need to segment your customers into buying profiles. For example if over 50% of your business comes from customers in their 20's - Yellow Pages may not work. This group is surfing, texting, IMing and blogging - they are not letting their fingers do the walking!

Sounds like I'm down on Yellow Page advertising. Not at all. It has its place and may be your best source of leads. You just need to examine all the facts and not hold on to the myths.

Paul is the founder and CEO of mymarketplan.com, a web based sales and marketing firm located in Kansas City. After 28 years of employment, Paul found his passion through a new frontier to sales and marketing - the Internet. Most of his prior life experience has been spent in larger organizations that have the capital to properly market themselves. These companies have a large staff of marketing and sales professionals at their disposal. Unfortunately, this is a luxury small business owners can not afford!

During his interactions with small business owners, He began thinking about new and innovative sales and marketing methods that could deployed within the cost and time constraints of a small business. The result is the birth of his own small business - mymarketplan.com. Creating a sales and marketing plan similar to the ones found in larger organizations but geared to fit the small business. Please check out our website at http://www.mymarketplan.com

Visit Philippine Business Directory an online yellow page in the Philippines.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Free Money Making Opportunities on the Web

In auctions, the seller can specify what's known as a reserve price for an item. If the winning bid for that item is less than the reserve price, the seller can opt not to complete the transaction. Often, this technique is used by sellers who have a detailed understanding of how much the item would be worth if sold elsewhere, or who for whatever reason need to make a certain amount of money from the auction for free money making opportunities on the web. Generally, such sellers can be broken up into two categories: sellers who are simply looking to recoup a certain amount of the item's purchase cost and sellers who rely primarily on auction sales for their livelihood.

The first case often includes businesses that re-sell used items at a depreciated value. If the company uses good accounting practices, this value will be readily available. Otherwise, it will have to estimate the value by consulting with experts (some of whom it may already have on its staff) or comparing prices on similar items for free money making opportunities on the web. Typically, such sales aren't essential to the continuing health of the organization, so accepting a price slightly below the reserve value would likely not result in major harm. In low-priority situations such as this, a business must ask itself whether a reserve is really necessary for free money making opportunities on the web. Most auction venues will charge an additional fee to place a reserve on an item, which, depending on the expected sale price of the item, might be enough to cast the possibility of a satisfactory profit into doubt.

In the second case, though, reserve prices can reasonably be considered on the order of regular store prices: any offer below them will not result in a sale. As such, they need to be carefully calculated for free money making opportunities on the web. Too high, and auctions may result in too few sales and a bad reputation. Too low, and auctions may not generate enough profit to maintain the business. The desired profit margin will vary by business and by item, of course, and needs to be realistic for the market for free money making opportunities on the web. Equally, sellers should be aware of the relevant research, such as studies that indicate that using reserve pricing can have a feast-or-famine effect on profit depending on the estimated value of the goods being sold.* This research, while not conclusive, indicates that, even if relatively expensive goods benefit from reserves, relatively inexpensive ones can actually lose value if a reserve is employed. Ultimately, a business should remember that its bottom line is profit: even if all the theories say that using a reserve will help, if reserve-priced goods consistently under perform, the right answer is to abandon them, and vice versa.

Online reputation

After you have brought people to your page to look at the sports memorabilia you are trying to sell, it is important to entice them to bid. One of the most important factors is by creating and maintaining a positive online reputation. Buyers will be less likely to bid on your merchandise if the feedback left about you is not good. But overall, creating a positive response about your online auction business is not difficult to do and is very similar to the same good business practices people practice in regular storefronts. Along with being honest and descriptive about what you are selling online, it is important to answer all questions posed to you by potential bidders and be forthright about your product. When it comes to shipping the item, pack it appropriately in the correct box and send it out just as you described on your site or if you have made alternative arrangements with the winning bidder.

Tony Forster excels in the home business arena. You can learn more about making money online at http://www.moneymakingsystem76.com

You can get the Best Online Money Making Opportunities.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Basic Yoga Postures And Their Variations

1. THE COBRA Do this in easy stages. Lie down, face prone, legs tightly together and stretched back, forehead on the floor. Put your hands, palm down, just under your shoulders. Inhale and raise your head, pressing your neck back, now use your hands to push your trunk up until you are bending in a beautiful arc from your lower spine to the back of your neck. You need go no further than this. However, if you are supple enough, you can now straighten your arms completely, bend the legs at the knees and drop your head back to touch your feet. Even if your head goes nowhere near your feet, drop it back as far as possible and hold the posture with deep breathing. Come out of the posture very slowly, returning to the face prone posture. Relax with your head to one side. Repeat http://www.best-applemac.info

2. THE BOW This is also an extreme version of the simple bow. It is surprising how many children can do it immediately. Take it, once again, in easy stages. Lie face prone on your mat. If you are very slim have a nice thick, padded mat for this one. Inhale and bend your knees up. Stretch back with your arms and catch hold of your ankles, keeping fingers and thumbs all together on the outside. Inhale and at the same time raise your head and chest, pulling at your ankles and lifting knees and thighs off the floor. Breathe normally, trying to kick up your legs higher and lifting your head up. You are now bent like a bow, balancing the weight of your body on your abdomen. You can stop right here but if you can still stretch further, then slide your hands down your legs, lift them higher, keep the knees together and pull back as much as you can. Hold for a few normal deep breaths, then relax back to the face-prone position, head to one side.

3. THE SHOOTING BOW In Sanskrit this is known as Akarna Dhanurasana and one leg is drawn up like a shooting bow. Sit with both legs stretched out in front and back straight. Reach forward with both hands and clasp your feet, catching the right foot with the left hand and the left foot with the right hand. Inhale, bend the left knee and pull the foot across the body, close to your chest, pointing the elbow up and twisting the body slightly to the right. The left hand stays firm and tight, holding the right foot. Hold posture with normal breathing, release slowly, and relax. Repeat on other side. In the beginning it is enough to hold the bent left leg with the right hand. When this is easy, stretch down and hold the left foot with the right hand. Continue to pull on the left foot, lifting it higher on each exhalation.



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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Women's raincoat with hood: To buy or not to buy?

Don't you just love dressing up during the winter? All those wonderful jackets and colorful scarves come out. You can party and binge and still not worry about the extra fat showing as you wrap yourself up in a pretty jacket and shawl. But have you thought about the rains? If it's going to pour, it's going to ruin your dress, right? If you haven't already, make sure that you browse through the collection of women's raincoats with hoods when you go shopping. They not only protect you from the rains, they also protect you from chilly weather.

Women's raincoats with hoods can be quite a fashion statement if you choose well. Most come made up with materials that don't absorb rainwater thus giving full protection to the wearer. When you go shopping you will be amazed at the number of choices in terms of style and colors. You will be getting mainly two kinds of women's raincoats with hoods, one with an attached hood and one with a detachable hood. The good thing about the latter is that you can wear the raincoat without it when you want. Make sure that there are pockets in the raincoat. Choose something that suits your needs and looks good on you.

Let price not be a constraint when you are shopping for winter clothes. This is because raincoats are something you can wear for many winters to come. Look upon it as an investment and spend as much as you can afford.


Women's Raincoats
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Monday, April 19, 2010

Digital Hearing aids: Why Do They Cost So Much?


The cost of one digital hearing aid can range from $1700 to $4,750 at the retail level. The costs are no doubt high but let's take a look on why digital hearing aids have such a high price tag especially compared to their analog cousins. One of the reasons that digital hearing aids bring high prices is because of all the time that is invested into research and development. Another reason for the high price is that these devices contain miniaturized computer chips, which makes them more expensive. You can always expect to pay more when you are buying the latest electronic gadgets and hearing aids are no different unfortunately.

Don't worry though; deals on digital hearing aids are available to a thrifty shopper. Keep in mind that there is a lot of competition between hearing aid suppliers. Also, the internet is allowing people to get much better deal. It is easy to save money if you take your time and shop around.

We all know that hearing aids are insanely expensive. However, if you look around you will be able to find some low cost alternatives out there. The Cost of digital hearing aids is based on the brand and model of hearing aid and what features it has.

For those people that have already wear analog devices, an upgrade to a digital model will provide stunning sound quality in normal day to day situations. A drastic improvement in hearing of normal everyday sounds is just the start. Where digital hearing aids really earn their money is eliminating background noise. Adjustments can be made without having to mess with the volume control.

The more money you are willing to spend the more you'll be impressed with the detail and quality of the sounds you can hear. If you are willing to get into the high end of digital hearing aids, you will be totally impressed with the things you can hear. Users report that they can hear even the faintest noises, and perhaps the most talked about results are the way these high end models are able to eliminate all feedback. These high tech devices also have a directional microphone which can be directed at the users front which will eliminate any surrounding noises.

If you decide that a digital hearing aid is for you then consult an audiologist. The audiologist will run test to find the degree and cause of your hearing impairment. Digital hearing aids are programmable so don't be surprised if you have to return to the doctor's office a number of times to get the device tuned in just to your liking. It might take some patience on your part but the advantages are very much worth it. Hearing aids are expensive, but you should not cut corners with something as important as your hearing.

Best of luck!



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Friday, April 9, 2010

The Disease of Hemochromatosis Or Iron Overload

Iron overload occurs when the body absorbs too much iron over many years and the excess builds up in organ tissues such as heart tissue and liver tissue. The overload usually occurs as result of a gene mutation that causes the body to absorb more than a healthy amount of iron. It is a dangerous condition because it can lead to hemochromatosis. These disease symptoms may include:

o Fatigue
o Joint pain
o Abdominal pain
o Organ damage

There is actually no definite set of symptoms for this disease, which makes diagnosing this disease difficult as the symptoms are like symptoms of many other diseases. Early diagnosis of iron overload is the key to preventing hemochromatosis. Blood tests, which are inexpensive and can be done at the doctor's office, can measure the iron levels within the body.

Simple blood tests can measure the iron levels within your body. The tests are inexpensive and can be done at your doctor's office. Symptoms usually begin in middle age; however, some people get sick sooner, others later.

Hemochromatosis left untreated can lead to other conditions that include:

o Liver cancer
o Diabetes
o Heart disease
o Arthritis
o Impotence for men
o Cirrhosis of the liver
o Infertility and premature births
o Bronze skin menopause for women

The treatment for hemochromatosis is "phlebotomy." This is the same procedure used when you donate blood. The procedure takes about one hour while a nurse takes about a pint of blood from a vein in your arm. A doctor must monitor your health more closely than if you were just donating blood as this disease requires frequent phlebotomies. How often and how many depend on how much iron has built up in the body. Most common is to have them once or twice a week for a year or more. Once the iron level is lowered to a safe level phlebotomies are required less often and usually a few times per year.

There are usually few if any side effects from having phlebotomies. Some people feel fine, others feel tired afterwards and have to rest for an hour or so. It is a good idea to drink liquids such as water, milk, or fruit juices before and after a phlebotomy. The phlebotomies are performed at any blood donation center such as hospitals, clinics and bloodmobiles. Without the phlebotomies, hemochromatosis can cause death.

This disease runs in families so if your blood relatives have it, such as your parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, or children, you may have it also. If you have this disease it is helpful to tell blood relatives of their risk. Family members should be urged to get their iron levels checked. People who start treatment early can stay healthy.

For more information about this disease:

o National Human Genome Research Institute: Information on genetics
o Iron Disorders Institute

Written by: Connie Limon. Visit my website for more articles similar to this one at http://smalldogs2.com/Diseases

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

List Building and a Profitable Opt-In List!

In building your keyword list, you want to "get into your customer's head". Therefore, you have to approach building a list with a tool like Desktop Lightning as a long-term process. Do you want to find out how the affiliate marketer mentioned above, started building an email list and stopped losing money? This site consists of a landing page to collect email addresses, a package of products that teach about building an email list, and a few pages with articles I've written about building an email list.

Building a profitable opt-in list does not just happen overnight. Building a mailing list for your niche market is a painstaking and time consuming process. BUT, if you want to start building a list quickly, here's one technique that works. Find one or two in the areas of Internet Marketing you need help with: SEO, Mini Sites, Affiliate Marketing, List Building, Google AdSense/AdWords, Copy Writing, etc.

You'll save time and money by building a prioritized list of those reasons, understanding must-haves and trade-offs, and using that list to spec, evaluate, plan and build a VMS solution tailored to your business. Building a mail list manually is not easy, it can be done, but you have to work at it everyday, adding names - addresses - phone- numbers etc, it is a lot of hard work, and it was just a pain to keep up to date, and then if you wanted to do a promotion it meant preparing a sales letter, then getting it printed, stuffing the sales letter into envelopes, paying for the postage, phew, it was a huge amount of work.

Building a list gives you opportunities to sell to the same customers over and over again. Start building your optin email list in an area in which you have some knowledge. If you're a smart article marketer, you don't consider your list building and article marketing project complete until you have thanked key online editors, and invited them to discuss other marketing opportunities.

Generating traffic, nor building an Opt-In list, nor is it finding products to market and it's not a lack of Cash. JV Your List-Building: Small List - Ok, if your existing list isn't large enough to warrant a cross JV mailing as described above, here's a clever way to build your list up quickly. Your list is vital to building your business. The well known guru Mark Joyner has been known to sit back for7 to 9 months, building his list and cautiously targeting his audience, giving away freebies and bonuses.

Consider the double opt--in method you are in the early stages of building your list or want to increase to your existing list. Not only does building a website give you the opportunity to build a list, set you apart from your competitors and allow you to offer more value to your visitors, but it also (and very importantly) gives you the option (which you should take advantage of - by the way) of marketing more than just one affiliate product/program. There are many nuances and very effective initiatives that could be added to this list, as well, but these provide a good starting point for building stronger results. When you click through to the webpage you will see that I am building a list.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Online Dating Leads to Sex on First Dates

An Australian online dating service reported that one third of women who meet men through online dating sites are having sex on the first date. 70% of these do not use condoms, a new survey has found.

This survey, published in a US journal, is an alarming trend for the safe sex activists. Chlamydia and HIV infections here in Australia are now at there highest level in ten years.

The American study, which surveyed approximately 600 women, also discovered 29% of those surveyed performed oral sex on the first date.

A leading womens magazine in the US, said the results were alarming but not surprising.

Singles do feel more at ease when meeting in person having had lots of conversations online, regardless of which online dating or social networking site they met through.

If a person thinks, "I know this person, surely Im safe", they are unlikely to use a condom.

A spokeswomen from the womens American magazine said that generally, women were "holding out more" and the "12 date rule" is becoming more popular, but when talking to someone you have just met online, it was easy to fall into a false sense of security.

"Talking to singles or married people through online dating does not mean you necessarily know what they are like, and doesn't mean they are disease free," she said.

"You need to address these issues with a potential sex partner before sex, not after. Sex should be kept sacred, at least until you know them well enough"

"Its so important to get the safe sex message out to singles who use online dating, and the public in general whether you meet in a bar or through online dating".

In contrast to meeting singles through online dating, according to nearly 600 women surveyed 10 % of these singles had sex on a first date when they met through conventional methods such as at a bar or through friends.

There are no figures available, or any accurate source, as to the ratio of sexually transmitted diseases caught resulting from online dating encounters or conventional dating. Online dating for singles is an easy, fast and discreet method for hook ups, so it is little wonder those inclined opt in for such website services.

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Australian online dating and chat site offers general online dating advice for singles

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