Continual Vigilance

Executive gifts used to be a nice pen or a nice meal, today it’s more common to give a Tag Heuer or Baume and Mercier Watch or Swarofski Crystal. If you think business is tough take a look at what’s happening in the executive gift and promotional products market.

When people used to think promotional products for their business, they advertised on a pen or calendar and got a great return on their money in the 60’s and 70’s. With the 80’s and the explosion of corporate wealth more was expected. Wall street bonuses were frequently dolling out BMW’s, Porsche’s, Ferrari’s, Rolex’s and other expensive gifts. Those in the promotional product industry jumped on this trend. They convinced high end luxury manufacturers and distributors that they were missing out on a huge growing market. With business deals today running in the hundreds of thousand and millions, and competition fierce, every body is looking for a way to differentiate themselves.

After returning from the largest promotional product show of the year, I noticed the number of retailers and manufacturers of high end luxury items who had booths, has exploded. Tag Heuer, Baume Mercier, Swarofski, Movado, Sharper Image, Coach, The Gap, Liz Claiborne, Nike, and Reebok were all there. Where once items had to be priced under $50.00, today many items are in the thousands of dollars. The trend is certainly to bigger and better.

The idea in promotional products is mimicking the trends in the printing industry. Rather than do mass mailings, spend a little on a per piece rate and get a small response rate, the smarter marketing people are doing direct marketing campaigns on a smaller scale but at a larger cost per item. Make a bigger splash and see your response rate sky rocket. This coupled with the specific correct target market generally leads to profitable campaigns. Promotional products thanking your best customers with memorable gifts leads to loyal long lasting customers. The next time there’s a problem chances are it would be resolved without losing that customer. You have to invest in your customers so that they will continue to invest in you.

Steven Schneidman
Solutions Ink
www.solutionsink4u.com
steve@solutionsink4u.com

Steven Schneidman has a B.A. in Psychology and an M.B.A. in Finance. He has taught finance at a large University and worked at the head office of a national bank. He currently owns a successful printing and promotional product company in Montreal Canada and services clients through out Canada and the United States.

If you need ideas you can look at any promotional product dealer or visit my site for ideas at www.solutionsink4u.com Need help with your next campaign feel free to drop me an email.

So many people never think about the package when they develop a product. Packaging should be the first thought in product development — not the last. Without the package, you couldn’t even have a product to sell or ship. After all, the package transports the product from point A to point B, protects it and secures the contents inside.

The product has to be shipped using some method of conveyance - the package. So, no matter what kind of product you develop (whether it be informative, literature or a physical consumer product) the choice of the shipping container or box is just as important as what you put inside it.

Your “package” is the first physical interaction with your customer or potential customer. What it looks like, the material it is made from, and the condition it arrives in all convey a visual image of the contents inside. Remember this connects back to you and the impression of your products or services: Bad packaging-bad products or services.

You can also easily destroy the good impression you have created about your product/services by using “shoddy” packaging. Don’t incorporate packaging into your shipping that looks as if it has seen better days or if it has been used and reused. There are some people out there that tout using any old box to ship a product; but if a good impression counts with your customer, don’t even consider this as an option. There are many inexpensive packaging options that can create a unique look without having to spend a lot. All it requires is a little ingenuity and creativity on your part.

Think about the box in the store that is torn, dented or shows obvious signs of damage. Do you ever buy that product? No way. It sits on the shelf forever and becomes more shopworn as time passes. Your immediate thought-It’s damaged inside.

How many plain brown or white envelopes have you tossed without even looking inside at the contents? Why would someone want to see what’s inside if the outside looks like garbage? Consider when you receive something that is torn, tattered and it is from someone unknown. Your first impression is a negative one. You may just pitch it before even opening it. The amount of things that are thrown away because they are unidentified or uninteresting is staggering. Mailrooms are often instructed to toss this kind stuff (junk) before it gets delivered no matter who it’s addressed to.

Here are some ways you can improve the odds to ensure that your product will be opened and seen by the receiver.

• Always ship or mail a sample to yourself to see what condition it arrives in.

• Clearly indicate who the material is from and why it is important to be opened promptly.

• Use care when selecting packaging material. Make sure the materials will get the job done.

• Consider color as a differentiator from all of the white and brown out there.

• Make sure the outside of the package screams “open me.”

• Ensure that the contents inside are protected and secure so they arrive in pristine condition. Think of ways to distinguish yourself from the competition. Even using such simple things like colored bubble wrap (no more expensive) can create a positive impression.

• Make the package something that can be reusable or stored. (A client of mine who shipped flower bouquets made the shipping package in such a way that gift wrapping paper could be stored in the box after the flowers were long gone.)

• Make sure the container is substantial enough to be returned should it need to be. Nothing alienates a customer more than having to find another box to ship something back in.

• Think about what appeals to you when you receive a package. What makes you want to open it? Incorporate that feeling into your shipping materials.

Whatever methods you decide to use to ship your products make sure that you put thought and creativity into the box or container before you send it out the door. It is difficult to overcome an initial negative impression of your product if it arrives in shop worn or damaged condition or in the worst case broken. The customer may never give you a second chance.

Remember to make packaging of your product your first thought not your last. As in this case, what is outside the box counts just as much as what is inside.

Want to know more about the role of packaging? Need to learn how to package products people will buy? Just starting a business that needs to package products? Need brainstorming about what packaging works in the current economy? Contact the #1 consumer product packaging expert by email at PackagingDiva@aol.com or by phone at 678-594-6872 for a free 15 minute consultation.

Cyprus is an island with strong greek traditions, but its great all year round sun is what attracts most of us, which has made it a very popular destination for Europeans, with over 2.4 million visiting its many resorts. The island receives over 330 days of sunshine a year, which has given it the name The Island of the Sun. There is no shortage of travel companies tailoring Cyprus holidays and low cost airlines such as Easyjet offering routes to Paphos and Larnaca, there has never been a better time to visit.

Cyprus attracts tourists from all over the world, but the majority come from Europe. Affluent eastern Europeans and Russians have also joined the crowd in recent years. One of the main reasons why there is such a heavy presence of Brits in Cyprus is because of the positioning of the British Armed forces in the southern Greek part of the island. The UK retains a military base in order to have a gateway for forces to the Middle East. The impact of this on the surrounding area is that Cypriots have grown used to, and in turn, now cater for the Brits. English is widely spoke and understood among nearly all age groups to driving on the left side of the road. A major attraction for many Brit tourists is that the island offers all of the comforts and familiarities of home, but in a more favourable climate.

For many reading this, the prospect of taking a holiday away from England only to be greeted at the airport by a hire car representative hailing from Croydon and being served an authentic Mediterranean dish of steak and chips will not appeal. However, this side of Cyprus, that continues to attract millions of tourists year after year, is only one aspect of the island and is concentrated around the tourist hotspots of Paphos, Larnaca and Ayia Napa. Fortunately as you venture off the beaten track, your are soon reminded of the character that has made this island a popular destination for millennia.

A trip well worth taking is into Cyprus largest mountain range, the Troodos Mountains. In the heart of the mountains you will find the Kykkos monastery, a UNESCO world heritage site since 1998. Housing art and exhibits on ancient Greece, the monastery has the twin function of being a museum for visitors and a practising monastery lived in by worshiping monks. Kykkos even has its own winery where the monks bottle and sell their wine. A daytrip to the Troodos Mountains can be a welcome change from the beach and with overnight accommodation available in many of the authentic villages dotted about; you might want to spend a few days here sampling another side of Cyprus.

Hair Loss has regularly been something that both males & women have to deal with. As abounding clients know it can be decidedly disturbing and distressing. It used to be the case that there was absolutely zilch that might be done about it, currently though with technology advancing further and more each day, there are oodles of different choices for you to look at.

Advanced Hair Studio is terrific. They specialise in Hair Loss & plenty of different treatments all of which can often be able to help you. There are many diverse varieties of treatments possible to many various customers. You will be advised on what programme is very best for clients after a consultation with one of there many doctors who have been skilfully trained on everything. They will be able to give you all the information & support you need throughout your programme time with them. Check out Hair replacement today.

There are many diverse procedures each one designed for different types of cases. Strand by Strand is the procedure that is low maintenance and builds up hair steadily & gradually. With the Strand by Strand technique it is possible to regain hair with no surgery, pain and scaring this as clients can imagine is extraordinarily appealing to many people. Advanced Laser Therapy is another option that is offered to customers. Advanced Hair Studio pioneered and successfully conducted clinical trials on the combination of the latest laser beam technology, an FDA approved re-growth pharmaceutical, & a proven scalp and follicle programme programme for hair loss. With this programme customers will often see a change in 3 months, which is extremely fast.

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Is your life passion filled? What are you the most passionate about? Are there places and parts of your life where the passion has disappeared?

When some people hear the word passion, it conjures up visions of sexual passion. Yet, that is only one small part of what passion is.

We have (or don’t have) passion for life, passion for certain things that we do, passion for living or just the act of being a very passionate person. What does it really mean to have these kinds of passion? It means you are enthused, dedicated, joyful, committed, excited, revved up. In short, when you do something with passion, live passionately or are passionate about something, you can bet that you are living directly from your heart and soul at those moments. Living deep, living large, living with gusto! Passion can be a sort of gauge, are you living via the go, or living via the soul? If you are living and doing via the soul, the passion will be there.

The problem is, so many of us have lost that passion, that joy for life. Why is it that we lose our passion? It could be so many factors, not the least of which are stress, being in a rut, suffering a loss, or a combination of things.

We are only human, after all, and being human can really wear you down. If you have lost your passion in any way shape or form, then go easy on yourself, it’s a normal part of life, the ebb and flow of energy. Give yourself time to go through whatever it is you are going through. We cannot life in high gear constantly and slowing down to heal or regroup is a natural part of the process we call life.

When you are ready to reclaim your passion, here are some steps that can help you along:

Acknowledge and thank the reasons or situations that have made you step back from your passion. Sometimes slowing down and taking a step back is the greatest gift we can give to ourselves. Instead of looking at your lack of passion as a negative, acknowledge it for coming into your life.
If you aren’t sure what you are passionate about, take a look at the things that bring you joy-the things that, when you are doing them, you lose all track of time. It becomes a meditation of sorts and time just stands still. That is when you are living in your passion.
Try to reclaim the joy of childhood. Adults tend to take themselves much too seriously and this so often suffocates our passion for life. Reclaim a sense of childhood joy and wonder about the world. For example, take a nature walk and make a point to notice the smallest things.
Take dancing lessons. Moving your body to music helps you free up stiffness in your body, frees your spirit and brings a lightness to your heart.
Get creative! Do something creative and get your hands dirty-mold something with clay, do finger painting, or dig in your garden (no gloves allowed!). Feel your body’s connection to whatever you are creating-don’t worry about getting dirty-that’s what soap and water are for! To clean that stuff up!
Forget about what other people think. Most of the time, they are too busy worrying what you think of them. So cut loose, get silly, enjoy yourself and have a good time! Revel in the gift of life…and do it with passion!

Arielle Sumner Consoli has been dubbed “Long Island’s Favorite Life Coach”. Aside from writing for such websites as The Long Island Guide (Ask the Coach!) and longisland.com (The Life Coach Expert) she has helped numerous people live their ideal lives by making lasting changes, removing blockages, achieving goals and by simply showing them how possible it is to truly live their dream. Arielle gives complimentary sessions, and hold numerous teleclasses throughout the year. Stop by her website at http://indigoskiescoaching.com for more information.

These days, if you’re starting a career as a freelance writer, it’s no longer enough to ring up a few editors and distribute a few business cards. Most of the people who want to hire you will ask if you have a website. If the answer is ‘no’, you could lose out on some valuable sources of income. Here are five reasons why you should have a web presence.

1. Developing the brand of you
As a writer, your name is your brand. People will like or hate your stuff, trust or distrust your opinions. Either way, they’ll have positive or negative feelings every time they see an article with your name on it. So your job is to build editors’ and readers’ trust in that brand.

2. Writing is your business - you need to treat it like one
Every reputable business has a website that showcases its products and services. You should too. How else are people going to know what you have to offer? A website allows your potential clients the luxury of accessing your information in their own time. You should include a resume, references, services (types of writing), samples of work, links to where you’re published on the net.

3. Efficiency
A website is a time saving way of showcasing your past and current work (an online portfolio or selection of clips). You can point editors to it as well - a time saver for you and them. No longer do you have to spend time selecting and printing your best work. Instead, upload examples to your site and link to other places where your work has been published.

4. Make your passion work for you
Some of the writing you do will be for love rather than money, but that’s no reason why you can’t make it work for you. Upload your short stories, poetry, novel chapters and so on to show how creative you are.

5. Skills development
If you do the web development yourself, you’ll also be gaining another valuable skill. The discipline of editing your material for a website will be invaluable when you’re trying to get a commission to write 40 web articles for a pittance (we all have to start somewhere).

So what are you waiting for? Get your stuff on the net and start building the brand of you.

Sharon Hurley Hall is a freelance writer, ghostwriter and editor. Sharon worked in publishing for 18 years, writing articles and editing and designing books and magazines. She has also lectured on journalism. For more information or to contact Sharon, visit doublehdesign.com. Sharon also publishes freelance writing advice

The life cycle of the typical small business is short and painful. It starts out with a dream and ends with a whimper. And in between, a struggle of Herculean proportions is played out as the owner tries to figure out why the business isn’t succeeding.

Depending on which survey you read, up to 80% of small businesses fail. Most fail within the first five years and those who survive the first five are often losing money. Pursuing a career in small business ownership seems like a fool’s footpath straight to failure and poverty.

So, what is the difference between the 80% that fail and the 20% that succeed? When you examine the reasons that cause business failures, you begin to understand that most business failures are preventable. The major missing ingredient is knowledge. Business owners who get expert help before they open a business have a much greater chance of succeeding. Business owners who get expert help as their businesses grow and change succeed more quickly with fewer speed bumps along the way.

Why do businesses fail? A study published by Jessie Hagen of U.S. Bank gives the details of the top reasons for failure:

General Business Factors

• 78% - Lack of a well-developed business plan, including insufficient research on the business before starting it.

• 73% Being overly optimistic about achievable sales, money required and about what needs to be done to be successful.

• 70% Not recognizing, or ignoring, what they don’t do well and not seeking help from those who do.

• 63% Insufficient relevant and applicable business experience.

Financial Factors

• 82% Poor cash flow management skills/poor understanding of cash flow

• 79% Starting out with too little money.

• 77% Not pricing properly - failure to include all necessary items when setting prices

Marketing Factors

• 64% Minimizing the importance of promoting the business properly.

• 55% Not understanding who your competition is or ignoring competition.

• 47% Too much focus and reliance on one customer/client.

Human Resource Factors

• 58% Inability to delegate properly - micro-managing work given to others or over delegating and abdicating important management responsibilities.

• 56% Hiring the wrong people - clones of themselves and not people with complimentary skills, or hiring friends and relatives.

To get your own business on the right side of the 80/20 split, assess your business to see if any of these Failure Flags exist. Then, systematically eliminate them. And if you don’t have all the skills you need, hire an expert to help you. The cost of having a professional on your team is far less than watching your business join the 80% club.

Caroline Jordan is a small business coach and mentor working with small business owners to conquer the skill gaps that prevent success. For a free special report called Seven Secrets for Small Business Success visit http://www.TheJordanResult.com.
Get Knowledge. Get Focus. Get Results.

Many American homeowners have used refinance agreements to
save money on their interest rates while pulling cash out of
their homes to pay debt or make major purchases. Mortgage
lenders tout the practice as a clever way to save money or
achieve a major life event like college tuition or a
wedding.

If you’re considering pulling some cash out of your own
mortgage by refinancing, take a look at the rest of your
personal credit. You could inadvertently cause yourself much
grief while the savings you earned during the refinance get
sucked away by other lenders.

All lenders look at your debt to income ratio, along with
your credit score and other factors, to determine the lines
of credit they want to extend to you, as well as the
interest rates they expect you to pay. Most banks tie their
credit card interest rates to the prime rate set by the
Federal Reserve Bank. Because you pay a number of points
higher than the prime rate, you might be used to seeing that
interest rate fluctuate without experiencing any major
surges.

When you take equity out of your mortgage during a home
refinance, you increase your debt load. Therefore, your debt
to income ratio looks less attractive to lenders.

In previous decades, credit card issuers would review your
credit only once every few years. Usually, they would check
your credit scores when renewing your card or when you
requested a credit line increase.

Today’s sophisticated credit monitoring systems report your
activity on an almost daily basis. When you make a move with
any of your creditors, the data create a trail of ripples
through the fabric of your current credit relationships.
Sometimes, your new debt burden may trigger an automatic
system that shoots your credit card’s interest rate by ten
or fifteen percentage points.

Worst of all, you won’t know about the increase until it
shows up on your statement. Buried in the fine print of your
contract with your credit card lender are statements that
allow them to change your interest rate at will, with only a
maximum of fifteen days’ notice. Even if you thought you
earned a promotional deal or a fixed rate, your interest
charges could balloon overnight.

Therefore, before considering a cash out refinance, talk to
representatives at your credit card companies about whether
your plans could backfire on you. Pay off as much of your
credit card balances as possible before you cash out so you
can minimize your debt to income ratio. If your credit card
interest rate increases, use some of that freed-up cash to
free yourself from that card.

Earl Baker is a writer for DebtConsolidationer.com and RefinanceFinds.com.
For additional articles and an extensive resource for
everything about Debt-Consolidation and Refinance, please visit us at http://www.DebtConsolidationer.com and
http://www.RefinanceFinds.com.

Sweepstakes are frequently used by fast-food restaurants to boost business. Thats really great or great to win 489 dollars. The reason why contests are treated differently is that the winners are not chosen by chance but by an element of skill. Sweepstakes are also legally different from contests in the United States. 6 days ago a Dutch dutch company took of a contest websites. Many state lotteries also run a second chance sweepstakes in conjunction with the retail sale of state lottery scratch cards. Everybody can win fantastic plasmas every 22 months. Although some sweepstakes ask for a proof of purchase or UPC code, the sponsors must provide an alternate method of entry if they do so. Super surfboards to be won at online sweepstakes. 11 hours ago a Belgium dutch online company has started with a dutch online contests. 11 weeks ago a Europe based company started a dutch online sweepstakes. Really anyone can win absolutely fantastic Porches every 19 weeks at windeprijsvraag.nl web. Many more sweepers are choosing to enter online sweepstakes. That should be realy terrific or marvelous to win 6506 euro. Before home computers were popular a common method of entry was a mailed one. Entering sweepstakes by mail is declining in popularity. Sweepstakes promotions are prohibited from requiring a purchase to enter. Sweepstakes are generally easier and quicker to enter than contests. Consumer promotions advertised as contests, however, can require an entry fee or proof of purchase. Anyone can win marvelous wakeboards every 10 months. You can win absolutely fantastic TVs every 22 hours. 10 days ago a European online company begun with a sweepstakes websites. Members sign up once and are entered to various sweepstakes each month. There are also other online services, which automatically enter members into sweepstakes. This saves entrants time and effort. In an effort to increase consumer demand for scratch cards and to help control the litter small problems associated with the disposal of non-winning lottery tickets. 5 weeks ago a Europe based webcompany has started with a dutch online contests. Super swimming pools to be won at contest websites. Really great BMWs to win at sweepstakes websites. Fantastic SUVs to be won at dutch online sweepstakes. Its terrific or great to win 1392 euros. Realy terrific electrical tools to win at online sweepstakes. That will be realy terrific or really great to win 7743 dollar.

Home improvement loans are designed to add extra beauty and give a new changed look to your abode. It’s not a child’s play to afford home renovation for a common man, as heavy expenditure is incurred in this. Home improvement loan is hence very beneficial to make major changes in your home.

You often feel bored with the same old interior of your home. You wish to make some significant changes but due to your limited budget you have to postpone your designs. Home improvement loan is very beneficial at such time. It helps you to make all those minor and major changes which you were thinking ever since you purchased your home.

Home improvement loan is an ideal choice to raise the standard of your living. You can now design your home without any worries of your financial status. It completely transforms your home, gives a vibrant change to the exterior and interior of your home. Home improvement loan can be distinguished into two major categories- secured home improvement loan, where offering collateral is mandatory for you. You bear a risk losing your property if you fail to repay. You find cheaper rate of interest and long repayment time. These loans are very fruitful when there are some big changes to be made.

Unsecured home improvement loans are its contrary. You have high interest and short repayment duration. But no risk posed to your property, if you fail to repay. They are suitable only for making small changes in your home. To get reasonable interest rate, search online. Home improvement loan also increases market value of your abode.