The Radiance of Knowing

Sometimes when we’re in a bind and need some extra cash, we forget the options we have available. Before you panic about your lack of money, keep in mind some of the ways you can solve your problem.

Here are six solutions, with the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

1) Borrow from a friend or family member

You may have loved ones who will help you out in a time of need, no matter what your situation is. In that case, this is probably the first solution to consider.

The advantage is that you don’t have to fill out applications, have your credit checked, or deal with a company that may charge you high fees. In fact, your friends or family may not charge you any interest for making you a loan (but it’s polite to offer them something, even if it’s just to do them a small favor).

One big disadvantage to borrowing money from someone you know is that they want to know why you need it, and you may have to explain your situation. That’s not always easy to do.

Another disadvantage is that word may get around, if they can’t keep your problems to themselves. Even friends and family like to gossip about their loved ones.

Also, you may have to listen to all their advice about how to save more money, how to get a better job, what to do with your life, and every other “helpful” bit of information they feel a need to tell you. But that’s just the price you pay for borrowing money from people you know.

Finally, the biggest disadvantage is what could happen if you can’t pay back the loan — or can’t pay it back quickly enough. That could ruin your friendship or family relationship, so consider this carefully before borrowing money from them.

2) Pawn something or hold a yard sale

You may have some things you don’t need. In that case, why not sell them to make some money?

If you have something of value that you’d like to keep, and you think you’d have the money soon to buy it back, you can try pawning it. The danger there is that you won’t have enough money in time to get it back.

If you have things you want to get rid of, you can try holding a yard sale, sell your items through the newspaper, or even sell them online on eBay.

The disadvantage is that you don’t know if you’ll be able to sell your things, and it may take some time. Also, you may have expenses involved if you have to run an ad in the paper.

3) Ask your creditors for more time to pay your bills

This isn’t exactly getting cash. It’s more like getting a temporary stay of execution. Still, it may help you get past a temporary cash crisis.

The advantage is that you don’t have to get a loan or sell your valuables. Instead, you just ask for more time to pay your bills. Some creditors may be willing to work with you and arrange a different payment plan.

The disadvantage is that your creditors may charge you for this service. And you still may have to pay late charges or higher interest rate. Or they may just laugh in your face for asking. But it’s worth a try.

4) Get a cash advance on your credit card

The advantage of this is that you don’t have to talk to anyone, fill out an application, or get approved. You’re borrowing money from the credit card company, and they’ve already approved you for a credit line up to a certain amount.

Of course, this solution assumes you have a credit card, that you haven’t maxed it out, or that you’re willing to pay the high fees and extra charges. Typically, credit cards charge a “transaction fee” for a cash advance and they charge a higher interest on cash advances than they do on normal purchases. That’s one disadvantage.

Plus, a lot of us don’t have clean enough credit to get credit cards. Or we just don’t want to be sucked into the world of yearly “membership” fees, or worry about late charges if we miss the payment deadline by a few hours. And some credit cards charge huge interest rates. You can end up paying hundreds of dollars for the “privilege” of using your credit card.

5) Get overdraft protection on your bank account

With this service, the bank covers any checks you write where you don’t have enough money in your account.

The advantage is that you avoid paying fees for bounced checks. It gives you a bit of a cushion.

The disadvantage is that you still end up paying fees. But instead of paying fees for bounced checks, you pay fees for the bank to cover your overdrafts. And that can cost you a bundle!

Some plans have fees as high as $35 per overdraft. What this means is that the bank is really making you a high-interest loan. That is, they charge you for the use of their money (by covering your check when you don’t have enough in your account). And they may only cover you for a few hundred dollars. After that, they start bouncing your checks.

It can be good to have overdraft protection for when you accidentally write a check when the money isn’t there. But don’t use it as a roundabout way to get a loan from the bank. You’ll end up paying too much for this.

6) Get a loan

Once you’ve tried other ways to raise the money you need, you can try getting a loan from your bank or through companies that offer payday loans (also called check advance loans or cash advance loans).

Getting a loan from your bank can be the better choice because you’ll probably be able to borrow the money at a good interest rate, and you don’t have to pay it back right away.

However, this can be the most difficult loan to get. Banks prefer to make loans to businesses, or for specific projects such as a home improvement loan. They rarely give loans to people who just need some cash to tide them over until next payday.

That’s where payday loans come in.

A payday loan company will advance you some cash right away, and you don’t have to pay them back until your next payday. The disadvantage is that these loans are only for people who receive a regular paycheck or benefit check.

The advantages are:
- You can get the money quickly, deposited right into your checking account.
- If you apply online, you don’t have to talk to anyone or tell them why you need the money.
- If you can’t pay back the loan on the next payday, you can roll the loan over until the following payday.
- They usually don’t care about credit problems, only that you can pay the loan back.

While payday loans aren’t for everybody, they are something to consider if you need to get some cash now. Just make sure you’ll be able to pay the loan back fairly soon.

Don Sorensen is co-founder of LoanTruth.org a website focused on the truth about payday loans. He also develops genealogy related content for CensusRecords-Search.com
View their website at: loantruth.org/index.php

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I moved into a new house about 14 days ago.

The funny thing about this house is thatwhen you walk into the master bathroom, the light switch is on the left side, opposite of where the sink is.

Well, practically every other house I’ve ever lived in has always had the light switch on the right sideor at least on the same side as the sink.

And I’ll be a monkey’s uncle if EVERY SINGLE TIME I’ve walked into that bathroom, my hand doesn’t instinctively reach to the right to turn the light switch on. Even after 14 days, my prior conditioning has been so engrained that when I consciously try to remember which side the light switch is on… my hand still shoot out to the right, instead of the left.

This is the exact same type of conditioning we aim for when training our dogs. And this is why I advise that— even after your dog understands a commandyou continue to say, “come” and then give a tug on the line… up to a year after the initial training session.

Your dog should be so conditioned to respond to commands that it becomes an automatic response Coming when called is responded to in much the same way that hearing a car backfire might make you duck your head, or cover your ears.

As I’ve already touched on this concept a few years ago in my book, which you can read more about at Dogproblems.com … I just had to share this experience with you, because it was so comical to the extent to which we animals (yes, we’re animals too!) can develop conditioned responses.

Just like our dogs.

Adam G. Katz is the author of the book, “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer: An Insider’s Guide To The Most Jealously Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History.” Get a free copy of his report “Games To Play With Your Dog” when you sign up for his free weekly dog training tips e-zine at: dog training

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Never before in the history of the business of writing have
opportunities opened up and presented themselves in such a large
quantity and scale for writers to easily win so much regular
business and revenue.

If you know anything about writers of old you will know that
they mostly starved, some to death. Yes, they often had to pay
such a high price for their love of writing.

Today everything has changed so dramatically and so suddenly.
Thanks mainly to the internet and the huge hungry market it
continues to build at high every day, the business of writing
has been changed forever.

Sadly however, many writers are yet to fully wake up to the new
realties of the internet and the fresh and different business
and revenue opportunities that are suddenly within such easy
reach of any writer. Many offline writers are still stuck saying
that they will never write $3 or $5 articles (see my article on
this controversial subject at

http://100grandonlinewriters.
blogspot.com/2005/06/lots-of-extra-money-waiting-to-be-made.html<
/a>

Yet the same writers had no problem starting off their careers
writing 10-cents-per-word articles in the old days. Some even
wrote for publications that pay in copies and others that don’t
even pay (just to get clippings of their published work. And yet
those clippings were not anywhere near as effective as “online
writing clippings” - that is your articles posted free at
article sites, can be today).

But for you to succeed as an online writer you must first
understand that all online writing is business writing. In the
bricks and mortar world business writing is writing about boring
stocks and sometimes boring companies and trying to explain why
they are so successful or why they have failed. Incidentally I
personally find such writing fascinating.

In online writing, the business writing is different. You can
write on any subject, giving a lot of useful details and advice
but in the end, you must find a way of getting readers to do
what you want them to do. Your objective could be to get them to
visit your website or blog for more information and this win
higher traffic, which gives you many possibilities. Or your
objective could be to get them to head straight to your
affiliate website.

In other words your writing is always business writing because
the end objective is to sell something, even if it is just
ideas. And yet the moment your writing looks like it is selling,
it will be shunned and people will not want to come anywhere
near your writing. A good example is this article that you are
reading so eagerly. It is actually selling something. Get my
point? The kind of writing articles do online is very different.

Any writer who understands that all online writing is business
writing puts themselves in a very good position to make a
fortune from their online business writing.

For example it will become much easier to attract clients
because no website will assign you to write something that does
not help them sell something.

This business writing that is done online has become even more
interesting in recent times because a huge market has developed
for writers who can write content to attract specific Google
adsense advertisements. Let me explain in a little more detail
for the sake of the uninitiated. Most people who carry Google
adsense advertisements quickly notice that it is extremely
important to attract higher paying ads. The way to do this is by
using certain keywords. Usually common keywords in most subjects
will attract low bids (because there are numerous sites where
these ads can be successfully posted) meaning that the revenue
Google shares with the site owner carrying their ads, for clicks
will tend to be low. More unique and rare keywords will tend to
attract ads that have much higher bids on them. There are
actually certain Google ads that pay as much as $100 per click.

The kind of business writing required here is where unique
keywords will be used without the content losing its’ original
value and meaning. There are probably hundreds of thousands of
sites that carry Google ads and many of them are not happy with
their earnings and would like to earn more. Business writing
from online writers who understand exactly what the client wants
is in very high demand. By the way it is very easy for an online
writer to quickly become an expert in this sort of business
writing by simply setting up their own blog and applying to post
Google ads and then learning and practicing their online
business writing skills on their own site to start with. They
can even use the same site to attract clients and writing
business.

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Are you familiar with the buy and sell business?

This is how stock trading works. The issuance of new stock shares of the different companies throughout the world is an important activity for the business oriented people in line with the trading business. The bottom line for this is simple, and that is in order to raise capital and invest in the business.

With the advent of the Internet, trading is even made easier and possible for everyone who wants to engage in the business. You can also have the access to receive everyday update regarding the status of your stock trading venture.

Stock trading is known to all. However, most of the people are not aware of its main advantages that it can offer them. On the other hand, there are also some drawbacks that you have to expect in stock trading. Like any other kinds of businesses, stock trading has its pros and cons. We have to know them one-by-one to take advantage or avoid them.

Advantages:

• Sure returns
This is particularly true for active stock trading. You can benefit from better returns with stock trading instead of just buying and holding your investment.

• Variety of Choices
The web world offers wide variety of stocks that you can choose from. As much as possible you have to try finding stocks with moving prices.

• Familiarity
Most of the stocks that are presented in the net are more or less familiar to you. It takes a little time and effort for you to understand each of them.

Disadvantages:

• Leverage
It is a manifested flaw of stock trading. The leverage for this trading is much lower as compared to the Forex or future trading.

• Rule on Short Selling
It makes the trader wait for quite long until a stock price ticks up before they will have a chance to short sell it. This limits profit gaining of a trader. This policy cannot be found in Forex trading.

• Costs
The price is slightly incomparable to other forms of trading. This makes stock trading virtually impossible for anyone. It will really require you some amount before you can start on investing.

Each of the types of trading system like Stock, Forex and Future also show pros and cons. As a wise trader it is just up to you to think about it. Better if you will assess it properly before you slot in any kind of system.

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So, you are afraid of the big, bad, scary internet
seller………….May I ask “Why?”. Most of the people that I
have talked to about this problem say that they are afraid of
being scammed, identity theft, getting thier bank accounts
drained, rampant charges on their credit cards, etc. Well, all
of you who are so scared of the internet seller are also the
same group that think nothing of giving a waiter or waitress
your credit card to carry up to the front in that fancy leather
folder to charge your meal in that restaurant! Who is to say
that the person you just gave your card to is honest? Ever
thought about that? Hmmm… Kinda makes you stop and think
doesn’t it?

That person who just carried off your card could easily copy
down all the information they needed to have to use your credit
card for as long as they could get by with it. Think of all the
times you use your card, handing it to people without thinking,
but when it comes to the internet, you are terrified to purchase
a $9.99 item. When you think about it in these terms it doesn’t
make much sense, does it?

Think of it this way-why should you balk at putting your
information into the appropriate fields on an internet web site
to purchase something, when you are handing your card, with no
second thoughts, to someone you don’t know and will probably
never see again? Is is because you can SEE them face to face?
Well, does that make them any more honest? No. Does that make
your information any more safe? No. Did you know that when that
person takes your card, they basically perform the same actions
with it that an internet seller would do. They transmit your
information over either a telephone or computer line, get an
authorization, and bring your card back to you. At least with an
internet sale, your card never leaves your possession, and you
don’t run the risk of leaving it behind in some shop or
restaurant that you can’t remember later when you are looking
for your card!

You probably never thought of it like that, now did you? Kind of
makes you stop and think, doesn’t it? Don’t mistrust dealers on
the internet just because you can’t see them and you are afraid
of the technology of the web. I have been an online seller and
buyer for years now, and have NEVER had a problem! Not even
once. I have found that most people are honest, and internet
marketing is a great way for a stay at home Mom, or a disabled
person to make a living and not have to be a burden on the
welfare system, or live in poverty, or just pay those extra
bills that always crop up. We are just like every other business
person out there that IS honest. We are just trying to get by.
If we cheat or scam someone, we are out of business. If we had
enough money in the first place, we wouldn’t be doing this! We
are more dependent on our clients than our clients are on us, so
it is in our best interest to be honest, ethical, professional
and give the best customer service that we possibly can. We
won’t do ourselves much good by scamming people and getting put
out of business, now would we? Plus, it is no easy feat to build
an internet website! I personally spend 10-14 hours a day
working. Why spend that much time, get situated with a reputable
web mall, etc., only to self-destruct? We are liable to the same
lawsuits, criminal charges, etc. that a “brick and mortar”
business is liable to, should one of us decide to rip someone
off. Therefore, the vast majority of us are not going to spend
all that time, just to get thrown in prison for identity theft.
Makes a little more sense now, doesn’t it.

There is one more thing I would like to add. Now don’t let this
scare you, but it is a fact. All someone has to know about you
is your name, basic location, and basic age, and within 1 hour
can know everything from your criminal and civil court records,
drivers license number, social security number, what your exact
address is, who lives there with you, who lived there before you
did, what your credit rating is and a HUGE amount of other
information that you never though anyone would ever find out,
unless you gave your permission! The really wild thing is, you
don’t have to be a hacker, have a special program or anything
else to find all of this out! It is there for the taking, if you
are of a mind to look it up. Online sellers, as a general rule,
not only do not have the urge to do this, they do NOT HAVE THE
TIME! Now, I am not saying there aren’t people out there that
will do this, but the majority of them are not owners of
internet e-commerce sites. They are the people who really don’t
want to work for a living, they would rahter live off of other
peoples money. Internet sellers are proud, professional business
men and women, and we have our own reputations to protect.

Now that you know all of this, take some time to think about it
and see if it doesn’t make sense. Besides, what is better than
being able to shop from home, in your pajamas, and not have to
go out and fight crowds, waste gas, you have the whole world at
your fingertips to find just the right thing, and to top it all
off, you have an honest person like me on the other end, waiting
to make your transaction a great one for you, because I WANT YOU
TO COME BACK!

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You’re at a networking function and you’ve made that all-important contact. You want to get help from this individual but you know that you need to start working on building a relationship with them first. How do you do that?

The hardest thing for people to understand about networking functions is that very little real business gets done on an initial contact at these functions. If you go into the function NOT EXPECTING to get business, but to make contacts, you will have a far greater success rate. When your approach is one that is obviously intended to drain your current contact of all of their contacts and resources, you will be met with opposition.

You need to draw the attention away from yourself and onto the business prospect at hand. I have found that a great response when asked to introduce myself at a function is to state my name, and my company’s name, followed by “I am here to see how I might best be able to refer some business to your firms”.

Yes, you read that right. I don’t make any attempt to talk about what I do. “But”, you say”, how will I get any business for my firm if I don’t TALK about my firm?”. You won’t get any anyway, in most cases…People have no relationship with you. But they will if you take this approach. This opens up a whole new avenue of discussion- THEM!!

People love to talk about themselves. They could spend DAYS at it. The conversation should center around THEM- what they do and how they do it, how they got their start in that field, what changes they have seen in their industry- anything about THEM.

The goal here is to find a reason for a follow-up contact. A contact that can be made away from this group environment. In other words- a one-on-one contact. I have gotten into the habit of writing notes on the back of business cards about points brought out by the prospect which could aid me in a follow-up contact.

This follow-up may be business or it may be personal. I have found information in the newspaper about a firm’s competition and forwarded it to my contact with a note saying- “Thought this might interest you”. I have also heard about people’s families and seen info about their children’s Little League team and forwarded that.

It doesn’t matter what prompts the follow-up as long as it PERSONALLY matters to the prospect- to their work or to their family. It proves that you were listening and that you are willing to give before you receive.

It also sets you apart from all the people who are at these functions trying to push their own business. It helps you get past the “gatekeepers” when you can say “I’d like to speak to Mr. Jone’s about the info I sent him about his son”. You always get connected to him and remembered by him.

I attend many functions and never mention to anyone anything about what I do. I spend the whole time listening and writing. I understand I am not going to “close any sales” then. These people don’t know me. But before I leave, I know a lot more about them.

Next time: What do you say when someone finally does ask you, “Well, what do you do?”.

Nancy Roebke, is the Executive Director of Profnet Inc, a professional business leads generation corporation. We bring business professionals together in a non-competitive environment to help each other make more money.

mailto:execdirector@profnet.org http://www.profnet.org

Copyright c Nancy Roebke

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If you, a loved one or a child suffer from the birth defect of Spina Bifida you may already know that obtaining term life insurance can be difficult and expensive. With recent advances in medical technology and procedures, however, many people with this defect are living longer, more productive lives and insurance companies are taking notice by beginning to offer more choices for such policies at rates that are typically lower than have been seen in the past.

When seeking out an insurer for such term life policies it is important to look at the insurer ratings given to the company by not only such companies as A.M. Best but by other consumers who have purchased policies from them. The last thing you want to have to deal with when you have to file a claim against the company is the insurer’s refusal or inability to pay.

Many organizations and support groups for this particular defect have lists of preferred companies to deal with who not only understand your unique situation, but also offer policies that are fairly priced and spell out clearly under what conditions they will pay. With any type of disease or defect that could ultimately lead to an untimely death you will find that insurers usually include clauses in the policy itself that specify that for a certain period of time from issuance the company will only pay a reduced amount. This is to protect them from issuing policies that might be claimed immediately because of the disease and seriously impacting their financial stability.

Your best bet for this type, and indeed all types, of life policies is to talk with your agent directly who can help you create a policy that meets your family needs as well as protect for the future. Agents are there to help you and are the direct liaison between you and your insurance company.

Marvin Toller is a writer and internet publisher who likes to write about http://www.best-rates-on-life-insurance.net best rates on life insurance

as well as insurance issues in general. Check out his life insurance news and in depth information website http://www.best-rates-on-life-insurance.net

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If you are developer or application consultant, who customizes and integrates Microsoft Great Plains with eCommerce applications, you probably already come across the problem of autoposting when you already fed in and created working batch in SOP, POP, Payroll, etc. Typical eCommerce example - you can create SOP Order or Invoice and even apply deposit or payment against this document, however it is not clear how to post the batch automatically - eConnect leaves it to the operator for verification and approval. You can have many different customization approaches to do the job - in this small article we would like to share with you very elegant method, using GP Dexterity process server to do the job:

• Dexterity Engine. Microsoft Dexterity or former Great Plains Dexterity is currently the engine for so-called fat client, it processes according to the dictionary (DYNAMICS.DIC) and this dictionary (plus few so-called third party dictionaries) plays all the business logic of Microsoft Dynamics GP.

• Dexterity Posting Logic. Instead of trying to replicate pretty complex posting logic of Dynamics GP in SQL Stored Procedures, it is better idea to deploy Dexterity Posting logic directly. You simply “provoke” Microsoft Dynamics GP workstation to post at the certain event firing, provoking in the sense that Dexterity thinks that operator pushes Post button on the batch or master posting forms.

• Scenario. You use eConnect to create work documents and place them into the batch, you do not do any posting, you just “signal” in one custom table that this specific batch in AP is ready to be posted. Customized Great Plains workstation, running permanently, say on the processing server, checks every few seconds this signaling table and finds that batch is ready to be posted. It calls Dexterity Posting chain of procedures in AP module to do the job.

• Upgrade Safe Customization. If you try to implement posting logic in SQL Stored Procedure, every new version will require fundamental revision for your SQL scripts. If you call Dexterity procedures, you just verify that the interface is still the same and upgrade is pretty simple.

• Smart Integration. The described logic allows you to deploy auto posting in any GP module, where posting is applicable. We know examples when customer deploys this smart logic for the integration. Imagine, you can advance GP Integration Manager data import with auto posting to provide automatic on-going data conversion and feeding from your legacy or third party accounting or MRP system.

• For Web Developer. All you need to do is deploy eConnect or relatively simple SQL Stored Procedure to feed order data into work tables: SOP10100, SOP10200, etc. You do your job in Visual Studio.Net C# or VB and then Dexterity posting engine does the rest of the job.

Give us a call 1-866-528-0577 or help@albaspectrum.com if you need additional information or directions.

Andrew Karasev is technical consultant at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.ronix-systems.de http://www.enterlogix.com.br ), serving clients in Illinois, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, and having locations in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Germany, Mexico. We have industry experience in Aerospace and Defense, Conglomerates, Pharmaceutical, Beverages, Manufacturing, Logistics, Consignment, Transportation, Oil & Gas, Healthcare, Advertising & Publishing, non-for-profit, Finance, Construction & Building, Wholesale & Retail, Distributions, Barcoding & Warehouse Management.

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You’re at a conference. Someone steps in the elevator, notices your name tag and asks, “So what do you guys do?” Quick — what’s your answer? You’ve got about 15 seconds before the doors open.

For most business owners, getting to the crux of what they
really do is the hardest, yet potentially most rewarding, one-minute conversation
they will ever have. In that shortest of time spans, potential customers, vendors, and
employees will make a complete assessment, deciding then and there if your
company, products or services are worth pursuing. Why? Because it’s all the time
they have before the doors open - so make it count.

Trap #1: The Laundry List

The commonest of traps is to try and list every product and service you provide. “We
sell, service and maintenance new and used industrial fittings for the diesel engine
aftermarket.” The reply? “Thanks! This is my floor… nice to meet you!”

Solution: Like everything else in branding, your 15 second elevator speech should
convey the essence of what you do, not just a descriptive phrase. It should stress
the benefits of what you do, not the features. In marketing they call it “selling the
sizzle, not the steak”. Sacino’s Formalwear in Florida had rented tuxedos for three
generations. But upon closer examination, we determined that customers really did
not want to rent heavy, expensive, snug fitting clothing. In other words, it wasn’t
about the cloth, it was what the cloth did. The heart of their new :15 elevator
speech? “We Make Men Look Good!”

In short, look for the solution or benefits your products and services provide. How
can you sum that up in two to three sentences? For Harbour House Crabs, the
central theme went from selling seafood to “Making any occasion a special
occasion”! For Mark Mohr at Joe Ricos, it went from selling coffee to creating a
sanctuary where you could “Escape the Ordinary”.

Trap #2 The Sweeping Statement

Once you realize the laundry list approach doesn’t work, you may be tempted to
simply summarize. This is great for the back of a DVD, but not good for getting new
business. A typical sweeping statement goes something likes this… “We’re into
enterprise management software”. Response? Unintentional yawn. Look down at
watch. Leave with a nice pleasantry.

Solution: Add some pizzaz! While attending a business conference in the Bahamas a
couple of years back, I heard a very dynamic speaker tell of her work in the
philanthropic field, setting up foundations and putting together partnerships. When
I asked her specifically what she did, she simply smiled and replied “I make magic
happen.”

I love magic.

You can bet I made sure to follow up and keep in touch with her as she worked
toward setting up peace schools in various nations. Her work was varied, but her
benefit was consistent… magic.

Make it a goal this week to develop a one to two sentence statement that sums up
the benefits of what you offer. Avoid dry, purely descriptive statements and go for
the “Wow!” factor. What is it you do that your customers truly appreciate, demand
and are willing to pay top dollar to obtain. To help you, think of the last customer
you had that just raved about your products or service. What specifically did you do
for him or her that really turned them on about your company. Distill that that into
two or three simple sentences of pure marketing maple syrup and you will have your
15 second elevator speech… (and you’ll also have the attention of a lot more
customers). This will be some of the hardest, and most rewarding work you will do.
But as Emerson said… “So much of our time is preparation, so much is routine, and
so much retrospect, that the path of each man’s genius contracts itself to a very few
hours.” So spend a few moments and make this statement one of the rewards of
those few hours.

Phil’s life goal of “creating environments where people thrive” reflects his desire to
assist in personal, professional and business growth. Phil founded and ran a full
service ad agency for over 17 years and now works full time as a business naming and
branding consultant. Phil resides with wife Michelle and four energetic offspring
outside Asheville, North Carolina. His web site can be found at PureTungsten.com.

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Last time, we started to take a look at the most common reasons
why most people don’t make progress on their e-commerce and
Internet marketing goals. Today, we continue the discussion. [See
part 1 of this article at http://www.ecommercediva.com/articles/excuses2.html]

————————————————-

Excuse #5:
” I just don’t have time. I’m too busy dealing with [customers,
clients, day job, family, etc.] to deal with my web site.”

————————————————-

Isn’t it interesting that the folks who have the fewest orders to
fill or have the fewest clients to serve are usually the same
people who say they don’t have time to market their products
or services?

That’s because the most successful entrepreneurs - the ones with
all the orders and clients they can handle - know how important
marketing is to establishing and growing their business. They don’t
put marketing at the bottom of their to-do lists, waiting until
everything else is done before they get to it. The successful ones
make the time; they schedule it in on an ongoing basis. It’s a
winning habit.

THE REMEDY:

You can do the same! It’s a matter of priority. Try this: Block out
some time on your schedule to do your marketing tasks. Make this
appointment with yourself, and keep it! Treat it as if it were a
hot date with the man or woman of your dreams, or an important
meeting with your biggest client. In other words, be on time,
be prepared when you get there, and be adamant about not
allowing interruptions or distractions.

Actually, I started doing this myself. I call it “Marketing
Mondays” and I block out a minimum of four hours each and
every Monday to work on my web site, write new articles, create
marketing materials, and the like. I’ve been doing it for several
months now, and the results have been phenomenal! I’m blazing
through all of the marketing stuff that got put on the back burner
last year, including my new web site,
http://www.EcommerceDiva.com, which launched earlier this year.

If you’re looking at your Palm Pilot or DayPlanner and you’re still
convinced you don’t have enough time for marketing, check out Suzanne
Falter-Barns’ list of “30 Guaranteed Time Wasters” from her book, “Living
Your Joy: A Practical Guide to Happiness.” You can download a “Time
Wasters” excerpt here (PDF):
http://www.howmuchjoy.com/11GuaranteedTimeSavers.pdf

————————————————-

Excuse #6:
“Every time I sit down to work on my marketing, I just can’t seem
to stay focused.”

————————————————-

This one goes hand in hand with procrastination. You sit down to
work on your web site, all full of gusto and good intentions. But
the next thing you know, you’re rearranging items on your desk,
sharpening pencils (which you probably don’t even use!), checking
email, doodling, and everything else. Sound familiar?

THE REMEDY:

Let me tell you, I’m great at finding little meaningless things
to do when I’m dreading a particular task! But I’m going to share
three tricks that have really worked for me. Maybe they’ll work
for you, too.

1. TIME IT.
If you know that a four-hour “Marketing Monday”-type block of time
is just not going to work for you, try it in one-hour increments,
four days a week. The shorter time frame will leave a smaller
opportunity for you to get distracted. Schedule the date and time
for it, then get yourself a timer. (My friend Janet Hall, “The
Organizing Wizard,” [http://www.overhall.com] gave me this tip.)
Set the timer for 60 minutes, and work like crazy for those 60
minutes with total focus. When the timer goes off, put the
marketing away and work on something else. For best results, skip
the timer on your digital watch and get a regular old kitchen
timer. There’s something about the ticking noise that really
gets me going, and when I hear that “ding!” at the end, I just
feel like celebrating because I know it’s over!

2. PICTURE IT.
Sometimes we get too bogged down with tasks that we lose sight
of the big picture. What do you really want from your business?
What is it that you’re working for? And what will your life look
like if you have a thriving, successful business? A certain house
or car? More time with your family? A tropical vacation? What
does success look like for you? Find a picture that represents
your “success” — cut it out of a magazine or print it off the
Internet if you don’t have an actual photograph — and post it
at your desk, tape it to your computer, or place it wherever you
do your marketing work. And every time you feel like you’re losing
focus on your marketing efforts, look at the image and think about
how completing the task will being you one step closer to
achieving your dream.

3. SMELL IT!
(Say what??) No, seriously. Try aromatherapy. Aside from all the
anecdotal evidence, scientific research now shows that really is
something to ancient art of using essential oils to heal the mind,
body and spirit. Specifically, oils of basil, geranium,
frankincense, lemon, peppermint, and rosemary can be used to
improve your ability to focus and concentrate. Be sure to use the
pure essential oils and not just “fragrance oils.” Just add a few
drops to a tissue, and inhale. (NOTE: If you’re pregnant, avoid
basil, peppermint, and rosemary altogether; and avoid frankincense
and geranium during the first trimester.)

For me, a combination of frankincense and geranium works best. I’ve
Been studying aromatherapy and creating all-natural products for
the past 21/2 years, so I create my own blends. But you can find all
kinds of pure oils, spritzes for the room and the body, and plug-in
diffusers for your home, office, and car at your local health food
store, retailers like The Body Shop, or online shops like Indigo
Wild (http://www.IndigoWild.com — check out their “Zum Body Mist”
in Rosemary-Mint.) When I feel my mind wandering, I just get a good
whiff of frankincense and geranium, and I’m immediately good to go!

If you’re too much of a skeptic to try aromatherapy, just pull out
a freshly minted $20 bill and inhale the scent of fresh money!

So there you have it…

You have no more excuses not to turn your web site into the
fabulous, cash-generating marketing vehicle that it can be.
What are you waiting for? GET TO WORK!!

(c) Copyright 2005 Jamila White. All rights reserved.

[NOTE: You are welcome to “reprint” this article online as
long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the
“about the author” info at the end and the copyright notice),
and you send a copy of your reprint to articles@jamilawhite.com.]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jamila White, “The E-Commerce Diva”, is an Internet Strategist,
Web Designer, and E-Commerce instructor in the Washington D.C.
area. For a FREE subscription to her “Sell More Online”
e-newsletter, go to http://www.ecommercediva.com.

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